Society Snippet: The SCDAR Tribute Grove

The United States was in the midst of the Great Depression from 1929-1941.  As part of FDR’s administration, the New Deal was proposed in 1932.  Part of the New Deal was the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which was a federally funded organization that put thousands of Americans to work.  The work that the CCC would complete reflected FDR’s deep commitment to conservation.  In his plea for the New Deal’s passage, he declared “the forests are the lungs of our land [which] purify our air and give fresh strength to our people.”  At the time, the national forests of our country were in deplorable condition as a result of over harvesting, forest fires, and little replanting which increased the problem of erosion.

The CCC became known as “Roosevelt’s Tree Army.”  Unemployed, unmarried U.S. male citizens between the ages of 18-26 were hired as part of the CCC.  These young men had to be healthy able-bodied workers as they would be required to perform hard physical labor.  These young men had to enlist for a minimum of 6 months and were allowed to re-enlist.  They were paid $30 a month and were supplemented with basic as well as vocational education. 

Under the guidance of the Departments of Interior and Agriculture, the CCC fought forest fires, planted trees, cleared and maintained access roads, re-seeded grazing lands, and implemented soil-erosion controls.  

The CCC Planting Trees

They built wildlife refuges, fish-rearing facilities, water storage basins, and animal shelters.  FDR even authorized the construction of bridges and campground facilities in order for Americans to be able to enjoy the beauty of America’s natural landscape and resources.

Now with the workforce of the CCC, the National Forest Service would commence what would become known as the Penny Pines program.  For a penny a pine tree seedling, the CCC would begin replanting and growing pines in National nurseries throughout the country.  Pines could be purchased by organizations and individuals.  The spirit of this program became a patriotic duty and buckets for pennies were set up at local post offices and stores.  Unfortunately, not only did the Great Depression bring a monetary drought, but there were states which could not participate due to prolonged rain droughts.  In these cases, the National Forest Service recommended that the pines be planted on private lands.

In 1939, then President General Mrs. Henry M. Robert chose the Penny Pine program as one of her Golden Jubilee National Projects.  The program commenced in 1939 and was to culminate in 1941 on the NSDAR 50^th anniversary.  The goal of the Penny Pine program was to have each chapter pledge not less than one acre of pine seedlings which was the equivalent of 500 trees per chapter at a cost of $5.

At the end of the project, many state societies had planted a forest.  The SCDAR refers to its forest as the State Tribute Grove.  The SCDAR State Tribute Grove contains ¾ acre or 375 trees.  In the SCDAR 1946 yearbook, there is a reference to our State Tribute Grove.  From the yearbook of 1946, the information reads as follows:

On motion of Mrs. Wise and seconded by Mrs. von Tresckow, it was voted to buy for the "Penny Pine Project" a bronze plaque for $30 F.O.B. Cincinnati with the correction of placing the DAR Insignia at the top instead of at the bottom as pictured in the blue print.  The inscription reads, "These Trees Dedicated in Honor of the Living, and in Memory of the Dead From South Carolina in the Second World War."  Erected by SCDAR in 1946.   This plaque will be placed on a boulder where seedlings have been planted along highway No. 1 approximately 4 miles east of McBee.  These pines are at a suitable size to be dedicated.  The State Foresty Department offers to assist and place the plaque on the shoulder.  Dedication will be in September and all shall be notified.

The actual date of the dedication was October 11, 1946.  Governor Strom Thurmond was the speaker for the dedication.  Mrs. Henry Munnerlyn was the State Regent.  

If you are wondering why there was a lapse in time between the culmination of the project and the placement of the monument at the State Tribute Grove, this was mainly due to the entrance of the United States in World War II.  Priorities and needs changed to meet the demands from the necessities of war.  In addition, the ability to assemble in large groups was halted to protect our citizens from the possibility of attack such as was done at Pearl Harbor.  There were no state conferences held, and our state officers took on an extra year of their term of office since an election could not be held.

Let’s look more in depth at the who, what, when, where, and why concerning the SCDAR State Tribute Grove and its current use as a preserve for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

In the 1930s here in South Carolina, farmers in the rural area where the SCDAR forest is located were struggling to survive with infertile, sandy soil.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture developed the Submarginal Lands Programs and agreed to purchase lands and resettle those farmers that met qualifications.  The project was known as the Sandhills Lands project.  

An example of submarginal lands that became part of the Resettlement Act and Sandhills Lands Project.

It was all Federal land, and 45,000 acres became the National Wildlife Refuge.  The South Carolina Forestry Commission was leased 45,000 acres from 1939-1990 for multiple use forestry benefits, i.e. a working forest.  While some of the acreage of land was farmland, a vast majority of the acreage of lands was timbered, some “cut over” and not replanted.  The South Carolina Forestry Commission began replanting the forest to reestablish the forest that had once covered the entire area.  The Commission also sustainably harvested the forest which created a perpetual forest through rotational plantings, thinning, and removal.  This working forest of which our tribute grove is located supported forest operations here and for all SCFC properties throughout the state.

In 1990 the lease ended, the SC Forestry Commission then began managing the forest for US Fish and Wildlife through an exchange program.  Through the exchange program, management of the property includes fire protection, control burning, and reforestation for 25 years.  

A submarginal land is planted with trees to begin the revitalization of the area.

That same year, the forest, of which our grove is a part was also designated as a preserve for the red-cockaded woodpecker.  The red-cockaded woodpecker was the first species to be listed as endangered in 1970 and to receive federal protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.  The property's sole purpose is to support the recovery of this endangered species. 

President Nixon signs the Endangered Species Act of 1973.  Strom Thurmond is on the right side of the picture.

History of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker

The red-cockaded woodpecker is a small woodpecker that is about the size of a common cardinal or robin and has a lifespan that averages sixteen years.  It is approximately seven inches long with a wingspan of about fifteen inches.  It eats mostly insects, fruits, and nuts.  Its back is barred with black and white horizontal stripes.  Its most distinguishing feature is a black cap and nape that encircles large white cheek patches.  The male has small red streak on each side of its black cap which gives it its name.  It is rarely visible except during breeding season and when defending its territory. 

These woodpeckers are unique in two ways. (1) It is the only woodpecker that excavates its nesting and roosting cavities in living trees: preferably old-growth longleaf or loblolly pines, and (2) the red-cockaded woodpecker lives within a tight-knit extended family community of breeding birds and helper birds.

The red-cockaded woodpecker feeds primarily on wood-boring insects like beetles, wood roaches, ants, centipedes, caterpillars, and spiders. Occasionally the adults will be observed feeding on blueberry, sweet bay berries, and even poison ivy.

The red-cockaded woodpecker once thrived in the vast stands of pines that stretched from the Atlantic coast to eastern Oklahoma.  Unfortunately, the farming practices of European settlers in which land was cleared as well as the changes in timber management combined to drive the territorial and non-migratory bird to extinction.  The red-cockaded woodpecker, often referred to simply as the "RCW," was placed on the endangered species list in 1970. While recovery efforts continue, the population is currently estimated by USFWS to be roughly 17,500 birds living in about 8,000 family groups, up from an estimated 12,500 birds and 5,000 groups a decade ago.  In South Carolina, the RCW is listed as imperiled.

RCWs are monitored based on the number of groups (a breeding pair with 0 to 7 helpers) and the clusters on which they depend (the actual physical cavity trees and acreage surrounding those trees). In 2000, there were an estimated 14,068 red-cockaded woodpeckers living in 5,627 known active clusters across eleven states; this number represents only 3 percent of the estimated RCW abundance at the time of European settlement.

RCW populations on public lands in South Carolina are designated by recovery unit.  Our state has 3 recovery units.  Within the Sandhills unit, there are 7 designated population areas.  Each population has a designated role in recovery. Sandhills State Forest is a Secondary recovery location that will have at least 250 units at recovery.  Currently, the forest has 57 groups with a goal of having 127 groups.

Recovery Units in South Carolina

In order to survive and prosper, the RCW requires open, park-like forested landscapes of longleaf pine.  Home ranges can be from 70-500 acres depending on habitat quality, namely the presence of open pine stands that have been frequently burned.  RCWs have evolved in a fire-dominated ecosystem. The history of fire in the southeast has come about through frequent lightning strikes as well as using fire to clear land and improve hunting grounds.   Those fires resulted in an open forest with large pines, very little midstory and diverse herbaceous ground cover.  The conditions are the ideal habitat for RCWs and other species of the longleaf pine ecosystem. Mature longleaf pine trees are also a necessity because the older trees often fall prey to a fungus called red-heart disease.  This fungus softens the core of the tree, making it easier for the woodpecker to create its nesting and roosting cavities.

The cavity trees must be in open stands with little or no hardwood midstory and little or no hardwood in the canopy. Once the midstory reaches cavity height, RCWs typically abandon the cluster.  Due to fire suppression, allowing for the presence of a dense midstory, much of the currently available habitat has become unsuitable for RCW.

In South Carolina, there are two primary threats that affect the availability of habitat, and, ultimately, RCW recovery now and in the future.  The first is a lack of prescribed fire in existing and potential habitats. It has become increasingly difficult for private landowners and government agencies to burn their properties for wildlife management because of liability issues. Until this problem is solved, the ultimate result will be less suitable habitat for RCWs and other wildlife.

The second major threat to RCWs in South Carolina is the risk of natural catastrophes, specifically hurricanes.  The coastal plain is the home of nearly all RCWs in South Carolina.  Hurricane force winds make the trees with cavities susceptible to being blown down or having the portion of the tree at that soft spot and above ripped off.  As a result, the foraging habitat can be devastated.

To aid the efforts to preserve the habitat for the RCW and increase its number, South Carolina became the second state to enroll in the Safe Harbor Program.  The ultimate efforts of this program are designed tomeet recovery criteria of the RCW in South Carolina thus facilitating the removal of the species from the endangered species list.

Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge History

Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1939. Its establishing purpose was to provide habitat for migratory birds, to demonstrate sound management practices that enhance natural resource conservation, and to provide wildlife-oriented recreation opportunities. 

The land was badly eroded and very little wildlife was to be found when the refuge was purchased by the federal government under the provisions of the Resettlement Act. Efforts began immediately to restore this damaged, barren land to a healthy, rich habitat for the plants and animals that once lived here.

Over time, the responsibilities have been added for restoration and enhancement of longleaf pine habitat for the benefit of the RCW. The refuge operates under mandates to provide environmental education and interpretation of its work. Habitat improvement and restoration of native plant communities, monitoring the populations of the RCW and other species, and assessing the impacts of management actions on the wildlife and habitats are critical elements in the refuge's operations.

Today, Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge is comprised of 47,850 acres, including fee ownership of 45,348 acres, and nine conservation easements totaling 2,502 acres. The majority of the refuge lies in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. There is one fee title tract totaling 210 acres in Marlboro County. Numerous small creeks and tributaries, along with thirty man-made lakes and ponds and 1,200 acres of fields, support a diversity of habitats for wildlife.

One final note

Some of the state societies own and have control over the forest they planted as part of the 50th Jubilee project.  The SCDAR does not own its grove but is proud to know that its use preserves and protects an endangered species from becoming extinct.