Boeing South Carolina - Keystone/Fairlawn Project

About the Program
Boeing maintains 3,923 acres of forested land near the coast of South Carolina. Managed habitats include three separate sites; all are adjacent to the Francis Marion National Forest. The sites used to be loblolly pine plantations, consisting of a monoculture of loblolly pines for timber production. The project works to preserve and maintain native longleaf pine forests. Habitats on-site include wetlands, pine forest, hardwood swales and evergreen bays.

Practices and Impacts

• The initial habitat enhancement project was established to mitigate the company’s impact to wetlands and other habitats due to facility expansions.
• The team thinned and cut the existing loblolly pine plantations to begin the process of removing loblolly pines from longleaf stands. Hardwoods native to wetlands and longleaf pines were planted on-site to improve the health of the wetlands and begin the establishment of longleaf pine forests.
• Prescribed burns are conducted at regular intervals, and new firebreaks are continually established and maintained to support the success of longleaf pine forests.
• To prepare the site, the team applied herbicides and removed stumps or other undesirable materials. The team regularly applies herbicides to remove non-target species.
• Each site has designated plots that are regularly monitored for the team to understand the success of their management tactics and inform next steps of the project.