SC forest resources have been monitored since the 1930s by the USDA Forest Service. Additional studies of water quality, wildlife populations, and economic impacts are continuously being conducted. The SC Forestry Commission is currently conducting an inventory of our state's forest resources. Alternative fibers such as kenaf and hemp require additional agricultural land, pesticides, and irrigation. The high costs of transporting kenaf make it even less attractive economically.
Trees provide protection of soil and water quality and wildlife habitat.
They are a renewable resource and produce more than just fiber. In fact, more than five thousand products are made from trees. Both sawmills and paper mills have benefited from sustainable forest management. In the past twenty years, pulpwood production has increased 41 percent while sawlog production is up 67 percent. South CArolina has no chip exporting facilities, and the amount of raw forest products exported is negligible.