Advisory Committees

The Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests need your help!

The Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests are recruiting to fill vacancies on our resource advisory committee. The Francis Marion-Sumter Resource Advisory Committee (FMS RAC) has the important job of overseeing the spending of the Title II funds and making recommendations on which projects should be funded. Your work provides a valuable service to the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests and benefits wildlife, forest health, soils, fish, water quality and local communities. 

The Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests (FMS) work with local counties and organizations to fund projects to improve forest health. Projects may range from those pertaining to forest resources such as fish, wildlife, soils, watersheds and noxious weeds, to those related to forest infrastructure such as road and trail maintenance.  With the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Act, the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests (FMS) anticipate receiving about $200,000 in Title II funds that can be used to benefit national forest land in Union, Newberry and Berkeley Counties.  The Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests' Resource Advisory Committee (FMS RAC) projects may include a wide variety of projects such as maintenance of public roads, road paving in campgrounds, control of non-native invasive plants, and the reduction of hazardous fuels buildup. 

People often wonder what are the expectations and workload associated with this committee. We will need to hold one committee meeting within the next one to two years. That meeting will probably last about 4 to 5 hours. The expectation is that you attend the committee meeting either by phone or in person. Usually committee meetings are held in Columbia, but we recognize that driving creates a burden so we offer committee members the option to call in.  In addition, committee members should review the project proposals ahead of time and come prepared to discuss them at the committee meeting.  The number of project proposals that we have gotten in past usually ranges from 3 to 5.

Terms are four years, but a member can extended up to another four years, if they are interested in serving a second term. We will need to fill all 15 members and must have two nominees per vacancy. Nominees should be a SC resident, be willing to undergo a background check, and cannot be a federal employee. The Official Form AD-755 is available at here.  Nominees are needed for a variety of interests that include Outdoor Recreation, Commercial Timber, Energy & Mineral Development, Private Land Owners, Historical Interests, Hunting & Fishing Organizations, Environmental Organizations, and School, State or Local Officials.

We hope you will consider serving in this important role for South Carolina’s National Forests. We are asking for interested people to submit their application to: Francis Marion & Sumter National Forest, ATTN: FMS RAC, 4931 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC 29212.  For more information on the FMS RAC, please contact Pam Baltimore, FMS Committee Coordinator at Pamela.Baltimore@usda.gov or 803-561-4000.  To learn more about Forest Service Resource Advisory Committees, visit the website: Advisory Committees | US Forest Service (usda.gov).

Submitting Title II Project Proposals

Currently we are not accepting proposals this time, but we hope that you consider submitting proposals to benefit our national forests in South Carolina in the future. All proposed projects should be located in Berkeley, Newberry or Union counties. Projects should enhance forest ecosystems or restore and improve land health and water quality on the national forests in these 3 counties.

Each proposed project description should include the following:

  • The purpose of the project and a description of how the project benefit national forest land;
  • The anticipated duration of the project;
  • The anticipated cost of the project;
  • The proposed source of funding for the project, whether project funds or other funds;
  • Expected outcomes;
  • A detailed monitoring plan; and
  • An assessment that the project is to be in the public interest.

When we begin accepting project proposals, please submit electronic copies of project proposals on-line at Advisory Committees | US Forest Service (usda.gov).

Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests' RAC

FMS RAC Screening Criteria and By-laws

Additional information on the committee is available below: 

The Designated Federal Officials Approves Use of Title II Funds

A portion of the Secure Rural School payments receipts are used toward Title II projects that benefit national forest lands in Union, Newberry and Berkeley Counties.  Based on discussions with county personnel, the FY17 and FY18 receipts will be spent on projects that were previously reviewed by the Francis Marion-Sumter Resource Advisory Committee.  The letter approving the use of the FY17 and FY 18 Title II receipts to fund road maintenance and improvement projects for Union and Newberry Counties can be accessed here. The letter approving use of Berkeley County's portion of the Title II funds toward improvements of the Swamp Fox Passage of the Palmetto Trail can be accessed here.

The Francis Marion and Sumter Resource Advisory Committee Recommends Funding for Title II Projects

At the meeting on December 10, 2015, the committee reviewed projects in Berkeley, Union and Newberry Counties. Funding for project totaled over $250,000 and approved projects included maintenance of roads and trails that access national forests lands in those three counties.  See the links below for meeting notes and presentations.

Background Information on Resource Advisory Committees