CLAY COUNTY, Ala. — The Talladega National Forest has grown by 1,446 acres in Clay County, adding land along its southern boundary that conservation advocates say will protect wildlife habitat, strengthen forest connectivity and preserve views from the Pinhoti Trail.
The newly acquired tract has been transferred to the U.S. Forest Service and folded into the national forest, where it will be managed in part through the Hollins Wildlife Management Area, according to published reporting on the project.
The added acreage fills a gap in the forest, improves management across the region and enhances the Hollins Wildlife Management Area, which is known for deer and turkey hunting, according to reporting on the acquisition.
Funding for the purchase came from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which was permanently funded through the Great American Outdoors Act signed by President Donald Trump in 2020.
The Conservation Fund said the project also received support from a donation by Fred and Alice Stanback.
The Talladega National Forest expansion comes as Alabama lawmakers continue pushing a broader effort to enlarge the forest’s boundary. In April 2025, Sen. Tommy Tuberville and Rep. Mike Rogers introduced legislation that would allow the Forest Service to buy land from willing sellers and expand the proclamation boundary by about 50,000 acres in east Alabama.
That bill was aimed in part at improving the Pinhoti Trail, including reducing road walks and boosting outdoor tourism, according to the lawmakers’ news release.