MONTEAGLE, Tenn. (AP) — The state Division of Forestry has acquired a conservation easement on more than 3,000 acres adjacent to South Cumberland State Park.

The easement allows for the Grundy County property to remain privately owned and managed as a working forest while protecting it from future fragmentation and development.

The land is near a section of the Fiery Gizzard Trail, where more than 1 million people visit annually.

In 2008, the Land Trust for Tennessee and The Conservation Fund, with assistance from the Friends of South Cumberland State Park, protected nearly a third of the Fiery Gizzard Trail and a large section of the view from the trail.

With the completion of the final phase, more than 5,000 acres have been added to South Cumberland State Park system.