Category: Janet Steele

Most forest landowners and agricultural producers, as well as many homeowners, own a chainsaw for use on their property. Chainsaws can make quick work of clearing land, removing downed trees or limbs, and cutting firewood. However, chainsaws are inherently dangerous tools, and when injuries occur, they can be very severe and even fatal. The improper […]

Silvopasture is an interactive system that integrates forage, livestock, and trees into one system where the components are intentionally selected to enhance each other. It is also intensive, requiring more frequent implementation of management practices. Silvopasture is an old practice that has been gaining popularity due to its potential to enhance land use and production, […]

This article originally was published in the Times and Democrat newspaper on October 26, 2024. “Money doesn’t grow on trees” is a saying often heard by those who are spendthrifts. However, for many of South Carolina’s forest landowners, money has grown from their trees for many decades and provided a reliable source of income for […]

The Longleaf PineAmong the Southern pines, longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) has several key characteristics that have allowed it to grow on some of the harshest sites in the southeastern United States. One is its fire tolerance. Fire is a critical component of the longleaf pine ecosystem, and longleaf evolved with understory species, like the bunchgrasses, […]

In the first part of this series on chainsaw safety, Patrick Hiesl talked about the safety features of modern chainsaws (https://blogs.clemson.edu/fnr/2023/09/05/the-safety-features-of-a-modern-chainsaw/). Now, we are telling you about the personal protective equipment available to protect you from most major injuries. For chainsaw users, Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, includes leg, foot, eye, hearing, face, and hand […]

South Carolina is a diverse state, and the well-known slogan “from the mountains to the sea” reflects how varied the landscape is across the state’s 20 million acres. One feature that is common across all these landscapes is water. South Carolina has 36 rivers totaling almost 30,000 miles of waterways that can be found in […]

Forest management practices are recommended for various reasons to meet landowner management objectives, including generating income, improving habitat for wildlife species, and, most importantly, maintaining a healthy, productive forest.  Properly timed thinnings in natural and planted pine stands will provide all these benefits. Thinnings are “intermediate cuttings that are aimed primarily at controlling the growth […]

The winter months are a good time of the year for landowners to ensure that their property boundaries are well maintained and adequately marked to prevent trespassing and poaching and ensure that management activities will not encroach on adjoining ownerships. Newly acquired property may need a survey to relocate property corners and mark property lines. […]

With spring weather and homeowners turning their focus to outdoor projects, pine straw sales are beginning to pick up quickly. Pine straw has become a favored mulch on residential and commercial sites. The qualities that make pine straw an essential part of a woodland ecosystem, such as moisture-holding capacity, protection for roots against temperature extremes, […]

Forest landowners are often more familiar than homeowners about the pests that can attack their pine trees. Because of this, the phrase “bark beetle outbreak” can strike dread as they envision entire stands of pines being wiped out by aggressive, fast-moving insect infestations. Fortunately, appropriate forest management practices such as thinning can reduce the risk […]