South Carolina Landscape Management Plan
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AMERICAN TREE FARM SYSTEM® LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT PLAN State of South Carolina i Landscape Management Plan Creation Plan Development and Composition The American Forest Foundation (AFF), in conjunction with Southern Forestry Consultants, Inc.(SFC), developed the original components, outlines, structure, and drafts of the Landscape Management Plan (LMP) and the associated geodatabase. AFF and SFC also worked cooperatively to evaluate and incorporate edits, comments, and modifications that resulted in the final LMP and geodatabase. Natural Resource Professional Support Committee AFF consulted regularly with staff from the South Carolina Forestry Commission (SCFC) to seek their input on various thematic, structural, and scientific components through multiple drafts of this LMP. Additionally, SCFC staff facilitated access to and procurement of publicly available geospatial data during the development of the geodatabase. Additional Stakeholders AFF also sought input from a variety of additional stakeholders with expertise in the natural resources, planning, certification, and regulatory disciplines. Like the Support Committee, these additional stakeholders did not necessarily endorse all components of the LMP, nor does AFF imply a consensus was reached. These additional stakeholders included: • American Forest Management • SC Department of Agriculture • Association of Consulting Foresters • SC Department of Natural Resources (DNR) • Audubon South Carolina • SC Native Plant Society • Belle W. Baruch Foundation • SC Sustainable Forestry Initiative • Bishop Brothers Forestry Consultants Implementation Committee • Boise Cascade Company • SC State Park Service • Canfor Southern Pine • SC Timber Producers Association • Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation • SC Tree Farm Committee • Clemson Extension Service • SC Vegetation Management Association • Congaree Land Trust • SC Wildlife Federation • Forestry Association of South Carolina • Sierra Club South Carolina • Georgia Forestry Commission • The Nature Conservancy • Georgia-Pacific Corporation • US Army – Fort Jackson • Interfor Corporation • US Fish & Wildlife Service • International Paper Company • USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) • Longleaf Alliance • USDA Forest Service • National Wild Turkey Federation • USDA Natural Resources Conservation • Palmetto Conservation Foundation Service (NRCS) • Pee Dee Land Trust • WestRock Company • Quality Deer Management Association • Weyerhaeuser Company • SC Association of Conservation Districts • SC Conservation Bank ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 2 1.1. Forest Resource Professionals ....................................................................................................... 4 1.2. Adaptive Management .................................................................................................................... 4 1.3. 2015-2020 ATFS Standards of Sustainability within the LMP ..................................................... 5 1.4. Forest Stewardship Program Standards within the LMP ............................................................ 12 1.5. A Forester’s Field Guide for Using the Landscape Management Plan with Landowners ................................................................................................................................................................. 3 1.6. A Landowner’s Field Guide for Using the Landscape Management Plan .................................... 4 1.6.1. Landowner “Leave-Behind” Document ............................................................................... 6 2. SITE SPECIFIC CHARACTERIZATION THROUGH GEODATABASE TOOLS ................................ 8 2.1. Instructions for Use ......................................................................................................................... 8 2.2. Geodatabase Layer Descriptions ................................................................................................... 8 3. ECOREGIONS (LEVEL III) ............................................................................................................. 16 3.1. Blue Ridge ..................................................................................................................................... 18 3.1.1. Forest Types Within Ecoregion .......................................................................................... 21 3.2. Piedmont ....................................................................................................................................... 21 3.2.1. Forest Types Within Ecoregion .......................................................................................... 23 3.3. Southeastern Plains ...................................................................................................................... 23 3.3.1. Sandhills Level IV Ecoregion .............................................................................................. 25 3.3.2. Forest Types Within Ecoregion .......................................................................................... 25 3.4. Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain ........................................................................................................ 25 3.4.1. Forest Types Within Ecoregion .......................................................................................... 27 3.5. Southern Coastal Plain ................................................................................................................. 27 3.5.1. Forest Types Within Ecoregion .......................................................................................... 29 3.6. Ecoregions Application to Landscape Management Plan ........................................................... 29 4. HYDROLOGIC CATEGORIES ....................................................................................................... 31 5. OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................. 34 5.1. Common Landscape Objectives ................................................................................................... 34 5.1.1. Forest Land Conservation and Retention ......................................................................... 34 5.1.2. Support Healthy Forest Products Industry ........................................................................ 37 5.1.3. Watershed Protection and Restoration............................................................................. 37 5.1.4. Wildlife Management and Protection................................................................................ 38 5.1.5. Forest Ecological Restoration ............................................................................................ 44 5.1.6. Non-Native and Invasive Species (NNIS) and Nuisance Species Management ............. 45 5.1.7. Supporting Military Bases .................................................................................................. 51 5.2. Landowner Objectives ................................................................................................................... 51 5.2.1. Forest Health Management ............................................................................................... 52 5.2.2. Conservation ....................................................................................................................... 55 5.2.3. Economic Return ................................................................................................................ 55 5.2.4. Wildlife Management and Protection................................................................................ 59 5.2.5. Recreation .......................................................................................................................... 61 5.2.6. Aesthetics ........................................................................................................................... 62 5.2.7. Legacy Planning ................................................................................................................. 63 6. COMMON SOUTH CAROLINA FOREST TYPES .......................................................................... 68 6.1. Loblolly Pine Dominant ................................................................................................................. 72 6.2. Longleaf Pine Dominant ............................................................................................................... 72 6.3. Shortleaf Pine/Hardwood Mixed .................................................................................................. 73 iii 6.4. Loblolly Pine/Hardwood Mixed ..................................................................................................... 74 6.5. Upland Hardwoods ........................................................................................................................ 75 6.6. Bottomland Hardwoods ................................................................................................................ 75 6.6.1. Tupelo-Cypress Mixed ........................................................................................................ 76 6.6.2. Carolina Bay ....................................................................................................................... 77 6.7. Maritime Forests ..........................................................................................................................