Spruce and northern hardwood forests, wetlands, and the headwaters of three river systems on the remote Tug Hill Plateau in western New York state will be protected from development by a tripartite deal. River on the Tug Hill Plateau. The Nature Conservancy, with the help of New York state, will buy the 44,650 acre property for $9.1 million from the Hancock Timber Resource Group, the world's largest timberland investment manager for institutional investors, which has owned the land since 1996.