Clemson University broke ground Friday on a new home for its Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation (FEC) and a new era of stewardship for South Carolina’s natural resources. Upon completion in early 2026, the 85,000-square-foot building will replace Lehotsky Hall as the department’s nerve center on campus. South Carolina’s forests are among its most valuable assets — not just in financial terms — as both a distinctive feature of its landscape and a renewable resource with recreational, wildlife and environmental benefits. But there is no denying their economic impact: Forestry generates $23.2 billion annually in the state and accounts for more than 100,000 jobs, according to the S.C. Forestry Commission. …The building will showcase mass-timber construction and advanced applications of wood products and technologies that are an essential part of modern conservation and forestry sciences and feature a native flora landscape that connects workspaces to the natural environment.