The Nova Scotia Government has reached an agreement to buy just over 10,000 hectares of land from Bowater Mersey. The $23.7 million dollar land deal involves various parcels of land from five counties in western Nova Scotia The largest parcel is 5,665 hectares and located is in Annapolis County. Almost 5,500 acres from Queens and 230 from Lunenburg County was also purchased by the province. The land includes forests, old-growth timber stands, ocean and lake frontage, wetlands and some land of cultural significance to the Mi'kmaq. The purchase is part of the government's $50 million bailout package for Bowater's Brooklyn-based paper mill.