In March 2006 a large-scale restoration of the USC W. Gordon Belser Arboretum was undertaken. Residents of the Sherwood Forest neighborhood began to partner with the University in these ventures and a two-pronged effort has taken place – neighborhood helpers providing sweat equity to assist USC Biology Professor Patricia DeCoursey in cleaning up the inside of the arboretum, and the Neighborhood Association seeking a City of Columbia CANDO grant to help spruce up the exterior of the Arboretum.
In 1959 W. Gordon Belser, a prominent lawyer and skilled naturalist, deeded a tract of his property as an Arboretum to the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina. Mr. Belser had enough foresight to realize that the rapidly growing city of Columbia would soon eliminate areas of undisturbed forest within the city.

An Arboretum is a place where a variety of trees and shrubs are grown for study and/or display. The W. Gordon Belser Arboretum encompasses approximately 9 acres of land and is one of Columbia’s most beautiful and unusual pieces of property. Its surprising diversity of topographic and ecological features includes a wetland, a waterfall and pool, a stream, a bluff, and a temperate rain forest in the valley below the bluff.

In March 2006 a large-scale restoration of the Arboretum was undertaken. Residents of the Sherwood Forest neighborhood began to partner with the University in these ventures and a two-pronged effort has taken place – neighborhood helpers providing sweat equity to assist USC Biology Professor Patricia DeCoursey in cleaning up the inside of the arboretum, and the Neighborhood Association seeking a City of Columbia CANDO grant to help spruce up the exterior of the Arboretum.

The later effort spearheaded by Larry Hembree began in April when the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association applied for the CANDO grant. We were awarded a grant for $5000 to beautify the exterior of the Arboretum on City property near the Bloomwood and Wilmot gates. Weeds and vines were removed and a lovely horticultural display was installed. Benches have been purchased and will also be added.

Work goes on inside the arboretum where seven distinct plant communities are apparent. Here, too, invasive vines, shrubs, and garbage have all been removed. Now, amongst the pines, oaks, sycamores, maples, and cypress you can find ferns, wild ginger, blackberries, wildflowers, and a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. A new garden of native plant specimens has been added near the Bloomwood entrance, as have been a small “praire” of wiregrass and a grove of experimental loblolly pines. Walking trails, a boardwalk, benches, a storage shed, and a lecture area for students have all been created or restored.

Although Dr. DeCoursey (“Pat”) has been responsible for the majority of the work and has gotten a lot of assistance from USC students and staff in labor and materials, a large corps of dedicated neighborhood volunteers has assisted in these efforts, especially in the portion funded by the CANDO grant. Many thanks and kudos to the following individuals who put in many hours of hard work, mostly on sweltering hot days:

Rhett Bailey, Greg Ballentine, Rosemary Biscardi, Elizabeth French, Hal French, Larry Hembree, Joe Hudson, Lewis Kirk, Valerie Marcil, Charlotte McCreary (and friend Sam), Wayne Miller, Regina Monteith, Dero Myers, Kathy Myers, Brad Painter, Kick Putnam, Rivers Scarborough, Dave Senema, David Shealy, Kirby Shealy, LuEllen Shealy, Emas Shealy, Kurt Stringer (and friend Ann), Ed Tilden, Mike White, Pam Wilson, Buster Yandle, Mary Yandle, Craig Howard, Trisha Howard, and Charlie Yates.

If we’ve missed any names please accept our apologies – and please also let us know. Thanks!

Dr. DeCoursey plans to have her initial goals met by sometime this spring when we hope to have an “Open House” for the neighborhood. In the meantime, work will go on. Look for announcements for workdays in the coming months. Also, stay tuned for the formation of a neighborhood garden club/committee. Preliminary goals of this club or committee are to help maintain the CANDO plantings on the Arboretum exterior, to take on other neighborhood garden projects, to provide educational opportunities for participants, and to assist in providing regular “Open Arboretum” days.