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Fee/rental services and equipment

To rent or procure any equipment and/or services listed below, contact us by calling your local Forestry Commission office to make a request for equipment and/or services.
Requests for equipment and services are accepted during normal business hours (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday); requests received after 2 p.m. may not be handled until the following business day.

Printable Services Guide (pdf)

Equipment rentals

Drum choppersTree plantersTemporary bridges
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$20 per acre ($100 minimum)
Transportation Fee: $3.50 per mile from SCFC headquarters in Columbia
to and from the site ($50 minimum)
$5 per acre ($25 minimum)Three 4′ x 30′ bridge sections, or
Two 6′ x 30′ long sections
$50 week / $200 deposit
SCFC personnel will load the bridges onto contractors’ trailers, but they must be secured and transported by the contractor.

Free services

Insect & Disease (I&D) laboratory/diagnostic services

SCFC forest health specialists examine forest insect/disease pests or tissue samples at no charge. They will identify pests and prescribe appropriate control measures. The SC Forestry Commission does not charge for its insect- and disease-related diagnostic services.


Fee-based services

Firebreak plowing / waterbar construction

  • Medium tractor duty: $150* for first hour, per tractor / $115 each extra hour, per tractor ($150 minimum)
  • Large tractor duty: $170* for first hour, per tractor / $130 each extra hour, per tractor ($170 minimum)
    * Includes mileage charge for each unit per day.

Prescribed burning

  • $25/acre for understory burning (firebreak plowing not included)
  • $35/acre for understory burning in mountainous terrain and site preparation burning (firebreak plowing not included)
    * $500 minimum for all prescribed burning services

Prescribed burning standby service

  • $80 for first hour
  • $40 for each additional hour
    *$120 minimum / landowner is responsible for fire and must follow an SCFC-approved burning plan

(landowner is responsible for fire and must follow an SCFC-approved burning plan) 

Extracting mired forestry equipment (limited to equipment performing forestry services)

  • Medium tractor duty: $200* for first hour, per tractor / $160 each extra hour, per tractor ($200 minimum)
  • Large tractor duty: $250* for first hour, per tractor / $175 each extra hour, per tractor ($250 minimum)
    * Includes mileage charge for each unit per day.

Timber marking

  • Sawtimber: $10/MBF (thousand-board-feet)
  • Pulpwood: $5/cord