The Department of Forestry is hereby authorized to acquire one or more parcels of land for the creation of one or more State Forests from nongeneral funds appropriated to the Virginia State Forest Mitigation and Acquisition Fund established pursuant to Item 102 of this act. In evaluating lands available from willing sellers, the Department shall give priority to i) large contiguous tracts, preferably with a minimum of 1,000 acres in size; ii) tracts with the majority of the land area forested or managed as a working forest; iii) tracts containing diversity in timber types and ages; iv) tracts providing maximum water quality protection and wildlife habitat; and, v) tracts in areas of the state that currently do not contain a State Forest. The Department shall also give priority consideration to any available properties that are in-holdings within or tracts adjacent to an existing State Forest.