Cemex USA recently finalised the US$30m sale of its approximately 8500-acre Redwood Forest property near the Cemex Davenport cement plant to a consortium of local land trusts. The land trusts comprise the Living Landscape Initiative, a major conservation project in the Silicon Valley area. The deal follows the plant’s closure in January in 2010 and guarantees the continued protection of the property’s significant expanse of redwood trees and wildlife habitat in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

“Sustainability is integrated into our day-to-day operations and decision-making processes worldwide, and Cemex is proud of our longstanding commitment to biodiversity and wilderness protection,” said Karl Watson, Jr, president of Cemex USA. “Cemex is very pleased to have the opportunity to work with conservation groups in the Bay Area so they may continue responsible environmental stewardship of this unique ecosystem.”

The decision to partner with the Living Landscape Initiative, a collaborative project working towards the conservation and protection of 80,000 acres of land in and around the Silicon Valley over the next 20 years, was made in October of this year. Cemex USA continues to explore and evaluate options for its remaining properties, which include the cement plant property and Boony Doon Quarry.