Uncontrolled logging, intense harvesting of wildlife and ravaging wildfires combined to present a bleak landscape. Then in 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt enacted legislation to establish the Francis Marion National Forest. Named after the Revolutionary War General, Francis Marion, the forest has become a national treasure. The ecosystems of the forest represent a diverse and healthy example of sound natural resource management. Several endangered and threatened animal and plant species make their homes in the forest including the red-cockaded woodpecker, bald eagle, American alligator, American chaffseed, and pondberry.
Challenges are still very much a part of everyday conservation.
Natural resource professionals use the latest technology to manage the Francis Marion National Forest for a variety of public benefits from wood products, such as lumber for building homes, to recreational opportunities, such as hunting, hiking and camping. Restoring longleaf pine communities is one key objective accomplished through prescribed burning. Seven recreational areas provide camping, picnicking, and boating opportunities. In addition, hundreds of miles of open roads offer many accessible nature viewing and hunting opportunities. A diverse network of waterways, from lazy blackwater creeks to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway offer boating and fishing experiences.