Georgia '\ \ ... ;,t:~:: ~;GIAl Llhf~,.~,rs ~\ e, ""r- ..,.--~ ~ 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 1f 'vieS/ly~ E S 'ANNAB EVENING PRESS FULL LIIMED ll'l1ll: RUOitTS OF AS!OCUT!:D PRESS--111\lTEn PRF.SS.INTERN.t.nONAL-AP WIREPROTO-A~'D NEA SI!:R\'ICP: SAV~N.\R, GA , WEDl'-zSDAY AFTERNOON, OCTOBER %9, U.ll THIRTY-TWO PAGES lt.atings Change The tops '" lootlto ll ,.... ora ... rotltd.., Poto 24. P!UCE rtVS CEHTa Newly-Developed Paper Is Tested by Evening Press Boy Shoots Y./ oman' Just Like on TV' I ENGLEWOOD. Colo d" ncohc afltected 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. J.' .,, 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 .L , . ' 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. .._,., ,.. ..... -......J tl.~ ,. - ' ... ~ '-' a -....- . 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. '; ~;.-.,~!:~ 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. ~ ' rrrr" ,( I i,'if; ( J .~J,~r., . I ,, 1 "' ~;