Sumter National Forest spans 370,442 acres in three separate sections across western and central South Carolina and has been managed with Francis Marion National Forest from shared headquarters in Columbia. Proclaimed in July 1936 and named for Revolutionary War leader Thomas Sumter, it brought damaged farm and logged lands under federal care focused on reducing erosion, regulating stream flow, and restoring timber resources. Its Enoree, Long Cane, and Andrew Pickens districts range from piedmont rivers and trail systems to Appalachian mountain scenery. Today the forest is a major public landscape for recreation, including hiking, camping, fishing, boating, hunting, horseback riding, mountain biking, whitewater use, and A.T.V. riding.