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CHARLESTON, SC –&�Բ�����;A new program by ̽����ѡ South Carolina will help family landowners across the state make their forests more productive and ecologically healthy. The initiative is supported by a $1.24 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and will start with a series of landowner workshops.

“The end goal is to help families keep ownership of their properties in the face of growing development pressure,” said Tim Evans, land conservation director at ̽����ѡ South Carolina. “When family forests stay intact, so does wildlife habitat. There are many opportunities for landowners to generate extra income while improving the ecological health of their forests, from voluntary carbon markets to sustainable forestry. The key is making sure they have the information and resources they need to make decisions.” 

̽����ѡ has hired three staff to implement the program. See below for specific workshop dates beginning this fall.  

Keeping family forests productive and intact is increasingly critical in South Carolina, the fastest-growing state in the country. Development pressure has put the state on track to lose 30 percent of its forests over the next 50 years, threatening forest-dependent birds like the Wood Thrush and Brown-headed Nuthatch. 

Family landowners are key to the solution. Most of South Carolina’s forests are family owned—more than eight million of the state’s 12.9 million acres of forestland. 

For the workshop series, ̽����ѡ staff will provide trainings on voluntary carbon markets, which allow landowners to get paid for protecting and growing trees that absorb carbon dioxide. The income comes from governments, companies and even individuals who buy carbon credits to offset their emissions, essentially paying landowners to protect their forest. 

̽����ѡ will offer resources on forming cooperatives that offer better scale to make carbon markets feasible for smaller landowners. 

“Smaller forested tracts don’t always have enough scale to qualify for carbon markets,” Working Lands Program Manager Erin Giebner said. “But if you can bring multiple landowners together, then you can qualify and start generating income that can be the difference between a family holding or selling their land.” 

The second phase of the program will be on-site technical assistance. ̽����ѡ staff will be available to visit landowners on their property to talk through specific management and conservation opportunities for their property. 

The initiative is part of ̽����ѡ South Carolina’s broader Healthy Forests program, which promotes bird- and climate-friendly forestry to conserve, manage, and restore vital forestland. ̽����ѡ already employs many of these forestry techniques—from hardwood restoration to prescribed burns—on the 30,000 acres of land we own and manage across the state. Learn more about Working Lands at ̽����ѡ South Carolina.

Workshop Details:  

Pee Dee Landowner Workshop and Field Tour 

Date: September 17, 2026 
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
Location: 
Pee Dee Research and Education Center 
2200 Pocket Road, Florence, SC 29506 

Sandhills Landowner Workshop and Field Tour 

Date: October 20, 2026 
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
Location: 
Sandhills Research and Education Center 
900 Clemson Road, Columbia, SC 29229 

Upstate Landowner Workshop and Field Tour 

Date: November 18, 2026 
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
Location: 
BearnLee Tree Farm, Laurens, SC 
Address will be shared with registered participants.