Dorchester commission recommends county grant to buy 1,644-acre Beach Hill tract for conservation

Dorchester County’s Conservation and Greenbelt Advisory Commission voted to recommend county grant funds to support acquisition of the 1,644-acre Beach Hill tract, which presenters said would be managed as working timberland and opened for public access as a wildlife management area.

The commission’s recommendation came after a presentation by James Douglas, state lands coordinator for the South Carolina Forestry Commission, and Nate Berry, chief land protection officer for the Open Space Institute (OSI). Douglas said the Forestry Commission plans to manage the tract for timber production while allowing public hunting, fishing and other recreation, and that state law requires 25% of any revenue generated on state forest properties to be returned to the county school district. “The South Carolina Forestry Commission gives 25% of any revenue generated on the property back to the county for use in that school district,” Douglas said.

Why it matters: Presenters and commissioners framed the transaction as an opportunity to protect a large working-forest parcel adjacent to existing conserved lands and to establish a Forestry Commission presence in the East Edisto overlay, which they said could make it easier to preserve additional properties in the future.

Details of the proposal: Douglas said the parcel totals about 1,644 acres in two parcels and is roughly 80–90% timber. OSI intends to close on the property by March 2025 and act as an interim title holder so the state can complete its purchase process. “The plan is that they go in and take the property down while the state gets all the state processes together to be able to purchase the property,” Douglas said. He added that the Forestry Commission’s internal approval process typically takes about six to 12 months.

Funding and transaction structure: Presenters described an approximately $11.3 million purchase price. They said roughly $7.2 million would come from state and county conservation funds (including a secured grant from the South Carolina Conservation Bank), and OSI would provide private borrowed funds to cover the remainder until the state can complete its purchase. OSI said it would take on short-term financing and convey the property to the Forestry Commission as soon as state procedures allow. “We would close on or before March 31 with county funds, state funds, and then OSI would come in with its own funds, which would be borrowed,” an OSI presenter said.

Public access and management: Presenters said the property would most likely be placed into the state’s wildlife management area (WMA) system through a lease to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which would set hunting regulations. The Forestry Commission would manage timber harvests under sustainable forestry certifications and said revenue from timber sales supports its operations. Douglas noted that WMA designation and conservation-bank funding carry recorded deed language limiting the property to conservation, recreation and sustainable fiber production; presenters said such deed language would limit residential or commercial development.

Local impacts: Presenters emphasized that timber harvest revenue is shared with local school districts (the 25% distribution described above) and that the tract’s road network and trails could support a range of recreational uses, including biking and nature walks. They identified adjacency to protected parcels — including Edisto Wildlife Management Area and Givens Ferry State Park — and said a Forestry Commission presence in the area could help conserve additional large tracts currently held by timber investment managers.

Commission action and next steps: After an executive-session review, a commission member moved to recommend approval of county grant funds for the Beach Hill project; a second was recorded and the chair announced, “the ayes have it.” The motion was approved and the commission reconvened to adjourn. The presenters said OSI would hold title short term and that the Forestry Commission would complete the state purchase once required approvals are in place.

What was not specified: The transcript does not provide a roll-call vote or a numeric tally of commissioners’ votes. Presenters described an existing conservation easement held by East Edisto Conservancy as “limited” and said it may allow future development, but they did not specify the easement’s exact restrictions or the precise maximum number of dwelling units that could be built under that easement. Presenters also did not provide a final, binding schedule for state acquisition beyond the stated six- to 12-month estimate for state processing.

Ending: County staff and the presenters said they would provide maps and additional documentation to the commission; OSI and the Forestry Commission described the structure as a common approach in which a nonprofit bridges the timing gap while the state completes acquisition paperwork. The commission’s recommendation now goes to the next step in Dorchester County’s grant approval process.