Much More Than Trees Renewable sources of products vital to our society, forests conserve our soil, replenish our air, clean our water, sustain our wildlife, and refresh the human spirit.

Late afternoon dapples the hillside with amber light, accenting the already rich colors of a South Carolina fall. Tops of tall hickories and poplars glow golden; an understory of beeches, maples, and dogwoods blazes yellow, orange, and red.

Striking in beauty and serenity, similar forest scenes occur throughout South Carolina, from her Atlantic coast to her Blue Ridge. In fact, such forest sites are now so common that we seldom imagine that few such places existed in our state less than 100 years ago. Yet such was the case. When unchecked land clearing and agriculture had all but stripped our state of trees.

During the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps, known as the CCC, planted millions of acres of trees, stabilizing the soil and establishing the renewable woodland resource that supports the multibillion-dollar industry we have today. It is this industry, and the individuals association with it, that is entrusted with the responsibility of seeing that South Carolina remains forever green.

Our forests provide food and shelter for an abundance of wildlife. White-tailed deer and Eastern wild turkeys are now more plentiful than at any other time since pre-settlement days. Endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker find protection in our forests. Black bears, foxes, raccoons, bobcats, otters, raptors, small mammals, neotropical migratory birds, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, insects, and freshwater fish -- all things within this web of life, including man, depend upon the health of South Carolina's forest lands.

Enhancement of existing habitat for wildlife populations and protection of endangered species are high priorities among forestry professionals. The forest industry also realizes that putting knowledge of the diverse habitat needs of wildlife into action makes common sense. Conservation efforts are proving more economically profitable as our citizens appreciate the value in having access to natural areas teeming with wildlife.

Recent national surveys by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show that 24 percent of South Carolinians hunt or fish. When coupled with those of nonresident sportsmen and sportswomen, these two activities add some $555 million to our state's annual economy.

Currently, private landowners, led by forest product companies, provide some 425,544 acres for public hunting and outdoor recreation in our state as cooperators in the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Management Area Program. Most of these lands could produce much higher revenues through hunting leases to private clubs and individuals. These cooperators have chosen to place their land in a program that brings a greater public good.

Numerous forestry practices are carried out specifically to benefit wildlife. Tree thinnings, prescribed burning and a variety of timber harvesting methods, from the selective harvesting of trees to the creation of forest openings through even-age management, enhance a variety of wildlife habitats.

Each wildlife species has different requirements in terms of food, cover, shelter, water, and space. Thus, one of the challenges of modern forestry is to provide habitats for a variety of animal species. From initial harvest and replanting, through all its various stages, a well-managed forest does just that.

Asked to describe our vision of the ideal forest, most people will focus on a woodland filled with mature trees. Admittedly, there is little that is attractive about a cutover tract of land where mature pine and hardwoods recently stood. Yet from an environmental standpoint, such harvested sites make an important contribution, as did areas cleared by fires caused by lightning or deliberate burning by Native Americans of pre-Colonial times.

Harvested openings usually average no larger than 100 acres or so, but these are significant in opening up the forest to direct sunlight, allowing trees and other plants that don't grow well in shade to flourish. This new plant life provides food for large mammals, birds, rodents, invertebrates and other animals of the surrounding forest, enhancing wildlife diversity.

Debris from the harvest is usually left on site, enriching the soil while every acre that has been cut is reforested with young trees, through plantings or regeneration. Young trees increase the amount of oxygen while absorbing more carbon dioxide, thus improving air quality. As the trees reach two to five years of age, nesting birds such as turkeys and quail, large mammals such as deer, and numerous species of migratory songbirds use the regenerating area for feeding and nesting. Our new forest now rivals any garden or cropland in terms of pounds of food per acre available to wildlife.

The young trees continue to grow, at rates of two to four feet per year. By the time they reach twelve to fifteen years of age, they begin to shade out the sun, reducing ground vegetation. At this stage, the tract provides ideal nesting and hiding places for birds and mammals such as the white-tailed deer.

At sixteen years or more, when the forest is well up in height, some trees may be removed in selective thinnings or harvests designed to stimulate forest growth. Sunlight again reaches the forest floor, creating the undergrowth upon which many species of wildlife feed.

Thus, within a large tract of forest land there usually exists a wide variety of age types and tree species, creating a patchwork of habitats. Each provides specific needs to a great, diverse number of animal species.

Man, too, requires the forest. Perhaps as important as any of these are the wild places we visit for exercise and recreation.

Approximately 53 percent of all South Carolinians participate in wildlife-related and outdoor recreation, most of it associated with forest lands. Hiking and walking lead the way. As this public demand for outdoor recreation grows, the forest industry is responding, constructing hiking and nature trails, designating wildlife viewing areas, and providing access to sites of cultural or historical significance.

But planned forests provide much more, from an ecological perspective, than wildlife and natural areas. Though we often take them for granted, trees also replenish our air, absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen. They cleanse our water, filtering out impurities and holding the soil with their root systems. Streams flowing from our forests provide high-quality water for our cities, industries and agriculture. Properly managed forests help assure that these watersheds are protected and that the water flowing from these forests remains pure and clear.

Protecting our forests while growing and harvesting the wood products our society needs means practicing a land stewardship ethic based on replanting and regeneration of our trees, conserving our soil, sustaining our air and water quality, and providing for the needs of our wildlife. Key to this effort is following what the forest industry terms Best Management Practices, or BMPs. These self-imposed guidelines, first issued by the South Carolina Forestry Association (SCFA) in 1976, address a wide range of areas, including timber harvesting, reforestation, site preparation, prescribed burning and stream-side management zones. They include specific forestry practices such as leaving timber and other vegetation in buffer strips along drainage areas, streams and rivers, protecting wetlands, controlling erosion on existing roads and constructing temporary access trails so that runoff is channeled away from streams, and using fertilizers and pesticides carefully.

South Carolina's forestry community voluntarily adheres to BMPs as an important component of practicing good stewardship on our valuable forest lands. A recent survey by the South Carolina Forestry Commission indicates overall BMP compliance at 92 percent. Survey results also showed that landowners who worked with a professional forester and had a written timber sales contract achieved dramatically higher BMP compliance rates than those who did neither.

Much of South Carolina's success in the BMP program must be credited to the strong commitment of landowners, loggers, and foresters to protect the woodlands we love. Another important element in this success is training provided for loggers and others involved in forestry practices through SCFA's Timber Operations Professional program emphasizing BMP principles. Yet, the industry realizes there is room for improvement in South Carolina's scorecard. Protection of streamside management zones and improving the design of stream crossings are two areas targeted for improvement, monitoring, and annual evaluation.

Production of wood fiber and other products drives the forest industry. But forest managers, more than any other segment of our society, recognize adherence to BMPs and other sustainable forestry practices and principles as absolutely necessary for their own survival, as well as ours. Balance between production and protection is critical.

Working with the public sector and private conservation groups, South Carolina's forest product companies and individuals have donated, placed in trust, and otherwise provided hundreds of thousands of acres of sensitive wetlands and woodlands. Scenic and historical lands in South Carolina's ACE Basin and the newly acquired Jocassee Gorges are among them. Industry research and more efficient and intensive wood-fiber production from tree plantations on less significant tracts allows the preservation of these unique lands.

Realizing that forests are much more than trees, the South Carolina Forestry Association, its member companies and individuals are committed to seeing that our forests are forever. Ask any forester about the goals of his or her profession. You'll hear more about growing healthy forests for future generations than about producing wood products for daily consumption.

For South Carolina's foresters, as well as their counterparts across America, this vision is one of sustainable forests, managed to meet our nation's needs without sacrificing the birthright of future generations -- clean air and water, abundant wildlife and renewable resources for recreation and the wood products upon which our future society will depend.