Francis Marion National Forest grows

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (AP) - The Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina has grown by a few hundred acres.

The Post and Courier reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently finalized its long-planned purchase of the 637-acre (257hectares 7847.5) Honey Hill Tract off S.C. Highway 45 for $1.61 million. According to a deed recorded with Berkeley County, the previous owner was the Nature Conservancy, a large land preservation organization that often sells property to the USDA’s Forest Service to generate money for future real estate purchases.

The Honey Hill parcel is near Shulerville, a rural community between Jamestown and McClellanville.

The USDA sought public feedback about its plans to purchase the property and incorporate it into the national forest a year ago.

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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com