GOURDIN — The newest state forest grew from a hybrid seed that government officials hope will become commonplace.

Eight entities, from government agencies to nonprofit organizations to corporations, contributed to the creation of Wee Tee State Forest. At a dedication Tuesday, Gov. Mark Sanford called for more of such cooperative efforts.

“Forming partnerships like this stretches finite state funds in ways we couldn’t otherwise,” Sanford said.

The 12,439-acre tract on the Santee River in Williamsburg County was purchased from the John D. Hollingsworth Trust for $8.1 million. The cash and in-kind contributions to the project include $3.9 million from the S.C. Forestry Commission, $2.85 million from the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program, $1 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, $100,000 from Ducks Unlimited, $266,000 from The Conservation Fund, $250,000 from the National Wild Turkey Federation and $200,000 from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

Anheuser-Busch donated a $15,000 check for the project to The Conservation Fund during the ceremony.

Together, those partners helped establish the fifth state forest, a tract dominated by bottomland hardwoods. The other state forests are Harbison near Columbia, Manchester near Sumter, Sand Hills near Cheraw and Poe Creek in Pickens County.

Wee Tee, named for a local Indian tribe, is scheduled to open to the public early in 2004. Forestry Commission officials have yet to determine public use policies for the land. Hunting and fishing will be allowed, but because the land is prone to high floods, access to roads might be limited to dry periods.

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