2 weeks Ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 62,000 acres of Pee Dee forestland — three times the size of Hilton Head Island — will be preserved for future generations of South Carolinians.
It’s the single-largest conservation easement project in the state’s history and a major push to protect forests and wildlife threatened by development. The move, which must still be finalized, means vast tracts of land will be preserved in perpetuity for timber production and public use, according to a press release announcing the Pee Dee Basin Initiative. It will strengthen the timber economy, offer new recreational opportunities and conserve habitat for priority plants and wildlife.
Forests in Marion, Williamsburg and Georgetown counties along the Pee Dee, Santee and Black rivers will be affected. “It's breathtaking, just the scale of the project,” said Maria Whitehead, senior vice president of land for the southeast at the Open Space Institute, which helped organize the project. “It's hard to conceptualize just how big 62,000 acres is, but I can tell you, it's very big.
” Whitehead said the project is an historic opportunity. The effort comes as South Carolina’s population explodes , and state leaders have made land preservation a priority to ensure the state’s natural resources aren’t erased by development. Development is reshaping South Carolina.
These groups are trying to protect rural areas. In a press release, Gov. Henry McMaster said the project is a win for the state by combining landscape protection with economic growth.
“Conservation of South Carolina’s natural resources is key to our state’s economic security and future,” McMaster said. The announcement was made after the U.S.
Department of Agriculture provided $50 million to fund the project, part of more than $265 million the agency is spending to conserve nearly 335,000 acres of forestland across the U.S. The total cost of the project will be more than $70 million, with funding coming from public and private partners, according to Scott Phillips, state forester at the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
A group of public and private partners are working together to fund a more than $70 million conservation project in the Pee Dee. The Pee Dee Basin Initiative is a partnership between the U.S.
Forest Service, the Open Space Institute, the South Carolina Forestry Commission, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina Office of Resilience and Atlantic Packaging. Atlantic Packaging , a packaging company with offices in Charleston, has created an endowment for the long-term management of the land. Today's Top Headlines Story continues below Restaurant co-owned by Bill Murray closes after 12 years in Charleston The 2024 Steeplechase of Charleston has been canceled due to safety concerns Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia welcomes Toco toucan hatchling, the first in a decade These Myrtle Beach tiny homes are supposed to house homeless veterans.
Why are they empty? Trader Joe's is coming to the Myrtle Beach area. The question is where. Beaufort County attorney under scrutiny as land deal details come to light Boeing's original Dreamliner is now a sales bust.
What will the SC planemaker do about it? This historic Black neighborhood is surrounded by Myrtle Beach but not part of the city. Why? Sumter bought land to preserve Shaw Air Force Base, then built a hunting hideaway for officials Editorial: Voting in SC is already limited to citizens: don't mess with constitution More than 7,000 acres of land will become publicly accessible when the project is complete, according to a press release. That includes an 880-acre expansion of the Wee Tee State Forest and the creation of new Wildlife Management Areas where South Carolinians can hike, hunt, fish or otherwise enjoy the Palmetto State’s unique landscape.
“We in general are a population that is connected to the land,” Whitehead said. “A lot of the reason folks move to South Carolina, or continue to stay in South Carolina, is because of what a beautiful state it is.” When Buc-ee's arrived, so did development.
This rural SC county is grappling with the growth. Much of the land will remain in private hands, though. It will be placed under a conservation easement, permanently limiting what can or can’t be done there.
On these lands, timber production will remain in operation, solidifying an economic engine in South Carolina for years to come. The timber industry contributes more than $23 billion to the state’s economy and provides more than 100,000 jobs, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission. The timberland in coastal South Carolina is some of the most productive in the world, Phillips said.
“Especially in the face of development pressures we're seeing in South Carolina, one of the fastest growing states in the nation, it's important for us to conserve that wood base, those lands, not only for timber they produce, but also for clean air, to clean water, to wildlife habitat, the beautiful estates, all the things that make South Carolina, South Carolina,” he said. Snow’s Island was pivotal in the Revolutionary War. The site will soon be open to the public.
The protected land will also be a boon to conservation and climate resilience efforts, Whitehead said. The habitat for at least 115 priority plant and animal species is contained within the land. It is vital habitat for migratory birds.
Protected land along the Pee Dee River is home to diverse fish including the Atlantic and Shortnose sturgeon and rare mussels and crayfish, according to a press release. The preserved forestland will help absorb flood waters and protect against severe weather events that can inundate the coastline, according to a statement from the S.C.
Office of Resilience. The state is still finalizing funding for the project, and the transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. “It's a lifetime opportunity to get to work on a project at this scale and this impact,” Whitehead said.
“And so I think all of us who've been working on this just feel really, really excited about this opportunity for South Carolina.".
