Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, has used his considerable fortune, estimated between 5 and 9 billion dollars, to acquire large tracts of forest land in North Carolina, with the aim of preserving them from real estate development.
With approximately 50,000 acres of land in 15 counties, Sweeney has become one of the largest landowners in the state.
A most noble charitable work
Among its most notable acquisitions is the Box Creek Wilderness, a 7,000-acre forest that is home to more than 130 species of endangered flora and fauna. Since 2008, Sweeney has been purchasing land at risk of being developed, motivated in part by the global financial crisis, which had left many housing projects and developments on hold.
In 2021, Sweeney donated 7,500 acres in the Roan Highlands to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, an action that marked the largest private land donation in North Carolina’s history.
This region is known for its ecological diversity, including rare ecosystems of firs and mountain beans. “This extraordinary gift ensures that these remarkable mountain landscapes remain intact forever,” stated Carl Silverstein of the conservancy.
With the increase in land prices, Sweeney has changed his strategy, focusing on turning his acquisitions into areas of permanent conservation. To carry out this work, he employs a company called 130 of Chatham, with which he makes these purchases and ensures that development on this land is impossible, regardless of who owns it in the future.
Despite the fact that some observers might view these actions from a cynical perspective, the outcome is clear: the forest and wild lands in North Carolina are being safeguarded for future generations. “If you can protect the land permanently, it will outlast anyone,” Sweeney states.