| The Clemson University
Experimental Forest
Position of the Keowee Chapter of the Society
of American Foresters
Position
The Keowee Chapter of the Society of American
Foresters (SAF) opposes the commercial development
of the Clemson University Experimental Forest
(CUEF). The CUEF should be managed according
to the guidelines of the Bankhead-Jones Farm
Tenant Act for conservation purposes as defined
in Section 1010 (forestry and wildlife management,
watershed protection, slowing erosion , etc.).
These lands, conveyed to the University as
authorized under Section 1011 Subsection (c)
of the Act, are to be managed for public purposes
and to serve the project objectives as required
by law. The Keowee Chapter of SAF believes
that any commercial development of the CUEF
would be a breach of public trust and would
be illegal according to the laws under which
Clemson University acquired the property. We
believe that the Forest is far too valuable
as a managed natural resource to be considered
for development. The Keowee Chapter further
believes that scientifically based management
of the Forest for multiple uses, including
timber, wildlife, water, and recreation, produces
environmental and social benefits to the University
and the citizens of Clemson and the State that
far exceed values from commercial development
of the property. Sustainable forest management
has been conducted on the CUEF for almost 70
years and has been consistent with the intent
and letter of the law. The Forest is the Experimental
Forest of South Carolina and should be managed
in perpetuity under the principles of adaptive
forest management.
Issues
1. A committee of the Urban Land Institute
recently suggested that Clemson University
explore the advantages of developing approximately
400 acres of the CUEF into a living/learning
center consisting of village clusters of homes,
condominiums, and other commercial development.
The development of such a proposed concept
would be illegal and a breach of the public
trust by the University.
2. In 1954, the federal government conveyed
the lands currently in the CUEF to Clemson
University on the basis that the forest continue
to be used for public purposes as described
in Title 7 Chapter 33 Sec. 1010 of the Bankhead-Jones
Farm Tenant Act, namely that the land would
be managed to restore forests and wildlife
and protect watersheds, and be used for other
like purposes. The Deeds of conveyance of the
land to Clemson University stated that if,
at any time, the land ceases to be used for
such purposes, the estate will immediately
revert to the federal government.
3. Most of the 11.3 million acres of abused
lands purchased nationwide by the federal government
between 1935 and 1946 remains in federal ownership.
However, a total of almost 1.3 million acres
of lands in the federal land utilization program
was transferred to state and local agencies
prior to 1954. These lands, including lands
now in the CUEF, were distributed among about
80 projects across the Nation. If Clemson University
changes or overrides the laws currently in
place that state that this land is to be used
for public purposes, a dangerous precedent
will have been set that could affect management
of all land utilization (LU) property that
was transferred to states. Thus, the proposed
development on the CUEF would become an issue
of national importance.
Background
The Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (1937)
is the federal legislation that consolidated
and gave permanent status to the land utilization
programs initiated under the Roosevelt administration.
The Clemson purchase was one of some 250 land
utilization projects nationwide, totaling 11.3
million acres in 45 states between1933 and
1946. The federal government purchased all
of these lands to reclaim and protect natural
resources and, following their purchase, they
became part of the public domain. The Farm
Tenant Act authorized the Secretary of Agriculture
to develop a program of land conservation and
utilization to correct land use abuses. This
program was to include the implementation of
a number of conservation practices, including
controlling erosion, replanting forests, preserving
natural resources, protecting fish and wildlife,
developing recreation facilities, mitigating
floods, preventing impairment of dams and reservoirs,
developing energy resources, conserving surface
and subsurface moisture, protecting watersheds,
and protecting the public lands from future
abuses. The Farm Tenant Act specifically forbids
the use of the land to build industrial parks
or establish private industrial or commercial
enterprises.
In 1954, when the federal government conveyed
27,469 acres to Clemson University, then Clemson
College, the University agreed to manage the
land for public purposes. The Forest has been
and continues to be managed in a manner consistent
with the gift’s original purpose, showing
the federal government’s faith and confidence
in the University to use the land for teaching,
research, and public service. Public Law 84-237
is unique to the Clemson Land Use Project and
was enacted to assist with consolidation of
the property by acquisition of adverse inholdings.
The federal government conveyed these lands
to Clemson College with the restriction that
the lands would be used for public purposes,
and, if at any time they were used for other
purposes, the lands would immediately revert
to the federal government. Current efforts
by the University to initiate commercial developments
on the Forest would constitute a breach of
public trust and would be illegal.
Recent Trends
Over the last few decades, urban sprawl has
outpaced population growth. The I-85 corridor
is among the fastest growing areas of the South.
The decline in rural population has been matched
by the spread of urban populations to the suburbs
and wildlands. The Piedmont of South Carolina
has few large blocks of contiguous forest land
left. The CUEF is one of the few remaining
tracts of significant acreage of contiguous
forest land in the South Carolina Piedmont.
The general public now recognizes the importance
of green spaces like the CUEF to their quality
of life. They have begun to resist the efforts
of developers who seemingly would develop all
lands for short-term economic gain. The current
trend in progressive land use is to promote
restorative development rather than developing
existing green space.
Consequences
The value of the Forest to students is incalculable.
Within minutes, students can be studying stream
hydrology, forest ecology and management, wildlife
management, botany, zoology, or countless other
disciplines. No other university can offer
such a unique outdoor laboratory to their students
in such close proximity to campus. The Forest
demonstrates first-hand to students the documented
benefits of adaptive forest management on natural
resources. Opportunities for forest management
are compromised if portions of the Forest are
developed, and certainly one development will
lead to another.
Recreational opportunities also abound on
the Forest. Its many trails and picnic areas
are heavily used by recreationists — horseback
and mountain bike riders, hunters and anglers,
hikers, bird watchers, and others. The Forest
vastly improves the quality of life for students
and faculty, as well as residents of Clemson
and nearby towns, by enhancing air and water
quality and providing a buffer against urban
sprawl. The CUEF is not just land with some
trees on it—it is a forest managed for
multiple values that is a treasure to the University
and the state of South Carolina.
Conclusions
The Keowee Chapter of the Society of American
Foresters is especially concerned about the
preliminary proposals to use parts of the CUEF
for commercial real estate developments. We
believe that the greatest value of the Forest
to the University and to the citizens of the
state of South Carolina is achieved by sustaining
the multiple-use values of the Forest through
science-based management.
We are also concerned about the national
implications of developing portions of the
CUEF. The Clemson Forest project, whereby 27,469
acres were purchased under the auspices of
the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act of 1937,
was just one of about 80 such projects around
the nation. Developing parts of the CUEF could
set a precedent that may affect the conservation
value of more than a million acres around the
country. We strongly oppose such a dangerous
precedent.
About the Society
of American Foresters
The Society of American Foresters, with about
17,000 members, is the national organization
that represents all segments of the forestry
profession in the United States. It includes
public and private practitioners, researchers,
administrators, educators, and forestry students.
The Society was established in 1900 by Gifford
Pinchot and six other pioneer foresters.
The mission of the Society of American Foresters
is to advance the science, education, technology,
and practice of forestry; to enhance the competency
of its members; to establish professional excellence;
and to use the knowledge, skills, and conservation
ethic of the profession to ensure the continued
health and use of forest ecosystems and the
present and future availability of forest resources
to benefit society.
The Society is the accreditation authority
for professional forestry education in the
United States. The Society publishes The
Journal of Forestry; the quarterlies, Forest
Science, The Southern Journal of Applied Forestry,
The Northern Journal of Applied Forestry,
and The Western Journal of Applied Forestry; The
Forestry Source; and the annual Proceedings
of the Society of American Foresters national
convention.
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