Environment
Easements protect 25K acres in county from development
Over 25,000 acres of timber land in western Georgetown County will remain undeveloped under conservation easements signed last month as part of $66 million initiative.
State and local officials gathered this week at Pea House Landing on the Black River to mark the completion of the Pee Dee Basin Initiative, the largest package of conservation easements in South Carolina’s history, covering over 61,000 acres.
“This is absolutely huge,” said Doug Wood, spokesman for the S.C. Forestry Commission. “It dwarfs anything else.”
The commission will manage the easements. The largest tract it owns outright is the 46,000-acre Sandhills State Forest.
The Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge covers about 38,000 acres.
The Pee Dee Basin Initiative was announced a year ago, but the details of the land covered by the easements were not made public. The easements recorded last month cover 15 tracts owned by four limited liability companies whose agent is Resource Management Service, a firm based in Birmingham, Ala.
Another tract, covering 880 acres, was sold outright to the S.C. Forestry Commission for $3.3 million and will become part of the Wee Tee State Forest along the Santee River.
The easements cover property in Georgetown, Williamsburg and Marion counties.
“It’s a patchwork across three counties,” Wood said.
The property will continue to be managed for timber harvesting, but development is prohibited under the easements. That also includes mining and solar farms, according to the documents.
The easements cover 16.5 miles of shoreline on the Pee Dee River and 3.8 miles along the Black River, where a new state park and river trail is being created.
“South Carolina’s natural resources are some of our greatest assets,” Gov. Henry McMaster said. “By protecting these timberlands, we’re investing in our future – supporting rural jobs, boosting our outdoor recreation economy and protecting riverside communities from flooding. This project establishes a replicable model for large-scale conservation in the future, and we are grateful to our partners who contributed to its success.”
The event at Pea House Landing near Andrews was intended to celebrate the recording of the easements and the partnership of government agencies, nonprofits and private businesses that made it possible, Wood said.
There were 17 partners in the initiative. A $50 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service was matched by $16 million in local funding.
There was also a $330,000 donation from Atlantic Packaging, a North Carolina company, that will create a stewardship fund for the Forestry Commission to manage the newly-acquired easements.
In addition to providing protection for nearly 150 species cited in the state Wildlife Action Plan, the easements will help secure drinking water supplies and reduce flooding from storms.
The immediate benefit to the public, Wood said, is that over 7,500 acres will be available for hunting, fishing and ecotourism.
