WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a landmark effort to safeguard South Carolina’s natural heritage, more than 62,000 acres of forestland — an area three times the size of Hilton Head Island — will be permanently conserved under the Pee Dee Basin Initiative, the largest conservation easement in South Carolina state history.
This extraordinary, $70-million conservation effort will preserve timberlands, protect wildlife habitat, and expand public access to nature across Marion, Williamsburg and Georgetown counties.
The Pee Dee Basin Initiative is a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy program, the South Carolina Forestry Commission, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, S.C. Office of Resilience, Atlantic Packaging, the Open Space Institute, and Acres for America, a wildlife conservation program by Walmart and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
“It’s breathtaking, just the scale of the project,” said Maria Whitehead, senior vice president of land for the Southeast at the Open Space Institute, which helped organize the project and received a grant of $500,000 from Acres for America. “It’s hard to conceptualize just how big 62,000 acres is, but I can tell you, it’s very big.”
More than 7,500 acres of land will become publicly accessible when the easement project is complete. That includes an 880-acre expansion of the Wee Tee State Forest and the creation of new Wildlife Management Areas to be managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. These lands will support hiking, hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing — activities that generate $2.74 billion in economic activity in the state annually.
“This is exactly the kind of large-scale, collaborative conservation effort Acres for America was created to support,” said Ryan Pettigrew, Walmart program lead for Acres for America. “It delivers lasting benefits for wildlife, local economies and future generations.”
The conservation easement protects vital habitat for at least 115 plant and animal species, including migratory birds, rare mussels, and Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon. It also preserves 30,000 acres of bottomland hardwoods that absorb floodwater and buffer communities from severe weather events.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster praised the initiative as a model for future conservation efforts. “Conservation of South Carolina’s natural resources is key to our state’s economic security and future,” McMaster said. “This project is a win for our environment, our economy and our way of life.”
The initiative comes at a critical time. South Carolina is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, and development pressures threaten the forests that define its landscape and economy. Coined the nation’s “wood basket,” this region’s timber industry contributes more than $23 billion annually and supports more than 100,000 jobs, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission. The Pee Dee Basin’s timberlands are among the most productive in the world, and this project ensures they remain a sustainable economic engine.
Much of the land will remain in private hands, managed under conservation easements that prohibit the land from being developed. The South Carolina Forestry Commission will hold and monitor the easements.
To learn more about NFWF and Walmart’s Acres for America program, visit https://www.nfwf.org/programs/acres-america-program.
Rob Blumenthal National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (202) 857-0166 rob.blumenthal@nfwf.org
