Dr. Seuss Lorax Forest is in South Carolina
In the heart of South Carolina’s Francis Marion National Forest is where the real Dr. Seuss Lorax Forest. Just off State Route 41, between Huger and Jamestown, SC, is a stand of Longleaf pine animated by a passing breeze and not a cartoon character. The trees are tall and full and oh so healthy. The Lorax would be pleased.
The movie, “Dr. Seuss the Lorax,” opened with ticket sales of more than $70 million. The opening day receipts were fueled by parents and children who couldn’t wait to see the film of the environmentalist-message book, by famed children’s author Dr. Seuss. It is also a good reminder one person can make a difference.
Just to refresh your memory, the 1970s book by the same name, revolves around the utter destruction of the forest of trufulla trees, and the child hero who gets the “last one of all” trufulla seeds to replant. The 30- to 50-acre Francis Marion stand of Longleaf pine was planted in 1998 to replace pines flattened by Hurricane Hugo. Fundraising by the Dr. Seuss Lorax Project and American Forests, a conservation nonprofit, paid for the effort.
The effort then disbanded. Traffic on Route 41 moves too fast for the sign to be read, and few people realize that the heart of the forest’s more than 35,000 acres Longleaf pines stand bearing the name of Dr. Seuss.
If you are thinking about camping at Francis Marion’s Buck Hall campground, why not make a daytrip to Dr. Seuss Lorax Forest? Let me know if you agree, when the light is just right, those Longleaf pines do look very much like trufulla trees.
