Clemson gets $100,000 for forest, wildlife programs

Published: April 22, 2010

CLEMSON — Clemson University has received a $100,000 grant to help South Carolina landowners improve forests and wildlife habitat.

The grant was awarded to the forestry and natural resources department by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. 2010 Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program. The money will be used to demonstrate and investigate how forests can be improved for wildlife and also managed for timber products.

Forestry and wildlife are two of South Carolina’s most important natural resources. Together, they contribute more than $6.5 billion annually to the state’s economy. With more than 75 percent of the state’s natural resources on private lands, Clemson provides research-based information to help landowners, foresters and natural-resource professionals manage forest for timber products and wildlife habitat.

“The project will be conducted on Clemson’s Experimental Forest and serve as a model for private landowners across the Southeast. It will provide an excellent teaching laboratory for our students as well as provide new information and innovative approaches to integrate wildlife habitat improvement practices into timber management programs,” said Greg Yarrow, professor of wildlife ecology at Clemson.

Yarrow is one of the three co-directors of the initiative. The project is also being led by wildlife biologist Rickie Davis and Knight Cox, Clemson forest manager.

Clemson was selected for the grant because of the uniqueness of having a large — 17,000 acres — experimental forest adjacent to campus. Also considered was the expertise of the faculty and that the forest is managed for multiple uses and is a “working forest” that best resembles private forestland that is managed for natural resources throughout the Southeast.  

The project will implement and monitor over time forest-management practices that improve timber production while also enhancing wildlife habitat. Practices to enhance plant diversity and wildlife habitat in the forest include prescribed burning, selective timber harvesting that open forest stands to encourage multiple canopy layers, buffers around sensitive areas and retaining and enhancing a variety of habitat features important to wildlife, such as deadwood, snags and dead trees.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. is an independent, charitable organization dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management. The organization works with conservation groups, local communities, resource professionals, landowners and other organizations and individuals involved in responsible forest management.

The group’s forest-certification standard is based on principles that promote sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk and forests with exceptional conservation value.

The standard is used widely across North America and has strong acceptance in the global marketplace, enabling a steady supply of wood and paper products from legal and responsible sources. This is especially important at a time when there is growing demand for green building and responsible paper purchasing. Less than 10 percent of the world’s forests are certified.

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