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Operations | Offices | State forests | Leadership}

Operations

The South Carolina Forestry Commission divides the state into three geographically based administrative regions: the Pee Dee, Piedmont and Coastal regions. Each region is composed of two units.

Offices

State headquarters
5500 Broad River Road
Columbia SC 29212
(803) 896-8800

Coastal Region office (Walterboro)
413 Sidneys Rd.
Walterboro SC 29488
(843) 538-3708

• Edisto Unit
  (serving Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties)
  2908 Walterboro Highway.
  Varnville SC 29944
  (803) 943-3915

• Santee Unit
  (serving Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Dorchester and Orangeburg counties)
  353 Fire Tower Road
  Orangeburg SC 29118
  (803) 534-3543

Pee Dee Region office (Florence)
113 Forestry Commission Drive
Florence SC 29501
Darlington Highway (US Hwy. 52N, 1 1/2 miles north of I-95), Florence
(843) 662-5571

• Black River Unit
  (serving Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Marion and Williamsburg counties)
  596 I.M. Graham Road
  Kingstree SC 29556
  (843) 382-8761

• Lynches River Unit
  (serving Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee, Marlboro, and Sumter counties)
  16222 Highway 1
  Patrick SC 29584
  (843) 498-6918

Piedmont Region office (Newberry)
39 Gen. Henderson Road
Newberry SC 29108
(803) 276-0205

• East Unit
  (serving Cherokee, Chester, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Richland Spartanburg, Union, and York counties)
  39 General Henderson Road
  Newberry, SC 29108
  (803) 276-0205

• West Unit
  (serving Abbeville, Anderson, Edgefield, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Oconee, Pickens and Saluda counties)
  130 McDaniel, PO Box 391
  Pickens SC 29671
• (864) 878-6134

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State forests

Harbison State Forest
5600 Broad River Road
Columbia SC 29212
(803) 896-8890

Manchester State Forest
6740 Headquarters Road
Wedgefield, SC 29168
Phone: (803) 494-8196

Poe Creek State Forest
113 Piedmont Nursery Road
Tamassee, SC 29686
Phone: (864) 944-1104

Sand Hills State Forest
16218 Highway 1
Patrick, SC 29584
Phone: (843) 498-6478

Wee Tee State Forest
Access points:
1. Dirt road off Santee Road (County road 45) across from Sutton’ s Methodist Church. This road provides access to Wee Tee Lake. This road will be blocked at bridge across Wee Tee Lake due to hazardous bridges and unimproved roads.
2. Dirt road off US 17A/SC 41 on the north side of the Santee River. This road provides access to Ferry Lake.

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Leadership

Commissioners

Dr. Walter McPhail, Mauldin, (chair)
H. Stro Morrison,III, Estill, (vice-chair)
Jesse Neville, Walhalla
Eric Smith, Summerville
Josh Sandt, Murrell’s Inlet
W. McLeod “Mac” Rhodes, Charleston
Amy L. McFadden, Georgetown
Charles Segars, Jr., Sumter
Dr. Keith Belli, Dean, Clemson University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences (representative for Clemson University President Dr. James P. Clements)

Commission Meeting Schedule

In compliance with the provisions of Chapter 30-4-10 of the S C Code of Laws 1976, as amended, public notice is hereby given of the following regular quarterly meetings of the South Carolina Forestry Commission scheduled to be held during calendar year 2022.

Agendas for regularly scheduled meetings shall be posted on a bulletin board at the meeting place of the Forestry Commission and announced to the media at least twenty-four hours prior to the meeting. Notice of any called, special or rescheduled meetings shall be posted as early as practical, but not later than twenty-four hours prior. This requirement shall not apply to emergency meetings of public bodies.

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Executive leadership team

• Scott Phillips, State Forester (executive director)
  

Scott Phillips became State Forester Jan. 2, 2018. As the agency head, he works with a nine-member board appointed by the governor to set agency policy and direction. He represents the South Carolina Forestry Commission and forestry interests at the state government level as well as regionally and nationally. 

Phillips received a B.S. of Forest Resources from the University of Georgia where he dual majored in Forestry and Wildlife Management and a Master of Forest Resources from Clemson University, where he specialized in Forest Business.  He started with the agency in 1999, serving in multiple positions of increasing responsibility until his selection as State Forester.

Before working for the agency, Scott ran his own forestry business, principally performing contract work for Georgia Power Company.

Scott is an actively engaged leader in regional and national forestry organizations, most recently serving as the chair of the Southern Group of State Foresters’ Executive Committee in 2019-2020. As the current vice president of the National Association of State Foresters, Phillips is slated to take the helm as NASF president in 2023. Not only is he a member of NASF’s Forest Resource Management Committee, but he also serves as the NASF liaison to the National Wild Turkey Federation. He previously served on the Forest Markets Committee.  In 2019 he served as chair of the American Tree Farm System’s Independent Standards Review Panel, and he currently serves as vice-chair of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s External Review Panel.

In South Carolina, he is a member of the Palmetto Agribusiness Council’s Board of Directors and a member of the SC Tree Farm Committee, for which he served as chair in 2018. Additionally, Phillips sits on the SC Department of Natural Resources’ Heritage Trust Advisory Board and is a member of the South Carolina Quail Council.

He is the youngest State Forester in South Carolina history, taking office at age 43. Scott now lives in Camden, S.C., with his wife.

• Tom Patton, Deputy State Forester
  Tom Patton became the Deputy State Forester January 2, 2013 and is responsible for all regional operations, forest management and forest protection programs. A graduate of NC State University with a BS in Forestry and MS in Economics, Tom has more than 28 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. He began his career in forest industry providing management assistance to landowners.
  Tom’s SC Forestry Commission career began in 2000 and since that time he has served in a number capacities including:  Area Forester, State Lands Liaison, Best Management Practices (BMP) Forester, and for six years prior to becoming Deputy State Forester, he was the agency’s Piedmont Regional Forester.
  Tom is a SC Registered Forester, a Society of American Foresters’ Certified Forester, and a SC Certified Public Manager.  He is an active member in, and has held leadership positions, in the Society of American Foresters, the SC Forestry Association, the Lexington County Forestry Association, and the American Tree Farm System.  He’s a recipient of both the South Carolina and Southern Regional Tree Farm Inspector awards.
  Tom is a third generation forester, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father.  He’s married, has two daughters and lives in Irmo.

• Calvin Bailey, Coastal Regional Forester
• Pete Stuckey, Piedmont Regional Forester
• Mike Ney, Pee Dee Regional Forester
• Tim Adams, Director of Resource Development
• Krista Emory, Director of Human Resources
• Russell Hubright, Forest Management Chief
• Darryl Jones, Forest Protection Chief
• Cathy Nordeen, Director of Administration
• Randy Rollings, Director of Information Technology
• Doug Wood, Director of Communications & Public Information

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