Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Forestry Appointment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate committee confirms Amy McFadden to Forestry Commission as members warn of pulpwood market collapse
Summary
The committee unanimously confirmed Amy McFadden to the South Carolina Forestry Commission after McFadden described decades of industry experience and senators pressed for action on mill closures, property-tax impacts and new market opportunities such as renewable diesel.
Amy McFadden, a consulting forester and former member of the South Carolina Forestry Commission board of commissioners, was unanimously confirmed by the committee after a brief oath and an exchange about the state’s declining pulpwood markets.
McFadden told the committee she has 22 years running a forestry consulting business in Georgetown, Williamsburg, Marion, Florence and Clarendon counties and previously taught forest management at Horry Georgetown Technical College. She described the industry as being “in a state of real crisis,” citing the loss of pulpwood markets and multiple mill closures.
“The first and foremost, we need to take care of the industries that are here,” McFadden said, urging policymakers to preserve existing mills and to explore alternate uses for small-diameter wood such as renewable energy, carbon products and biochar.
Senators asked specific questions about why mills have left and whether county property taxes and the expiration of fee-in-lieu-of-tax (FILO) agreements contributed to closures. One senator cited a recent DNR-linked survey and an economic-impact figure of $23,200,000,000 (based on 2020 data) and said the forestry sector previously supported more than 100,000 jobs; committee staff said a new study is underway to quantify the decline since the 2021 peak.
Committee members asked DNR and staff to compile comparative property-tax data and to follow up with companies that participated in interviews during the summer survey. Senators said that information is needed to evaluate whether changes in incentives or tax policy could help retain or attract wood-using manufacturers.
A motion for a favorable report on McFadden’s appointment was made and seconded; the committee voted unanimously in favor. The chair recorded affirmative proxies from Senators Cromer, Goldfinch, Turner and Young.
What’s next: Staff told the committee they will try to gather tax-comparative figures and the findings of the ongoing economic-impact study; senators expressed interest in considering policy options after seeing the updated data.
