Management & Protection of the Clemson Experimental Forest
The Clemson Experimental Forest is managed for sustained yield of forest products including timber, clean water, clean air, wildlife, species and habitat diversity. The forest personnel, equipment, supplies, roads, and recreation facilities are solely supported by revenue generated by the forest.
A continuous forest inventory (CFI) system was initiated on the Forest in 1958. Permanent measurement locations were established at 2000 feet grid intervals over the entire Forest. Preliminary point sample volume measurements were taken in 1958 and at five-year intervals beginning in 1961. The CFI data are utilized to adjust allowable harvest, evaluate forest health and estimate effects of management treatments on the Forest.
The Management Alternative Research Project (MARP) was initiated in 1978 to evaluate the long-term effects of three common management strategies on large forest areas. The management scenarios are (1) commercial management for maximization of monetary returns from forest investments, (2) multiple-use, where monetary returns are balanced with other resource priorities and (3) protection management for maximization of environmental quality. MARP involves nearly 12,000 acres of the Forest with treatment areas of approximately 1,000 acres. Other specific research projects areas totaling approximately 2,000 acres are incorporated within MARP treatments where applicable or to other University forestlands. The Clemson Experimental Forest hosts study sites for the national Fire and Fire Surrogate Study coordinated by the USDA Forest Service.
The CEF is a member of the American Tree Farm System (www.treefarmsystem.org) and a licensee under the Sustainable Forest Initiative (www.sfiprogram.org).
- The Clemson Land-Use Project: A Jewel of the 'New Deal' - S. K. Cox, H. T. Irwin and T. J. Straka (
)
Page maintained by: Candace Cummings, ccmmngs@clemson.edu