The Francis Beidler Forest is an

Audubon The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such org ...

wildlife sanctuary in Four Holes Swamp, a blackwater creek system in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, United States. It consists of over 18,000 acres (73 km²) of mainly bald

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the ...

and

tupelo Tupelo , genus ''Nyssa'' , is a small genus of deciduous trees with alternate, simple leaves. It is sometimes included in the subfamily Nyssoideae of the dogwood family, Cornaceae, but is placed by other authorities in the family Nyssaceae. In ...

gum

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

forest and

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

with approximately of

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

. It is the largest virgin stand of cypress-tupelo forest in the world, with some Bald Cypress trees over 1,000 years old. It is a favorite haunt of

birdwatcher Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

s and is used for biological research projects by area schools. The preserve was established to protect one of only two stands of old-growth forest in South Carolina. On May 30, 2008 the forest was designated a

Ramsar Wetland of International Importance This is the list of Wetlands of International Importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation movement, conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their econom ...

. It was designated a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

in 1979. In 2020, Four Holes Swamp was designated a site on the National Park Service's Underground Railroad - Network to Freedom program.

History

The land was acquired by

Francis Beidler Francis Beidler (1854 – March 4, 1924), was a Chicago-based lumberman active in the first decades of the 20th century. Biography Francis Beidler was born in Chicago in 1854. With partner Benjamin F. Ferguson, he was the co-founder and owner of ...

in the 1890s, and maintained by his family after his death in 1924. On liquidation of the estate, the National Audubon Society raised the funds to acquire the land, built a boardwalk, and purchase land from surrounding farmers to ensure access. In 2003 the

Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organ ...

, which maintains the preserve, announced it had recently obtained funding with which to purchase an additional 909 acres of adjacent land to expand the preserve.National Audubon Society's Francis Beidler Forest to add 909 acres. Charleston Post and Courier Oct 1 2003
/ref> Other similar adjacent lands have been protected to total over 18,000 acres as of 2021.

Facilities

It has an environmental education center and a boardwalk trail through the old-growth portion of the swamp, established in 1977. During the spring, there are guided canoe trips in the swamp, which offer a different perspective as one paddles through the shallow channels and among the

cypress knee A cypress knee is a distinctive structure forming above the roots of a cypress tree of any of various species of the subfamily Taxodioideae, such as the bald cypress. Their function is unknown, but they are generally seen on trees growing in s ...

s. Night walks are also offered on a monthly basis. A new woodland and grassland trail system was opened in 2020. These trails are accessed by a gravel parking lot adjacent to the entrance gate at Beidler; the trails are open every day from sunrise to sunset. Visit https://beidler.audubon.org/ for more information about current hours and programs.

Location

336 Sanctuary Road, Harleyville, South Carolina 29448

References

Sources

National Recreation Trails: Francis Beidler Forest

Southern Forests: Francis Beidler Forest

External links