Sumter National Forest in Laurens County has expanded by nearly 2,000 acres thanks to a property transfer from The Nature Conservancy.
TNC transferred the 1,950-acre parcel near Joanna to the U.S. Forest Service, Enoree Ranger District of the Sumter National Forest. USFS had identified the parcel as a high-priority acquisition. The parcel also abuts a 330-acre tract slated to become a Laurens County park.
“As development continues to move south along the I-26 corridor, our natural spaces are increasingly under significant pressure,” said Dale Threatt-Taylor, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina, in a statement about the transfer. “Our team worked quickly to get this property off the real estate market and managed it until transfer to the Forest Service could be finalized.”
The property consists of large upland hardwoods, wetlands and a series of streams that drain into the Enoree River. Once USFS formally incorporates the property into the national forest system, the property will be opened for public access.
