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