Georgia forestry, Vol. 28, no. 4 (Dec. 1975)

Georgia Forestry

Dec. 1975 No.4 Vol. 28
George Busbee Governor A. Ray Shirley Director

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

L. H. Morgan, chairman
W. George Beasley Felton Denney Eley C. Frazer, Ill H. E. Williams

Eastman
Lavonia Carrollton Albany Woodbine

sTAFF.
Frank E. Craven Editor Thomas R. Fontaine, Jr. Assoc. Editor Thomas B. Hall Artist
DISTRICT OFFICES GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION
COOSA VALLEY DISTRICT
z. P. 0. Box Mount Berry 30149
NORTH GEORGIA DISTRICT Route 5, Box 83, Canton 30114
ATLANTA DISTRICT 7 Hunter St., S.W., Room 545, Atlanta 30334
CHATTAHOOCHEE FLINT P. 0. Box 1080, Newnan 30263
MCINTOSH TRAIL Route 7. Box 455, Griffin 30223
LOWER CHATTAHOOCHEE DISTRICT 6250 Warm Springs Road, Columbus 31904
MIDDLE FLINT DISTRICT P. 0. Box 1369, Americus 31730
COASTAL PLAIN DISTRICT Route 2, Ashburn 31714
SOUTHWEST GEORGIA DISTRICT Route 2, Box 215, Camilla 31730
GEORGIA SOUTHERN DISTRICT Route 2, Statesboro 30458
COASTAL DISTRICT P. 0. Box 113, Midway 31320
SLASH PINE DISTRICT Route 2, Box 127B, Waycross 31501
CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER DISTRICT Route 2, Box 266, Washington 30673
GEORGIA MOUNTAINS P. 0. Box 293, Oakwood 30566
NORTHEAST GEORGIA DISTRICT 650 College Station Road, Athens 30601
HEART OF GEORGIA DISTRICT P. 0. Box 96, McRae 31055
MIDDLE GEORGIA DISTRICT Columbus Road, Route 8, Macon 31206
OCONEE DISTRICT P. 0. Box 881, Milledgeville 31061

Georgia Forestry is published quarterly by the Georgia Forestry CommiSsion, Box 819, Macon, Ga. 31202. The Georgia Forestry mail ing address is Rt. 1, Box 85, Dry Branch, Ga. 31020.
Second class postage paid at Dry Branch, Ga.

CONTENTS
National Dedication Held For Rock Eagle Forest.......................................................3 Slash Pine Seed Production Efficiency Being Studied..............................................4-5 Foresters Turn Legendary Land Into Multiple Use Forest Management Area ..........6-7 Old "Smokey" Leaves Footprints For New "Smokey" To Follow..........................B-9 Forestry Faces And Places...................................................................................10-11 Cosmonauts Receive Superior Tree Seeds............................................................12-13 Logging The Foresters........................................ ................................................. 14-15
Cruising
The News
Georgia's Forestry Program
Enioys Fifty nGreat years"
The pioneers are gone but memories of the"primeval forest" of stately Southern pines which covered large sections of Georgia still linger.
What's more, much of the denuding of the landscape has been erased during the 50-year period since Georgia leaders decided something had to be done to replace what had been cut over.
Colquitt County, for instance, had been a true land of pines and wiregrass-a vertiable gold mine of naval stores and timber.
Came the turpentiners, then the sawmillers, and between the early 1890s and the end of the first decade of the 1900s what had been virgin timber was nothing but an open gap, filled with pine stumps.
What happened here also occurred in a number of other sections of Georgia, ranging from pines to the hardwoods. The forests were being wiped out, with no signs of replacement for future generations.
Then came 1925 and a historic decision. A State Department of Forestry was created, which eventually became the Georgia Forestry Commission. The first funds were received under the Clarke-McNary Act in 1926 and soon 980,000 forest acres were brought under protection.
In rapid succession, forestry education made its advent, seedling production was initiated, the Herty laboratory was put into operation, fire protection units were organized and equipment pur chased, firebreaks were run, and state foresters were strategically located to help tree farmers.
Today the Georgia Forestry Commission supervises a highly organized, professionally trained group of units in cooperation with nearly 159 counties. They have brought under protection more than 27 million acres of forested lands and destruction of forests by fire has dropped to less than a half of one percent.
Georgia has become the nation's leader in acreage under organized fire protection, in provid ing assistance to landowners, in naval stores production (82 percent of the nation's supply), in pulpwood production, and also rates as the largest lumber producing area east of the Mississippi River.
Georgia has planned and done well in its forestry program in the first half-century of the Georgia Forestry Commission and its statewide operations. We, in Colquitt County, have felt the impact of it since the 1940s, and we have greatly benefitted from it.
Just look around at the fine stands of timber and consider the dollars flowing into forest owners' pockets and trade channels from naval stores, lumber and pulpwood operations. We, like other Georgians, owe a debt of gratitude to those who first conceived, initiated and developed the statewide forestry program.
(From the Moultrie Observer)

TREE FARM DAY
National Dedication Held

For Rock Eagle Forest

Undersecretary of Agriculture Phil Campbell delivers the principal address at the first national 4-H Tree Farm dedication ceremonies, Rock Eagle 4-H Center, Eatonton.
The Rock Eagle Forest was recently certified for acceptance into the Ameri can Tree Farm System in ceremonies celebrating National 4-H Tree Farm Day .
The national dedication, kicking off the country's first Tree Farm Day, was held at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center near Eatonton. The Georgia Forestry Association, Ben Meadows, president, hosted the national celebration . The Association sponsors the Tree Farm Program in Georgia.
In addition to the national dedication in Georgia, state and county tree farm dedications of property owned by 4-H camps and members were held throughout the United States.
Sponsored jointly by the American Forest Institute, which administers the Tree Farm Program, and the Forestry Extension Service, the National 4-H Tree Farm Day has been organized to recognize the practice of sound forest management on privately owned timberlands.
Under Secretary of Agriculture Phil Campbell, Washington , D. C. noted that Georgia is the nation's leader in tree farm acreage with more than 8.1 million acres. Campbell, keynoting the Georgia dedication, added that the acreage involves approximately 2,000 tree farms.
AI Gregory, chairman of the Georgia Tree Farm Committee, Savannah, pre-

sen ted a certificate, designating the Rock Eagle Forest a Tree Farm, to Dr. Charles P. Ellington, Director, Cooperative Extension Service, Athens. Gregory said the forest is managed for the production of timber, wildIife and recreation and for the protection of soil and water resources. It serves as a demonstration forest and training area for 4-H Club members and other youth and adult groups.
The forest, consisting of 970 acres, is an integral part of the 1,452 acres comprising the Rock Eagle 4-H Center.
For purposes of management, the forest is divided into six compartments, each consisting of several subcompartments, delineated according to timber type , age, stocking and management objectives. Although some areas are managed primarily for scenic, wildlife and recreational purposes, most of the land is devoted to the production of timber crops. Pulpwood and sawtimber are the major products harvested.
In addition to timber harvesting, other management practices include tree

planting, direct seeding, timber stand improvement and prescribed burning. All of the open land has been planted with tree seedlings. Many of the trees are genetically improved loblolly pine. An intensive prescribed burning program in the pine types is part of the forest management plan. Prescribed burning serves to minimize the danger of wildfire, aid in seedbed preparation for natural regeneration, the control of undesirable hardwood species and the enhancement of wildlife habitat.
The volume of standing timber has more than doubled since the forest has been placed under management. The income derived from timber sales has been used for the maintenance of the Rock Eagle 4-H Center, including the Rock Eagle Forest.
Landowners interested in having their woodlands inspected for Tree Farm certification should contact AI Gregory, chairman, Georgia Tree Farm Committee, Continental Can Co., Inc., P. 0. Box 8969, Savannah, Ga. 31402.

Tree Farm leaders participating in the Rock Eagle Forest dedication were, 1-r, Dr.

Richard L Marks, extension forester, Extension Service, USDA, Washington, D.C.;

Ben Meadows, president, Georgia Forestry Association, Atlanta; Rich Lewis, mana-

ger, American Tree Farm System, AFI, Washington, D.C.; Randy Middlebrooks, 4-H

tree farmer, Monroe; and Fred C. Gragg, administrator, related company programs,

International Paper Company, New York, N. Y.

3

In 1954 a tree improvement

program was started in Georgia.

The first fruits of the program

were realized in 1964 with the

production of the first genetically

improved loblolly and slash pine tree seedlings.
Further advances were made in

Slash Pine

1969 and 1975 with green and

blue tag certification. In 1969 the

tree seed processing facilities at

Seed Production Efficiency Georgia Forestry Center, Macon,
and 298.8 acres of seed orchard

were given green tag certification

by the Georgia Crop Improvement

Association. In 1975 the slash

pine orchard at Davisboro was approved for blue tag certification by the G.C.I.A.

Being Studied

The U. S. Forest Service and

the Georgia Forestry Commission

are cooperating in a slash pine seed

production efficiency study to in-

crease seed yields in the Forestry

Commission seed orchards through

the lessening of seed losses. The

study, being conducted at Horse-

shoe Bend Seed Orchard, will de-

termine the volume of conelets produced and the reasons for low seed yield and germination.
The seed yield in slash pine seed orchards has been extremely low over the past two years. It is estimated that approximately 90 percent of the potential seed crop

ate the seed yield per cone; and (6) identify causes of seed losses in developing cones.
The field data will give complete cone development records for a period of two years. The data derived from the sample trees may then be used to estimate flower

was lost prior to seed maturity in production and mortality for the

the orchard. Therefore, it was imperative that immediate action be taken to alleviate the situation.
For the tree improvement program to continue to be effective, those factors contributing to the seed losses must be isolated, identified and quantified.

two general areas of the orchard, sprayed and unsprayed.
Georgia Forestry Commission entomologists John Godbee and Terry Price tagged the conelets on the sample trees, and are responsible for the collection of field data.
When the cones mature in Sep-

David L. Bramlett, research tember 1976, they will be harvest-

plant physiologist, USFS, Macon, ed, and randomly selected cones

said the objective of the study is will be analyzed.

to (1) estimate the annual flower

Statisticians with the Southeast-

production of the seed orchard; ern Forest Experiment Station,

(2) determine the percentage of Asheville, N. C., will assist in the

flowers that develop into mature analysis of the results. A report

cones; (3) identify the causes of will be prepared to evaluate the

conelet and cone mortality; (4) overall seed production, and to

identify the time periods of cone- compare seed losses in sprayed and At maturity, the cones will be harvested,

4 let and cone mortality; (5) evalu- unsprayed areas.

and randomly selected cones analyzed.

The number of flowers killed or damaged, by insects, was recorded for each sample tree at the beginning of the study.

Branch tips, with female flowers, are tagged and numbered. The selected branches are distributed throughout the flower production area.

At intervals, the flowers, conelets or

cones on the sample branches are count-

ed. At the same time, dead flowers are

collected, and, if possible, the cause of

mortality is listed.

5

Foresters Turn Legendary Land Into Multiple Use Forest Management Area

The University of Georgia is turning part of the legendary land of Uncle Remus and his friends into a multiple-use forest management area for teaching, research and public recreation.
The 12,000-acre Bishop F. Grant Memorial Forest near Eatonton, once a vast cotton plantation, is becoming one of the largest and most diversified forest and wildlife habitats in the Southern Piedmont under the guidance of a natural resources master plan being formulated by the university's School of Forest Resources.
The forest is like a land that time forgot, dotted with ruins of antebellum homesteads, sylvan ponds and ancient stands of oak and hickory indigenous to the Georgia upland before the white man came.
Shortleaf and loblolly pine covers miles of former cotton fields, abandoned years ago in a losing struggle with the boll weevil. Crumbling old family cemeteries dating back to the early 19th Century attest to the constant struggle between the settlers and the wilderness around them.
Forest managers here are trying to re establish openings throughout the area by sowing a variety of wildlife food

The 12,000 acre Bishop F. Grant Memorial Forest is becoming one of the largest and most diversified in the Southern Piedmont.
plants in an effort to attract a diversity of wildlife species. Abie A. Harris, Jr., the forest resource manager, has proposed a reserved area of natural beauty, with a hiking and horseback trail system, along lower Indian Creek, and debris is being cleaned from the main stream of lower Indian Creek to provide more than 10 miles of scenic wilderness canoeing.

By Robert Gair University of Georgia News Service
A variety of wildlife food plants are being established in an effort to attract a diversity of wildlife species.

University of Georgia scientists are

conducting several projects in the forest.

A radio telemetry study of wild turkeys

wi ll provide information on the behavior

of birds recently introduced on the area,

and opossums, deer and other wildlife

are also being studied. Several stands of

overmature pines have been set aside as

a permanent, protected haven for a

small colony of surviving red-cockaded

woodpeckers.

In addition, the university's Central

Georgia Branch Experiment Station is

conducting experiments at a farm in the

forest area.



"We also permit some timbering in

t he area," said Harris. "This gives us the

opportunity to test the effects of regu-

On occasion, horses are used to pull logs out of the woods.

lar commercial logging on compaction

"With time and money," said Harris,

of the soil and the reforestation growth "this will be as fine a research and teach-

rate. These problems have been worked ing facility as can be found anywhere."

out in the coastal plains but not in the Piedmont." In addition to commercial machine logging, horses are sometimes

And that's not all. With a little luck, folks strolling through these woods might even hear old Brer Rabbit pranc-

Photos by University of Georgia News Service.

still used to pull logs out of the woods, in' round, poken his nose inter some

Harris added.

new mischief, chicklin, Iaffin and cut-

Another area of research in the forest ting up fitter kill.

is the Southeastern Piedmont's first

scientific watershed project, which will

be used to measure the effects of various

management practices, such as clear-

cutting, on Piedmont water resources.

Hunters in the B. F. Grant Forest

can find such popular game animals as

the whitetail deer, quail, squirrel, dove,

and even a "Brer Rabbit" or two. Prac-

tically every non-game animal native to

the Piedmont is in the forest - opossum,

raccoon, bobcat, red and gray fox,

beaver, skink, muskrat and otter.

A variety of birds, many rarely seen

in Georgia, inhabit the forest. They in-

clude Great Horned Owls, four varieties

of hawk and seven varieties of wood-

pecker. Bobolinks, buntings, goldfinches,

.and tanagers make the forest a seasonal

sanctuary in high numbers. "The forest,"

said Harris, "is a bird watchers' para-

' dise."

The forest has few facilities or roads

but is open to the public year around The forest is dotted with ancient stands

with certain restrictions. It can be reach- of oak and hickory that were natural to Debris is being cleaned from the main

ed from Georgia Route 300 south of the Georgia upland before the white stream of lower Indian Creek to provide

Madison.

man arrived.

for scenic canoeing.

7

CARRYON, LITTLE SMOKEY

A new bear has assumed the active duties of the most famous animal symbol in the nation, Smokey Bear.
The Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, announced that the Smokey Bear at the National Zoological Park in Washington, has retired. He was 25 years old, the equivalent of 70 years in humans and 70 is the mandatory retirement age for Federal employees.
A younger, more active bear of the same kind, with the same orphan background, has taken over Smokey's role as the "living symbol" of the forest fire prevention

campaign. Ceremonies marking the retire-
ment of Smokey and the appointment of his successor took place at the National Zoo on May 2, 1975. Among those taking part in the ceremony were Under Secretary of Agriculture J. Phil Campbell, Forest Service Chief John R. McGuire, Dr. Theodore Reed, director of th~ National Zoological Park and Michael Costello, representing the Governor of New Mexico. Jackson Weaver, WMALAM radio personality in Washington, D.C., and once the "voice" of Smokey Bear, was master of ceremonies.

In 1950 a bear cub rescued from a forest fire on the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico was brought to the National Zoo in Washington to become the "live" bear behind the symbol. He became one of the Zoo's most popular attractions, receiving over four million visitors annually. A visible, live bear proved useful in helping children remember Smokey's message.
In 1971 a young bear was brought to the Zoo to understudy Smokey's role, and recently, the Executive Committee of the Smokey Bear campaign decided to turn over to him the role of the living Smokey.
The old bear will spend his remaining years in peaceful retirement in his native New Mexico. Old Smokey and his mate Goldie, will live at the Ghost Ranch on the Carson National Forest north of Santa Fe. The State of New Mexico has enacted ofegislation to establish the Smokey Bear Historical State Park at Capitan, the town near the Lincoln National Forest where the original Smokey was found.
The Cooperative Forest Fire Preven-

tion campaign has existed since 1942 to call public attention to the need to prevent careless man-caused wildfires which destroy the nation's forest resources. The campaign is administered by the Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, in cooperation with the Advertising Council, Inc., and its volunteer agency, Foote, Cone and Belding/Honig.
The Smokey Bear of poster fame was created as the campaign's symbol in 1945 and his slogan "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires" has become familiar to a generation of Americans. The Smokey Bear forest fire prevention campaign has received much of the credit for reducing by about half the number of man-caused forest and brushland fires occurring annually.
While it is difficult to fully measure the success of a public service <campaign Smokey's value to the Nation can be documented in several ways. In 1942 there were about 200,000 man-caused fires in the United States. By the early 1970's this figure had dropped to around 100,000 nearly a 50 percent reduction. Before Smokey Bear almost 31,000,000 acres burned annually, an area equal to the State of New York in size. Today the area burned is below five million acres. Smokey is credited with saving the United States over $16 billion in timber that didn't burn, in recreation areas not destroyed, in watersheds not blackened and grazing lands not burned to ash.
Smokey has been embroiled in a controversy involving the use of prescribed fire. The scientific use of fire by prescription by professional natural resource managers, in fact, complements the overall forest fire prevention effort. There is a keen difference between fire in the fireplace and fire in the attic. Smokey's role continues to be that of preventing destructive forest fires caused by man's carelessness.
In recent years there have been indications that Smokey and his friends are

going to work much harder. Statistics indicate that man-caused forest fires are beginning to increase again . During the last decade the number of fires have increased from a low point of 74,000 in one year to over 11 0,000.
The Smokey Bear Campaign can reverse this trend, but to do so will require reaching an expanded audience with the message of forest fire prevention . Special emphasis will be needed to enlist the support of teenagers and young adults in Smokey Bear's continuing program.
As more people journey to the wildlands for a variety of needs and desires, the risk of fire will continue to grow. If the many values of our forests are to be protected from forest fires caused by man's carelessness , then Smokey will continue to need your help -as Smokey says: "REMEMBER - you ~prevent forest fires."
Photos by U. S. Forest Service.

9

~There are 332,200 commercial forest acres in Charlton County. This represents 65 percent of the land area .
Approximately 52.5 percent of the commercial forest acreage is privately owned. Industry owned forest acres comprise 45.9 percent.
The forest acreage has a growing volume of 248 million cubic feet. The annual cut is 22.4 million cubic feet, and the annual growth is 16.8 mill ion cubic feet.
There are approximately 49,300 acres in need of site preparation and/or planting in Charlton County. About 48.9 percent of the acreage is in oak-hickory.

There were 107,805 cords of round pulpwood produced in the county in 1973. The highest production, 144,360, cords, occurred in 1955. Since 1946 production has totaled 2,341,893 cords of round pulpwood. There have been nine years in which production exceeded 100,000 cords.
There are approximately 22 woodusing industries in Charlton County employing 112 persons with an annual payroll of more than $700,000. The products produced by the industries include air and kiln dried lumber, pulpwood, chips, untreated posts and furniture squares. ~Stephen Sandfort, right, forester, Georgia Forestry Commission, Fayetteville, was named recipient of the national Outstanding Public Service in Forest Fire Prevention Award .
The award, given by the National Association of State Foresters, the Advertising Council and the U. S. Forest Service, was presented to Sandfort during the Savannah meeting of the Georgia Chapter, Society of American Foresters. Amel Landgraf, assistant director, Division of Environmental Protection and Improvement, Region 8, U. S. Forest Service, Atlanta made the presentation.

Forestry Faces
Sandfort was recognized for his outstanding forest fire prevention program being conducted in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area utilizing area news media, talks to groups, showing films, participating in ecology workshops and giving shade tree advice.

~Harry Guyton Deloach, left, past

director, Georgia Forestry Commission,

has been installed in the Georgia Fores-

ters Hall of Fame by the Georgia Chap-

ter, Society of American Foresters. Pre-

senting a plaque commemorating the in-

stallation is E. A. Davenport, Jr., chair-

..... Dr. Earl Belcher, left, direcfor, Eastern Tree Seed Laboratory, Macon, lectures a man of the Chapter's Hall of Fame Com-

group on interpretation of X-ray images at the International Seed Testing Association mittee.

tree seed workshop at Guildford, England . Dr. Belcher is the leader of the Seedling

His induction brings to 20 the num-

Evaluation and Excised Embryo Groups . The Workshop was designed to acquaint tree ber of foresters in the Foresters Hall of

seed workers with existing problems in international seed testing regulations. 10

Fame.

, And Places
Deloach, a timberland owner and far mer in Evans County , was cited for , the outstanding accomplishments recorded by the Forestry Commission du ring his tenure as Director from 1949-1960.

-

....Melanie Eller, 16, Adel, is the 1975 Miss Gum Spirits. She succeeds Miss Darlene Zipperer of Valdosta. Miss Eller is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. D. Eller .

..... Employees of the Georgia Forestry Commission, U. S. Forest Service, Ocmulgee National Monument, Department of Natural Resources and other invited guests helped celebrate Sam Bray Day. Bray, an employee of the Federal General Services Administration retired after 31 yea rs with the agency.
Ray Shirley, right, director, Georgia Forestry Commission, cited Bray's expert and professional assistance in locating federal excess property used in the Commission 's rural and forest fire control program. He said that Bray played an important role in enabling the Commission to maintain and expan<;t its fire fighting capabilities making it one of the foremost organizations of its kind in the United States. Sh irley presented Bray with a plaque as Mrs. Bray looked on.

..... Barbra Flowers, eight, was the top reader in the Smokey Bear Reading Cl ub cosponsored by the Dalton Junior Woman's Club, Dalton Library and the Whitfield County Forestry Unit. Barbra, .October was Volunteer for Georgia Month . Mrs. June Sammons, director , Georgia wh o attends North Dalton School , read Office of Volunteer Service was the guest of Floyd M. Cook, forester, Georgia Fores25 books. Approximately 125 children try Commission, Columbus on his daily TV program . Mrs. Sammons discussed volunpartic ipated in the sun:tmer reading club. teer activities involving the Forestry Commission .
11

It is our forest resources, rooted to the soil, that have contributed so much to make our planet habitable and even space exploration possible. It is upon our forest resources that so much of our future depends.

Cosmonauts Receive Superior Tree Seeds

A special box containi ng superio r tree seeds developed by the Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, was delivered to the American flight crew of the Apollo-Soyuz space misson at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center . The seeds were given by the Astronauts to the Russian Cosmonauts as part of an exchange of gifts in space during the fl ight that began on July 15, 1975.
Th e seeds , and the ir container, are both products of Forest Service research. The seeds are genetically superior white spruce seeds which have been developed by Forest Service scientists to produce faster growing trees of exceptional height and shape. The spruce tree seeds were de vel oped at the Institute of Forest Genetics in Rhinelande r, 12 Wis. , wh ich has a climate similar to that

Mounted on top of the gift box is a white spruce cone casting made from the tree species that produced the seed.

of Moscow in the U.S .S.R. where the seeds will be planted. Enough superior tree seeds to grow an acre are being given the Cosmonauts.
The top half of the box in which the seeds were presented is made from chemically stabilized walnut, a development of Forest Service wood utilization research . The chemically treated wood won't shrink, warp, or rot, and is resistant to bugs, disease and decay .
The bottom half of the container is a composition wood made from 100 percent recycled fiber made from discarded municipal waste. The technique to recycle wood fiber waste material into new products was pioneered by the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wis .
The seeds were presented in Washington, D. C. , to Chester M. Lee, program director of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration by Forest Service Chief John R. McGu ire. He said the seeds were symbols of the development of forest resources which has helped the United States and the Soviet Union to become world leaders.
The Apollo Soyuz Test Project marked the first time that manned spacecraft of two nations have met in space for joint engineering and scientific investigations. During the two days of docked operations, the crews visited each others' spacecraft and performed joint scientific experiments. The transfer of the superior tree seeds occurred during the first visit. The Apollo crew consisted of Comdr. Thomas P. Stafford, Command Module Pilot Vance Brand, and Docking Module Pilot Donald K. Slayton. Comdr. Aleksey Leonov and Flight Engineer Valeriy Kubasov manned the Soyuz spacecrafts.
The special box and special seeds, developed by the Forest Service, are not the only developments in the space age world of wood. Many of the complex systems, that make space travel possible have their roots in the Earth's forests.
Solid rocket propellants, and photographic film used by the astronauts in recording space experiments are made from wood products.
Wood keeps its cool in hot situations. For example, a cover utilizing a wood product, cork, protects the surface of the Apollo command module from heat during its return flight through the Earth's atmosphere.

Another type of wood , balsa, is used for insulation to keep the Saturn V S-11 hydrogen fuel cool. Still another byproduct of trees, rosin-core soldering flux, is used to assure proper bonding of the highly specialized connections on the Saturn V's complex electronic system. One of the nose cone components on missiles is a product from the forests.

It seems appropriate that the treeone of the oldest living th ings on earthplays a vital role in opening new worlds in space.

These parent trees produced the genetically superior white spruce seeds for the space gift. The trees were developed by Forest Service scientists at the Institute of Forest Genetics, Rhinelander, Wise. Rhinelander's climate is similar to Moscow, U.S.S.R. Trees from the seeds will grow quicker, taller and hardier to supply a timber crop for a growing world.
Apollo crew members Vance Brand, Thomas Stafford and Donald K. Slayton are briefed by Glenn Kovar, U. S. Forest Service, before lift-off about the gift of tree seed. 13

LETTERS

ANNIVERSARY
We enjoyed very much your 50th Anniversary Issue. Congratulations!
Ranger Jim Martin Department of Education Little Rock, Arkansas

CAMPERS
We would like to express our deep gratitude to you and your staff for the excellent exhibit and conservation program which were presented to our NCHA'ers during the NCHA National Convention held in Moultrie during July.

We feel that we could not have had the tremendous success the program achieved without the marvelous assistance we received from the office of Mr. Frank Craven, with Chuck Place coordinating the exhibit and program.

We deeply appreciate all those of the Georgia Forestry Commission that manned the exhibits and presented the program. Their friendliness and courtesy to the NCHA'ers made them the most popular of all the display attendants.

We especially appreciate the efforts of Mr. Hugh P. Allen , District Forester and Mr. Paul L. Bledsoe in supervising the installation of the exhibits. Also, Mr. Chuck Place for arranging for the float in the parade.

We feel that our convention has set a precedent in the conservation educational methods of NCHA and that other host states will begin to utilize their State Agencies and Federal Agencies in presenting quality educational programs on conservation, thereby educating NCHA'ers with quality conservation methods which have a practical application to solving many of the nations environmental problems.

Thank you, Mr. Shirley, for maintaining such a staff of qualified Foresters to represent our state in such an outstanding manner.

Tommy & Helen Kirkland Garden City, Georgia

EDUCATION
The Program of Education and Career Exploration Class at Evans Junior High School would like to commend Lynn Hooven for participating in the outdoor program during the week of October 13th.

Our class found the tour of the nature trail and the lecture of his job description particularly interesting and a learning experience.

Eddie Lovett

P.E.C.E. Coordinator

Evans Junior High School

14

Newnan, Georgia

Recently I contacted Forester Steve Sandfort at the Fayetteville Unit located on Highway 85 between Riverdale and Fayetteville, Georgia. I would like for you to know how impressed I was with the courtesy of Mr. Sandfort. He was more than helpful in giving me needed information. He also sent me materials that I could use with my class this fall. Not only did he send me the materials but attached notes of further information, wrote me a letter and drew a diagram of the tower's location.
Needless to say, I don't think too many people in public relation jobs would be as helpful and kind as Mr. Sandfort. I feel that you are very lucky to have such a person on your staff.
Carolyn A . Driver Science Instructor Woodward Academy
ASSISTANCE
want to express to you and your staff my sincere appreciation for the time and effort you spent in making our canoe launch a success. The program would not have been possible without the equipment and manpower that you furnished throughout the many stages of this project.
We are grateful for your extensive cooperation, and hope that we can be of help to you in the future.
W. P. Crawford Su peri ntende nt Ocmulgee National Monument Macon, Georgia
I want you to know how much I appreciate Mr. John Clarke's visit to my home and to my office and his suggestions relative to the trees. He is performing a much needed service, and I commend the Georgia Forestry Commission and him for his usefulness and his courtesy.
Waddell Barnes, M.D. Macon, Georgia
DISPLAY
Rain washed out the SeaboardiL&N Railroad field day this year and prevented the display of eight enlarged urban forestry color photos which you had prepared for this special occasion. The photos are excellent. Your people did a very professional job of enlarging them.
Our Urban Forestry Specialist, Bob Nobles, carried these photos to the meeting of the International Shade Tree Conference in Detroit. They were prominently displayed, and drew many favorable comments.
We appreciate Garland Nelson's help in making arrangements on this end.
Sidney Weitzman Area Director USDA, Forest Service Atlanta, Georgia

Logging The
IN MEMORIAM ... D. Troy Spells, 70, worked with the Georgia Forestry Commission for 36 years. He retired in July 1972. Spells was the Homerville Area ranger at the time of his retirement. When he came with the Forestry Commission in 1936, he was secretary of the Clinch County Consolidated Timber Protection Organization ... LEO DYKES, JR., 53, a patrolman with the Charlton County Forestry Unit, died in a hunting accident. Dykes had worked with the Forestry Commission for more than 12 years.
SCHOLARSHIPS... Robert D. Sumner, Macon, and Stephen F. Worthington, Aragon, have been awarded the ITT Rayonier Foundation Senior Scholarships at the School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Athens. The $600 scholarships were awarded on the basis of academic achievement, leadership and merit. The awards were presented by William F. Miller, Georgia operations superintendent, ITT Rayonier's Southeast Timber Division.
Sharon Ramsey, 17, Hampton, is the first entry for the 1976 Miss Georgia Forestry title. The Henry County forestry queen will compete for the title at the Georgia Forestry Association annual meeting at Jekyll Island, June 1314. Miss Ramsey is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Ramsey, Jr. The current Miss Georgia Forestry is Kathy Register of Swainsboro.

Foresters ...
Service Awards

30 YEARS
J. Pendley Holmes.......... District Ranger Rome, Ga. Sept. 1945
James Reid.................... Forester McRae, Ga. Jan. 1949

20 YEARS
George T. Davis ............. Ranger Jefferson, Ga. Mar. 1955
John R. Harcrow.......... Ranger Hogansville, Ga. May 1955
James I. Lane ............... . Ranger Lumpkin, Ga . July 1955
Ms . Karen V. Mulkey ....Secretary Newnan, Ga. July 1955
Druid N. Preston ...........Chief, Forest Management Macon, Ga. July 1955
25 YEARS

35 YEARS
George E. Bishop.......... Chief, Forest Administration Macon, Ga. July 1944
Frank J. Pullen ............. Forester Talbotton, Ga. Aug. 1940

Crawford V. Bramlett.... Ranger Dalton, Ga. Apr. 1950
Horace G. Collier, Jr ..... Field Supervisor Macon, Ga. July 1950
Floyd M. Cook ..... ......... Forester Columbus, Ga. Apr. 1952
Frank Edwards.... ..........Towerman College Park, Ga. July 1951
Troy E. Floyd ............... Ranger Rome, Ga. Apr. 1950
Chesley Gil more ........... Ranger Oglethorpe, Ga. Jan. 1953
Floyd W. Hubbard, Jr... Forester Rome, Ga. Sept. 1953
James D. Morris .. .......... Patrolman Dublin, Ga. Oct. 1951
Ernest C. Rahn ............. Ranger Springfield, Ga. Oct. 1950

Olin Witherington .... ..... District Forester Americus, Ga. July 1940
RETIREMENTS.. .J . R. SHOEMAKE, towerman, Heard-Troup Unit, May 1959-Aug. 1975.. .ERNEST W. SPAF FORD , towerman , Bacon-Coffee Unit, Dec . 1953-0ct. 1975 . RETI REMENT ...Frank A. Bennett, project leader, U.S. Forest Service's re search project on the culture of slash pine for timber and naval stores has re tired after 29 years of federal service. Bennett's research of slash pine growth greatly influenced silviculture of that species . MEETINGS...SOUTHERN Forest lnsti tute, Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 23-24 . LEFT: James E. Horne, left, and Danny G. Woods, right, patrolmen, Ben Hill Unit, have been given a cash award and certificate from the State of Georgia Employee Suggestion Program. The pa trolmen devised a new method of ref/oaring trailers which haul tractors used in controlling forest fires. James Tidwell, district forester, Ashburn, made the presentation. BOTTOM: James W. Keanum, center, patrolman, Newton-Rockdale Unit, received a cash award and certificate for his suggestion to print two sepa rate forms, dealing with vehicle opera tion, on one page, back and front. Making the presentation is Henry Swindell, district forester, Griffin. Taking part in the ceremony is James Pinson, ranger, Newton-Rockdale Unit.
15

Georgia FOR ESTRV
December,l975

SECOND-CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT DRY BRANCH, GA.

The Yarbrough Oak at Oxford. This tree was named for the Rev. J. W. Yarbrough, who called it "Prince of the Forest". The tree was deeded 314 square feet of land to itself in 1929.