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Uncontrolled logging, intense harvesting of wildlife and ravaging wildfires combined to present a bleak landscape. Then in 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt enacted legislation to establish the Francis Marion National Forest. Named after the Revolutionary War General, Francis Marion, the forest has become a national treasure. The ecosystems of the forest represent a diverse and healthy example of sound natural resource management. Several endangered and threatened animal and plant species make their homes in the forest including the red-cockaded woodpecker, bald eagle, American alligator, American chaffseed, and pondberry. Challenges are still very much a part of everyday conservation. An expanding urban interface, increasing population, and natural events (such as Hurricane Hugo in 1989), all contribute to a complex management strategy, centered around the goal of maintaining a healthy and productive national forest. Natural resource professionals use the latest technology to manage the Francis Marion National Forest for a variety of public benefits from wood products, such as lumber for building homes, to recreational opportunities, such as hunting, hiking and camping. Restoring longleaf pine communities is one key objective accomplished through prescribed burning. The forest boasts nearly 120 miles of recreational trails: canoe, hiking, horseback riding, motorcycling, mountain biking, and interpretive. Seven recreational areas provide camping, picnicking, and boating opportunities. In addition, hundreds of miles of open roads offer many accessible nature viewing and hunting opportunities. A diverse network of waterways, from lazy blackwater creeks to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway offer boating and fishing experiences. Managing a multitude of natural resources is a demanding, complex task for resource professionals. Serving the public and maintaining a sustainable forest are goals of the U.S. Forest Service. Francis Marion National Forest Home Page Map of the Francis Marion National Forest
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This 250,000-acre forest, located 20 miles north of Charleston, has
been managed by the F
orest
Service since 1936; however, human occupation can be traced back 10,000
years. This long history of human occupation has brought about many
changes in the natural environment of the Forest. Native Americans harvested
a bounty of wildlife and plants. Later, Europeans settled the area and
cleared land for small farms and wealthy rice plantations. Following
the Civil War and the decline of the rice aristocracy, wide-scale lumbering
cleared much of the forest land for timber products. 