Georgia forestry, Vol. 18, no. 1 (Mar. 1965)

Georgia
FORESTRY

Georgia FORESTRY

Mar., 1965 No. 1

Vol. 18

Fronk Craven Editor
Pub Iished QuarterIy by the GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION
Box 1077 Macon, Georgia GEORGIA FORESTRY MAILING ADDRESS Route 1, Box 85 Dry Branch, Georgi a
RAY SHIRLEY - DIRECTOR

Members, Board of Commissioners:

CHAIRMAN
C. M. Jordan, Jr.

-Vidalia

Andrew J. Aultman L. H. Morgan W. George Beasley
Alexander Sessoms

-Sylvester
-Eastman -Lavonia -Cogdell

DISTRICT OFFICES
GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION
DISTRICT 1--Route 2 Statesboro
DISTRICT 11--P. 0 . Box 26 Camilla
D ISTRICT 111--P. 0. Box 169 Americus
DIST~ICT IV--P. 0. Box 333 Newnan
DISTRICT V--P. 0. Box 96 McRae
DISTRICT VI--P. 0. Box 881 Milledgeville
DISTRICT VII--P. 0 . Box 2136 Rome
DIST~ IC T VII--P. 0 . Box 1160 Waycross
DISTRI CT IX--P . 0. Box 416 Gainesville
DISTRICT X--Route 2 Wash ington

On the Cover

There w ill always be a demand for timber in a growing nation. Georgra s 25,772,200 forest acres are providing the raw mater ial for a b i llion dollar industry. In Georgia, wood-using industry's dollar value output ranks second only to the textile industry.

Member of the Georgia Press Association

Second-class postage paid at Dry
Brqnch, .Ga .

... . (' l

: :.

:. 2

CONTENTS

Georgia On The Move . . . . . . . . . . .

. .3

Weed Tree Conrrol . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. .4

Forest Protection Record Estab Iished ....................... 5

Lanier Elected To Top Post In Georgia Farm Bureau

5

Service Report ...................................... 6

Personnel Complete CD Refresher Course .................... 7

Simulator Provides Model Training ........................8-9

Research Council Adds Administrative Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Forestry Commission Personnel Promotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Ray Shirley- Man Of The Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Rangers Of The Quarter. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.11

City And County Fire Fighters Attend School . . . . . . .

.12

Cradle Of American Forestry Exploited . . . . . . . . . . .

.13

Old Tower A Forestry Landmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Hoboken Youth Attains National Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Logging The Foresters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Cruising the News

Expanding Forest Assets

When credit far getting new industry is passed aut to Committees of 100,

state agencies and railroad industry-locat ion teams , add one more to the list --

your county's Georgia forest ranger.

That's right. The forest rangers of this State ore in the forefront in ex-

pand ing payrolls for Georg ia residents . This is true because the forest indus-

tries , which they advance in a great many ways, const itute the second largest

income-producer of Georgia.

The consumer every day depends on the output of modern tree forming.

Books , tissues, crossties , napkins , grocery bags, plast ics , chemicals , furniture

and homes all come from the forests.

Tree -forming will yield its operators an estimated average per acre of

$8 .50 annually, on a long-term basis . The beginning years , of course , ore ryeors

of investment, but once the trees ach ieve a certain maturity , returns come faster .

The operator of a tree farm , by following accepted forestry practices, can be-

come "certified," and that status br ings a great deal of help from State foresters

in mainta ining prof itable standards.

R igh t here in Augusta and environs , the approximately $200 mi Ilion in new

industry establ ished in the past seven yeors ' includes at least $ 110 m i llion in-

vestment in plants wh ich use forest products. In the Nation as a whole, forest products activity of all kinds pr~vides full-time employment for nearly one and

one-half million persons , w ith annual payrolls of $6,715,000,000.

Some highly important by-products of well managed tree farms in clude con-

servation of water resources, protection of soil against erosion , and outdoor

recreoti on. Wi ld Iife obviously is conserved, and better hunting for sports men is

thereby promoted. Even the quail, generally believed to favor open fields, have

been found to thr iv e in woodlands. Good forestry practice ca l ls for keep ing some

open firebreaks, and if these firebreaks are planted to bi-color lespedeza, the

attraction for quail is assured.

Georgia a lready leads the Nation in product ion of pulpwood. There is

still room for profitable expansion , however, and the Georgia Forestr y Service

is seek ing to stimulate this expansion by selling pine seedlings through the

forest rangers in each county.

Tree farming is a splendid example of good land use, especially in certa in

areas not too adaptable to mare profitable utilization . It is a combination of bath

beauty and bounty.

( From the Augusta Chronicle)

Wood land Management Pays

As pulpwood production in the South climbed to 26 Y2 million cords in 1963 ,
Georgia led the area with a harvest of 572 million cords. Alabama was second ,
with more than 3.6 million cords , followed by Flor ida, South Carol ina , North Caro lina and Lou is iana, each produc in g well over two mill ion cords .
According to the U. S. Forest Service, the South produced 60 per cent of the nation's output . The combined da i ly pulping capacity of the 81 Southern pulpmills exceeded 54,000 tons in 1963, almos t twice the capac ity in the region ten years ago . In addition , three new kraft mi lis were under const r uction at the year's end .
It is gratify ing that the Georgia Forestry Commission has bui It up a fine system of fire protect ion for our woods and has aided woodland owners in better management practices , so that Georgia leads the notion in pulpwood production It is also pleas in g that the 13 pulp mi lis of Georgia provide a market far the wood produced.
(From the Macon Telegraph)

GEORGIA ON THE MOVE

Frankl in-Hart County Ranger Wayne Meeks and Patrolman Joe Reynolds complete beautification planting at the State Welcome Center near Lavonia, Go. Trees , rep re senting those native to North Georgia, were planted on the Center's grounds .

During the early days of Georgia's settlement, its first landowners cleared and burned many thousands of acres of virgin ti mber to grow food and f iber to feed and clothe its then struggling population.
These people, who committed this waste certainly can't be condemned for their very existence. This continued even after World War I when Georgia became substantia lly dependent on a weakened row crop economy.
Gradually more and more farms became abandoned and forests sprung up in the once fertile fields. Foresters arrived on the scene, fore:;t protection came and forest management and research arrived. As a result, a healthy forest economy has come into being.
Georgia is blessed with a young

and healthy industry, ample water supply, a mild climate, space to expand and people who have the knack of gett in g things done, and of utmost importance, almost 26 million acres of valuable commercial forest land.
In recognition of this valuable asset, Georgians annually celebrate the third Friday in February as Arbor Day. This year marked its 72nd anniversary. It isn't a legal holiday, but a day we pause to poy tribute to the tree. It is a day in which school children throughout the state usually conduct a program and participate in a memorial planting ceremony on the school grounds or in a public park.
A tree mean s many things; products, food, beauty and recreation.
Today, Georgia is on the move. Its wheels of industry are turning

out many varied products which benefit everyone, with the state proving to be a leader in attracting even more industry within its boundaries. Among these new industries are vast forest based mills.
protection, preservation~a~~~~~- uati on of our state's trees.

Weed Tree Control

Chemical And Fire May Hold Answer

In 1962, weed tree control experimental plots were established in each of the Georgia Forestry Commission's ten districts. Com mission Director Ray Shirley states that from the experiments we hope to determine the effectiveness of chemically control! ing undesirable weed trees.
Shirley pointed out that prel imi nary results have revealed three factors. They are ( 1) spraying of a herbicide and burning is much more effective than spray ing alone; {2) spreading of chemical pellets is effective in the Coastal Plain Section; and (3) the cost of chemical pellets limits its use.
W.H. McComb, chief, Forest Management, said that the treatments being treated include various chemical concentrations and dosages of chemical, combination chem-

ical and burning, and planting pines under weed trees and releasing by treating compared with treating and then planting.
Each treatment area is one-half acre. These plots are being evaluated and new plots established, McComb added.
During the 1963-64 fiscal year, there were 293 cases of weed tree control work on 4,303 acres. In addition, advice was given on 32,650 acres.
Shirley emphasized that, at pre sent, we are only scratching the surface in rei ieving competition in those areas where merchantable hardwood and softwood should be productive. It is hoped that through such experiments, as above, that an economically and feasible solution will be made available to our landowners.

W. H. McComb, Commission Forest Management chief, and AI Smith, Fourth District forester, measure and record seedling growth since application of herbicide.

The use of chemical pellets is an effective control measure. However, the cost of the pellets limits its use.

The rate of kill by diameter, specie and site determines the amount of release of pines through the use of various chemical applications.

4


Forest Protection Record Estabished

The number of wild fires and

forest acreage burned has been re-



duced 63 and 70 percent, respec

tively, during the first six month

period of the 1964-65 fiscal year.

Georgia Forestry Commission

Director Ray Shirley said, "the

figures point to closer Commission

landowner-industry relations, value



of intensive training programs and

the increased value placed on tim-

ber by all Geo rgians. "

Dur ing the period , J ul y through



December, only 1, 270 wild fires

have occu rred, burning some 3,539

forest acres. During the same per-



iod in 1963, 11,916 forest acres were burned by 3,462 wild fires.

The lowest recorded acreage

loss and percent burned was re-



corded in the 1963-64 fiscal year .

Only 33, 175 forest a c res were

burned, or less than one-fifth of 1,372, accounted for only four per- 1,385, burned 7,392 forest acres.

one percen t of the 23,676 , 500 for cent of the total acreage burned. Other fire causes included camp

est acre s under organized forest

Debris burning was the largest ing, machine use and miscellaneous.

protect ion. There were 8,61 4 wild single cause of wild fires. The

This record serves as a chal-

fires.

3,178 forest fires caused by debris lenge to put forth greater effort in

Only four and one-half percent burning destroyed 11,714 forest keeping our forests in a he a Ithy con-

of the 8,614 w ild fires were un acres. Smoker fires were second as dition. It will enable Georgia's

avoidable . These were the 401 a major headache with 2,029 fires woodland owners to continue to

fires started by lightning. The for- burning 7,348 acres of wood Iand. provide the raw material for a bil-

est acres destroyed by lightning, Incendiary, or carelessly set fires, lion dollar forest industry.

LANIER ELECTED TO TOP POST IN GEORGIA FARM BUREAU

Candler County native William Committee. In this posit ion he

L. Lanier is the newly elected worked closely wi th the SFBF, and

president of the Georgia Farm Bu- sponsored more agricultural legis-

reau Mutual Insurance Co., Invest- lat ion than any member of the As-

ment Co. and Marketing-Bargaining sembly in recent times.

Association.

Upon resigning from the General

A voting delegate to the AFBF Assembly, he accepted the position

annual convention, he served on of State Executive Director of the

the AFBF Resolutions Committee. Agricultural Stabilization and Con-

Prior to his election, Lanier servation Service. Under his leader-



was a U. S. Department of Agricul- ship, Georgia attained the number

ture Agency Representative. In 'one' position in the nation in ASC

this capacity, he would represent committee election participation.

the USDA, in a national emergency,

Lanier is a farmer and has con-

at the government site for the region if the region was cut off from Wash-

siderable acreage of forest land in Candler Co. A ~otarian and Master

ington, D. C. There are eight such 'of his Masonic Lodge, he is a co-

emergency sites in the U. S.

operator in the Ogeechee River

Lanier, a graduate of the Univer- Soil .Conservation District. Lanier

sity of Georgia College of Agricul- has an Honorary Georgia Planter

Wi lliam L. L an ier

ture, served 12 years in theGeorgia Degree which is the highest Hon-

Legislature, 1950-61. During this orary Degree that the State Voca

time he served as vice-chairman tional Education, FFA presents.

and c ha irman of the Agriculture

5

SERVJ:CE REPORT

t ion Reserve, Formers ' Home Adm in : istrotion, Small \~' otershed, ~ura l Area ~e velopment and the Seorgi a

Crop Improvement Association's

certified pine seed program.

In addition, Waycross State F orest personnel moved into their new

foci lities, the Charles H. Herty

Building. The combination headquarli
ters and train ing center was built under the Federal Pub! ic V1orks Ac-

ce leration Program.

The first" fruits of the Co mmi s-

sion' s Tree Imp rovement Program

were planted for distribution during 1964-65. "1ith this planting, Seorgio

becomes the first state to produce

Improved Seedlings. The gro wi ng of

Improved Seedlings wi ll be increased

unti l the total production of slosh

and loblolly pine seedlings comes

from superior seed.

Seorg io lando wner s planted

39,350,393 seedlings du ring the

year from stock produced in C ommi s-

sion nurseries. A good many were

pi anted into the summer months by

vi rtue of the Commission's cold

storage plan. By putting the seed-

lings in cold storage, their dormancy

period was extended. The move

was necessitated by the inc lemen t

Fire record set, for est management intensified and fruits of tree

Construction began on a Fire Control Simulator that will be avail-

weather conditions that prevented a normal pl ant ing season .
Forestry Education activities

improvement program reali zed by t he Georgia Forestry C omm ission during the 1963-64 fiscal year.
The Commission ' s annual report

able for training all Forest Protection personnel. Th e ide o for the Simulator was obtained from a Si mulator demonstrated by the U. S. For-

were stepped up during the year by depicting the Commission's forestry programs through news media, exhibits, youth programs, parades and

show s that the lowest acreage loss est Service.

tours. The largest undertaking wa s

and percent burn was recorded .

Forest managemen t assistance the coord inating and development

Only 33,175 forest acres were burned, was provided 9,343 lando wners on of pi on s for the South eo stern Fair

or less t h an one-fifth of one percent 967,461 forest acres. The cases in- exhibit which involved 16,5()0 square

of the 23,676,500 forest acres under organized forest protection. There
were 8,614 wild fires. The extension ot fire protection
and the merger of county units further strengthened the Commission facilities. Johnson County was plac-

volved state and state-fede ral programs. In cluded we r ~ compilation of re source data, weed tr~e control, ice storm aid and assi stance provided on 2 ,797 fore st acres of other state agencies. Inspections and
recommendoti on s for cu lturo I treat-

feet of indoor space and as much outdoor area. This mode it the South's largest forestry exhibi t.
A major occompl ishment was th e scripting, filming and editing the film "Watersheds and You". It is the first cooperati ve film ever pro-

ed under protection in combination with "loshington County . There were

ments were prov ided. T he state d epartments assisted included th e

duced between the "o iI Con servotion ~istricts and the Commission.

three two-county mergers and one three-county merger. The two- county me rgers we re Carroll- Douglas, Haralson-Polk and Johnson-Washington. Treutlen County merged with Montgomery- Wheeler, account-

Univers ity System of Georgia, Game and Fish, State Parks and !Highway.
As the authorized agency to expend federal funds on forestry programs in the state, the Commission serviced the follo wing agencies '

The film deals with the small watershed program in '3eorgio.
The annual report points to c loser Commission- Ion downer-industry relations, value of intensive training programs and the increased va lue

ing for the t hree c o unty merger.

forestry programs : ASC, Con servo- plac e d on timbe r by all Geo rgians .

6

Personnel Complete CD Refresher Course

Georgia Forestry Commission

ranger personnel recently comple1ed

a two-day course in light duty rescue

train ing and radiological monitoring.

The courses were held at the Com-

mission's ten d i str ict headquarters

locat ed throughout the state. Jock Grantham, deputy director,
State C ivi I Defense, was in charge of course instruction. Wolter D. Chesnut, radiolog i cal defense officer, State CD and Curtis Barnes

Jack Grantham, deputy director, State Civil Defense, /eft of ladder, observes ladder rescue work at light duty rescue tra ining school. This school was held at the Commission's

and Turner Barber, Commission Fourth District office at Newnan, Ga.

regional foresters, ossi sted in the



radiolog ic al monitori ng course.

The radiological

monitoring

course was the first received by

ranger personnel, Grantham said.

The I ight duty rescue tra ining was

a refresher course. This cou r se was

w as first token by Commiss ion per-



sonne l in 1958. The training qualified

personne l to teach s imilar schools

in their county and to ossi st in res-

cue work.

Therodiologicol training involved

the use of the dosimeter, geiger

counter and survey meter. The tro in-

ing was concluded with a f i eld demon-

stration using the survey meter.

The dosimeter reg i sters accumu-

lated indiv i dual dose of radiat ion.

Measurement of low intensities of

beta and gamma radiation on people

and in food and water ore registered

by the geiger counter. The survey

meter is a high range meter for

measuring gamma radiation. Grantham

said that each Comm i ssion county unit has a set of the radiation meosuri ng instruments.
In the refresher courses, the rangers studied rescue first oi d,

Commission personnel rece i ve their first instruction on the use of radiation measuring instruments. Curtis Barnes, Commission regional foresterconducts this class and demonstration, below, at the Third District office near Ameri-
cus.

co suo lty hand I ing, stretcher Iash ing

and handling, casualty search, core

and use of ladders, knot tie ing,



building damage and depreciation and basic fire fighting.

The instruction was arranged by

J. C. Turner, Jr., assistant director

of the Commission and State CD

authorities with the cooperation of

the district foresters.

The survey meter is used by Commission personnel in a field demonstration to detect gamma radiation.
7

An idea has provided Georgia

Forestry Commission Forest Pro-

tection personnel a way to battle

forest fires in the classroom .

The idea, a Fire Control Simula-

tor, was demonstrated to the Commis-

sion last year by the U. S. Forest

Service. Right away it was hailed

as one of the major breakthroughs for realistic forest fire control train ~

in g.

Commission

Communications

Chief Henry Cannon took the idea

and, with his electronic skill and

the advice of Forest Protection of-

ficials, put together a 'Simulator'

that has proven practical for train-

ing personnel at all levels in the

Forest Protection organization.

The cost of the Commission

Simulator is only a fraction of the

cost of the first model made by the

USFS in California in 1963. Cannon

is now working on improvements

that wi II enable other departments

to apply its use to their needs.

At present, the 'Simulator' is on a district by district schedule. All county unit fire fighting personnel are being given the training in the 'Simulator'. In addition, the training is be in g offered to area wood - using industry personnel, according to Commission Director Ray Shirley.

Forest Protection Chief James
C. Turner, Jr., states that the present
program includes training on initial attack, fire organization and command and control problems. A day's program is limited to a maximum of 10 to 12 men, he added.
Training has been completed in three districts, Rome, Waycross and Statesboro, with 231 men taking part, of whic h57 represented industry. In a special program, more than 100 municipal and volunteer f ire fighters,

Commission Communication's Chief Henry Cannon, father of the Comm ission' s Fire Co ntrol Simulator,adjusts image reversing mirrors in the control booth.

8

Operations Chart

From this point in the control booth 1 the problem contro llers operate the fire projector1 left1 and the fire line projector.

from throughout Georgia1 were given
a demonstration of the 'Simulator'

at a State Fire Institute Zone School.

The Fire Control Simulator is

made up of three parts 1 the control booth 1 trainees area and screen. From the control booth 1 landscape/ fire1 smoke and fire breaks are projected. In addition 1 the sound of fire and vari ous types of equipment1 including aircraft1 ore amplified with a stereo effect. The problem

controllers1 or role players1 who play the part of various personnel

called upon by the trainees1 handle the audio and video. The control
booth measures 7 }2 . x 10 feet. The screen is 8 x 12 feet.

The 1rainees operate from tables

located in front of the booth and screen . At the beginning of a problem1 the trainees ore gi ve n data

In this section of the control booth1 the sound effects are operated by a problem controller.

they normally have1 such as weather which includes wind conditions.

The fire is then unfolded on the

screen and reported to them. Now1 it is their job to suppress th e blaze

utilizing the telephone and radio

communicat ions in moving ground

and air personnel and equipment

from one location to another.

While the trainees voice their

I

suppression actions1 the problem

contro llers increase or lessen the

movement of the fire and change the

volume and drift of the smoke in

accordance with fuel and weather

conditions. Following each problem

a critique is made. Through the prob-

lem analysi s1 errors are corrected and improved techniques are formu-

lated.

Sh ir ley emphasized that through
this program personnel will become more efficient1 resulting in lower acreage loss.

The trainees are in full view of t he projected fire. Throug h communications with the problem controllers1 they fight the blaze with available pers onnel and equipment.

9

Research ouncil Adds Administrative Assistant

C. Frank Robertson, a native of Thomson, has joined the staff of the Georgia Forest Research Council as an administrative assistant to H. E. ~uark, Council director.
Ruark said Robertson will work clos ely wi th research personnel affi liated wi th organizations that cooperate with the Research Council in scienti fic programs. In addition, he w iII be in charge of budgeting and publications.
Robertson, a forestry graduate of the Uni vers ity of Georgia, is

working on his master of science degree in forestry at the University. His master's work is dealing with tree improvement and physiology. He also has ten years experience in printing.
At the University Robertson was a member of Blue Key and other honorary societies and fra ternal organizat ions , including Xi Sigma Pi of which he was pres ident. Robertson's last two years at the University were attended on a two year St. Regis Paper Co. scholarship.

C. Frank Robertson

E Y COMMISSION PERSONNEL


OMOTIONS

sistant Forest Protection Chief and State Safety Officer at the Macon headquarters .
Butt s will work with ind ustry and manufacturers on their marketing problems . Other work will in clude conducting training programs for Commission personnel in wood utilization.

Billy P. Miles
Two promotions have been put into effect in the Georgi a Forestry Commission Forest Management and Forest Protection Divisions, announces Commission Director Ray Shirley.
Paul Butts, an assistant Fifth District management forester at McRae, has assumed the duties of Utilization and Marketing Specialist at the Macon office.
Billy Miles, an assistant Eighth District forest protection forester at Waycross, was promoted to As-

Paul M. Butts

Miles will assist in the development of forest protection training programs and in the general supervision of forest protecti on programs. He will also handle accident and injury reports.
Butts, a native of Oglethorpe County, came with the Commission in 1959 as a management forester at McRae. Prior to coming with the Commission he worked with the Florida Forest Service. Part of hi s military serv ice duty included work with the Post Forester at Camp Rucker, Ala.
Miles, a native of Metter, Ga. , came to the Commission in 1959 as an assistant ranger in the Coffee Atkinson County Unit. He was pro moted to assistant management forester at Waycross 1n 1960. In 1961 he was moved to assistant district forester in Fire Control.
Prior to employment with the Commission he had done summer work with the U. S. Forest Service in Oregon and North Georgia. In Oregon he worked in fire protec tion and in North Georgia with management.
Both men are graduates of the University of Georgia School of Forestry and are members of the Society of American Foresters.

10

A

f he Year

Georgia Forestry Commission Di rector Ray Shirley, r ight, is the recipient of the State Soil and Water Conservation District's Man of the Year Award.
The award was presented by Jim L. Gillis, Jr., chairman, State Soi I and Water Conservation Distri cts.
In making the presentation, Gillis lauded Shirley for his outstanding service to Soil and Water Conservation Distri cts through various cooperati ve programs. In accepting the award, Shirley praised Commission personnel for their outstanding service and their dedication to a better forestry program in Georgia.
A s

Photo by Soil Conservation Service
HE QUAR

Coweta County is caught in the timber boom that has

A man wi th a unit , but no fire suppress ion or detec-

t a ken over the state. Coweta County Ranger Boyd Ale x-

tion equipment. This was the plight of Ed ward L . Wrigh t

ander says that the Soil Ban k Program put the final label

when he became Forsyth County ranger in 1955 .

on the county as a t imber producer.

Three months after the unit came under protection

Dur ing this program, more than one million trees

equip ment did arr iv e. However, it was a full year before

wer e planted an nually fo r a period of three years. Th is

the county had a fire tower. During this period fires

was a major factor in br inging the county's forest acre-

we re spotted from Sawnee Mountain through constant

age fr om 169, 000 t o 215,000 acres. Th i s is 79 percent of the county's land area.

patrol work and the help of towermen in adjacent coun t ies.

Through this increase

From its beginning in the coLnty barn to its presen t

in forest a creage, Alexan -

location on Ga. 20, some two miles west of Cumming,

der has been better able

the unit, under Wr ight , has dropped the annual acreage

to promote his fire preven-

burned more t ha n 400 percent. The unit is locat ed on a

tion and management pro-

site donated by Dr. Marcus Mashburn .

grams. Before he began en couraging weed tree con-

Wright re ports that the landowners have played a

O

trol, the county did not have

vi tal rol e in the acreage

a sir.gle tree form. By in-

reduction. They report wild.

c Iud iolg weed tree contra I

fires, stay in the vicinity

in the manag ement prog ram

of the blaze a nd lead unit

there ore now 15 lando wner s classified as tree farm ers

Boyd Alexander

personnel to the fire and even attempt to put the

in the county . Their com bined acreage is more than

fire out unti I uni t personn el

10,000 acres.

arri ve. Wright adds that the

With the increase in timber va lue, there has been an

un it rece iv es excellent co-

appreciable decrease in the num ber of fires and acreage burned. In the mid-fifties it was not uncommon for un it

operation from local fire department s and other go v-

Edward L. Wright

personnel to fight more than 300 fires and lose some

ernment ag en cies in fire suppression and pub Iic con-

1,500 acres annually. Now, the average is 68 fires and

tacts.

less th an 500 acres annuall y.

Wright utilizes all available news media and work s



To community pride and a s mall t urnover of person n el

with 4-H, FFA, scouts , garden c lubs and other organi-

goes much of th e credit for the exce llent fi re rec;:,rd .

zations in promot ing Commission programs . The promo-

Alexander , for the post ten year s , has run a weekly

t ional programs were especially successful in the carry-

rod io prog ram. T hrough this program, improved commu -

ing out of the Co mmi ssion ' s beetle control program.

nications and equipment and trained personnel, Alex-

Wright po int s out that the program increased the aware-

onder ha s provi ded Coweta Co untians with needed for-

ness of insect and disease attack on timber. Landowners

estry services.

have since kept a closer tab on their wood lands.

Alexander also assists youth groups. He works with

In 1961 North Fulton was c ombined with Forsyth

the 4-H grou p on a 12-acre demon st rat ion plot. On th i s area are planting, harvesting and vari ous other manage-

County giving the unit 159,500 forest acres. Of this total , 5,200 acres are federal lands . Also in this area is

ment practices plot s. Other unit personn el wi th 36 years of combined service

a portion of the Coosa Ri ver Watershed, 421 acres. In addition to Wright , other unit personnel are J~mes

are Joe Hunter and Oliver Strickland, patrolmen; Charley

Smith, tractor operator; James Cooper and Herbert Coth-

Garner, assistant patro lman, John T. Boynton and John

ran, patrolmen; and Eugene Bennett and Frank Wood,

Kelly, towerman.

towermen. 11

City And County Fire Fighters

A Georgia Forestry Commiss ion conducted Fire Control School was recently held at the Peachtree DeKalb Airport. W. Neal ~adcl iff, State Fire Institute Head, arranged the program.
The DeKalb County Fire Department, under Chief Dudley P . Martin, was host for the one day zone school. Chief Martin said that more than 100 municipal and volunteer fire fighters from throughoutGeorgia participated in the school. This is the first time forest fire training has been presented city and county personnel.
Commission Assistant Director and Fire Protection Chief James C. Turner, Jr. and the DeKalb County Fire Department Training Officer Captain Larry W. Smith coordinated the training schedule. Highlights of the program included a demonstration of the Commission's aerial tanker and Forest Fire Control Simulator. These demonstrations were under Turner and Commission Regional Forester Curtis Barnes, both of Macon.
Other training and instructors were Effects of Weather on Forest Fire Behavior, Turner; Effects of Typography and Fuel on Forest Fire Behavior, Jimmy McElhannon, assistant ninth district forester, Forest Protection, Gainesville; and Forest Fire Suppression, Billy Miles, assistant chief Forest Protection, Macon.
Capabilities and Uses of Fire ~etardants in Forest Fire Control, R. W. Johansen, research forester, U. S. Forest Service, Macon and Demonstration of Forest Fire Suppression Equipment, AI Smith, Fourth District forester, Newnan , completed the schedule.
Radcliff stated that this is the first time fire fighters have been assembled for training from all over the state. Heretofore , train ing has been confin e d to zone s of no t more than a 50- mi le radius .

Attend School
An eye open ing dis play is g iven by Commiss ion aerial tanker.
Comm is s ion Fire svppre ss ion eqv ipment is demonstrated for the city and covn ty fire fi gh t ers:

Th e munic ipal and vol vnteer fire fighters were made a ware o f the many training poss ib il it ies th rovgh the demon stration o f th e Comm is sion ' s Fire control s imvlator .
12

Cradle Of American Forestry Exploited

The Cradle of Forestry in Amer-

ica had its official beginning Octo-

ber 20, 1964 when Assistant Sec-

retary of Agriculture John Baker

laid the cornerstone for th e first

building .

The building, a Visitor Cen

ter, is expected to be in operation ,

by th is summer . Into the corner-

stone went a conservation capsule



with messag e s from Pre side nt Lyn-

don Jo hnson , Agr ic u lture Secretary

Orv i lle Freeman and U. S. Forest

Service Chief Edward P. Cliff and

other forestry and conservation

leaders. The capsule may be opened

in 2064.

Other plans for the C radle in-

clude exhibits , other int erpret ive

features and a demonst rati on for

est to show v isitors the devel op

ment of forestry in Amer ic a .

Reg ional Forester J . K. Vessey ,

master of ceremonies , sai d th e be-

ginning of work on the Cradle pro-

ject "may be the start of th e bu ild -

ing of a great outdoor cath edr a l,

Edward P. Cliff, chief, U. S. Forest Service, delivering speech at the Cradle of Forestry in America Visitor Information Center cornerstone laying ceremony. Photo by USFS

John A. B aker, assistant secretary of Agriculture and Edward P. Cliff, c h ief, U. S. F orest Service, lay cornerstone at Cradle of F ore stry in Ame ric a V i sitor Center located in Pisgah Nation al Forest, N. C. Ph ot o b y U. S. Forest Service.

a mecca for foresters and a memorial to the pioneers of American forestry. "
The cornerstone ceremony was part of the program of the joint annual meeting of the American Forestry Association and the North Carolina Forestry Association.
The Cradle of Forestry is located in the Pink Beds 30 miles southwest of Asheville, N. C. The Visitor Center is located on U. S. 276, three miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Wagon ~oad Gap. It was here that forestry was first practiced and taught some 75 years ago.
In 1889, George Vanderbi It bought land and hired one of America's first foresters, Gifford P inchot, to manage his woodlands. In 1895, Dr. Carl A. Schenck succeeded Pinchot as manager of the Biltmore forest properties. He intensified forest operations and launched the first school of forestry in this country three years later.
13

LETTERS
Mr . J.D. Beauchamp Dodge County Forestry Un it Eastman , Georg ia
Dear Mr. Beauchamp :
Jul ia has s ent me pictures of our new tree far m signs plus the clipping from the Ti me s -Jou rnal about ou r be ing the 37th Tree For me r in Dodge County.
I want to thank you more than you' II ever know for having done what you did for us. I know that things of this nature mu st require extens ive research an d war k on yo ur pa rt.
Yo u have he lped two young peop le turn 55 acres of scrub oak and p in e s ap ling s int o a proj ect that we live fo r and love.
I wa nt to thank you agai n, Mr. Bea uc hamp.
Since rel y , S PS Joe M. Roberts Hq. MACV (MACIO-C) ( P IO)
A PO 143 San Franc isco
.~r . F rank Craven, Chief Informat ion end Education Georgia F ore s try Commission Macon, Georgia
Dear Mr. Craven:
Thank you for sendi ng the film on the Southern Pine Beetle epidemic.
It wi ll be helpful to u s on the tr aining progra m in Honduras for a severe epi d emic o f the s o me beetle wh i ch thre a t ens the important pine forests of that country.
I appreciate your cooperation in making the fi lm avai l able for this project.
Sincerely,
Gordon D. F o x Associ ate Deputy Chief U. S. Forest Service
Mrs. Ruth Dixon Bibb County Forestry Unit Macon , Georgia
Dear Mrs. Di x on :
I would just l ike to e x press my personal appreciat ion for your effort in our behalf during 1964. Your contribution to WMAZ in t h e old y ear was ve ry much appreciated . We're already into 1965 and with the announced exp ans ion plans for WMA Z -TV and WMAZ AM-FM, we're loo king for word to a great year. We are glad to hove you on the team to make it as s uccessful as 1964.
Than ks ag a in for your dedica t ed servi ce .
Sincerely,
Jimmie Lee Director of Operations WMAZ Rad io
14

Old Tower

Hoboken Youth

AForestry Landmark Attains National

The grow ing timber of Worth County can well be attributed to the efforts of S. 0. Spooner of Warwick, Ga.
Spooner, in 1951, spearheaded
a move to bri ng organized forest fire protection to Worth County . With a fe w supporters and the bulk of the Worth Cou ntia n s again s t him, Spooner set about on a doo r-to-door campa ign. The campaign proved successful as the landowners and Spooner' s committee persuaded the county commi ss ioners to give the protection unit a try.
Ac tually Spooner had be en do in g fire suppression work on his own. He constructed a fire tower on to p of a two story barn and bough t a truck an d tractor wh ich he operated himself.

Recognition
Robert Page

I
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S. 0. Spooner looks bac k on old
fire detection era.
From the home-m ade wood en , t in-covered tower, one-third of Worth, the western part of T urner, southern Crisp, northea st Dougherty and the eastern section of lee co uld be scanned for wi ld fires.
Spooner was a district winner in the annual Cons e rvation Award program last year. He is a leading naval store s producer and timberland own er. Associated with him is his son, S. 0. Spooner, Jr.
Spoo ner i s a charter member of the Worth County Fores try Boa rd and a director of the Am eric an Turpenti e Farmers Associ ation.

National Future Farmers of America Vice-President Robert Page of Hoboken was rec ently given a Day by Brantley Count ians.
T he Day, proclaimed by Gove rnor Carl Sanders, was in hon or of his selection at the nat ional con vention 1n Kansas C ity. Governor Sanders , in hi s proclamation, stated "the splendid record and accom pI i s hme nt s of this yo ung man have brou ght national publi city to thi s commu n ity ; therefore he de s e rve s the recogn it ion a nd accl aim of his fellow Georgians."
Approximately 500 people from acro s s the state attended the event. The featured speaker was Walter Harri son, manag e r, Georgia Elec tric Members hip Corp. He urge d all farmers to meet the cha llenging demands of the modern day world through good conservation practices.
With Page's election , the so uth east district becomes the on ly Georgia district to have two national officers. Jim Thomas of Pat terson wa s National Pre ident five years ago.
Page will now go on a tour of the United States wi th the other FFA offi cers.
Page owns 52 acres of forest land . His fores try project began during his senior yea r in h igh school wi th 29 acres. His forestry work ha s be en largel y managemen t. He constructed fire breaks, pract iced hard wood control and did some precommercia l thi nn ing .

Logging~ the foresters ...

NEW RESEARCH UNIT ... Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freemon has announced th at Fire Physi cist George M. Byram will head a new P ioneering Research Unit to study fire energy systems at the Southern Forest Fire Lab oratory near Macon, Ga . This is the first U. S. Forest Servi ce Pioneer ing Research Uni t to be established in the South. Byrom wi II be leading a program in the fundamentals of combust ion and the relat ionsh ip s between fire spread, convection columns and ot mospher ic dynami cs.

1
i
I

RETIREMENT ... A former assistant state forester with the Georg ia Forest Service has ret ir ed. Lou i siana Assistant Forest Management Chief Dove Story became Distri ct Forester at Albany in 1931. Seven years later he was transferred to the Atlanta office as ass istant State F orester. He served as act in g State Forester on two occasions.

The fire tower portion o f the Bras s town Bald In formation Center is completed. When the Center is completed, the more than 100,000 e x pected annval v is itors will be able to see conservation movies and slides, exhibits and the interior o f the fire to we r cab on low fire danger days. USFS Photo.

DEMONSTRATION ... Wood seasoning specialists at the U. S. Forest Produ c ts Laboratory wi II conduct their lOth Ki ln Dry ing Demons t ration at Madison, Wise. Mar. 29-Ap r. 9. The session w i II in clude up-to-date research results, advanced technology of dry kiln ope rat ions , and the do llars and cents aspe cts of dry ing a nd ma rk et ing economi cs , according
to FPL Director Edward G. Locke.

Fov r prom ot ions were annovnced recently in the Savannah Woodlands Division of Uni on Bag- Camp Paper Corp. by the Division's Manager B. E. Allen . C. R. (Dick) Mordecai, Jr., center, was named General Svperintendent of the Wood Pro cvrement Department. He svcceeds the late Arthvr Jeffords. Other s ore, 1-r, R . E. L e e , Ill , A ssistant Svperintendent of Wood Procvrement; E. A. ( AI ) Davenport , Jr., District Representative, Conservation ; and J . D. R y der, Jr., A ssistant Svperintendent of the Land Department

APPOINTMENTS .. .Go vernor Carl E. Sanders has appo inted Hugh M. Dixo n, a prom inent lumberma n a nd busin ess lea d e r, o f Vidal ia , a s a member of the

Southeastern and Southern states for mutual assistanc e in the control of forest fires and problems relating thereto." ... Robert W. Neelands . ha s

"

Advi s ory Comm ittee, South e astern been appointed audio-visual special-

J eff Davis- T elfai r County Ranger State s Forest F ire Co mpact C ommi s- ist in the Atlanta Regional Office ,

W. F . McArthvr e rects one of the

s ion . In making the appo int men t, announced the U. S. Forest Service.

Georgia Forestry Co mmi s sion's fo r- Govern or Sanders sa id " This i s a Ne e la nds f ills th e position left va-

e st conservation signs on U.S. 4 4 1,

very im portant Forest Fire C o mp ac t cant by the retirement of photographer

fiv e miles so vth of McRae.

that is in oper at ion between t e n Don Todd .

15

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