This seed orchard represents South Carolina's first attempt to genetically improve the state's most important commercial tree species. In the mid-1960s, Dr. Roland Schoenike traveled throughout South Carolina looking for "superior" specimens of loblolly pine from which he could get vegetative cuttings that would be grafted to rootstock in the Clemson Department of Forestry nursery. Superior trees were trees growing in the wild that had demonstrated a fast rate of growth, a high level of self-pruning (loss of old limbs to produce a clear tree bole (trunk), and an excellent form class (minimum taper from the bottom to the top of the commercial logs). He took specimens from both the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.

Observers will notice that the trees in this orchard have not demonstrated a high level of natural pruning. This is because of the wide spacing of planting -- a design that maximized seed production and efficiency in harvesting those seeds. Had these trees been planted in a closer spacing design, they would have been much taller and the boles far more clear of limbs.

This seed orchard was established on an old house site in 1968 when the first grafted trees were taken from the nursery and planted here about one year after grafting. Planting of the grafted trees took place from 1968 to 1972.

Loblolly pine, typically a heavy seed producer, produces seed every year. Female and male flowers are produced simultaneously on the same tree. The female flowers which become the seed bearing cones begin growth in one year, are fertilized by the pollen from male flowers produced the next year, and produce mature seed in October of the year of pollination.

Dr. Schoenike collected cuttings for grafting from approximately 60 superior trees that he had located in South Carolina's forests. Two or more replicates of each of those trees are planted here. This site provided improved seed for planting in three S. C. Forestry Commission nurseries for eight years and until the state-owned seed orchard at Wedgefield, S. C. became productive.

The records on this seed orchard are kept by the S. C. Forestry Commission, which uses this orchard as a backup in case its orchards fail or are destroyed by fire or natural catastrophe. Such a catastrophe occurred in 1989 when Hurricane Hugo destroyed the Wedgefield Seed Orchard. The Forestry Commission used the Clemson orchard to supply its nurseries with seed for the next four years. In 1994 their third generation loblolly pine seed orchard growing near Walterboro, S. C. came into production. The Clemson Orchard has not been used since that date.

Dr. Ansel Miller, Professor Emeritus
Dr. Gene W. Wood, Professor and Extension Trails Specialist
Clemson University