The relocation of the solitary male woodpecker provides the best opportunity for this bird to breed. The plan includes habitat improvements at The Nature Conservancy's Piney Grove Preserve in Sussex County, which supports the host population. This population is the only remaining population in Virginia, the northern extent of the red-cockaded woodpecker's range.

In addition to the relocation of the adult male, a 20-year conservation easement was placed on a stretch of woods along the Nottoway River to provide migratory bird and other wildlife habitat protection.