Francis Beidler Forest

Francis Beidler Forest is an Audubon wildlife sanctuary in South Carolina’s Four Holes Swamp, preserving more than 18,000 acres of blackwater swamp and forest, including about 1,800 acres of old-growth woods. It is regarded as the world’s largest virgin cypress-tupelo forest, with some bald cypress trees more than 1,000 years old. Created to protect one of only two remaining old-growth forests in the state, it grew after the National Audubon Society purchased the Beidler family land and expanded access and protection. A boardwalk through the old-growth swamp, educational programs, research use, and national and international designations reflect its ecological and broader historical significance.

South Carolina · United States