Leaders from the South Carolina Forestry Commission, Open Space Institute, Dorchester County, and South Carolina Conservation Bank celebrated the dedication of Old Beech Hill State Forest June 25, officially marking the transfer of more than 1,600 acres of conserved forestland from OSI to SCFC and establishing South Carolina’s sixth state forest.
The dedication event, held on the 1,643-acre tract, brought together state, local and non-profit leaders to mark the culmination of a collaborative conservation effort that transformed privately owned land that was vulnerable to development into an enduring public resource and new highlight of the state’s public forest system.
“Today marks an exciting addition to our state forest system,” said Scott Phillips, SC State Forester. “Old Beech Hill State Forest will provide long-term benefits from clean water and wildlife habitat to recreation and sustainable forestry. This milestone reflects the power of partnership and our shared commitment to conserving forests for the benefit of our communities, today and tomorrow.”
Other speakers included Open Space Institute Chief Land Protection Officer Nate Berry, Dorchester County Council Chair David Chinnis and SC Conservation Bank Executive Director Raleigh West.
The event was West’s final public appearance as the head of the Conservation Bank, and Scott Phillips sent him off with a token of the agency’s appreciation, an engraved wooden plaque thanking him for his leadership and partnership in helping protect more than 77,000 acres across nine projects that the SCCB worked on with SCFC. West has since launched his own law firm and consulting practice specializing in conservation law.
Behind the scenes
Holding a high-profile, off-site public celebration is no small undertaking, particularly in such a remote location, but many Forestry Commission employees worked together for months to plan and execute a successful event. In addition to headquarters staff taking the lead on invitations, media relations and collateral production, other SCFC personnel, mostly on the “short IMT” assigned to the event, also handled setup, parking, security, first aid and all the other logistical considerations for the occasion.
Getting the site ready for public visitation was quite the task unto itself. The first scouting trips by staff to the property revealed a landscape in dire need of cleanup and preparation. After a suitable site for the public ceremony was identified – an old logging deck grown over with trees and shrubs – IMT Coordinator Andy Johnson masticated the roughly quarter-acre patch of land and bush-hogged between the bedded pines before having it graded with a bulldozer.
Even after this substantial rehab, the extremely wet site continued to take on water after successive rains, and staff began to worry that any rain at all before the event would prompt cancellation (there was no rain date). State Forester Scott Phillips suggested the ceremony site would benefit from a quick seeding of browntop millet, which germinated several days before the event and provided stabilization for the otherwise rough, previously soaked ground.
Learn more: scfc.gov/state-lands/old-beech-hill-state-forest