by State Forester Scott Phillips
Last week, I briefed the House Agriculture Committee on the state of forestry in South Carolina. The issues discussed – markets, wildfire, and readiness for the year ahead – are the same issues that matter most to our employees across the agency.
While forestry continues to navigate market disruption that is largely national in scope, the issue that demands our immediate focus is wildfire.
The 2025 fire season was one of the most active and challenging we have experienced in more than a decade.
It tested our people, our equipment and our systems.
Because of your professionalism, discipline and commitment to one another, we protected lives and homes under extremely difficult conditions.
Looking ahead
As we enter the upcoming fire season, I want to highlight an important milestone that reflects years of planning and sustained support.
This year, we are on track for 100 percent of the Commission’s frontline firefighting units to be safer, enclosed-cab tractors, with all those units falling within the 15-year safe service life. This was a major goal we set many years ago, and thanks to the support of the General Assembly, we will achieve it this year and sustain it into the future. This represents a significant step forward in firefighter safety and operational readiness.
New firefighting tools
We are also entering this season with new tools in our wildfire suppression toolbox.
Last year, the Commission added Single-Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) through a contract with Dauntless Air. These aircraft proved highly valuable during the 2025 fire season, flying multiple missions across the state, with most of their work focused on initial attack. The current plan is to have Dauntless aircraft in state and ready to go by Feb. 13, providing rapid aerial suppression capability early in incidents. This capability enhances firefighter safety and improves our ability to protect lives and property, particularly during fast-moving initial-attack situations.
In the coming weeks, we will also deploy three brand-new D5 firefighting units. Two of these units will be assigned to the Coastal Region, one to replace a heavy unit that was shifted to the Piedmont Region to address storm debris and the other to replace a frontline firefighting unit. The third new D5 will be deployed directly to Piedmont to further increase our capacity to operate in landscapes heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene.
An additional four D5 units are on order and expected to arrive in fall 2026. While they will not be available for this fire season, the D5 units are on order and expected to arrive in fall 2026. While they will not be available for this fire season, they represent a continued commitment to equipping our firefighters with the right tools for the job. These units are being added specifically to meet the new realities of wildfire suppression in storm-damaged areas, where downed timber and debris significantly complicate access, line construction, and safety.
Continued vigilance
Even with these advancements, the outlook for the upcoming fire season requires vigilance. Dry conditions, accumulated fuels and storm debris across large portions of the state point to an elevated risk of significant wildfire activity before spring green-up. Equipment and aircraft enhance our capabilities, but they do not replace the fundamentals: situational awareness, prevention, mitigation, discipline and teamwork.
Many of the agency’s upcoming priorities and current budget requests are directly informed by lessons learned in 2025 (see here). We are applying what we experienced on the fireline, and behind the scenes, to strengthen readiness and better support you in the work you do.
I want to thank each of you for your professionalism and dedication. The months ahead will demand focus and vigilance, but we are entering this season better equipped, better prepared and more aware of the challenges ahead than ever before.
Stay safe, stay sharp and take care of one another.