About the Founder

History of the Land

Arboretum Timeline

 

About the Founder

The Belser Home The founder of the Arboretum, W. Gordon Belser, was a far-sighted individual whose Scotch-Irish forebears came to the to the United States in the 1750s. He was born in Summerton, SC in 1883 but came to Columbia in the early 1900s to study law and eventually to develop a very successful career in real estate law. In 1959 he deeded a tract of his property to the Biology Department of the University of South Carolina to serve as an outdoor teaching laboratory for students in the earth sciences. However, lack of maintenance funds, severe storms, and inevitable development of residential neighborhoods on the Arboretum borders brought about severe decline of the forest. Within a few decades it had deteriorated into a brush-infested woodlot filled with dying trees and tangles of vines.

 

History of the Land

Little information about prehistoric inhabitants in the vicinity of the present-day Belser Arboretum is available. Until recent years, archaeologists believed that most prehistoric Indian artifacts in South Carolina were found only along major waterways, but extensive excavations at nearby Fort Jackson and other upland sites have revealed new information. These digs are on sandy uplands, much like the Arboretum, often near natural springs and near the quartz needed for arrowheads; they are located several miles from a large river such as the Wateree or Broad River. One theory is that small bands of Indians roved through these uplands, stopping at the springs for water, hunting game at the springs, and flaking tools at the campsites. A natural spring is found in the center of the Arboretum, and pieces of quartz as well as arrowheads have been found.

The Belser Arboretum has a unique topographical diversity, reflecting multiple depositional and erosion events. These events have both marine and river elements that occurred over long periods of time, creating a topography, which includes high sand dunes, a deep valley and waterfalls.

With the passage of time, a number of environmental and man-made changes have had an impact on the Arboretum land. Storms, such as Hurricane Hugo in 1989, have felled many tall trees. The City of Columbia cleared trenches for sewer and storm drainage, which allowed for the invasion of non-native species and strangling vines. Encroachment by vines killed many of the native plants, even huge canopy trees. A new era started in 2006 when restoration began.

 

Arboretum Timeline

In 2006, the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina at Columbia urgently needed a terrestrial ecology field site for its many Biology Majors; all empty lots on the main campus had been taken for building sites. About 10 minutes drive from campus, however, was a 10-acre tract with great promise: The Belser Arboretum. The Arboretum tract had been gifted to the Biology Department in 1959 by W. Gordon Belser, and was still available but needed major brush clearing and the addition of facilities. A Committee quickly inventoried the resources available, summarized the problems, and made a Restoration Master Plan.

Restoration began in 2006, and for the five years following, amazing transformations occurred. The Restoration Phase (2006-2010) involved heavy duty clearing of the forest, planting of replacement trees to establish each of the 10 Biomes, building the Trail System and constructing the facilities for the Learning Programs. Much of the restoration was made possible by groups of enthusiastic volunteers and by the generosity of benefactors. For details on accomplishments achieved, see also the Restoration Phase section below.

Today the Arboretum is actively used recreationally by civic groups and the general public, and for learning programs at the University of South Carolina. Several USC professors add a class option for Service-Oriented Learning where students volunteer for Arboretum projects that relate to their course curriculum. Other professors make class assignments, which include a general community service component of the students' choosing, and often students choose the Arboretum for the service work.

Now that the Restoration Phase has been completed, the Arboretum has entered a Maintenance Phase, which includes tending the Botanical Garden and Exhibits, emphasizing the learning programs and expanding conservation outreach. Planning, care and maintenance is carried out by the Arboretum Director and Professor at the University of South Carolina's Department of Biological Sciences Dr. Patricia DeCoursey. A long-term staff assists with maintenance, including Gene Lindler, Foreman of the Work Crew, and his assistant Clayton Davis. Additional plans for growth are made possible by the generosity of benefactors. For details on upcoming maintenance plans, see also the Maintenance Phase section below.


RESTORATION PHASE

2006 - Restoration Year One:

 

2007 - Restoration Year Two:

 

2008 - Restoration Year Three:

 

2009 - Restoration Year Four:

 

2010 - Restoration Year Five:

 


MAINTENANCE PHASE

2011 - Maintenance Year One - Planned Projects: