Forestry and Wildlife Agent Update – Tom Brant

January 29, 2021

During the months we have been working remotely I have remained in contact with my forestry and wildlife clients in Greenwood by phone, text and email.  Answering a wide array of questions including several about dying pine trees with beetle issues, how to prevent peach bores in my trees, would installing a retaining wall be a detriment to my oak tree, and would wood pellet ash be good fertilizer.  Several questions about stocking fish ponds and controlling pond weeds.  Other questions about managing pecan orchards, and on controlling insects and diseases on pecan trees.  There were some traditional forest management questions too.  Particularly on how can I get a forest management plan done, and how do we go about getting trees replanted after the prior harvest.  I was able to walk over some timberland properties and provide advice about thinning or final harvesting the timber.  I also assisted a landowner in southern Greenwood County with documenting and submitting some State champion and co-champion trees on his property to the SC Champion Trees database.

State co-champion Southern Red Oak on southern Greenwood County property. Photo Tom Brant.

Several virtual program announcements were sent to my client list.  The announcements included program topics on invasive plants, invasive insects, pesticide credit classes, and on timber tax issues.  One directed specifically to women was the Women Owning Woodlands program.

I have remained in contact with the Greenwood County Forestry Association Board members concerning their quarterly meetings and what their plans for these meetings would be.  The current Board members were asked and agreed to remain in place moving forward to 2021, to provide continuity in leadership for the Association.  I also worked with a group of other Agents to provide Virtual Association programs to Association members.  We presented programs on Fall Wildlife Food Plots, and on Controlling Privet in Your Woodlands.

I assisted with a series of demonstration plots installed on the John de la Howe school property in McCormick County.  Separate plots on chemically controlling both, kudzu on timberland and controlling understory competition in timber stands, were set up and treated.  The goal was to have in person tours, for timberland owners in the surrounding counties, of the resulting treatments.  But issues around the COVID virus prevented those form taking place.  A virtual program discussing the results is being created.

View across several kudzu control demo plots. Photo Tom Brant

Understory vegetation being affected by treatment in pine timber demo plot. Photo Tom Brant

For more information on Forestry and Natural Resource related issues and programs, please contact Tom Brant by email at jbrant@clemson.edu or phone at 864-465-5030.