The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Region awarded $161,000 to the South Carolina Forestry Commission under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance program (CFDA 10.664) on September 22, 2025, for a landscape restoration project extending through September 21, 2030. The South Carolina Forestry Commission will deliver conservation planning, active forest management, and forest industry workforce development services to restore lands across South Carolina's foothills and mountains. Project activities address critical conservation objectives including wildfire risk reduction, water supply protection, and at-risk wildlife habitat improvement while supporting rural economic development through sustainable forest product supply chains.
The award advances the Joint Chiefs' Landscape Restoration Partnership framework, which enables collaboration among the USDA Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, state agencies, agricultural producers, forest landowners, tribes, and public land managers. Deliverables include gap analysis and market development initiatives for forest products, workforce training in forestry professions, and implementation of landscape-scale conservation strategies across both public and private lands to enhance forest health and resilience while maintaining open space conservation.