The South Carolina Forestry Commission

10/20/2026

Have a favorite tree in the Midlands? The Treasured Trees program is returning to the region, and you can take part by nominating your favorite tree, whether for its size, age, historical significance or unique beauty!

The official revitalization of the Treasured Trees program was announced last month by Columbia Green, the Columbia Garden Club, the Garden Club Council of Greater Columbia, the City of Columbia and local civic partners.

The Midlands tradition, which started in 2005, is being refreshed and strengthened to highlight the natural beauty, history and community value of the local tree canopy. Since its inception, 206 individual trees and five groves of trees have been honored as Treasured Trees, with nominees historically spanning the Midlands, reaching as far as Batesburg-Leesville and Newberry.

The Treasured Trees program is designed to build public awareness and appreciation for the importance of trees in our ecosystem and daily lives.

NOMINATE A TREE
*Deadline is Oct. 31, 2026
Apply at one of the two webpages:
https://columbiagreen.org/treasuredtrees or
https://publicworks.columbiasc.gov/treasured-trees/

1. Fill out the online application form accessible through both webpages or
2. Fill out the online PDF and email it to [email protected] or
3. Download the PDF and fill it out by hand and mail it to City of Columbia, Forestry & Beautification, 2910 Colonial Drive, Columbia, SC 29203,

Email photos of your nominated tree to [email protected] and be sure to include your name.

SELECTION
The selection committee will meet Nov. 16 to review the applications and select this year’s honorees.

Honorees and nominators will be recognized on South Carolina Arbor Day Friday, Dec. 4, 2026. The City of Columbia will provide framed certificates and program materials to honor the owners and nominators of the selected trees.

10/19/2026

It's National Forest Products Week! 🌲

The observance pays tribute to the thousands of products that come from our forests, the professionals who manage them and the businesses and people that create, move and add value to the goods they generate. 💸
Forest products come from a renewable and sustainable resource and touch our lives every day. 🗒️ ✏️ 🪥 🧻

Many forest products are easily recognizable, like napkins, toilet paper and computer paper, but some are not so obvious, like toothpaste made from cellulose gum and compounds from trees in medicine and shampoo.

Our forests also provide much more than consumer goods, helping purify the air and providing 60 percent of the fresh water in the US. 💧

10/19/2026

Every successful prescribed burn starts with a plan. Learn how to prepare a prescribed fire plan with experienced practitioners next month!

WHO
This course is geared toward landowners who are interested in using prescribed fire on their property and have little or no experience in preparing a prescribed fire plan.

WHAT
Participants will be guided through the planning process by experienced prescribed burning practitioners.

You'll learn to:
-Set prescribed burning objectives
-Identify smoke-sensitive areas
-Determine needed weather conditions
-Evaluate fuel types
-Plan for advanced burning preparations

WHEN
Tuesday, Nov. 10
5:00p.m. to 6:30p.m.

WHERE
SC Forestry Commission Office
2908 Walterboro Hwy
Varnville, SC

REGISTER
prescribedburnhampton.eventbrite.com
*Cost is $20

CONTACT
Mike Windhorn
[email protected]

10/16/2026

Our 4th Annual Dozer Academy wraps up today as a new group of wildland fire bulldozer operators graduates from the program at Manchester State Forest. This week’s training included courses that will be vital for operators in real-life situations.⁠
⁠
Dozer Academy kicked off Monday with participants completing safety field exercises, including rollover escape and a Code Red exercise. Later on, topics such as dozer and FireTrack maintenance and in-woods repairs, loading/unloading and basic maneuvering were introduced.⁠
⁠
Students also practiced various dozer operations such as righting a flipped plow, bog recovery, slope, waterbars, night operations and specific skills such as stump recovery and removing snags.⁠
⁠
Congratulations to our employees who completed this comprehensive course, and thank you to our staff who organized and facilitated this important training.

10/15/2026

Horry County Warden Carmichael checks and cleans his backpack hand pump in front of his vehicle, circa 1958. The plate just above the license plate identifies him as an official Forest Fire Warden.

In the early days, Forestry Commission Fire Wardens were primarily smoke chasers, responding to fires in their personal vehicles. If the fire wasn’t too large, the warden would put it out himself with hand tools or enlist help from volunteers in the community. Tractors were few and were only dispatched when the warden couldn’t handle the fire with hand tools and local helpers.

More SCFC history: https://www.scfc.gov/about-us/history/pictures-from-our-past/

10/14/2026

Hampton Lumber is making progress in Allendale County, and they're hiring! Job listings: https://careers-hamptonlumber.icims.com/jobs/search?ss=1&searchLocation=12781-12824-Fairfax

Look what’s taking shape in Fairfax, South Carolina! 👀
We're currently looking to fill a number of positions at the new mill! Apply today at: https://shorturl.at/iZyrE

10/14/2026

It's ! During October and beyond, make sure you think before you burn! 🪵 Keep these rules in mind when doing any kind of outdoor burning:⁠
⁠
1. CHECK the weather before you burn. Avoid burning on days with high wind speeds and gusts and on days with lower-than-usual relative humidities.⁠
⁠
2. NOTIFY the Forestry Commission before you begin your burn (excluding grills, campfires, portable fireplaces, permanent fire pits, chimineas, etc.). This rule applies only in unincorporated areas of the state (outside of city/town limits), and burners must make notification every unique day they burn. Call the toll-free notification phone number for the county you live in to make notification, notify on the app or visit scfc.gov/notify. ⁠
⁠
3. Clear a FIREBREAK around the material being burned that is relative to the size of the fire (at least half of the width of the burn pile itself). Firebreaks should be constructed by removing all vegetation and exposing the bare ground or mineral soil.⁠
⁠
4. PREPARE by having proper and sufficient tools and water on hand to prevent the fire from spreading if it escapes the firebreak. Stay with the fire at all times, never leaving the burn site for any amount of time or for any reason.⁠
⁠
5. EXTINGUISH the fire completely, drowning it with water until the burned material and ashes are cool to the touch.⁠

Send this video to a friend! https://youtu.be/bkAzpDyRhFk?si=i_PxHbYofGEJPOxg
⁠
Learn more at https://www.scfc.gov/protection/fire-prevention/

10/13/2026

It's ... have you seen these creepy crawlies near you? 🕷️ This is the Jorō spider, an invasive species that first appeared in Georgia in 2014. It's since been found in 20+ SC counties, according to jorowatch.org.

If you have seen one (or many more) near you, the 2026 Joro Spider Spotting & Photo Contest is happening now through Sunday, Oct. 18! Snap a photo, submit a report and learn more about the contest here: https://jorowatch.org/season/
⁠
APPEARANCE⁠
-Females are very large (3" legspan) with vibrant, yellow bodies and blue-green or silvery colored bands on their backs, plus red markings on their bellies. ⁠Legs are long and black with yellow bands.⁠
-Males are much smaller (1" legspan) and appear in various shades of yellow and brown. ⁠
⁠
LIFE CYCLE⁠
🕸️ April/May: Eggs hatch; tiny spiders are difficult to spot at this stage.⁠
🕸️ Late summer: Spiders become noticeable as they approach maturity.⁠
🕸️ November/December: Females lay eggs before the first major freeze; adult spiders die after the first freeze.⁠
⁠
MANAGEMENT⁠
-Jorō spiders are not likely to come inside your home, but you might see them on your house or on other structures nearby.⁠
-These spiders can be eliminated using a registered acaricide.⁠
-A stick or broom can be used to knock the spiders from their webs, and you can physically move them far from the original location as they are unlikely to return to that spot.⁠

SEE A JORO?
Snap a picture! This helps researchers track the spread of this invasive species.
⁠
FAST FACTS⁠
-Jorō spiders have lookalikes, including the yellow garden spider and the banded garden spider.⁠
-They have not been shown to be a danger to people or pets.⁠
-Reduced populations of native spiders have been documented where there are high Joro spider populations, which suggests a negative ecological impact. ⁠
-The central orb of a Joro spider's web is typically around 2' in diameter; the silk is yellow.⁠
-Webs tend to be found at the edges of forests, in parks, on roadside plants or in yards on trees and on manmade objects like sheds.⁠
⁠
Life cycle, management and more: https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/the-joro-spider/

General information: https://naisma.org/2024/07/03/the-joro-spider-thats-taking-the-world-by-storm/?fbclid=IwY2xjawU7GqRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMVJZbEZ1YzdkZHpGRDkxU0FzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEesodphGSm2bP2QdpCpGNzKZ0NmtxbtrTC0DSOR3-dBf-UCG3DEDVsShCV7tk_aem_wbZ78mHtVLgC4rQfcq8fTA

Addressing common concerns about Joro spiders: https://news.clemson.edu/studies-show-joro-spiders-are-easy-to-kill-and-virtually-harmless/

10/12/2026

The first week of our 2026 Wood Magic Forest Fair is in the books!

More than 480 fourth grade students attended the 3.5-hour program at Piedmont Forestry Center in Oconee County October 6th – 9th. Each day, classes participated in forestry-related educational experiences and demonstrations.

The fair combines hands-on activities with visually engaging presentations to teach children about the importance of forest lands to wildlife, the economy and our daily quality of life. We couldn't have done it without the 62 volunteers worked as guides, instructors food servers and more.

Thank you to all of our volunteers who came from all backgrounds, agencies, organizations and businesses, including US Forest Service, Clearwater Paper, Clemson University, Clemson Extension, SC Forestry Commission, as well as Midlands and Upstate Master Naturalist Groups for taking time out of your busy schedules to help teach 4th graders about sustainable forestry. Next up: Harbison State Forest!

Learn more about the program: https://www.scfc.gov/education/wood-magic/