National forest, local treasure

The Francis Marion National Forest turned 75 this year, and the thousands of local residents who enjoy its wide range of recreational options should celebrate the commitment of public resources that have made its existence possible.

The forest has played a central role in preserving native habitat and species, some of which were highly endangered, as reporter Bo Petersen noted in a feature last week. The state's growing population of native wild turkey, for example, is almost solely derived from vestigial flocks that lived in the forest.

And the Francis Marion has served another important purpose -- growth management -- that has encouraged similar efforts throughout the Lowcountry. The forest effectively has served as a barrier to urban sprawl in Berkeley and Charleston counties.

That beneficial role has been supplemented by an ongoing greenbelt initiative that seeks to duplicate the result over a wider range.

Extensive acreage in northern Charleston County, for example, has been placed under conservation easement adjacent the forest through the county's greenbelt program to create a cohesive area of forest habitat that won't be threatened -- ever.

The greenbelt program and other regional land conservation efforts, including the vast ACE Basin project, complement the benefits derived from the Francis Marion and the greenbelt initiative. The result: hundreds of thousands of acres, public and private, will be preserved in perpetuity.

The Charleston metropolitan area continues to thrive, even during the financial downturn -- indeed, University of South Carolina economist Doug Woodward says it's the state's most powerful economic engine. Our climate, quality of life and increased opportunities for employment will continue to attract new residents from across the nation.

That makes the large-scale conservation effort, of which the Francis Marion is key, all the more important. It will ensure that the Lowcountry landscape will continue to flourish in the face of that growth and development. The conservation initiatives should be a major point of regional pride and encourage ongoing work for greater preservation of farm and forest land, including the return of native long-leaf pine to the Francis Marion.

Operated with limited staff on a relatively modest budget, the 260,000-acre Francis Marion National Forest is a major asset to the region.

Originally viewed as "unwanted land" when purchased by the federal government in 1936, it has become immeasurably valuable to the region three-quarters of a century later.