South Carolina Earth Team Volunteers Help Restore Wetlands

Two NRCS Earth Team Volunteers/USC Salkehatchie students plant longleaf pine savanna at a WRP site in Allendale County.

A unique longleaf pine savanna in Allendale County, South Carolina, is being protected and improved with the help of Earth Team Volunteers.

Lakeview Plantation consists of 331 acres which are being protected by USDA-NRCS’ Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). The easement contains important natural resource elements such as cypress ponds, longleaf pine savanna, and upland pine-wiregrass woodland. Plant and animal diversity are particularly abundant at the site; however, plentiful wiregrass and longleaf pine were missing until recently. Small scattered patches of wiregrass were located on the site and seeds were collected in 2006. The Taylor Nursery in Trenton, SC, grew 1,200 wiregrass plugs from the collected seeds.

Restoration activities for the site have included prescribed burning, spot clearing of shrubby areas in order to plant longleaf pine, planting of 6,000 longleaf pine saplings, and now, thanks to Earth Team students from the University of South Carolina, and their professor, 1,200 wiregrass plugs were planted. Because of this, wiregrass and a high number of native grasses and wildflowers are thriving at this WRP site. Way to go SC Earth Team!

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