A Dynamic Landscape
Past shifts in climate, geology and land use have shaped a complex ecological history, creating remarkable biodiversity. The Clemson University Forest stretches across two major ecoregions, as its flora and fauna represent Piedmont and Blue Ridge communities. Its proximity to the ancient biological corridor along the Savannah River (now Lake Hartwell) has produced a legacy of species that found refuge here as their populations expanded and contracted with the climate.
Complex topography, especially in the North Forest, produces numerous closely juxtaposed microclimates supporting cool-loving and warm-loving species living nearly side by side. A total of almost 1,200 species of vascular plants reflects this rich evolutionary history.
The Forest is large enough and rich enough to support an array of wildlife, including Black bears, coyotes, white-tailed deer, bobcats, timber rattlesnakes, and a robust population of the invasive wild hog. Migratory birds use the many forest types, and springtime is alive with warblers, vireos, tanagers, and flycatchers, while in the fall and winter, the lake and shorelines are used by migratory waterfowl.
The recovered upland forest represents mesic and xeric communities, while forested wetlands add to the overall tree diversity. Many of the forests were planted and are maintained through management. Prescribed burning maintains an open forest structure and provides habitat for grassland birds – an increasingly imperiled group.
