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SPRING, 1959
GEORGIA FORESTRY
Vol. 12 Spring, 1959
No.1
Published Quarterly by the
GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION Box 1183
Macon, Georgia Guyton DeLoach, Directo1
Members, Board of Commissioners:
C. M. Jordan, Jr., Chairman Oscar S. Garrison John M. McElrath
Alamo Homer Macon
Georgia Forestry is entered as second class matter at the Post Office under
the Act of August 24, 1912.
Member of the Georgia Press Association.
EDITOR
Frank Craven
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Bill Kellam
Rip Fontaine John Currie
STAFF ARTIST
Dan Voss
DISTRICT OFFICES GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION
DISTRICT !-Route 2, Statesboro
DISTRICT li-P. 0. Box 26, Camilla
DISTRICT Ill-P. 0. Box 169, Americus
DISTRICT.IV-P. 0. Box 333, Newnan
DISTRICT V-P. 0. Box 328, McRae
DISTRICT VI-P. 0. Box 505, Milledgeville
DISTRICT VII-Route 1, Rome
DISTRICT VIII-P. 0. Box 1160, Waycross
DISTRICT IX-P. 0. Box 416, Gainesville
DISTRICT X-Route 3, Washington
()/tUM{Hg the News
Fastest-Growing Industry
(From the Fitzgerald Leader-Enterprise)
Ideal planting conditions following mid-winter rains have spurred Ben Hill county landowners toward a record-breaking set-out of pine seedlings, substantially more than a million scheduled for planting in the next several weeks.
This will virtually double last year's planting, and it is expected that the county's only previous "million" mark will be surpassed.
The new spurt in tree farming, due in part to the conservation reserve program of the Department of Agriculture , points up the key place pulpwood, naval stores and timber will have in the local economy in years to come.
Both of the county's tree planters are in full-time use, four or five of the larger landowners have obtained their own planters, and several have been rented from outside the county to take care of current planting needs.
Landowners large and small are participating in the program, and at least four entire farms are reported placed in the reserve for trees exclusively.
Good forest management and continued effectiveness of the fire control program will contribute to maximum profit from Ben Hill county's wooded acres.
Trees Should Be Treated As Other Crops
(From the Adel News)
The chairman of the Georgia Farm Committee recently stated that landowners should look on their trees just as other crops. He went on to say that trees are probably more like cotton than any other crop since more cotton is planted than is expected to grow to maturity and this is usually the case with trees.
The tree specialist stressed thinning the _trees as fewer trees on a given acreage grow faster. The trees should be marked that are to be cut to see that the unmarked trees are not harvested. In picking the trees to be left it is thought those of good form with at least 30 to 40 percent of the total height in foliage should be saved.
Trees do need room, sunlight and moisture. We have ample tree acreage in most of the South Georgia farms to thin trees as they should be to get the most good from them in years to come.
Forest Fires- Your Loss
(From the Jeff Davis County Ledger)
Have you ever thought of how vitally forest fires effect you? You do not have to own a single acre of forest land to feel the effect. The result of fire damage to the forest and its products is manifold. The direct loss to tree growth, wood-using industries, payrolls , taxes, extended into the millions of dollars annually, and there are numerous intangible losses as great but difficult to appraise.
Forest fires take their toll in destroying the recreational and aesthetic values of wooded acres. Uncontrolled and disastrous forest fires cause great losses in hunting and fishing values, improper flow of water , and soil erosion. Fire is often followed by severe attacks of insects causing enormous additional losses. This waste supports no one and is inexcusable, particularly since all forest products are so necessary to both regional and national economy.
Naval Stores represents a great part of the total income for this county. In view of the values and investments involved, there can be no question of the necessity for everyone to help prevent forest fires.
Trees Are "Oxygen Factories"
(From the Waycross Journal Herald)
We have long been aware of the value of trees as a source of beauty and as an
important economic factor. But now comes a new valuation of the tree. It is called by
scientists "an oxygen factory."
A giant layer of carbon dioxide and other contaminants is forming over this con-
tinent, much of it caused by the gasoline combustion engines in the nation's mil-
lions of motor cars, buses and giant transportation vans. In time, this layer could be
smothering.
A recent conference of 900 scientists called by the U. S. Public Health Service
concludes that the best way to control the air contamination "is to plant 10 trees for
every motor car exhaust in the nation.
The tree renews the supply of pure air for our population by utilizing carbon diox-
ide and throwing off oxygen. Trees for timber production, for recreation and wild life
habitat, beauty, and watershed protection - and now, trees for health protection.
We are glad Georgia is among t~e top states in Tree Farming.
Selection of Miss Georgia Green and presentation of
awards for outstanding forestry programs on the state,
district and county levels will highlight the 52nd an-
nual meeting of the Georgia Forestry Assn. to be held
at the Dinkler Plaza Hotel in Atlanta May 6 .
Association President W. M. Ottmeier stated that the
Golden Pine Cone and Georgia Tree Farm awards would
be made to landowners who have made outstanding con-
tributions to forestry.
May 1 is the deadline for counties under organized
forest fire protection to enter Miss Georgia Green con-
testants, Assn. Executive Secretary Harvey Brown
announced. Contestants must be between 15 and 20
years old, single, and a resident of the county they
represent. A contestant will be ineligible if she has
served in the capacity of que en for another group on a
state or regional level. This does not disqualify runners-
up. Entries are expected to exceed the 1958 total of 19,
Brown said.
The contestants will be judged on general appearance,
personality and their abiliry to meet the public. Plans
are in the making for the state winner to take an all-
expense paid trip to New York and Washington, D. C . ,
to meet Georgia's congressional delegation .. Miss Geor-
gia Green will also participate in various functions of
the Association during 1959.
The 1959 Miss Georgia Green Queen contest will see
Carroll County trying to win their third consecutive
title. The 1957 winner was Miss Janice Threadgill of
Temple and the 1958 queen was Miss Wylene Cowart of
Carrollton.
District office and county forestry units will be recog-
nized for their fire fighting records and all-around gen-
eral performance. The fire record award is based pri-
marily on the fire danger rating index. One county from
each of the ten districts will be presented a general
performance award. One will be chosen for the state
award. Information and education, over-all forest fire
protection and general forestry activities will be con-
sidered in making the award. The name of the state
general performance award winner will be inscribed on
a permanent state plaque which hangs in the Georgia
Forestry Commission office at Macon.
Last year the Golden Pine Cone awards were made to
Clarence Streetman, H. W. Vaughn and Ottmeier. Vaughn
also received the Georgia Tree Farm award.
The Fifth District received first place for outstanding
statewide general performance. Washington County won
top honors among the counties. Gilmer and Pike-Spalding
Counties tied for second place. The most outstanding
performance in fire prevention went to Grady County.
The Greene-Taliaferro unit was second.
Ottmeier added that the forest fire record set in 1958,
due not only to good weather but to efforts in contact-
ing the general public and making it conscious of forest
conservation, shows that the Keep Georgia Green pro-
gram is one of the greatest weapons for use 10 forest
fire prevention and general public educ . '~
niLfs1tl\eRl thetic public opinion and support
::1d.to keep our forestry losses to a
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Savann ah's fa med Herty Foundation was the scene this winter of a nother epochal paper-m aking discovery which may tremendously increase the value a nd size of the Southern pulp industry and hardwood timberl and.
History amazingly repeated itself in Savannah as Herty technicians, who a quarter of a century ago developed the manufac ture of pine newsprint , perfected a newsprint pulp-making process from several heretofore largely valueless Southern hardwoods.
A successful special press run late last fall by the Savannah Evening Press using the bright, tough hardwood newsprint climaxed weeks of labor a nd expectancy for Herry Director William L. Belvin, his s taff and executives of the Noralyn Paper Mills of Baton Rouge, La., who are sponsoring the project.
Co ttonwood, gum and wi llow were used in the manu-
fac ture of the fir s t run of newsprint, which News Publisher Alvah H. Chapman Jr. t ermed "most im pre ssive from our s t andpoint."
Hackberry, elm, wi llow a nd vari o us gum species a re now being s tu died for conversion to pulp, Be l vin said_
"We feel th at our discovery will be as revolutionary for the ne wsp rint in dus try as was Dr. Herty ' s work wi th the pine," Belvin said.
"The commercial introduction of th is new pape r, about which we've a lready had doze n s of in qu1nes fr om throughou t the North American continent will mean prosperity in the form of new manufacruring plants , che ape r newsprin t and expanding markets for other hardwood paper products. ' '
Noralyn President Leo Stack of ew Orleans, La_, dis closed th a t he wi ll turn over a ll dat a on the new
process to the public domain within two years after his plant goes into production.
Construction will be started soon on the Noralyn paper mill at Baton Rouge. A production targe t date of June, 1961, has been set, Stack said.
Stack, a life-long veteran of the Southern paper industry, said the new process should mean added prosperity; for Georgia, which has an abundance of hardwoods of many species.
"The cull trees are no longer the urchins of our forests,'' Noralyn Vice President ] ohn H. Ainsworth said. "They may no longer be the mavericks of our forests."
Ainsworth, who is a native of Canada and has authored a widely-used textbook on the pulp and paper industry based on hi s long experience in that field, said the advantages of hardwoods include high density, which gives a good yield th~ough conventional 'cooking' methods, whiter pulp, lower stumpage costs, and an absence of softwood pitch which clogs wues and felts on paper machines.
Although the hardwoods now being tested at Herty are Mississippi Delta species, many of them are found in Georgia. Their presence can mean new pulp mills for Georgia, President Stack pointed out.
"We have a great interest in Georgia," he said. "Any-
Belvin, A.inswortb check roll
thing we develop that would be of assistance to those who plan to utilize Georgia timber resources will be available to those persons. We'll be most co-operative."
Stack, who was reared and educated in and around Texas, still has the expansive outlook on life attributed to natives of the Lone Star State.
''We're adventurers at heart,'' he said. ''Anybody can build a mill like they've always been built. But that's pointless. The expansion of existing facilities would serve the same purpose."
"We're pioneering a use for hardwood which will establish a commercial value for it and cause a new expansion of Southern and national economy. Our development has already been sufficient to add several billion dollars to the value of areas in the nation where 'trash' hardwoods grow."
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said a wood is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. Now, thanks to privately-financed research ay Georgians in a laboratory built with funds granted by the state of Georgia through the Georgia Forest Research Council, the lowly hardwood is fast graduating from the humility of the useless weed tree to the dignity and value of a productive plant.
"But, Mr. Ranger, I just went inside to answer the phone and when I came back fire was all over the place. The wind picked up a piece of paper and spread fire everywhere.''
With Georgia forest rangers who know their fires best, the above refmin is sung more often than "Dixie" in this state. From Dade to Charlton , from Seminole to Habersham, there 's not a county which doesn't suffer from carelessly set and tended trash and brush fires which get out of control and destroy valuable woodlands.
Fire is destructive enough in a mature forest, but the intensive statewide pine seedling planting program of recent years has presented the hungry flames with even more appetizing fare.
Thousands of acres of fields have been planted with ti~y seedlin gs which need many years of fire-free gro wth to attaint flam e-resistant size. Until they do, the smallest fire will do away with
them instantly. Even extreme heat is
fatal to young trees. Fire c ontro l isn't a s ecret, compli-
cated process, Forestry Commission Fire Chief J. C. Turner, Jr. pointed out. Common sense and a little elbow grease
will hold fire losses to a minimum. "Just follow a few s imple rules and you'll have no field or forest fire prevention problems," Turner said.
Trash Fires Plague Woodlands
All trash s hould be burn ed in a containe r of some type , wh ether it's a famili ar wire incinerator with a lid or a large drum with hole s p unche d in i t. The are a around the burner s hould be cleared of all flammable debri s, s uch as pap e r, pin e s traw or other pot en ti al fu e l.
No burning should be done on windy d ays, as a little breeze can spread sparks and embers before the person tendi ng the fi re can s top them. T he refore, the incinerator should be kept well away from wooded areas or grassy fields. Burning should be done only in the early morning or late in the afternoon, when the nroisture content of th e air is high. This prevents t he fire from burning as "hot" as it does in dry air.
.. _
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Another trash fire gets loose Fire tools, such as rakes, hoes or shovels, s hould be kept handy to control any flames which escape the incinerator. A large container of water or a portable water pump are handy to have around for emergencies. If the fire is intended to attain any magnitude, citizens would do well to check with their forestry unit to see if the Notification of Intention to Burn Law has been adopted in their county. The measure requires all citizens to notify their forestry unit before they do any outdoor burning so forestry personnel will know that the smoke is not coming from a wild fire when it is sighted by fire towermen or air patrol. Knowledge of the smoke's origin mak~s. it un~ecessary to tie up men and equipment by dnvmg to It to see if it's a fire which is being tended by the persons who set it or if it's a wild fire. Georgia has been establishing national forest fire control records every year, but even these achievements can be improved with a little co-operation by the state's residents, Fire Chief Turner said. Fires caused by carelessness wear out equipment and tie up personnel, thus increasing the cost of the forestry program. Fire damage to natural resources is in calculable. Much of this loss can be eliminated if every Georgian will do his part by observing outdoor fire safety.
Hom e ward th e weary f irefighters
Fire Lass Drops
To Record Low;
Fires Increase
Forest fire losses dropped to another all-time low in Georgia during th e cale nde r year of 1958 despite an inc re a se in th e number of fires, Georgia Forestry Commission Director Guyton DeLoach announced.
Total losses were 1,700 acres less in calender 1958 than in calender 1957, DeLoach said, an c-1 the acreage size dropped three acres pe; fire from 10.18 acres in 1957 to 7.04 in 19) 8.
Forest fires des troyed only 49,31 6 of the 21,094,596 ac res P~>tected by the 147-county fire contro l program. This broke the previous record lo .v 1 >s set during 1957 of 50,989 acres. Lo s . "' in 1958 amo unted to 23 one-hundredths of one per ce nt of the forest acreage under fire protection.
The total number of fire s , boosted by a severe fall drought, rose to 7,005 in 1958, compared to 5,009 in 1957. Improved fire detection and suppression methods were responsible for the 30 per cent drop in the fires' size, despite their increase in number, Forestry Commission Fire Chief J. C.
Turner Jr. said. DeLoach and Turner pointed out that the
increase in the number of fires emphasizes the need for more careful handling of fire by Georgians, as well over 90 per cent of all forest fires in the state are set by humans, either intentionally or through carelessness.
November was the most critical fire month of the year, Turner said, as it saw a falllong drought reach its climax in Middle and North Georgia. Forests in this area were so dry that DeLoach invoked a ban on all outdoor burning during Thanksgiving week:
Rain and snow ended the situation shortly afterwards.
Monthly summary:
January Febru a ry March April May June July Augus t September Oc tob er Novem ber Decembe r
No. Fires
6 17 1,317 760 6 18 201 2 14 87 136 361 591 1,329 786
Acreage 3, 597 12,995 6,124 4,666 790 993 195 523 1,586 2,598 9,038 5,863
Requ
During th e fall and winter season, South Georgia wasn' t South Georgia wi thou t numerous columns of smok e soari ng skyward. F ortunately, no t all chi s smudge was wildfi re-born.
Scores of prescri bed burns- fires set by property owners to perform a definite land improvement or preparation purpose- produced much of it. The reduction of rough , that fores t-floor tangle of underbrush, pa l metto, gall berry, pine straw, leave s, scrub trees and other litter, was probably the most frequent cause of prescribed burns. Such fire s removed potential wildfire fuel an d opened land for grazing, naval s tores operations or timber harves ting.
Othe r prescribed burn purposes were seedbed a nd planting site preparati on and dis e ase control. Burning prior to seed fall permi teed seed to reach mine ra l soil and germinate . This burn i ng, however, should have been don e long enough before seed fall to allow a light rough to accumulate a nd pro tect the seed from hungry birds.
Burning be fore planting seedling s a fforded a fi re-proof area for 1959 and reduced the amount of fuel availa ble for l at er wildfires . The fire al so cleared the area so planting crews c ou ld ope rate mo~e effici ently and red uced competition fo r the seedlings. Burning of longleaf pine areas he lped control brown spot disea se.
Landowne r prepares site .... for controlled burn Al though the time for prescribed burns is past, a few reminders on times and techniques may be helpful for landowne rs who plan to use p rescribed burn i ng next season.
ot all fo rest ed areas can be burned wi thout damage to valuabl e timber. Areas with slash pine less than eight feet tall, or with longleaf above the grass stage but less than six feet tall, timber stands with marketable species of uneven ages, good hardwood producing areas, ponds, swamps, and stream edges should not be burned. The young pines are highly vulnerable to fire . Fire makes hardwoods vulnerable to insec t or disease attack or kills them when their roots are near the surface of the ground.
Successful prescribed burns should be conducted only at certain times of the year and day. The timber should be in the December to February do rmant period when the tree is less susceptible to fi re damage . The fire should be set either early in the morning or lat e in the afternoon when the moisture content of the air is high and visibility for control purposes is good. The burns should be conduc ted as soon after a rainfall as the fuel has dried enough to burn, ye t is not dry enough to burn with an uncontrolled intensity. The temperacure should range from 32 to 60 degrees so there is li t tle dange r of damage to frozen tree cells. The wind should be steady and no t more than eight miles per hour, as gusty, shifting wind can make a fire unmanageable.
Firebreaks shou ld be plowed around the portions of the area to be burned where there are no natural barriers. Interior fi rebreaks should be plowed several hu ndr ed yards apart to keep the fire from ge tting too big . Many Sou th Georgia Forestry Commission county uni t s plow pre-suppression firebreaks for a nominal charge. The rangers are always glad to give advice on the safe conduce of prescribed burns .
The fire should be started in a corner of the area and should be set against the wind . The burned area should be carefully patrolled and mopped-up to prevent its spread out of control. eighbors and the county forestry unit should be advised of the burn so they'll know it's not a wild fire when it's sighted.
Wildfire breaks out
It has been estimated that disease and insect attacks take a far greater toll of our forests than the more
FACTS TO HELP YOU CONTROL. ...
evident forest fires . Slash and loblolly pine suffer
heavily from fusiform gall rust or cronartium fusiforme,
the most common of all forest tree diseases. This dis-
ease attacks pines from the seedling stage to maturity .
Longleaf and shortleaf pine are resistant to the rust.
Rust infections cause swellings or galls on the bran-
ches and stems of trees. A similar swelling occurs near
the base of the stems of infected year-old seedlings.
On slash pine there is little or no swelling of the stem,
but pitch may flow from the gall. In spring, the galls are
covered with blisters that break and release spores. As
long as the branch or stem remains alive , the gall will
continue to grow.
On sites with high fusiform rust content, longleaf or
shortleaf pine should be favored over slash and loblolly
pine. Maintaining high density of stocking in planted and
young stands will encourage early natural pruning of
lower branches and will minimize the spreading of
branch cankers into the stems. In pruning, do not select
crop tr ees with branch galls less than six inches from
the s tem. Trees wi th branch galls more than 15 inches
from the stem can be left. Any forms of fertilization,
cultivation or prescribed burning, which stimulate early
growth in the spring, should be avoided as they may
increase the infection.
Trees with stem cankers should be removed first
during thinning , as they are susceptible to wind damage, ~~~~~~~\l~'a have a low market val ue and are a menace to other !:'
trees. It may be necessary to leave some diseased trees
to avoid opening the stand too much, which might in-
crease new infections.
Before rust fungi can reinfect pines, it must pass
through a stage of growth on th e leaves of various oak
species. Branch infections that do not invade the stem
have little effect on utility or growth of the tree. In-
fected seedlings should never be planted.
The Nantucket pine tip moth is t~e m?st common of several species wh1ch attack Georg1a pwes. Shortleaf and loblolly pine up to 20 feet high are its principal victims, with slash pine serving as an occasional host.
The Nantucke t moth emerges from its winter home in the stem of the pine about the time th at tree growth begins each spring. Inconspicuous flat, yellowish eggs are deposited on the tips ot the branches where the terminal leaf will unfold . When hatched, the larvae bore down into the buds and new growth. Inside the tender shoots, they transform into the pupal s tage to emerge later as adults and repeat the destructive life cycle.
The boring deform s the main and lateral stems and delays height growth, but seldom kills a tree. Moth damage does delay the time required for a tree to attain marketable size and destroys the tree's ornamental value.
Excess resin on the pine is usually the first clue of the moth' s presence. If there is heavy infestation, dead buds and twigs can be found on the main s tem or tips of
the lateral branches. Complete control of the tip moth is almost an impos-
sibility, as the insect produces four generations or more each year. However, one per cent water emulsion DDT or BHC, 0.25 per cent gamma isomer, applied at sixweek intervals beginning in mid-March, will provide
excellent protection. Adequate protection can be obtained by applying BHC in mid-March, late May and
early August. DDT ( 1 per cent) applied at four-week intervals will control the moths. Due to cost, the application of these chemicals to timber s tands is not feasible. Research is now being conducted on the life cycle of the moth to find more efficient and economical control measures.
Recruiting Program Aimed At Superior Student
A recruiting program to interest scientifically-inclined students in the forestry profession has been star ted by the Georgi a Chapter of the SAF and the State Departmt>nt of Education.
A student recruiting committee, headed by Forestry Commission Information and Education Chief Frank Craven, is setting up forestry committees in each Congres::.iorml district in the state. Members of these committees are foresters with a minimum of five years' professional experience.
Craven said the foresters will address students at high schools on career days upon forestry opportunities available to students who have the curiosity to seek new and better methods of performing their jobs.
Forestry career booklets prepared by the Information and Education Department of the Forestry Commission will be given to the students. Special forestry posters will be mounted in the schools. The posters and booklets were financed by the Forestry Commission, Georgia Forest Research Council, the Georgia Section of the Society of American Foresters and the University of Georgia School of Forestry.
Wider and more thorough training of the forester required by increased demands upon his skill during his post-graduate career have raised the forester in profes-
sional stature, Craven added. The typical forester no longer merely fights fires and
plants seedlings. He must be capable of applying the latest scientific methods of timber growth or processing and manufacture of various forest products. Craven pointed out that forestry is now an indoor and outdoor profession. Careers in industrial research, production and management await those men who have the flexibility and imagination to grasp a nd solve problems as they anse.
To prepare a student with these qualifications, the University of Georgia's School of Forestry includes spacious classrooms, office and laboratory buildings, a small sawmill, edger, naval stores gum cleaning plant and pilot still. There is a 2, 000-acre school forest near Athens for the student field problems. During the summer, student forestry camps offer invaluable in-the-forest trainwg.
Serving with Craven on the Student Recruiting Committee are Al Davenport, assistant superintendent of the Conservation Department, Union Bag-Camp Paper Corp., and Ed Kreis, vocational forester for the State Department of Education. Allyn M. Herrick, Dean of the University School of Forestry, is an advisor to the committee.
USFS-GFC Make '59 Research Plans
Research on bulk-piled wood chip storage, depth of penetration and retention of creosote back of acid treated pole faces, log and tree grading of the southern yellow pine, and the rate of drying of hardwood lumber will be conducted in 1959 by Forest Products Technologist Rufus H. Page of the U. S. Forest Service and the Georgia Forestry Commission and USFS Research Forester Joseph Saucier.
St. Regis Paper Co., concerned with the deterioration of chips stored in bulk piles and seeking a means qf keeping the chips bright until they are used, asked Page to seek solution s for these problems. A pile of wood chips 50 feet long, 30 feet wide and 10 feet high will be constructed on an asphalt apron at St. Regis' chip yard near Fargo. At predetermined intervals, five foot sections of the pile will be removed. Portions of the samples will be air dried and others will be wrapped in polyethylene glycol .or similar containers before being shipped to the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wis. for analysis. In the last section of the pile, thermocouples will be inserted to determine the temperature of interior portions of the pile at stated intervals. Page added that a record of the daily relative humidity, temperature, rainfall and total wind movement would probably be kept.
The power-line pole preservative study will be made at
the Langdale Co. in Valdosta and will involve approximately 80 poles from trees that were worked for naval stores and consequently have bark chipped faces, Page said. Cores collected from the poles will be shipped to the Forest Products Laboratory for depth of penetration and extractive tests to determine the retention of the preservative back of the acid-treated faces. Some utility companies will not buy poles with acid faces near the ground line.
The research on southern yellow pine will add to the data already collected in the log and tree grade study by Paul Bois of the Southeastern Experiment Station and others. Page stated that 60 M ft. of pine logs of varying grades and sizes will be shipped to the Del-Cook Lumber Co., Adel, Ga. from national forests in Georgia, Arkans as, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina.
The logs will be graded and sawed into lumber by a sawyer experienc ed in cutting for grade. The lumber will then be graded by inspectors from the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau. Page said the study will be conducted in this manner to eliminate the variables of more than one sawyer, more than one mill and more than one grader.
A study of the uniformity of drying of oak and gum lumber will continue into 1959. The Jeffreys-McElrath Manufacturing Co., at Arkwright and the Speeg Lumber Co., at Macon, are co-operating in this research.
A revision of the "Directory of Wood Using In du stries in Georgia" will be made by Page and Saucier early in the ye?r. Page added that the bulk piled wood chip study
will begin in the latter part of rv arch and research on the
southern yellow pine before the first of April.
Ft. Gordon Practices Profitable Forestry
Trained fighting men are not the only product of Ft. Gordon. Thousands of dollars worth of pulpwood and sawtimber are being harvested annually from the post's 50,000 acres of woodland.
A progressive and expanding forestry program, directed by Post Forester Harold V. Barnett, who operates within the Buildings and Grounds Division of the Post Engineer' s Office, is returning some $70,000 a year to the Treasury, with much more to come.
Last year, more than a million and a half board-feet of sawtimber and 1,550 cords of pulpwood were sold to industry on a sealedbid basis.
Barnett operates the forestry program with the enthusiastic backing of Lt. Col. Robert E. Hisle, post engineer, Assistant Engineer Bruce L. Rogers and James H. Woody , Buildings and Grounds Division chief.
The varied topography and vegetation of the 55,363-acre post pose a variety of problems. Thousands of acres of understocked land need to be planted. Large areas require the removal of worthless scrub hardwoods. Forested areas need extensive thinning to attain top productivity . Damage from fire , insects and diseases must be controlled.
"We are improving our forest to the point where the government is getting a worthwhile return," Colonel Hisle said. "We also intend to conduct research to improve our forests in every possible way."
Protecting the slash, loblolly and long-
Fort has fine timber stands
Forestry Commi ssion fire tower s in Columbi a Rich-
mond, Jefferson and McDuffie Counties als; report
" s mokes" by t wo-way radio to the po s t foresters.
Fire control i s ai ded by two fire -d ang er s tation s
which yield wind velocity an d fuel moi s ture data
and indicat e the fire danger each day. Gordon offi-
cers study this information carefully and take action according ly.
During last fall's drought F t. Gordon commander
Col. Paul T. Sno wden ba nned th e firing of all in-
cendiary ammunition and explos ives on ranges, and
allowed hunting and fi shing durin g c ertai n hours
only. These precautions helpe d l esse n the fo rest
fire emergency.
The forestry unit conducts frequent pres cribed
burns to rid the forest floor of litter, which could
fuel a disastrous fire if it were not removed.
Barnett is experimenting with the planting of pine
f
seed from a helicopter, which is al so used in fire
control work. The 'copter sowed 120 pounds of long-
leaf pine seed last year on 40 acres of specially-
prepared land. The direct seeding resulted an aver-
_.
age survival of 1,640 seedlings per acre.
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Barnett plans to sow 1,000 pounds of seed (three pounds per acre) this year. The seed are treated
with insect and bird repellent to protect them from
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hungry furred and feathered critters.
Aerial see ding produces result s
Scrub hardwood control is another project Barnett is preparing. He is seeking economical means
of removing or killing the worthless , stunted trees
leaf pwes which a re the main commercial
which choke out marketable pines on thousands of
species on the re servation i s a round-the-
acres. These cull trees will never grow to market-
clock job for Barnett and his four-man crew,
able size or quality.
for they are on fire call during off-duty
The forest area is also being divided into per-
hours.
manent plots, Barnett said, so its management can
Barnett, a graduate of the University of
be directed through a machine- card system. Tree
Florida School of Forestry and a veteran of
and timber-plot information will be punched on the
many years' forestry service in Georgia and
cards, which can then be sorted mechanically to
Florida, supervises an equipment operator,
give instantly any data, such as cutting needs,
a timber marker, a truck driver and a tower-
quality of timber stands, or fire losses.
man. He has been assisted by a graduate
forester from the University of \1ichigan.
PFC Alfred E. Wise , who s oon will be dis-
charg ed from the Army .
The foresters supervised the planting
this winter of half a million seedlings,
bringing the post' s reforestation total to
3,125,000 trees since the formal forestry
program was begun in 1952. Plans call for
planting of a million more tree s in 1959-6 0.
The foresters s uppre s s all fo rest fires on
the post. The y fi ght many off-post fires
which threaten government property with the Richmond County Forestry Unit under a
-
special state-federal agreement.
Ft. Gordon had the best fire record in the
eight-post Third U. S. Army Area in fiscal
1957-58, losing only 137 acres to 28 fire s ,
for an average lo ss of les s than five acres.
This minimum los s was made possible by
rapid detection and fire suppre s sion, and by
500 miles of plowed firebreaks, which split
the forestlands into compartments and halted
the advance of the flames.
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The post foresters man a 100-foot fire
tower for observation purposes. Georgia
Pos t boas t s huge tr ees (U. S. Army phot ograph s)
Research And Education Hold Future Of Wood
The future rol e of wood and its preservation was emph asized at recent me etings of the Southern Pulpwood Con servation Assn. and Southeastern States Forest Fire Compact Commission in Atlanta and the Society of American Foresters in Montgomery, Ala.
SPCA key noter Dr. L. R. Thiesmeyer, president of th e Pulp a nd Paper Research Institute of Canada, said that in the future we will see non-woven fabrics made on paper machines. He predicted that disposable paper attire, dishware and moulded products will be produced from timber.
To meet future demands, losses from fire, insects and disease will have to be reduced by improved control measures, pathological treatment and development of genetically sturdier stock. Means of utilizing non-
fibrous constituents, weed species and marginal and sub-marginal land must be found through research, Dr. Thiesmeyer said.
New SPCA officers are President Karl A. Swenning, Scott Paper Co., Chester, Pa. Vertrees Young, CrownZellerbach Corp., Bogalusa, La., is the incoming vice president.
Professor of Industrial Forestry, Yale University, Z. W. White told the SAF that foresters must broaden their forestry knowledge to keep up with future wood demands. They should not be specialists alone, but should take an active part in promoting the profession and recruiting top-grade men.
Dr. Leon A. Hargreaves, Jr., assistant director, Georgia Forestry Commission, was named SAF section chairman. Donald Stephens, Buckeye Cellulose Co., Fla., was named chairman-elect. Dr. Laurence C.
Wilson steps down: Stephens, Walker, Hargreaves step up
Walker was elected secretary-treasurer. The Southeastern Forest Fire Compact Commission,
formed to furnish each other quickly with personnel and equipment for fighting fires too large for one state to handle, elected a new slate of officers headed by Gene Butcher, Kentucky state forester, Frankfort, Ky. Other officers include J. Hubert Wheeler of Ewing, Va., vice chairman and S. D. Beichler of the U. S. Forest Service, At! an ta, secretary-treasurer. Some 28 representatives from nine states voted to hold a field training exercise this year at a time and place to be named.
A lb e rt ta kes it on th e cuff from De loach leaving Harg reaues ho ldin g th e bag .
ResearchDirector Heads
'59 Personnel Changes
Direct, r Frank Albert of the Georgia Fr,t i\c~cuch Council resigned Mar 1 to become Director of Timber ~lanagement for the s Juthe m properties of St. Regis Paper ( c 1n Jacksonville.
Dr. L. A. Hargreaves, Jr., assistant director of the Georgia Forestry Commission, is serving as acting director of the Research Council until Albert's successor is chosen, Council Chairman Wallace Adams of Glenwood said.
During Albert's administration, construction was begun on the Southern Forest Fire Research Laboratory at the Georgia Forestry Center in Macon, a forest fire weather forecasting service was set up, and numerous research publications were released, including results of the state's first wood re sidue survey.
Albert received his forestry degree from Pennsylvania State College in 1926 and joined the U. S. Forest Service in 1927. He served in New Hampshire, West Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Loui s iana and Mississippi in variou s supervisory capacities until he became USFS assistant Region 8 Forester in Atlanta in 1947 . He retired In
1957 a s chief o f the Division of
St a t e and Private Forestry and
became Research Council Director. New faces appeared among the
pines and old faces appeared in new places as a result of Forestry CommiSSion hirings and transfers in 1959.
Paul Bledsoe, former Dougherty County ranger, is Assistant First District Forester, Fire Control. Former Colquitt County Ranger Richard Griner has the same position in the Seventh District. Former Elbert-Madison Ranger Marvin Burgess is Assistant Fourth District Management Forester, while exFlorida forester Paul Butts has joined the Fifth District in the same job. Crisp-Dooly Ranger II Henry Williams is now doing fire control work for the Third District Office.
New county Rangers include John R. Burns, Jr. Dougherty; Theron L. Devereaux, Elbert-~ladison; and Tillman Sandifer, Bibb. All three are University of Georgia forestry graduates.
William Berry, also a 1958 Georgia grad, has joined the Morgan Memorial Nursery staff near ~laco n as a reforestation assistant.
GEORGIANS TO DISCUSS UIRECT SEEDING.... Government and private foresters will attend a symposium on Direct Seeding in the South at the Duke University School of Forestry, Durham, N. C., April 21-22. Participating from Georgia are ] . W. ] oh n so n, Union BagCamp Paper, Savannah; Floyd Cossit and Dr. H. A. Miller, U. S. Forest Service, Atlanta; S. N. Cooper, St. Regis Paper, Fargo; and T. F. Swofford, USFS, Macon.
BIGGER TRE ES NAV AL STO RES....More than half the Southeastern naval stores producers in 1958 worked only trees 10 inches or more in diameter, according to John Cooper, Supervisor of the Naval Stores Conservation Program. This meant more gum yield, for each inch increase in the minimum diameter of trees cupped returns at least 25 barrels of gum per crop at no greater production cost, Cooper said. The larger trees also bring better prices as pilings and sawlogs when they are removed from the stands.
SECOND IN TR EE FARM ACREAGE .... Georgia still trails Florida in the national tree farm acreage race, according to 1958 figure s released by the American Forest Products Industries. Florida has 4,665,009 acres, Georgia has 4,533,680, Alabama has 4,366,410 acres anJ Oregon has 4,031,301 acres. Mississippi leads the nation in number of certified tree farms with 1,455. The entire nation has 48,429,451 acres of tree farms.
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The Lanier Count y ll igh School Vocational Agriculture Forestry Class is operating the county forest fire barometer at Lakeland. Lowndes Count y Ranger Ed Pierson furn ishes th e m th e class fire da y from Valdosta.
LUMBERMEN HONOR RUSSELL. ... The Southern lumber industry recently honored U. S. Senator Richard Russell for his contributions to Southern forestry a t Winder, Ga., when Mose Gordon , Commerce, Ga., lumberman, presented Russell with a plaque containing an enlargement of the cover photograph of the "Southern Pine Story." The picture i s a pine seedling nurtured by a hand. The book wa s published by th e South ern Pine Association.
$4,000 FORESTRY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.... Gair Woodlands Corp. Savannah, will award two $4,000 forestry scholarships in 1959, according to Corp. President T. W.Earle. This is an increase of $2,000 per scholarship over previou s years. One scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding hi gh school graduat e from southeastern Georgia or south ern Carolina and ano th er from northeaste rn Florida. Succe ssful applicants will be permitted to choose from the Universiti es of Georgia, Florida, North Carolina State College and Clemson College. Application form s may be obtained from local high school principals or vo-ag. teachers. The completed application must be returned to local high school principals by March 3 1, 1959.
More !hall 300 Ear ly Co unt y residents ue re presented a
seedling bundle containing pine and red cedars at a recent
open house of the E arl y County Forestry Unit. Ranger II'. G.
Middleton, assisted by "Smoke y" and local agricultural
officers, explained the unit's operations.
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WARE PINE FESTIVAL. .. . The second annual Ware County Pine Festival will be held at Laura Walker State
Park near Waycross. April 22, according to Festival Chairman William Rentz. The Festival will include forest management demonstrations, selection of the Ware Pine Queen, a barbecue lunch and entertainment. Forestry Commission Director Guyton DeLoach and Extension Servic e Forester Dorsey Dyer will direct activities, assis ted by pulp and paper company representatives. Program chairmen are Forestry Commission Eighth Di s trict Forester James Henson a nd Ware County Agent Tom Boland.
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Fores t er Dab Tift, Union Bag.Camp Paper Corp., observes uoodland owners demonst rat ion of the Little fr ee In jector held rece ntly at t he Coffee -Atkinson County Unit near Douglas. Approximate ly 50 uoodland ouners sau demonstrations on fire and hardwood control, reforestation, utilization and hawesting, naval stores and selling methods .
SPRING, 1959
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Papyrus, made from the papyri ree d wh ich grows in profusion on the banks of
the Nile, was invented for Egyptians to hieroglyph upon when some long-forgotten pharoah requisitioned all the stone writing tablets for his latest pyramid. ~ow, Georgia chemists on the banks of the Savannah have developed a newsprint from the hardwoods which grow in confusion on the banks of the Mississippi, and
Georgia rivers, too. Look i nside for more details of this discovery
ALLYN M. I~IC K, DE~.N
SCHOOL UNl\IEJ:lS
CITFY!t'OCJRYi'ESGTERCRYG"'~
ATHENS, GECRGif