Austin, Texas-based Forestar donates aerial photo archive to University of Georgia, says images reflect company's tradition of sustainable land stewardship

Audrey Dixon

ATHENS, Georgia , August 16, 2011 (press release) – Forestar Group Inc. has donated 1,100 archival aerial photos – an invaluable visual record of the South over four decades – to the University of Georgia Map Library.

The photos are USDA black and white aerial images covering 18 counties of North Georgia and Alabama. They offer a snapshot of life in Georgia in the mid -20th Century and provide a lasting record for history, property and legal researchers, as well as the general public. Forestar Group’s gift is the largest single donation of aerial photographs made to the University of Georgia Map Library.

Forestar Group today owns approximately 219,000 acres of land principally located in Georgia and Texas. “Many of these well managed properties are marketed to individual buyers,” said Kenneth Gibson, Group Vice President – Land Sales of Forestar Group. “Our marketing program focuses on re-establishing the southern legacy of affordable land ownership.”

The extensive photo record, meticulously preserved for more than 60 years, reflects Forestar’s tradition of land stewardship and sustainable land practices. “This is a truly unique record of Georgia’s land and history and we are proud to offer this collection to the University of Georgia Map Library,” said Michael Quinley, Executive Vice President of Forestar Group. “Stewardship of the land we own is one of our core values, and we take extraordinary care to preserve and protect the environments we own for future generations. We see this donation as an extension of those values.”

The University of Georgia Map Library, a department within the UGA Libraries, currently holds approximately 640,000 total items, including 240,000 aerial photos. The collection ranks it among the top 10 academic libraries in the U.S. in both map and aerial photography holdings.

“Based upon what researchers are looking for at the Map Library, large, aerial photos of Georgia are especially prized, particularly privately flown photos,” said Will Langford, Gifts Coordinator for the University of Georgia Libraries. “We’re very grateful to Forestar for making such a significant donation that will greatly enhance our collection.”

Forestar’s photography donation is now available for review at the University of Georgia Map Library at 955 Whitehall Road, Athens, Ga. For information about the library, visit www.libs.uga.edu/maproom/index.htm. To see select images from the collection, or for more information about Forestar land, visit the Forestar Land Sales website at landforsale.forestargroup.com or call 770-272-8140.

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