Aiken City Council gave initial approval on July 13 to hand over 2,658 acres of wooded land to the South Carolina Forestry Commission. Why? To create a new state forest. The Brunswick Tract sits north of Interstate 20 between U.S. Highway 1 and S.C. Highway 19.
The city bought the tract in 2020 to shield its 406-acre Mason Branch Reservoir. Put them together, and you get the Shaws Creek Preserve, which received protection under a conservation easement in 2024.
City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh pointed out several advantages. “Multiple benefits to this transfer, because the goal was to allow public access, and the Forestry Commission has greater experience and resources and capacity to manage this large amount of public lands and working forests of this size,” he said, per the Aiken Standard…