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Forest Health Highlights - 2000

South Carolina

The South Carolina Forestry Commission provides forest health protection assistance to state and private land managers within the State.  The State and the USDA Forest Service Forest Health Protection unit fund this program cooperatively.

South Carolina Forest Facts

• Over 2/3 of the entire state of South Carolina is forested (more than 12.6 million acres).
• Over 90% of forested acreage in South Carolina is privatelyowned.
• The Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests (560,000 acres) provide recreational and wildlife benefits as well as timber products and jobs to thousands of people.
• The southern pine beetle (SPB) is South Carolina’s most destructive forest insect pest.  In 1995, the State suffered the worst outbreak on record when over $100 million worth of timber was killed.  Since that time populations have fluctuated at lower levels.  During 2000, SPB was in outbreak status in 14 counties (primarily the Piedmont area).  Throughout the year there were over 12,000 infestations killing an estimated $40 million worth of timber.
• Fusiform rust is the most destructive disease of southern pines in South Carolina.  The fungus has severely infected pine stands on an estimated 1.4 million acres in 1999.
• In January 2000, a severe winter storm damaged a 100,000-acre area over 10 counties in the Piedmont section of the state.  Primary damage was bending and breakage of trees by accumulated ice. 
• The gypsy moth threatens South Carolina’s hardwood forests.  Using a statewide network of traps, the South Carolina Forestry Commission and USDA Forest Service work closely together to monitor for any accidental introductions of the gypsy moth.  An introduction of the Asian gypsy moth was successfully eradicated in 1995 north of Myrtle Beach.
• Forest tent caterpillars defoliated over 250,000 acres of hardwoods (primarily the gum species) over a 12 county area along the coast.  This is most widespread defoliation since the mid-1980’s.
• The South Carolina Forestry Commission in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service Research and Forest Health Protection participates in the Forest Health Monitoring program.  This program is designed to annually collect, analyze, interpret, and report on the conditions of the forests in South Carolina.

The South Carolina Forestry Commission and USDA Forest Service

In spite of the relatively good health of South Carolina’s forests, a variety of insects and diseases (both native and introduced), and human-caused impacts such as air pollution, continue to threaten the State’s resources.  To deal with this constantly changing mix of challenges, the South Carolina Forestry Commission and the Forest Health Protection unit of the USDA Forest Service cooperate to prevent, detect, suppress and manage this multitude of threats.  The partnership between the two agencies has worked for three decades to maintain and improve the health of South Carolina’s forests. 

For additional information, contact:

South Carolina Forestry Commission
P.O. Box 21707
Columbia, SC  29221

(803) 896-8814
E-mail: aboone@usit.net
http://www.state.sc.us/forest/id.htm

(or)

USDA Forest Service
Forest Health Protection
P.O. Box 2680
Asheville, NC 28802-2680

(828) 257-4317
E-Mail: Asheville Field Office
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/foresthealth