Why It Matters: South Carolina has more than 12.6 million acres of private working forests and public forests that support the state’s economy and provide habitat for fish and wildlife, open space, and places for people to hunt and fish. As the state’s forest industry faces challenges that may depress forest management activity, coupled with increasing development pressures, supporting forest business and forestland conservation initiatives is important for maintaining the economic viability of sustainably managing and conserving working forests.
Highlights:
- Several recent mill closures in South Carolina threaten the state’s forest industry which jeopardizes conservation, wildlife habitat, and access for sportsmen and women.
- A strong forest industry is critical to ensure that forests are managed sustainably to maintain economic viability and help prevent the conversion of forests to other uses.
- On February 27, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted a letter to the Natural Resources and Economic Development Subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee in support of the South Carolina Forestry Commission’s budget request to support its forest business recruitment, forest health, and forestland conservation programs.
Active forest management is key to improving forest health, reducing wildfire risk, and improving wildlife habitat, but the ability to manage forests depends on a strong forest industry that enables landowners to generate revenue from timber harvests and other treatments. The decline of the forest industry in South Carolina led the South Carolina Forestry Commission to request funding to create a forest business recruitment position charged with mining projects and recruiting businesses to the state to support its forest industry.
The South Carolina Forestry Commission also requested funding for forest health, prescribed fire, and wildfire management programs which are important for actively managing the state’s forest resources and supporting landowners managing their forests. Additionally, the South Carolina Forestry Commission requested funding to strengthen its forestland conservation initiatives by expanding capacity to leverage federal and private dollars to acquire properties for the State Forests system or hold conservation easements on working forests.
CSF strongly supports these budget requests and encourages the South Carolina Legislature to approve them to support the state’s forest industry that is vital to managing and conserving the forests throughout the state that its citizens depend on for hunting and fishing access.
