IKEA is known for being one of the top home furnishing stores in the world, but what you may not know about the brand is that they also go above and beyond to help protect the environment. This was shown once again recently when IKEA bought 11,000 acres of forest in Georgia that looked like it was about to be lost to development.

IKEA bought up the land as part of a strategy to reduce more carbon than it creates through its business. Thanks to IKEA, the working forest in the Altamaha Basin will remain intact and continue working to suck up CO2 from the atmosphere.

The forest was technically bought up by the IKEA subsidiary Ingka Group, which has worked with The Conservation Fund, a non-profit that has protected over 8-million acres of forests in the U.S. from fragmentation and development. The Ingka Group owns over 616,000 acres of forests like this one in the U.S. and Europe, strategically choosing to ensure the highest international standards for good forest management.

A spokesperson for the brand said that “no significant amount” of wood from the forests is currently used in Ikea products.

“We are honored to work with Ingka Group and applaud its dedication to preserve and enhance forest quality in the U.S. and Europe,” said Larry Selzer, President and CEO of The Conservation Fund. “Well-managed forests provide essential benefits, including clean water and important wildlife habitat, as well as mitigating climate change.”

“The transfer of these lands to Ingka Investments completes our Working Forest Fund process, through which we identify and buy important, at-risk private forests; develop sustainable harvest and restoration plans; (and) secure permanent conservation protections to block fragmentation and development,” he continued.

“We are delighted to continue our forestland acquisitions in the U.S. With this new acquisition, we own roughly 55,000 hectares (136,000 acres) in five states – Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma. This investment in Georgia is special to us as our partners from The Conservation Fund understood our long-term vision and have entrusted us to ensure the protection of the forestland,” said Krister Mattsson, Managing Director Ingka Investments.

“We are committed to managing our forests sustainably while at the same time meeting our business objectives. In all our properties, we pay special attention to ensuring environmental protection, so we are happy to see that our efforts in working with responsible forest management are being seen and trusted,” he continued.