Georgia forestry, Vol. 13, no. 3 (Oct. 1960)

Georgia FORESTRY

Vol. 14 October, 1960

0. 3

Frank .Craven Editor

Published Quarterly by the
GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION Box 1183
Macon, Georgia
Ray Shirley, Dire ctor

Members, Board of Commi ss ioners :

C . M. Jordan , Jr. , C h airma n A l a mo

Andrew J. Aultman Sylvester

Oscar S. Garrison

Homer

John M. McElrath

Maco n

Alexa nder Se s s oms Cogde ll

DISTRICT OFFICES
GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION
DI STRI CT I- Route 2, Sta tesboro
DI STRI CT li- P . 0 . Box 26 , Ca milla
DISTRI CT III- P. 0. Box 169, Americus
DISTRI C T.IV ~ P. 0 . Box 33 3, Newnan
DISTRICT V- P. 0 . Box 328, Mc Ra e
DI STRI CT VI- P. 0 . Box 505, Milledgevill e
DISTRI CT VII - Rou te 1, Rome
DISTRI CT VIII- P. 0. Box 11 60, W aycr.oss
DISTRI CT IX- P. 0. Box 41 6, Gain es vill e
DISTRI CT X- Route 3, Washington
On the Cover
Th e monument of General Jam e s Oglethorpe looms above historic Chippewa Square in Sav annah, the city he founded in 1733. Not far from the famou s landmark, which s ymbolizes the city's past glories, are th e b14stling state docks, gate way to world markets for Ge orgia products. Shown stacked high on the wharf are drums of rosin produced from this state's for ests -- the source of a wide v ariet y of products which have helped develop Sav annah into a rich, expanding industrial empire.
Member of the
Georgia Press Assoc iation.
Geo r g ia F or est r y is enter ed a s second class ma tte r a t t he P os t Office unde r
th e Act of Augu st 24, 1912.

Cruising the News
WELL COORDINATED WARE EVENTS
The Okefenokee Swamp project dedication and Ware Pine Festival were outstanding events that were well-coordinated this week.
ot only did visitors to Waycross and Ware County have an opportunity to witness the opening of a major conservation project but they also saw what is being done in this area to promote good forestry practices.
Congresswoman Iris Blitch , who sponsored legislation for the $728,500 Okefenokee project, described the program as " just the beginning" of plans for developing the narural resources of this area.
She also discussed the importance of forestry in the future of Southeast Georgia.
Protection of our vast woodlands from fire and drought and the importance of good forestry practices were emphasized in the day's program.
Forestry without question, is the key to the economic growth of Southeast Georgia. We were again reminded of this fact by the swamp conservation program and pine festival this week.
(Fr om th e Wa y cross j ournal Herald)
PINE BASIC TO SOUTH'S ECONOMY
The pine tree has often been referred to as the South's greatest natural resource . A recent survey by the Southern Pine Association has revealed some information which strongly bears out this view.
The survey showed that at least 3,258,956 workers are involved in the production and marketing of Southern pine lumber, which is generating about $15 billion worth of business each year.
The survey revealed that in recent years the South's lumber industry has grown many branches. To conserve the harvest and increase utilization, a number of lumber companies have installed specialized "forest factories" whose output is based on t~e residue of lumber manufacture.
Here are some highlights of the survey: 1. Forty-five percent of the nation's l umber-producing plants are operating in the South. 2. The number of workers , families and dependents, deriving some or all of their livelihoods from Southern pine lumber is over 12 million. 3. The additional business generated by Southern lumber amounts to about six times as much as the value of the lumber itself, which is estimated at $2,149,000,000 yearly. 4. The lumber harvest is greatly dependent on small landowners . The Tree Farm movement has been found to be a great help in increasing the supply from the small landowners. Increased attention toward treating the pine tree as a resource to be carefully conserved and utilized can add greatly to the economic strength of the South.
(From t be Sav ann ah Morning ew s)

FRONT ROW... Bishop, Pullen, Gardner, Morgan and Shirley BACK ROW... Boston, Osborne, Harris and Witherington

I Strickland and Miles

ervloe Av.ards

Veteran Georgia Forestry Commission employees, Georgia's oldest county units and their forestry boards we re recognized recently at special meetings in Middle and South Georgia.
A. R. Shirley, Commission director, head of the awards program, stated that the men who pioneered the develoP' ment of Georgia's forest, through untiring efforts and at times without compensation, can never be paid in full. It is hoped that through' these awards the gratitude of Georgia's citizens will be expressed and in some measure compensate for the many years devoted to one of Georgia's largest industries, Shirley added. In presenting the awards, Shirley told of the growth of forestry, emphasizing its present value to the state and the importance of continuing a progressive forestry program to meet the demands of the South and the nation in the future.
The State's 25 year Faithful Service Award and Service Pin was presented to Benjamin A. Gardner, Wayne County towerman, Jesup; Walter A. Morgan, First District ranger, Statesboro; D. T. Spells, ranger, Consolidated Timber Protection Organization at Homerville; and L. Jasper Stokes, Charlton Co. ranger, Folkston.
Recognized for 20 y ears service were George Bishop, chief, Forest Administration, Macon; Tom Boston, Bartow Co. ranger, Cartersville; Buster Harris, Morgan Me morial ursery Superintendent; Frank A. Osborne, past investigator, Waycross District Office; Frank J.

Pullen, assistant Forest Engineer, Arrowhead Seed Orchard; Avery Strickland, Brantley Co. ranger, \l' ahunta; and Olin Witherington, Third District Forester, Americus.
Georgia's three oldest fire protection units and their boards were honored at ceremonies commemorating their founding. 1embers of the coun ty unit advisory boards receive no pay for their time and efforts devoted to the respective units , most of which is in their spare time . These units included the Brantley Co. Unit, 38 years; the Consolidated T.P.O. at Homerville, 34 years; and the Charlton Co . Unit, 31. years.
The Brantley Co. board members and length of service include R. L. Bernard, chairman, Waynesville, 28 years ; W. I. Brown, Hortense, 25 yea rs; J. L. Miles, Waycross, 25 years; S. B. Highsmith, ahunta, 8 years; and C. F. Dukes, Hoboken, 2 years.
A. V. Kennedy, chairman, Waycross, 34 years; Waldo Henderson, Lakeland, 17 years ; Alexander Sessoms, Cogdell, l5 years ; H. W. Mook, Homerville, l2 years; and Odis Hardee, Stockton, 2 years; are members of the Consolidated T.P.O. board.
The Charlton Co. board includes W. C. Hopkin s, St. George, 30 years; E. B. Stapleton, Sr., chairman, 25 years; J. M. Wade, 15 years ; G. R. Gowen, Jr., 2 years
and J. B. Moore, one year, all of Folkston.
Shirley said that the Commission plans to recognize all county unit forestry board members in the near future.

3

REAPS MILLIONS FROM FORESTS
4

The broad Atlantic Ocean is not th e only sea bordering Chatham Co unty.
There is a great, green sea of pine trees tha t begins on the fringes of the City of Savannah and stretches out across E ffin g ham, Bulloch, l3ryan and Liberty Counties and continues over most of the state.
F rom a plane, this verdant sea of forests, especially in this section of Georgia, appears to spread over most of th e land, interrupted only by an occasional ''island" city, village or cultivated farm.
The fascinating aspect of this sea, however, is its tide -- a never ceasing tid e bringing in raw forest materials which keep thousands in Savannah and Chatham County perman.e ntly employed in converting the supply into pulp , paper, lumbe r, naval stores, bags, crates, doors and a hos t of specialized products .
The Georgia Forestry Commission recently conducted a survey to determine the impact of this fabulou tide on the general economy of the Savannah trade area.
The study showed that 8,607 men and women within Chatham County earn a combined annual salary of more th an 36 ,000,000 in wood -using industries rangin g from a giant pulp and paper complex to small sawmills, cabinet shops and handle plants .
In addition, the survey revealed that these enterprises annually spend some $33, 160,000 for raw forest materials.
That huge sum goes into the pockets of suppliers out in rural Chatham and neighboring counties. A major portion of those dollars, of . course, find their way back into the . stores, banks, supply houses, shops and other businesses of Savannah.
The Commission's survey further shows that 4,337 persons in 18 Georgia counties in the Savannah trade territory are directly employed in forestry enterprises and wood-using industries.
They enjoy annual payrolls totaling more than $8,100,000 and their employers spend another $15,900,000 each year for forest raw materials. Yo u can add another 6,000,000 which represents payrolls and wood procurement bills paid by wood industries in an area of South Carolina which is included trade territory.

The transportation industry also reaps tremendous revenue from the many manufacturing and processing enterprises which are based on forestry.
In the Savannah area, approximately $19,500, 000 is spent annually on the transportation of raw forest materials into and finished products out of the plants. The bulk of that figure, which is exclusive of ocean freight, goes to railroads. A smaller portion goes to trucking companies and independent truckers.
As a result of that annual traffic, hundreds of employees in the transportation fie~d indirectly attribute their livelihood to forestry.
The greatest single wood-using industry in the area is Union Bag-Camp Paper Corporation, which has the distinction of being the world's largest kraft plant. The mammoth complex employes 5,300 persons who will earn an estimated $29,500,000 this year.
Officials at Union Bag-Camp point out that enough pulpwood is transported into the plant by rail each year to make up a freight train stretching from Savannah to Memphis. It produces in one day enough paper to cover a two-lane highway from Savannah to Denver. The bag production during a seven day period would sack up the
nation's weekly grocery supply. Although not as large as the Union Bag-camp opera-
tion, Continental Can Company maintains a modern pulp and paper mill in the area which give an impressive boost to the overall economy of this section of the
state. Georgia Pacific Corporation's large plant on the out-
skirts of the city converts quality logs into plywoods and veneers, including the new type paneling now popular in the home building trade.
Atlantic Creosoting Company at nearby Port Wentworth treats timbers, piling, poles and other materials used in railroad, dock and highway constructions.
The area also depends on the payrolls of Bradley Plywood Company, Reynolds : nd Manley Lumber Company, Rathbone, Hair, and Ridgeay Company, Pierpont Manufacturing Company and more than a dozen other firms which produce lumber, doors, cabinets, fruit and vegetable crates, cross ties, prefabricated house~, ski billets, handles, shipping bags, boats, caskets, Christmas trees, turpentine, shingles and other products.
Another important aspect of the big forest products picture in the- Savannah area is the booming naval stores industry. All three manufacturing phases - gum, wood, and sulphate - are carried out in this coastal city.
More than a million dollars during crop year 1959-60 went to naval stores farmers in Chatham and 10 surrounding counties for raw gum products alone for processing in Savannah plants. Also produced in forests on the fringes of the Savannah trade territory are several
million dollars worth of naval stores materials which are refilled at plants in Appling, Toombs, Emanuel and other counties.
The Savannah plants employ 328 persons whose pay checks annually total approximately $1,1 00,000.
Local plants also process tall oil, an important by-product of the pulp and paper industry . The- crude tall oil is separated into rosin and fatty acids, with much of the rosin finding its way back to the paper mills to be

used as paper SIZing. Sulfate turpentine 1s another product of the pulp and paper mills.
Many other naval stores products refined in this area of Georgia, as well as in other sections of this state and neighboring states, are shipped to various parts of world through the Savannah port -- a port which leads
the entire world in naval stores exportation. Besides the refiners and processors, many brokers,
dealers, and buyers annually handle large quantities of naval stores materials from offices in Savannah.
A number of manufacturing plants in the area use ros~n and turpentine as their raw materials for man y
end products. In regard to the booming pulp and paper industry,
which is playing such a dramatic role in the economy of the Savannah area, local leaders often praise the late Dr. Charles Holmes Herty, a native Georgian and scientist whose devotion and leadership led to the ultimate utilization of Southern forests in the manufacture of kraft products.
Today, the Herry Foundation, which consists of a modern laboratory and a fully equipped pilot plant, continues research and product development to make even greater use of materials which are produced so abundantly in Georgia's green sea of forests.
The significant role forest products play in the economy of the Savannah area is dramatically enacted almost daily along the docks that line the Savannah River .
Lumber and shingles are being loaded into ships destined for Venezuela, Sweden, Poland and Egypt. Gums and resins are going to Trinidad, Japan, Denmark, West Germany and the Union of South Africa. Plywood, veneers, and cooperage are tagged for England and Scotland; wood pulp is finding its way to Australia, France, and Brazil; and paper is headed for the Netherlands, New Zealand and Belguim.
The more than 70 0 members of the local lon gs horeman unions are well aware that forestry contributes largely to their employment.
The Georgia Forestry Commission is dedicated to the protection, promotion and expansion of the source from which this great wealth in the Savannah area springs.
Area and district foresters, county rangers, and specialists in various aspects of forestry work closely with personnel in the woodlands divisions of companies maintaining forest tracts. They also give valuable assistance to private landowners in fire control, management, reforestation and insect and disease control.
They work to promote practical application of new scientific techniques developed to increase the quality and quantity of our forests. Thro.ugh a continuous information and education program, Commission personnel encourage practices which will make the forest income even greater than it is today.
Beautiful and historic Savannah is known for her old world architecture, picturesque parks and quaint charm. She flourished in her heyday as a bustling cotton seaport.
But if the greatest contributor to her present-day economic welfare had to be told in just one word, that one word would certainly be: FORESTS.

5

End measure logs in establishing weights
The ever-increasing practice of ouying sawlogs by weight has brought about a forestry project to establish weights for pine sawlogs.
Governor Ernest Vandiver made funds available for the study throug h the Georgia Forest Research Council Members of the Georgia Farm Bureau, headed by John Duncan , requested that the study be initiated in an effort to standardize sawlog weights. The project is being jointly conducted by the Research Council, Georgia Forestry Commission, and the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station.
The project involves weighing and measuring logs at numerous logging sites throu gh out Ge orgia. The logs are being sampled until sufficient date is obtained to determine if variations in weight exist between section s of the state for th e same species and between species . Also, if local variations of soil moisture conditions , s uch as high, welldrained ground ve rsu s low, swampy ground, significantly influences weight to volume ratio.
The logs are weighed and measured at the site to determine the percentages of sapwood and heartwood, springwood and summerwood, the amount of log taper and bark thickness. Wood samples are taken to the Forestry Center at Macon for analysis of moisture content and specific

gravity . Buying logs by weight rather than
by volume has certain advantages. It e limin a tes hum a n error in scaling and reduc es confusion occuring from price differentials based on differences in log rules. It encourages prompt delivery of logs to the mill which reduces the chance of log s taining or bein g a ttacked by insects and makes for faster handling.
Jl. E. , Ru a rk , director of the Researc h Council, stated that, with th e increased purchasing of lawlogs by weigh ts. The s tudy should esta -

Weight data is important fa c tor in s tudy
blish weights that will be fair to sellers and buyers of pine sawlogs.
General supervisor of the project is Rufus H. Page, assistant chief, division of fore s t utiliza tion research, U. S. Forest Service . Assisting Page is Paul Bois and Joe Saucier, wood technolog ists for the Georgia Forestry Commission and U. S. Forest Service.
The field work is being conducted by Winston Graham, a University of Georgia Forestry gradua te and William Morse, a junior at the Forestry School in Athens.

River Basin Investigation Underway

The Georgia Forestry Commission , in cooperation with th e U. S. Stud y Co mmi ss ion Southeast River Basin, is c mducting a study of the forest aspec ts of Georgia's seven river basins. Alabama, Florida and South Carolina are also included in the U. S. Commission 's study which covers s ome R6,718 square miles. Of this
total some 5t,5t3 square miles are
in Georgia. W. } f. Mc Comb, manageme nt chief,
Georgia Forestry Commission , stated that the inves tigation of the seven river basins in Georgia is underway. These river basins include the Savannah, Ogee chee , Altamaha, Satilla-' St. Mary ' s-Nassau, Suwanee, Apalachicola, and coastal qvers between

the Suwanee and the Apalachicola. The Commission will present the
Study Commiss ion with a re port of th eir findings for each of the river basins within their study area . The report will include the description of extent, ch aracter, condition, ownership and significance of forest resources in the state. The existing forest resource development plans and programs and forest problems and needed development including progra ms and facilities will also be furnished.
Bob Burns, assistant district forester, management, Macon, 1s compiling the fore s t conservation data for Georgia.

6

mm~mD

ween the two. The commercial feasibili ty of th e t wo , when paying the minimum wage scale, is being studi e d. T he s tudy c overs jus t under 20 0 a cres of 1m gl ea f mixe d with s om e s l as h .
T he fi na l tes t a rea in vol ves ten inch cupping . A comparison i s being made be twee n th e u se of 65 p ercent a cid and 3/ 4 in ch ha ck a nd th e conve ntion a l 50 percent a cid a nd 5/ 8 inch ha ck . A longleaf stand, covering 87 a cres , is being used in this s tudy. T he plot is being treateg ha lf a nd ha lf us ing s ome 7,300 c ups .
All trees in th e s tudy area we re
0n0~00 ~mlli0~

Labor migra tion from fa rm t o c i ty is c reatin g a ma jo r fa rm l abor problem in wha t was a s table labor fo rc e . The naval s t ores in du s t ry re qui res conside rabl e l abor fo r i t s woods opera tion and has fe lt this labor s h ift fo r a n umbe r of years.
The Georgia Fores try Com mi ss ion, headed by A. R . Shirley, in coope ra t ion with the 1\Javal St ores Co nserva tion P rogram, has se t up applied re sea rch tes t a reas on the Wayc ross State Forest. The research is expected to de te rmin e th e feasibil ity of a modi fied l a bo r sys t em fo r work ing th e trees . T he tes t a reas cover so me 314 acr es, us in g 1.5,000 cu ps.
It i s hoped th at th e s tu dy wi ll provide some broad a nd poss ibly s triking c omparison s in gum y i e lds a n d value re turn s per acre, Shirl ey said . He added th a t t he pro ject s h oul d determine if untra ined labor can be used effecti vely for naval stores . This is provided tha t wages paid by o th e r fo res t indu s tries, on a min imum for ty -h ou r wee k per yea r bas i s, can be followed, a nd ne t in come i s su ff i c i e nt to make this me thod o f turpentining practical.

One test area consist of a series o f twe l ve plots l a id out in a twe nty e ight year old s lash pin e planta tion of 12" X 12" spacing. Each plot has a n a rea of two and one -qua rte r a cres. There are 1,217 cupped faces in the s tudy . There a re fo ur trea tments being appli ed t o the a rea . These include se lec tive cuppm g, thinning, and nine and ten in ch dia me te r cupping .
In selective c upping, th e trees a re ma rked fn r cu ppi ng . One c up per
tree 9" -1 3" d.b.h . and two cups to
14 inch trees and over i s th e me th od being used.
In the th inn ing ope ra tion , th e trees we re c ut immedia te l y fo llowin g mark ing without turpentini ng . T his was do ne to co mpare no rmal c utting a nd growth and return s with a wo rked stand.
T hinning needs are being dis re ga rded 1n the nin e in c h d ia me ter c up pi ng . All trees a re worked in clud ing th e mi nimu m nin e in c h s i ze.
A second tes t a rea in vol ves n in e and ten i nch cupping in a na tura l s ta nd . In th is study, the re l a ti ve cos t a nd re turn s a re compared be t-

inventoried for sawtimber, when merchantable for that product, and pulpwood. Sufficient measurements were taken in order to reconstruct stands in their entirety for analy sis purposes regarding the various management and working projects .
All trees are being worked with the bark hack and acid stimulation. All faces were installed using spiral gutters, double headed nails and two quart cups. Both aluminum and galvanized cups are being used. Chipping is done on a bi-weekly basis us-
ing S/ 8 inch hack and SO percent
solution of sulfuric acid on mixed
slash-long leaf and 60 percent on
longleaf. Shirley pointed out that all labor
used has been inexperienced, including the foreman. Cupping was started on April 4 and completed May 13.
Sam T hacke r, assistant ma nagechief, GFC, and Charlie Shea, area forester, NSCP, developed the three study areas. Shea also demonstrated working techniques to the foreman a nd laborers . Jimmy Braddy , GFC, is crew leader.

7

PINE FACES YIEL JPRODUCIS GEORGIA
IN NAVAL

The old saying, "if you are going to beg get a cup" is worth millions when applied to the South. That's all you need, a cup under a gutter attached to a slash or longleaf pine of commercial size. Enough of these and you are in the aval Stores business . This year crude g um prices are the highest ever. Many gum plants are paying up to $40 per barrel of 435 pound net.
aval stores, one of the oldest industries in Ame rica, designates the products turpentine and rosin. It was derived from the fact that every wooden ship of the British Government stored pitci) and tar as a part of their regular stores and ships equipment.
As early as 1610, the British Government offered a

subsidy to the settlers to encourage gum production to msure sufficient quantities for their Empire's needs .
The only pine trees that produce gum in commercial quantities are slash and longleaf. They are found along the eastern coa s t from Virginia to Florida and in th e coastal plains area of Georg ia, Alabama, Mississippi , Louisiana, and east Texas .
When the tree is wounded gum flows out to heal the the wound. The gum , fluid enough to drip from the tre e , is caught in a cup. Until 1908, gum was the only kind of
naval stores produced. About 1909, when the virgin
slash and longleaf pine forests were being rapidly harvested, scientist found that stumps from these virgin

trees c mtained commercial quanuues of turpentine and rosin. Through a commercial process, turpntine and rosin is removed from the stump wood and is termed 'wood naval stores'.
Another source of naval stores is a by-product of the sulphate pulp and paper process made from pine tree.s. The by-product in its crude state is known as 'crude tall oil and crude sulphate turpentine.' These products are further r.efined and are known as 'sulphate rosin and turpentine.' At present, wood rosin accounts for 65 percent, gum 18 percent and sulphate 17 percent of the total. rosin production. In turpentine, sulphate accounts for 52 percent, gum 18 percent, and wood 30 percent of the production.
VALUABLE
LEADER OPERATIONS
In a g um operation, the woodland owner may begin working slash and longleaf pines when t\ley are ten inches in diameter and four and one-half feet above the ground or larger. During the winter months small strips of metal, gutters, are tacked to the base of the tree. They direct the flow of gum into the cup which is attach ed to the tree under the metal strips.
Gum producing season begins and ends with the growing season, April 1 - ' ovember l. During this period, a workman visits the tree every seven to 14 days. He removes about one-half to three-fourths of an inch of bark and the cambium layer down to the wood for about onethird the circumference of the tree in a horizontal cut. A chemical stimulant is then applied to the wood to ins ure a longer period of gum flow. These cuts begin just above the metal tins and go upward with a uniform cut in height and width on each operation. The gum is emptied from the cq> when the majority of them are filled. The g um is then placed in 32-35 gallon barrels for marketing.
It is delivered to a processing plant where the gum is cleaned, filtered, and washed before distillation. In the d istillation process, the turpentine comes off in the form of vapor and is condensed, whereas rosin is the residue le ft after the turpentine is removed. The crude gum cons ists _ of about 20 percent turpentine, 70 percent rosin and 10 percent water, dirt and trash.

Rosin is packaged in galvanized drums, paper bags, or delivered in hot tank cars or trucks. The marketing of g.um naval stores has drastically changed during the past 15 years. Prior to the inu:oduction of the central steam gum processing plant in 1939, all turpentine and rosin was processed by individual producers on fire stills.
The first steam distillation plant was built at Hoboken in 1939 by-K. S. Yarn and Co. At present, Georgia has 14 central processing plants in operation which buy gum from the producers. These central plants are more efficient and improve the quality of the products. In addition, there are 12 gum buying platforms where gum is purchased by an agent for one of the central steam distillation plants.
The gum crop has been of great financial value to the South and especially to Georgia. Georgia now produces 82 percent of all the gum naval stores produced in the United States . The USA produces more than half of the world's production . Georgia is also one of the leading producers of wood and sulfate naval stores.
The price received by a producer for his gum is based on prices reported in the U .S.D.A. Daily Naval S tores Market Jews Service, Savannah. The crude gum is graded based on color, estimated content of turpentine and rosin and the trash in the gum . The value per standard barrel of gum (435 lbs. net) is based on estimated rosin g rade and content in pounds, and es timated gallon s of turpentine. The prices noted in th e daily market rosin report, less charges for processing the gum are also cons idered.
The total production of all types of nava I stores has remained approximately the same for the past 50 years. Wood naval stores represents about two-thirds of th e rosin with g um and s ulphate rosin about equal in production at present. Sulphate turpentine comprises about 52 percent of the total production.
Some 2,000,000 drums of rosin are produced each year. It is estimated that sulphate productiem can produce up to 700,000 drums per year if the paper mills run at capacity. It is estimated th a t only 12 - 15 percent of the slash and longleaf pines of working s ize are being worked in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
The total commercial forest land in Georgia is 24,000000 acres with 93 percent in private ownership. Small
landowners have approximately 66 percent, with 196
owners possessing less than 100 acres. Approximately 45 to 50% of Georgia's forest lands are located in the slash - longleaf pine areas.
Georgia has the largest acreage of private and state lands under organized forest fire protection. For many years Georgia has been the leader in the acreage planted yearly to forest trees. Turpentine farmers throughout the years have been among the leaders in forest fire prevention and reforestation efforts.
The Georgia Forestry Commission at its Waycross State Forest is having its trees worked for aval Stores, prior to harvesting them for sawtimber and pulpwood. An important research gum production study was begun
this year using 15,000 turpentine cups. Added up, South Georgia's bleeding pine faces are
history's landmark to forestry progress.

9

NEW J[NIDlJSIJRY lJIJ[LJ[ZES HAJRIDWOOD SCJRAJPS

Scra p ma te ri a l from three h a rdw ood fl oorin g plants is findin g its way into backyard a nd pati o barbecue grills a ll over Georgia a nd in ne ig hboring s ta tes as a resu lt of a unique wood utiliza tion e nterprise a t Louisville .
The floorin g ends a re being charr ed, ground into d us t , mixed with a binder , s haped into neat little brique ttes, a nd a ttractively packaged for th e o utdoor cook by th e Old Ma rke t C ha rcoa l Compa ny, a busine ss venture or ganized in 1959 by several Louisville citizens .
Following i t s meage r b e gin n i.ng in a n o ld shed in a n a lley, the com pany reloc a ted in a brand new plant in April of this year a nd is no w "swamped with orders," accordi ng to 'V. \f . Prichard, compa ny president.
''O ur goal is to eventu a lly s tep up production to th e maximum," th e official said, "which wou ld mean a n output of 30 tons of charcoal per day, seven days a week."
As Prichard thumbed through a big s tack of orders th e other day, however, he told of th e tim e whe n th e company's future was fa r from rosy.
"When we we nt into this thing last year," he said, "we began operating with sod kilns ... it was a s low , time consum in g process and we we r e on ly producing 1. 2 tons of charcoa l eac h wee k . "
P richard said he a nd other company officials , which
include Dr. a nd ~ Irs. J. .v. P ilch er , George T . Samples,
F rank Easterlin , Is adore Goldwasser a nd Gene Johnson , ''we re a ll pretty discouraged a t one point and we were abo ut r eady to thro w in th e towe 1. ''
But about that time P richard a nd Samples h ad a brai rrstorm . T h ey began t oying w ith a n idea for a new and extre mely economic a l process for charrin g wood . Dr. Pil cher became interested a nd th e o th ers i n the compan y bac ked the experiments .
Experime ntation was carried out several months before they finall y h ad a workin g model. Man y modification s

were necessary be fore the group finally perfecte d the charcoal burner, often called a ' 'retort.''
The burne rs are fir s t fired by na tura l gas, but after the inside te mpe rature reaches a certain point, the gases from the wood ta k e over as fu e l.
Joe Saucier a nd Paul Bois, wood tec hnolog is ts of th e Georg ia Forestry Commission a nd the U. S. Forest Serv ice, to ok a look a t th e ing enious equipm e nt a nd im mediately declared it a very revoluti onary c harcoal processing method . Othe r wood specialis ts agreed with th e m.
T he c ompa ny now has a patent pending on th e inve ntion.
Whe n th ey we r e convinced the new pr ocess would make charcoa l rapidl y a nd econ om ically, compan y offic ia l s los t little time in erec ting a pla nt on a four acre tra ct on th e out sk irts of th e city.
T he flooring sc raps, whic h a re purchased from mills in Macon , T hompson a nd Lumber C ity, a re ha ule d to th e Louisville pla nt in large vans which a re unloaded on a concre te apron by means of a n e lec tric lift which litera lly "dump s" th e 16 to 22 tons of wood in a matter of minutes .
': lectri c lift unloads mo untain of scrap flooring en ds

10

~ fork li.ft loads the scrap ha rdwood onto a conveyor wh1ch carnes the material into th e eight big burners . After the charring process, the lump charcoal passes

through a hammer mill which pulverizes it a nd blows it thr ough a chute into a 62 -ton capacity hopper.
T he ground charcoa l is carried from th e storage hopper into th e plant by a screw conve y or . Wa ter and starch are added in a mixin g chamber a nd th e ma t erial th e n pass es through rotary pillow-shaped dies which press it into briquettes.
The briquettes go throug h a fifty-foot hot a ir dryer a nd on to th e a ut oma tic weig hing a nd bag stitc hin g department.
The Louisville Cha mber of Commerce not only is pleased with the new industry because it provides a n industrial payroll, but a lso highly approves of the adve rtising th e pla nt 's packa ged prod uct g ives th e city's old slave ma rket , a touris t attractio n located in th e heart of town .
T he charcoal bag bears a pic ture of the market place a nd a s hort his torica l ske tch on th e fa mou s la ndmark. "Dr. Pil c her designed th e red, whit e and blue bag," Prichard said, "and we think it is a real eye-catcher."
Saucie r and Bois, as we ll as oth e r personnel of th e Georg ia Forestry Commi ss ion, h ave commended th e Jeffe rson Co untia ns for th e ir e nterprisin g e fforts and have we lcomed them into an expanding fa mily of Georg ia industries which i s utili z in g materials that we re once considered worthless waste wood.

T. G. WALTERS RETIRES

T. G. Walters, State Supervisor of Agricultural Education for Georg ia since 1942, r e tired Jul y 1'5.
Walters, a native of Franklin Co., has been connected with vocational agriculture since 1927 when he began teaching agriculture in Colquitt Coun ty.
Prior to his Ag work , he attended the ~ inth District A . ~ M. Sc hool a t C larkesville . Four years later he taught in the schools of Franklin Co. He earned his B . S. degree in agriculture from the University of Georgia in 1927 .
Following graduation, Walte rs be came principal and teacher of vocational agricultu(e at Okapilco School where he tau ght for three years. 1-l e then moved to Moultrie where he s tayed until 1937 . At Moultrie , Walt ers organized what has g rown into the nation ' s largest FFA Chapter, and started the community food preservation program.
In 1937, Walters became district supervisor of Agricultural Education for Northwest Georgia and Execu-

tive Secre tary for the Future Farmers of America .
On a s tate basis he teamed with Dr. \1. D. Moble y, then St a t e F FA Advisor, to launch the building of a

State FFA Camp. nder their guidance, the State FFA -FHA Camp at La ke Jackson near Cov in gton was cons tructed.
\\falters was name d the S t a te's .Mas ter Teacher of Agriculture in 1932. T he following year he received a c e rtific a te of honor from th e Georg ia Fores t Se rv ice and th e Division of Voca tional Educ a tion for the most successful work in fores try among Vo-Ag teachers of Georgia . In 1957, th e Agr ic ultural leader was chose n " Ma n of the Year" in Ag ric ulture by th e Progress ive Farmer and received the American Forestry Award in Education.
Walter 's personal enthusiasm for forestry, improved livestock, food for processing and pasture improvement has been transmitted to teachers and farmers, and has been an importa nt factor in t.'le State ' s agri-
cultural development. He worked effectively with farmers as well as high school s tudents throughout his teaching career and has always been an exponent of adult education.

11

Conservat ionists Honored 'Cone Hunt' Begun

Langdale, Branch, McDougald and Shirley

''Georgia is blessed with natural . resources a nd Georgia forests are unsurpassed in the nation," said Lt. Gov. Garland Byrd at the first a nnua l gove rn ors award banquet at which this state's leading conservationists were honored.
The dinner, held in Atlanta by the Sears Roebuck Foundation in cooperation with the Georgia Spor tsmen Federation, was the climax to a statewide program in which citizens contributing to various phases of conservation were honored on the county and district levels .
The state official, who termed the Georgia Forestry Commission "second to none in the nation,'' said natural resources must be used intelligently. "Conservation," he sai d, " do es not me an hoarding .._. . i t means our resources must be used wisely for the benefits of all the people of our state."
Jim Gillis, Jr., of Soperton, was
named the "Conservationist of the Year" at the awards event. J udge 'larley Langdale of Valdosta, prominent naval stores producer and civic leader, received the statewide Conservation Award in Forestry .
Others honored as regional recipients of the forestry awards were Mike McDougald of Columbus; Steiner Branch, Grovetown; He nry Cummings,

Donal dso nville; a nd C la ude L]arma n , Greenville .
Ot he r s ta te wi nn e rs in th e program we re Carlton Griffit h of Warre n County, 4 -H Divis i on ; Bobby Pe rki ns, Barrow County, F FA; Miss Susa n My rick, Macon , soil a nd wa t er conservation ; John Bla nchard, Appling County, Game and F is h; C. F red Ingram, Winde r , County Age nt.
J unior Conservation is t Aw ards were: Larry Joiner of Bue na Vis ta, FF A youth who reclaimed was te land and planted 50 ,000 trees; a nd Robert Wr ight of Cordele, 4 -H C lub me mber who planted 79,000 seedlings .
Awa rds to outdoor wr iters we nt to : John Bur ke, Savann a h Mornin g ews; Bill Baab , Aug us ta C hronicle; C ha rles Elliott, Atlanta Cons titution ; Ray Anthony, Columbu s Inquirer ; and Bill Allen, The Atla nta J ourna l. Allen was the state winner a mong the writers.
The various awards were pres ented by L t. Gov. Byrd; A . R. Shirley, dire ctor of the Georgia Fores try C om-
missio n ; T omm y Walton , s ta te 4 -H
leader ; T. D. Br own, FFA officia l ; Bob Short , informa tion chief of the Georgi a Gam e and F i s h C ommission ; and Cecil Chapman, so il conserv.a tion servic e officia l.
Ed Dodd, crea tor of Mark T rail , was prese nted a gold cup a s a special award re cipient.

The Georgia Forestry Commission's annual 'cone hunt' is being conducted during September and October, announced A. R. Shirley , Commission director.
Shirley stated that Commission field personnel will collect some I ,840 bushels of loblolly , shortleaf, virgm1a and spruce pine cones. Shirley added that hardwood seed would be collected at a later date .
Shirley pointed out that this year' s collection is aimed at replenishing depleted seed supplies of certain species and improving seedling quality in orth Georgia. Seed collected in that area will be planted at the Hightower ursery for distribution to North Georgia landowners.
S. P . Darby, Commission reforestation chief, said the seed will be collected from the first district, Statesboro; fifth district, McRae ; sixth district, Milledgeville ; seventh district, Rome ; eighth district, Waycross ; and ninth district, Gainesville. Loblolly, shortleaf and Virginia pine cones will be collected from the seventh and ninth districts . The re maining districts will collect the spruce pine cones.
Darby added that it will not be necessary to collect slash pine seed this year since the Commission has a generous supply on hand. It i s necessary to keep a large inventory because pines do not produce a good crop of cones every year.
Refresher Taugh t In Civil Defense
Georgia Forestry Commission fiel d personnel recently took part in oneday civil defense refresher courses . Commission personnel, in 1958, com pleted a twenty-hour di s as ter re scue training school which qualified them to teach similar s chools in their res pective counties and to ass is t in rescu e work.
Sinc e 1958 , C ommission ~rs onn e l have been respons ible for trainin g fifteen of th e forty-one civil defens e squads in Georgia. There are twen

12

ty six men to a squad. Jack Grantham, state civil defense communica-. tions officer of Atlanta, stated that Mt . Vernon, Albany, Tifton and Douglas have indicated an interest in setting up squads in their respective areas. Commission personnel would conduct these schools.
Grantham added that the refresher course gave the foresters an opportunity to review some of the rescue techniques learned in the basic tra1mng sessions. Some of these techniques included knot tying, -rescue first aid, casualty handling, stretcher lashing and handling, casualty search, care and use of ladders and basic fire fighting.
The courses were taught at Gainesville, Washington, Milledgeville, Newnan, McRae , Statesboro, Way cross, Camilla, Rome , and Americus.
The courses were arranged by Assistant Commission Director, J. C. Turner, Jr. and State Civil Defense authorities with the cooperation of the district foresters.
Vo-Ag Clinic Held
The fifth annual Vocational Agriculniral Forestry Clinic was held recently at Vienna. The clinic was under the direction of Ed Kreis of the Department of Vocational Educa tion .
Approximately 15 Vo-Ag teachers from Southwest Georgia attended the last in a series of forestry shor~ courses . Kreis stated that all VoAg teachers in the state now have completed the course. Material presented at the week long session will be used in lesson plans by the teach~rs, Kreis added.
The course was taught by repre- sentatives from the Georgia Forestry Commission, U. S. Forest Service, industry and the Department of Education.
Subjects taught includes economics of forestry, fire, insect and disease control, naval stores practices in forest management and controlling undesirable,s.pecies. Others include prescribed burning in fire management, and measuring and mar-

keting. Curtis Barnes and John Clark,
Georgia Forestry Commission; Earl P. Jones, E. 0. Powers, and A. H. Antonie, U. S. Forest Service; and Robert E . Lee, Union Bag-Camp Paper Corporation were the instructors.
Dr. R. !-1. Tolbert, head of the VoAg teacher training at the University of Georgia, introduced the weeks program and concluded it with a sum-
mary.

house rent which has been necessary for storage of supplies.
Lester Lundy, General Services chief, stated that the vacated space in the old warehouse will be used for the mechanic shop. Supplies now stored in the rented warehouse will be put in the old mechanic shop. Lundy added that the move enables warehouse activities to be centralized in one -location.
The 6,000 square foot metal and steel structure with cement flooring has reduced the fire hazard that existed in the old warehouse. Lundy pointed out that flammable rna

New Warehouse Dedicated

A new fire proof warehouse de-

signed for faster service and more

economical operation for State and

county forestry units has been con-'

structed at the Center near Macon .

The new General Services building

was officially opened August 20 by

A. R. Sh .

Geor . Fores

terial, such as paints, oils, grease and batterit!s , will not be stored in the Center' s newest addition. To insure further fire protection, the building is located a minimum of 150 feet from the nearest structure .
The new supply center is another example of tbe continued growth of the Forestry Center since the opening of the Commission headquarters in 1957 . Other buildings include the communications center, fire , seed, insect and disease "labs, cone shed, seed extractor, cone drying kiln, and carpenter shop.

Seed I i ng Blanks Now Available

miss ion director: Shirley stated that the metal and
steel structure eliminates an enormous fire hazard in the old warehouse . The warehouse has been used for vehicle maintenance and repairs as well as for storage of state and county supplies. Shirley added that the new structure will save the Commission $1,800 in ware-

Blanks for ordering pine tree seedlings are now available through the Georgia Forestry Commission county rangers.
Georgia landowners are urged to place their orders now to insure de-
livery, since all orders received after October I will be filled only it seedlings are available. The State nursenes are growing 250 million seedlings for this seasons planting.
Continued on page 14

13

The seedlings are being grown at

the following nurseries. They in-

clude Davisboro, located near Davis-

boro; Herty, Ga. 91 at Albany;

Hightower, Ga. 53 near Dawsonville;

Walker-Page, Ga. 178 near Reids-

ville; and Morgan, U. S. 41 between

Macon and Perry .

Species available and their cost

include slash, loblolly, iongleaf,

shortleaf, and Virginia pine , $4 per

thousand .

Eastern white pine,

swamp chestnut oak, northern red

oak, sweet gum, sycamore, black

walnut, bald cypress, and green ash

will cost $6 per thousand. A charge

of $10 per thousand will be made for

eastern red cedar, yellow poplar and

dogwood.

This year shortleaf and Virginia

pine species are available in quantity

for the first time. The growing of

these species were increased to meet

the anticipated demands of _ orth

Georgia landowners who were hit by

ice-storms last Spring.

A transportation charge of twenty-

five cents per thousand trees will be

made on deliveries by state truck with no limit on quantity. If it is not

possible to fill an order, payment

will be returned to the purchaser. All orders must include payment.
Landowners are requested to fill out the order blank completely. ASC purchase orders will be accepted as well as checks and money orders.
Now Plo11f Developed
rA new fire fighting plow, designed and constructed by Ben Hill Ranger,
J. C. Bowen, promises more efficient
forest fire protection in that South Georgia county.
The equipment recently drew praise from district foresters who saw it in action at a s tatewide meeting.

Bowen has greatly increased the speed and efficiency of one of the standard tractor-plow units used for plowing fire breaks . As a result of the modification, forest fire fighters need not worry about tractors bogging as often, the ranger said.
The ranger fashioned a floating extension which locates the plow blade on a wheeled trailer, thus distributing weight over a greater area and minimizing the chances of bogging. Formerly, the weight of the plow blade mounted on the rear of the tractor often caused it to sink in soft ground. The new plow extension, which weighs 1,120 pounds, is heavy enough to penetrate almost any soil in South Georgia, yet light enough to prevent bogging, Bowen said.
The plow blade on his rig which moves up and down with the wheels, always at the same depth, this insuring a more evenly cut furrow.
A. R. Shirley, Georgia Forestry Commission Director, congratulated Bowen on the mechanics of the rig and said he believes it could operate well in various soils in over half the state .

Logging the foresters .

Sara Frances Marshall of Lizella, who rep re sented Bibb County in a recent re gional 4-H Achievement Day observance in Americus, won first place with her demonstration and talk on forest management.

DED ICATIO ... The new Lake City Resea rch Center office and laboratory of the Southeaste rn Fo rest Expe rime nt Station w as recently dedicated by Congress man D. R. Matthews. The new structure is locat ed near Olustee, Fla. The building, which provides work ing space for U. S. Fo rest Se rvice research ers, con tains 8, 700 square feet of floor space.
A IVERSARY...The annual national meeting of the Society of American Foresters, November 1316, will commemorate sixty years of progress. "Forestry's Expanding Progress", is the theme of this year's session. The presentation of three special awards will highlight the meeting. They are the Sir William Schlich memorial medal and the Gifford Pinchot medal, both for outstanding contributions to forestry. The third award is for achievement in biological I'esearch contributing to the advancement of forestry. President of the Society is C. A. Connaughton.

14

SOILS SCI-IOOL. .. Georgia Forestry Commission personnel recently attended a week long Forest Soils School at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education in Athens. W. H. McComb, Commission management chief, stated that the group studied the practical aspects of forest soils in relationship with species to various site factors. Dr. Jack T. May, assisted by Dr. Larry H. Walker, both of the University of Georgia School of Forestry, arranged the five day program. J . C. Caldwe-ll of the C enter for Continuing Educati rn was the program co-ordinator.

NEW OFFICERS.. . W. H. McCom b, management chief for the Georg ia Fo restry Commission, has been elected preside12t
of the U1livers it y of Ceo rgia Fo restry School Alumni Assn. He receives cong ratulations from Ben Meado ws, A tlanta, past p resident. Jul ian R eeves, seventh district forester, Georgia Fo res try Commission, was e lect ed secretary -tr easure r.
e lson B right well, Georgia E x tension Serv ic e, A the ns, was elected vice-p res ident.

Be nny Hayes, assistant patrolman of th e Baldwin-H ancock Unit, capture d this little fawn which was made home less by a 165-acre fo rest fire . Benny is keeping the doe as a Pf?t.

This float, designed a12d built by the Putnam Coun ty Un it , made a big hit with spectators who viewed the parade at the rece nt Putnam Dairy Festival at Eatonton. The float was also used by the J enkins County Unit in the J enkins Dairy Festival at Millen.

T his " Chopper Hopp er," an aerial tr ee s eed planting unit developed by the Fo rt Gordon Forestry B ranch, i s b eing in spec ted by T. M. S trickland, Richmond R anger, left, and Harold V. Barn ett, branch chief. The unit, which is attached to a he licop te r, has been used.Lo s ucces sfully seed vas t areas of land on th e military reservation.

SPCA EXCEEDS RECORD ...More than 83,000,000 forest tree seedlings we re planted on industry land or dis tribu ted to Georgia landowners during th e past ye ar. This announcement was made in a report by Henry
J. Malsberger, general manager of
the SPCA, Atlanta. This record exceeded th e previous year's tree planting program by pulp and paper companies and independent s uppliers of p.~l pwood. Of this record, 21,37 7,000 seedlings went to Georgia landowners, a record for th e South.

LETTE
Mr Ray Shirley, Director Georgia Forestr y Commission
Dear Mr . Shirley:
It is with a great deal of pleasure that I write you this le tte r of appreciatiorz and thank s for the part you played in sponsoring the recent FFA Fo restry Camp at Pine Mo untain.
I had t wo boys as delegates to atte nd the camp and I atte nded as one of the teachers who served as counselor; the refo re, I speak wilh first hand knowledge that t he camp was great.
Very truly yours,
C. H. Huff, Advisor Manchester Vo-Ag Dept.
Mr . F rank Craven, Chief Information and Education Georgia Forestry Commission
Dear Mr . Craven :
Thank yo u very much fo r the prints of the picture made during the dedication of the Okefenokee Swamp Project. I expect to use one of the pictures in some of my campaign material.
Let me also tak e this opportunity to commend you fo r the exce lle nt coverage of the dedication given by the Georgia Forestry Commission.
Sincerely,
Iris Blitch 8th Dist. Congresswoman

15