Conservationists balk at Sumter forest plan

A long-range plan for Sumter National Forest, released Thursday, offers more protections than in the past but not enough to please conservation groups.

The new plan increases the acreage designated as riparian and old growth, which rules out timber harvesting in those areas. But the amount of timber cutting allowed under the plan is much greater than has been typical in recent years.

“This plan not only does not protect but could actually harm the irreplaceable natural treasures of the Sumter National Forest,” said Butch Clay, a board member of S.C. Forest Watch.

Conservation groups claim the plan, which has been several years in the making, emphasizes logging and commercial development over forest protection.

The U.S. Forest Service disagrees.

“The revised plan gives us more tools to provide habitat for plants and animals and establishes goals and objectives for restoring natural communities that (the previous working plan) does not,” said Tony White, planning staff officer for the forest.

A forest plan is similar to a zoning plan for cities or counties. It determines what is and isn’t allowable in certain areas.

Sumter National Forest includes 362,000 acres in three districts that stretch over 11 counties. The new plan is the guidebook for maintaining those forests for the next 10-15 years.

The plan increases the amount of land considered riparian area to 63,000 acres from 13,400 acres, and the amount considered old growth forest to 95,766 acres from 17,520 acres. Areas under those designations are considered unsuitable for timber harvesting.

While less land is open to timbering under the plan, conservation groups worry about how much timbering could be done on other sections of the forest. The plan allows the cutting of 76.3 million board feet a year of lumber. (A typical three-bedroom house requires 15,000 board feet of wood.)

The 76.3 million board feet allowed is a decrease from 100 million board feet allowed in the 1985 plan. But the average annual harvest in the past five years was only 22 million board feet. Conservationists are worried economic conditions might entice the Forest Service to get closer to the limit of 76.3 million board feet.

Kate Smolski, regional conservation coordinator for the Sierra Club, is concerned the new plan leaves more than half of the Sumter forest open to logging. The Sierra Club contends the U.S. Forest Service should get out of the logging business.

Reach Holleman at (803) 771-8366 or jholleman@thestate.com.