Hitchcock Woods Foundation

Hitchcock Woods Foundation Hitchcock Woods Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit supporting the preservation, management, history and cultural resources of Hitchcock Woods in Aiken, SC.
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Hitchcock Woods in Aiken, South Carolina, is among the largest urban forests in the nation, with about 2,100 acres of forestland resources. Once owned and enjoyed by Louise and Thomas Hitchcock, this longleaf pine forest has retained its natural character and cultural heritage. Today visitors enjoy the 70 miles of sandy trails that provide access to the stunning variety of ecosystems in the Hitchcock Woods.

Always a special day for Hitchcock Woods -- a full day of sharing our amazing forest with Clemson University Forestry st...
06/10/2026

Always a special day for Hitchcock Woods -- a full day of sharing our amazing forest with Clemson University Forestry students! For 30+ years, Hitchcock Woods has welcomed the Clemson group of rising juniors for their "Summer Camp" -- an intensive, required seven-week course for their major.
Bennett Tucker, Hitchcock Woods Superintendent, relayed a poignant moment during the session. "We were on the west side of the Woods talking about how our years of longleaf pine restoration efforts are paying off with an improved habitat for many species. And immediately, we started to hear a variety of birds. With my Merlin app I identified Brown-headed Nuthatch, Northern Bobwhite, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Red-cockaded Woodpecker!"

June 3/26- HWF Woods staff-Rx Fire Team conducted our first growing season prescribed burn of the spring-summer season. ...
06/04/2026

June 3/26- HWF Woods staff-Rx Fire Team conducted our first growing season prescribed burn of the spring-summer season. Thanks to the recent 5-6” of rain to replenish our fuel and soil moisture to makes conditions safe we were able to burn a total of 46 acres at Ridge Mile Track and Foxes Den. The purpose of our burn was for wildlife habitat management, scrub oak control, hazard (fuel) reduction and groundcover restoration. Conditions were ideal for us to meet our goals for the day. During the burn we witnessed our Red-cockaded woodpeckers in the canopy in and around the burn unit foraging. A special thanks to our volunteer fire team members who help HWF staff execute these burns as our burn crew, we could not do it without our team! Thank you. In the weeks ahead, check out the recently burn stands as they come back to life with fresh growth to benefit all of our native wildlife species!
Good Fire-“a safe way to apply a natural process, ensure ecosystem health and reduce wildfire risk.” -GoodFires.org.

Great to see a happy group from enjoying a hike in the Woods today!
06/03/2026

Great to see a happy group from enjoying a hike in the Woods today!

Rx Burn Notice, 6/3/26- Greetings! With the recent replenishing rains HW is kicking off our growing season burns tomorr...
06/03/2026

Rx Burn Notice, 6/3/26- Greetings! With the recent replenishing rains HW is kicking off our growing season burns tomorrow, June 3rd. We will be conducting an approximately 50 acre burn on the north end of the property at Ridge Mile Track and Foxes Den. These units were both burned in 2022, so this will be a maintenance burn for wildfire hazard reduction, will benefit wildlife habitat and promote native ground cover. Another lesser know reason for prescribed fire is also to reduce our tick population. Our weather for Wednesday is looking great for burn conditions as well as smoke dispersion. Our winds will be out of the NE, so our smoke sensitive area will be the Hitchcock bypass fortat 1.5 miles downwind. We hope to begin around 10:30am and be wrapped up by 4pm!
Thank you! -HWF Staff

06/02/2026

RING FOUND -- on Devil's Backbone trail. Call the office, 803-642-0528, to identify.

05/28/2026

UPDATE: Our phone and internet lines have been fixed!

Please Note: our phones and email are out of service! Sorry for any inconvenience.

Today, we pause to remember and honor the brave men andwomen who gave their lives in service to our country.As we spend ...
05/25/2026

Today, we pause to remember and honor the brave men and
women who gave their lives in service to our country.

As we spend time with family, friends, and enjoy the quiet beauty of the natural places we hold dear, may we also reflect with gratitude on the sacrifices that made these freedoms possible.

From all of us at the Hitchcock Woods Foundation, we wish you a
meaningful and peaceful Memorial Day.

This beautiful watercolor is courtesy of the artist, Sandra B. Etherington

Address

444 S Boundary Avenue SW
Aiken, SC
29801

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