Sumter National Forest

About Sumter National Forest

Much history has been written about the land that includes the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests. Cherokee and other Indian tribes hunted, built villages, lost and won battles in the Revolutionary War and hunted for food.

Irish immigrants built railway tunnels while others dug for gold, and family businesses harvested timber and farmers toiled in the fields.

Two national forests have sprung up across South Carolina: Summer National Forest and the Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge. Field teams are being sent to survey land in and around South Korea, Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other parts of Europe.

In the south, soil conditions deteriorated and deforestation increased, but then came World War I and demand for timber soared. By the 1920s, more than 80 percent of the so-called southern pine belt had been cut down.

Only after the Second World War did the creation of national forests begin in earnest. In 1928, the National Forest Reservation Commission approved the purchase of two units in South Carolina, and in 1931, two more were declared National Forests, with separate presidential proclamations signed within three days.

National forests were created to set aside agricultural land, regulate the flow of streams, and produce wood. In South Carolina, the areas that had become forests were largely eroded, but part of the land was restored. National forests have been described as "the ones we want for our country" and "a symbol of national pride in our nation's history."

The diverse land use of more than 600,000 hectares throughout the state is a testament to the success of responsible land management.

The USDA Forest Service manages the forest for many purposes, including habitats for animals and fish, including endangered species and their habitats. Every year, people visit these two forests in South Carolina to hike, paddle, ride, bird-watch, picnic, and perhaps even write a little history.