Georgia Forestry JULY 1950 GeorgiG foru try Progress in The Forest Fire Record Forest Fire Fighting (FROM THE MOULTRIE OBSERVER) (FROM THE CORDELE DISPATCH) Although progress is being made in fighting forest fires throughout Georgia - since 79 of the State's 159 counties now have organized protection, the seven-month's period between October and May 1 was the worst fire season for Georgia in ten years. Over 9, 000 separate fires swept over more than 281,000 acres of Georgia forests in the protected counties alone. Despite this period being one of the worst in the State's history, timber losses were held to a fairly low minimum in Crisp County during the same period, due to the establishment of a fire fighting program here last/ear by the Cris:;> County Forestry Boar -with the loss being held to 1,955 acres being burnt over. It is estimated that 6,135 acres would have been destroyed if an organized program had not been in operation. Georgia's forests are still going up in smoke, showing that there is a hi~ job to do if we are to conserve milhons of dollars worth of our natural resources. The Georgia ForestryConmission reports that durinf the seven months between OctobeT of last year and A~ril 1 of this year, 9,000 separate w1ldfires swept over more than281, 000 acres of forest land in yrotected counties alone. Only 79 o the 159 counties in the state now have organized protection. Drought conditions made fire a serious hazard during the seven months, but the ForestryCoamission's records show that carelessness and incendiarism still were the principal cusses of the destruction by fire. There was better cooperation and more concerted fire fighting action in Georgia last winter than ever before, but the efforts of all must be redoubled if the state's valuable timber lands are to be converted into future clfsh. Carelessness and incendiarism are the two principal causes of destructive forest fires. Many fires are started from burning and clearing operations in fields, pastures and new-ground, and from so-called 'control burning'' operations in wooded areas. Other fires ere started by campfires built by hunters; fishermen and campers, arid by motorists who throw cigarettes and matches out of their cars. Georgia Forestry Vol. Ill ]liLY, 19!1J No. 7 A IIICiftthly bulletin _publhhed bJ the Geor1l1 PGreatry Coe.laalon, 435 State C.pltol, Atl.nta. Inter~ aa aecondclaaa mattr at the Poat Office, Atlanta, o.nrRla, undr the act of AuiUat 24, l'JU. Meabtor Geor111 Preaa Aaeoclatlan ' July, 1950 Page Tv.o BREAK IT USE .IT Page Three Georgia forestry 10 q~ BtUJ4 'kldt lltttUUJ ~OJUJd""f efMIItA ai Roouoelt Stoie P~ Ju4 31 Approximately 70 boys representing counties throughout north Georgia will attend the annual boys forestry camp set for Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park July 31-August 5. The campers have been selected on the basis of past achievements in forestry and demonstrated interest and desire to learn mGre about forest vrotection and management. The camp is financed by four member mills of the Southern Pulpwood Conservation Association. Contributina mills are Macon Kraft Company, Brunswick Pulp and Paper Company, Southern Paperboard Conpany and Union Bag and Paper Corporation. The Georgia Forestry Cbmmdssion conducts the camp. The weeks' forestry instruction and field e~rience for the campers will include fire control instruction and demonstrations, thinning, reforestation, mensuration, marketing and harvesting. Field trips are planned for instruction and recreation. Instructors at the camp will include Howard J. Doyle, Area Forester, Southern Pulpwood Conservation An- ociation; J. F. Spiers, Forester, Central of Georgia Railroad; Ralph Helmken,Conservation Forester, Union Bag and Paper Corporation; J. C. Turner, District Forester, Georgia Forestry Commission; W. E. Roberts, Sandvick Saw and Tool Conpany; ":eorae W. Lavinder, District For iter, Georgia Forestry Conmission anct L. L. Lundy, Assistant District Forester, Georaia Forestry Conmission. R. E. Davis, Georgia Forestry Commission, willserve as Camp Director. Speakers will includeGuyton DeLoach, Director, Georgia Forestry CotQDission; Harry Rossoll, Illustrator,SouthernRegion, U. S. Forest Service, and others. 'nlose already nominated to attend camp are as follaws: Steve Shurlin~ Washington; Geo~~e Lamar Wilcher, Glascock; Weob Davis, Jones; Benny Tanner, Johnson; Herbert White, Jasper; JiDIIIY Bracewell, Laurens; Ro1er Ryles, Baldwin; Inman Clotfelter, Monroe; and f!. L. Reece, 'fr., Wilkinson County. . J. w. Garrison, Cherokee; Archie wHaebeekrs~bamG; i lmer Frarik Earnest DeFoor, Nations, Stephens; Goldman Mabrey, Banks; and 'tbDmas DeLonR:, Hall County. Hubert Burke and Doy Forehand, Jen- Lkeinwis~ Benjamin S. Miller, Burke; Braddy, Jr., and Jack Cannady, Candler CQuAty. Howard Alford, Morgan; Land Nioholson, Clarke! Talmadge Duvall, Green; David Randa 1, Wilkes; ClaudeConnell, Columbia; Stafford Garrett, Oconee; James H. Adair, McDuffie; and John Owens, Elbert County. Bradford Lipscomb, Bartow; Sidney Cooper, Chattooga; Hershall Worley, Catoosa; Dewey Bishop, Cobb; Bobb,Y Lee Forester, Dade; Fred &ard, Floyd; I shmal Pat Baker, Gordon: ]tfi 1ton Bes_! t Murray; J. M. Brooks, Pau.fciing_; M Lindsey, Polk;. James Ramey, Walker; Henry Burch, Whitfield; Kenneth L. Griffith, Haralson; and Donald Brown, Fulton County. a. L. Campbell, Jr., Carroll; Jinmy Pike, CCJINeta; Jaci Martin, Spe,laing; Lanny Ross Heath, Talbot; Yarcellus Copeland, TroUP.; Merrill Greathouse, Upson; Robin Fletcher, Butts; Hudon Thames, Clayton; Roger Knight, Heard; Kelly White, Henry; Dlckef Gill, Meriwetner; and Ronnie Story, Pike County. Hu~h W. Dobbs, left, of Atlanta, n.ewlyelected president of the Geor~ia Forestry Association, con- fers wi til B. . Lufburrow, GFA Executive Secretary, a1 the pro~ress of the Associatim' s expanded ICEEP GlDRGIA GREEN pro~ram. Dobbs is land manaAer for the Geor~ia Power Company. July, 1 950 Peae Four The appointment of .Georg_e W. Lavin' der as Acting District Forester of the FourthDistrict has been announced by Ourton DeLoach, Director of the Georg1a Forestry Commission. Lavinder succeeds W. L. Crisp who resigned to accept a position with the J. C. Wilkinson Coq>any of Newnan. For the past year and a half Lavinder has served as Assistant District Forester of the Fourth District. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Forestry and a member of the Society of American Foresters. During the recent war he served three years in the Army Air Corps. Dobbs Heads GEORGE W. LAVINDER Lavinder is married and is the father of one son. He and his family will continue residence at Newnan where the Fourth District OM ice will be maintained. Association Hugh W. Dobbs, Atlanta, was elected president of the Georgia Forestry Association at a meeting of the Association's board of directors held June 2 at the Piedmont Hotel, Atlanta. Dobbs is land manager for the Georgia Power Company and a longtime director and active supporter of the Association. The board of directors mapped plans for acceleration of the' 'KeepGeorgia Green'' and the Georgia Tree Farms pro1rams, decided to set up a hardwood management project on the Franklin Roosevelt Warm Springs Memorial area et Warm Springs, and agreed to donate fore1try badge for 4-H clubs at the county leve 1. New officers elected to serve, in eddition to Dobb1, included R. H. Ru1h HawkiniVille, fiut vice presiden~, and Harley Langdale, Jr., 'Valdo1ta, 1econd vice-prelident. New appointments and re-appoint- ments of County Forestry Board mem- bers have been announced by Guyton DeLoach, Director( Georgia Forestry CO!IIllisaion. 'n\e ive members of the County Forestry Board have varying terml of office of from one to five years, and the current appointments are to fill vacancies crested by the expiration of the one-year terms of merrbers of existing Boards and to create Forestry Boards in counties beginning organized protection July 1, 1950, Those Forestry Board members re-appointed to succeed them- selves TAimr are, -Cecil ww.itCh oxt,hJeuinr c counties: tion City. JAS~ - Herman Tyler, Monticello. HABERSHAM -Tom Born, Clarkesville. PI<::Kfl\5- Will Tea1ue, Jasper. RAaN (Continued on Page 10) , Page Five Geo~gia fo~est~y "r,He o/ Mo4i eriancJ from Eastman in Dodge County to Jesup in Wayne County. The fires started early in the afternoon of Sunday, June 18, in hundreds of places along railroad rights-of-ways in Bleckleyi Dodge, Telfair, Jeff Davis, App ing and Wayne counties. All counties were under organized forest fire protection except Jeff Davis andBleckley. After fighting the fires for two days the Protection Units brought them under control and mop up work began in protected counties. State Forester Guyton Deloach arrived on the scene a few hours after the first outbreaks were reported and directed the fire fighting operations. He stated that ntbe series of blazes made up one of the most threatening and potentially disastrous forest fire situations encountered in southeast Georgia, because of the great number of separate fires, the largP area over which the different fires were started, and the dry, windy weather.'' Deloach stressed the facJ that ''the rapid and efficient mobi ization of all Commission personnel and equipment, the help of landowners and other volunteers, and the cooperation and assistance of industry forces made it possible to cope with the highly-explosive situation and pre~ vented the destruction of many: thousands of acres of valuable timber.'' He praised'' the efficiency, tenacity and endurance of the fire fighting forces in preventing losses amy times greater than actually suffer e.d .. A radio-equipped airplane was en- 8'!-ie