Copyright postandcourier
FLORENCE — The purchase of 8,460 acres of forestland with 8 miles of Great Pee Dee River frontage will make Francis Marion University the second largest public university landholder in the state — second to only Clemson University. But that isn’t what matters to school President Luther “Fred” Carter who said the university is not “in it for bragging rights.” Instead, Francis Marion plans on using the land for its upcoming forestry program alongside other environmental programs the school offers. The recent formation of a partnership will see the almost 8,500 acres of conservation land in Florence and Darlington counties secured for the educational endeavor. The partnership includes FMU, the Open Space Institute, Florence County, the SC Office of Resilience, the SC Conservation Bank, the Darla Moore Foundation and a coalition of additional government and local partners to secure large acreage. Florence County most recently agreed to provide $1.55 million to advance the project at its October meeting, adding on to $16 million from the Office of Resilience through the Conservation Bank, according to Open Space Institute Vice President Maria Whitehead. The land itself is made up of bottomland hardwood and mixed upland pine. It was once part of Hartsville-based packaging company Sonoco’s land holdings. But when those holdings were to be sold, the state was eager to see some of the land move into conservation ownership, Whitehead said. “I'm proud of the governor,” Carter said about Gov. Henry McMaster’s Conservation efforts. “I'm also very proud of our county council. You know, there aren't a lot of county councils around this state that are as committed to conservation efforts as our county council is.” Carter said that as the university developed its forestry program, they looked at various sites to serve as field sites for students. Some were as far away as Dillion and Marlboro counties.
