McCormick County, South Carolina, located in the Piedmont Region, is famous for the Dorn Gold Mines. In the 1850s, Bob Dorn pulled more than $1,000,000 in gold from these mines before selling the mine to Cyrus McCormick. Today, McCormick County produces pine and hardwood timber and cattle, but limited amounts of gold. In early 2019, McCormick County forest landowners Steve and Josh Gravely planted seedlings from two elite GenTreeXT LLC Control Mass Pollinated (CMP) crosses and one elite Open Pollinated (OP) mix.

The early growth and form pictured here are fantastic, or in McCormick County, perhaps GOLDEN is a better word to describe these trees with strong early growth and rotation-length high valued pole production potential. Want to upgrade your next loblolly pine plantation? Contact me for information on where to source your elite GTXT seedlings for planting on your land in 2021-22 or 2022-23.