New Audubon Program Helps Families Keep their Forests Healthy, Productive, and Intact

CHARLESTON, SC – A brand new program by Audubon South Carolina will assist household landowners throughout the state make their forests extra productive and ecologically wholesome. The initiative is supported by a $1.24 million grant from the U.S. Division of Agriculture and can begin with a sequence of landowner workshops.

“The tip objective is to assist households maintain possession of their properties within the face of rising growth strain,” mentioned Tim Evans, land conservation director at Audubon South Carolina. “When household forests keep intact, so does wildlife habitat. There are a lot of alternatives for landowners to generate further revenue whereas bettering the ecological well being of their forests, from voluntary carbon markets to sustainable forestry. The secret’s ensuring they’ve the knowledge and sources they should make selections.” 

Audubon has employed three employees to implement this system. See under for particular workshop dates starting this fall.  

Conserving household forests productive and intact is more and more essential in South Carolina, the fastest-growing state within the nation. Improvement strain has put the state on observe to lose 30 p.c of its forests over the subsequent 50 years, threatening forest-dependent birds just like the Wooden Thrush and Brown-headed Nuthatch. 

Household landowners are key to the answer. Most of South Carolina’s forests are household owned—greater than eight million of the state’s 12.9 million acres of forestland. 

For the workshop sequence, Audubon employees will present trainings on voluntary carbon markets, which permit landowners to receives a commission for safeguarding and rising timber that take in carbon dioxide. The revenue comes from governments, firms and even people who purchase carbon credit to offset their emissions, primarily paying landowners to guard their forest. 

Audubon will provide sources on forming cooperatives that supply higher scale to make carbon markets possible for smaller landowners. 

“Smaller forested tracts don’t at all times have sufficient scale to qualify for carbon markets,” Working Lands Program Supervisor Erin Giebner mentioned. “However in the event you can carry a number of landowners collectively, then you’ll be able to qualify and begin producing revenue that may be the distinction between a household holding or promoting their land.” 

The second section of this system will probably be on-site technical help. Audubon employees will probably be obtainable to go to landowners on their property to speak by particular administration and conservation alternatives for his or her property. 

The initiative is a part of Audubon South Carolina’s broader Wholesome Forests program, which promotes bird- and climate-friendly forestry to preserve, handle, and restore important forestland. Audubon already employs many of those forestry methods—from hardwood restoration to prescribed burns—on the 30,000 acres of land we personal and handle throughout the state. Study extra about Working Lands at Audubon South Carolina.

Pee Dee Landowner Workshop and Area Tour 

Date: September 17, 2026 
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
Location: 
Pee Dee Analysis and Schooling Heart 
2200 Pocket Street, Florence, SC 29506 

Sandhills Landowner Workshop and Area Tour 

Date: October 20, 2026 
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
Location: 
Sandhills Analysis and Schooling Heart 
900 Clemson Street, Columbia, SC 29229 

Upstate Landowner Workshop and Area Tour 

Date: November 18, 2026 
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
Location: 
BearnLee Tree Farm, Laurens, SC 
Tackle will probably be shared with registered individuals. 

Register here 

About Audubon South Carolina

Audubon South Carolina protects birds and the locations they want, proper right here in South Carolina. We’re the state workplace of the Nationwide Audubon Society, which has a couple of million members and a century-long observe document of success. In South Carolina, we characterize practically 30,000 members and supporters, 10 Audubon chapters and chicken membership companions, two Audubon sanctuaries, one nature heart, and greater than 30,000 acres of land that we personal or handle utilizing bird- and climate-friendly forestry. Study extra about what we do and the best way to assist at sc.audubon.org. Comply with us on Fb at @scaudubon and Instagram at @audubon_sc.