EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 2002-22

WHEREAS, the Southern Pine Beetle is having a tremendous impact upon South Carolina pine forests, causing significant damage in twenty-five (25) counties; and

WHEREAS, , the losses incurred by foresters in South Carolina were $3 million in 1998, $9.5 million in 1999, $40.7 million in 2000, $76 million in 2001, and already $93 million in 2002; and

WHEREAS, since 1998, pine beetles have killed 16.6 million trees, enough timber to build 49,659 average sized homes; and

WHEREAS, timber is South Carolina's third largest manufacturing industry, contributing $7.5 billion to the state's economy each year; and

WHEREAS, South Carolina's annual timber harvest is valued at $454 million, more than any other single crop; and

WHEREAS, timber is grown, harvested, and processed in every South Carolina county; and

WHEREAS, the timber industry provides 26,000 jobs to South Carolinians; and

WHEREAS, as non-industrial private landowners hold three-quarters of South Carolina's forest land, the beetle epidemic has direct personal consequences to private citizens.

NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of South Carolina and pursuant to the Constitution and Laws of this State, I hereby reconstitute the Governor's Forest Disaster Salvage Council consisting of twenty-two (22) members selected by the Governor representing all sectors of the forest products industry and associated state and federal agencies; in particular, one member from each of the following: The U.S. Forest Service; South Carolina Forestry Association, South Carolina Forestry Commission; Association of Consulting Foresters; Farm Service Agency; and the Forester's Council. Additional members shall include the Governor or his designee; the Commissioner of Agriculture or his designee; two members of the South Carolina State Senate and two members of the South Carolina House of Representatives; a representative of the Clemson University Extension Service; and nine members representing major timber producers and consuming corporations located in South Carolina. The Chairman shall be appointed by the Governor. The Council is charged with the following duties:

  1. To make immediate determinations of all factors that relate to needed assistance to the forest landowners and the forest products industry;

  2. To explore in detail and in depth all avenues of assistance; and

  3. To make specific recommendations of the most efficient and effective procedures for realizing the greatest return on these damaged resources and to mitigate further losses.
This Council shall continue to operate until the outbreak has been declared over. It shall be the duty of every department, agency, office and institution of the State of South Carolina and the Officers thereof, to cooperate with and assist the Council in every reasonable way to insure the success of their efforts to salvage the damaged timber in this State.

The Council shall be constituted as follows:

1. Chairman Mr. Ashley K. Faircloth,
Foresters Council
2. Governor's Office Hank Stallworth
3. SC Senate (2) Linda D. Short
Chauncey "Greg" K. Gregory
4. SC House of Representatives (2) Herb Kirsch
William D. Witherspoon
5. SC Dept. of Agriculture Commissioner D. Leslie Tindal
6. Farm Service Agency Kenneth Rentiers
7. SC Forestry Comm. Bob Schowalter
8. SC Forestry Assoc. Robert R. Scott
9. US Forest Service Dr. Jerome Thomas
10. Clemson University Dr. Larry Nelson
11. Association of Consulting Foresters Rob Drummond
12. SC Timber Producers Assoc. Crad Jaynes
13. Forest Industry:
a. Bowater, Inc. Stephen B. Owen
b. Hentz Forest Products Lee Murph
c. Weyerhaeuser Company Don Chastain
d. Smurfit Stone Container Dan Cox
e. Norbord W. Virgil Wall, Jr.
f. Mead/Westvaco Leland Gauron
g. International Paper Co. Jeff Zimmer
14. NRCS Walter Douglas

This Order shall take effect immediately.

GIVEN UNDER MY HAND AND THE GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, THIS 22nd DAY OF AUGUST, 2002.

JIM HODGES
Governor


Last Updated: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 11:03 A.M.