Georgia forestry, Vol. 33, no. 2 (June 1980)

FORESTRY
USPS No. 217120

June, 1980

No. 2

Vol. 32

George Busbee - Governor A. Ray Shirley Director
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS H. E. Williams, chairman, Woodbine Felton Denney, Carrollton Eley C. Fr azer, II I, Albany Jim L. Gillis, Jr., Soperton Robert Simpson, II I, Lakeland
STAFF
Frank E. Craven, Editor Howard E. Bennett, Associate Editor Thomas B. Hall. Artist
DISTRICT OFFICES
Coosa V alley P. 0. Bo x Z, Mt. Berry 30149
North Georgra Rt . 7. Box 83, Canton 30114
Atl anta 7 Martrn Luther KtnCJ, Jr . Dr. Room 545. Atlanta 30334
Chattahoochee Flrnt P. 0. Box 1080. N ewnan 30263
Mel ntosh Trarl Rt. 7, Box 4 55. Grrffrn 30223
Lower Chattahoochee 6250 Warm Spgs. Rd. , Columbus 31904 Mrddle Flrnt Rt . 1. Box 23A, Amencus 31709 Coastal Plarn Rt. 2. Ashburn 31714
Southwest Georgia Rt. 2, Box 215, Camilla 31730
Georgia Southern Rt. 2. Statesboro 304 58
Coastal P. 0 . Box 113, Mrdway 31320 Slash Prne Rt. 6, Box 1670Waycross 31501
Central Savannah River Rt. 20 Box 266, Washington 306 7 3
Georgra Mountains Rt. 110 Box 37 0 Garnesvi lle 30501 Northe ast Georgia Rt. 40 Box 168Ao Athens 30605 Heart of Georgia Rt. 10 Box 46, Helena 31 037
M1ddle Georgia Rt. 80 Columbus Rd.. rv1acon 31206
(J, 1ee Hwy. 490 Mrlledaeville 31061

Georgia Forestry rs publrshed quarter ly by the Georgia Forestry Commission, Rt. 10 Box 181 0 Dry Branch, Ga. 3102 0. Second class postage pard at Rome, Ga.

Cruising The News

RURAL PROTECTION URGED

Several months ago after the Revis MeDonaids lost their second rural home to fire, we described in this space the ef fective countywide fire protection af forded to residents of Pulaski County. As Ben Hill residents again protest the lack of such protection in the aftermath of the loss of the James Merritt home, let's look at one of our neighbors to the south- Colquitt County.
The citizens of Colquitt, under the leadership of L. C. Manning of the Northside community and others, worked with county and state officials in establishing a countywide system of fire protection ...We called volunteer Northside Fire Chief Manning and asked him about the Colquitt set-up, which he explai ned thusly:
Colquitt commissioners contributed $1,000 each to nine areas of the cou nty, which each raised an additional $2,500 to purchase from the Georgia Forestry Commission the pumps and tanks mounted on two-ton trucks provided by each area. Also raised was $500 to pur
chase equipment for each of the nine "fire

knock ers," and a building was erected in each area at a cost of from $200 to $500. M anning said his co mmunity bought a surplu s military building for $200.
Each sta tion is manned by three to eight volunteer firemen equipped with pagers. At the heart o f the commun ica tion s system is the central dispatcher situ ated at the count y f arm.
... "1 don't think anybody in Colquitt County would consider doing away with our system," Manning sa id. "At Northside we answer about three calls a month and save two o r th ree houses each year. 0 In two recent ca lls we confined mobile home fires to the area where they st arted, which we consider real accomp lishments... Colquitt Countians are for this thing one hundred percent," he added. "They see what it has done for them."
...We hope this problem will be solved in Ben Hill County before we are motivated by the same type o f tragedy which spu rred them to action in Colquitt County.
(From the Fitzgerald Herald)

FIREFIGHTERS PRAISED

On three occasions recently we have had a chance to observe first hand the service the Georgia Forestry Commission performs in Pe ach County. Each of these three fires that Orvin Bergman and Eddie Steiber fought were small fires, but they could have been extremely destructive.
Two of the fires were in remote areas, close to the railroad tracks. It took a lot of careful driving to get the fire fighting equipment to the fires.
On these three occasions, and others in the

more distant past , the personnel at the fire tower were very qu ick to respond. There is never a suggestion that the ca ll is interrupting a
delicious supper or some other equally important occasion. The only concern transmitted from the forestry personnel is o ne of how to get the equipment in to a fire in the quickest manner possible.
We hope the fire fighters are ab le to get a sense of satisfactio n out of the job th ey do, for they are certainly appreciated!

(From the Leader Tribune, Ft. Valley)

CONTENTS

Fell And Leave, Salvaging Beetle-Killed Timber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 What Are Christmas Trees Growers Doing This Time of Year?.................. 4 The Commission's Georgia Fire Equipment Show........................... 5 Annual Forest Festivals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The Tree Farm System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Tree Nurseri es Plan Increased Production .................................. 8 Company Plars $91 Million Wood Energy System........................... 9 Canadians Visit Commission Facilities.................................... 10 Commission Records New Low In Spring Fires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Miss Forestry Pageant Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Feature Page........................................................ 13 Letters............................................................ 14 Awards............................................................ 15

ON THE COVER - Georgia Forestry Commission personnel aid the U. S. Forest Service as a comprehensive statewide forest survey gets underway. See story Page 9.
----_ - -~-

GREENE
A "Fel l and Leave" pilot project to h elp control the spread o f the South ern Pine Beetle is being conducted in Greene a nd T a li afer ro Counties by the Forest Management Depa rtment of the Georgia Forestry Commission.
Entomologists said the two-county program is concerned with small spots of beetle-killed timber, ranging from 10 to 50 trees.
They pointed out that it is not profitable for timber buyers to move expensive harvesting equipment from one spot to another when o nly a few trees are found in each spot.
For that reason, they said, the Forestry Commission has obtained fel ler bunchers and has trained crews to go into the counties and take down the trees killed by the insects, as well as a buffer zone of green trees around the infested spots.
They said Greene and Taliaferro Counties were selected because of the great number of sm a ll and scattered spots of dead a nd dying trees in those are as. Commission foresters contact landowners for permission to cut th e brood trees. The trees to be felled are th e n m a rk e d by th e Commission pe rsonn e l a nd felled with the feller bunchers at no cost to th e landowner. No sha de tre es or lawn trees a re involved in the project.
Th e title of th e pr o ject -F e ll a nd Lea ve - refe rs to c utting th e tree and lea ving it o n th e fo res t flo o r.

JUL 14 1980
DOCUMENTS UGA LIBRARIES

FEll
AND
LEAVE

Commission Entomologis t Kerry Thomas examines the peeling bark on a pine that had just been sheared by a feller-buncher.

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V)

Recen t ae rial an d ground surveys revea l th at th e re is a gene ral decl in e state wid e in South e rn Pi ne Beetle act ivity, according to Druid Preston, Chief of the Co mmissio n's Fo rest Management Departme nt. He sa id fewer spots of infestation and less fad ing are being observed.
Prest o n poin ted out, however, that the re are st ro ng indications that an inc rease in insec t activity will be evident late r this y ea r in North and Northeast

Georgia. This prediction , he said, is based on findings by the Commission entomologi sts.
The results of a May survey show that there are now 14 counties with beetles in epidemic proportions and 90 counties are infested. More than 3,815 spots were observed and the total volume of timber kill ed since January, 1979, now stands at 1,148,091 cords. Total salvaged during the same period is 893,699 cords.

3

ost people in June consider Christmas too far down the road to even think about, but to the Christmas tree grower the holiday is just around the corner! One grower took time out the other day from pruning four acres of pretty cone-shaped pines to tell how the trees have to be pampered throughout the year to get them ready for the marketplace. That care, of course, covers several years as it takes from four to eight years to produce a tree of merchantable size. Olin (Preacher) Witherington of Americus declared that "growing Christmas trees is hard work and I mean really hard work!" He pointed out quite emphatically that you can't set out a seedling, ignore it for several years and come back and expect to find a healthy, perfectly shaped tree ready to set up in somebody's den and decorate. "If you're not willing to work, you're in the wrong business, "Witherington said. He ought to know. He grew his first Christmas trees 32 years ago.
"My first planting was Arizona cypress back on the Laurens County farm where I grew up," he said, "It was on an experimental basis." In the years that followed, Witherington grew and experimented with several other species and became expert in the growth of Christmas-type trees that are best suited to Georgia climate and soil.
It all sta rted out as sort of a hobby, but upon his retirement as Americus District Forester, Geor gi a Forestry Comm ission, several years ago, th e growing of Christmas trees beca me a full time business for Witherington.
He curren tly tend s 18 acres of trees. One section is planted in white pine and a smaller section is in sand pine.
When asked why trees grown for the Christmas market require so much maint en ance, the grower gave a step-by-step account.
First year- Plow land, harrow, hottom pl o w, smooth plow, lay o ff rows in checks, plant seedlings, plow with cu lti va tor 12 times and hand hoe around see d lings seven ti mes before year's end.
Second year - Apply chemical to retard weeds, apply che mical to kill briars, spray for insect con tro l, she ar lightly twice to begin shaping t rees, hoe weeds.

Third year - Shear each tree three times to cut back unsightly growth, examine for insects and diseases, hoe weeds and hope for sufficient rain.
As the trees reach the fourth year, some become marketable. Most take longer. The frequent shearing must continue as long as the tree remains in the plot.
"See that tall one," Witherington asked. "It's growing too fast and when I get through with it, it will be about half that size."
Indeed, it was. The retired forester made about five slashes from top to bot-

tom with a long blade as he walked around the tree. He said trimming the tree is the toughest part of the business and he has found no short cut for the chore.
He sells many of his trees wholesale to dealers, but reserves a section of his Christmas forest for retail sales. "Families come out with the axe and choose and cut their tree...the kids have a great time playing around the trees."
Witherington said a recession that economists now predict for this year will not greatly reduce Christmas tree sales. "People buy for Christmas," he said, "they will buy a tree for the kids even when times are hard."
He predicts a good future for Georgians who are in the Christmas tree growing business and those who will get into it "if they are willing to work at it."

Long Time Til Christmas?

IF YOU ' RE A GEORGIA CHRISTMAS TREE GROWER , THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

Olin Witherington examines a tree that will be ready for the Christmas market 4 this year.

-THIRD FIR E SHOW HELD-

More than 1,000 volunteer fir e men, fire c hi efs, and others interested in the fire defense of rural Georgia attended the recent Georgia Fire Equipment Show at Macon Co li seu m. Commendation awards were presented to several firem en for outstanding services to the people of their communities and fir e equipment dealers from several states provided a wide array of exhibits at the show, which was sponsored by the Georgia Forestry Commission. One of the highlights of the program was the presentation of a national award the Award for Outstanding Service in Fire Management - to James C. Turner, Jr., Chief of the Commission's Forest Protection Department. The prestigious award, one of only five presented nationally ea ch y ea r, was presented to Turner by Thomas C . Nelson, Deputy Chief of the National Forests System, Washington, D.C. Turner, who assumed his present position in 1957, was cited for playing a key role in the inauguration of air tankers and later bucket equipped helicopters in fi ghting forest fire s. He was also praised for many other innovations that have helped make Georgia one of the leading states in

efficient fire prevention and control. Turner also served as moderator for
th e program and special guests were in troduced and awards to firemen were presented by Ray Shirley, Commission Di rector .

Pet e Gunn, Chief of Whitfi e ld Coun ty Fire Department, Dalton, ou tlin ed so me of the operat iona l procedures used by the eight departments within his county -wide protection syste m .
Carl Pu ckett, Fi e ld Rating Representa tive of the Insurance Services Office, At lanta, spoke on th e requirements for Class 9 insurance.
Tom Perdue, Executive Secretary to Governor George Busbee, warmly congratulated th e fire men during a bri ef address and asked that they and the span soring Forestry Commission continue the momentum the program presently enjoys.
The Commission administers the Rural Fire Defe nse Program in Geo rgi a and the vo luntee r fir e men attending th e show represented departments that are equ ipped and trained under the program. The firemen, numbering some 7,000 statewide and serving more than 500 fire stations, last year saved property valued at more than $89,133,000.
The Georgia Fire Equipment Show was held to acquaint the rural firemen with the latest equipment and techniques in fire fighting and at the sa me time honor those who have made outstanding contributions in their home co mmunities.
T he Commission held similar shows in 1976 and 1978.

Firemen presented Commendation Awards are shown with Eley Frazer , m ember o f the Commission's Board, standing at left, and Commission Director Ray Shirley, front row, right. The firemen are, first row, left to right, L. C. Manning, Moul-
trie; H oyt L umpkin, Cuthbert; and Herbert Widener, Thom -
son. Back row are Cliff Crews, Dudley; C. 0. Coggins, Hart-
well; Jimmy Brown, Waycross; Trammell Carmichael, Canton;

Carl Bowen, member of th e Dooly County Board of Commis-

sioners, Vienna; and Julian Mingledorff, Hinesville. Joe Collins,

Macon, was unavailable for the picture. In the other photo,

James C. Turn er, Jr. is accompanied by his wife, Jane, as he

accepts the coveted national award from Thomas C. N elson of

the N ational Forests System while Director Shirley l ooks on.

Other photos include meeting scene, display floor.

5

[!J wo Georgia Counties- Emanuel and Ware- have long set aside a time each spring for the observances of forest festivals, gala celebrations featuring street parades, banquets and beauty pageants. This year, the festivities in Swainsboro and Waycross

were more elaborate than ever before.

The citizens of Swainsboro and Emanuel County celebrated

the 35th annual Pine Tree Festival the first week in May and

Ware Countians attended a series of events in Waycross

May 5-10 in celebration of the 23rd annual Ware

County Fest ivai. Both counties are in rich pineland regions

ANNUAL

of the state and the annual celebrations serve to spotlight the tremendous role the forests play in the economic life of Emanuel and Ware. Ranger Leon Ray of the Emanuel County

Forest

Unit and Ranger R. T. Kirkland of the Ware County Unit, Georgia Forestry Commission, are active in the observances each year.

Festivals

Tammy Martin, daughter of Mr . and Mrs. Jack

Martin of Swainsboro, was named Miss Emanuel County Forestry during the festival at Swainsboro. Beside the pageant, a colorful parade was held under the direction of Edwin Canady. The theme this year was

BIGGER THAN EVER!

"Pine Tree Pride- the 35th Time."

The pageant queen selected during the Ware County

celebration was Paula Simmons, daughter of Rev. and Mrs .

David Simmons. The 4-H award went to Michael Green and

the FFA award was won by Sammy Sweat.

Other awards and the winners were the Ware Master Tree Farmer

Award, Joel Tanner; Woodman of the World Conservation Award, Robert

Peagler; Forestry Promotional Award, William Denton and Cecil Tanner; School

Posters Awards, Christopher Cooper and Randy Wiggins.

Above: Robert Peagler of War e County, left, is presented the Woo dma n o f the World Conservation Award by Donald Outlaw. Above, right, Tammy Martin, wmner of Mtss Emanuel Coun ty Forestry at the Swainsboo celebration. In photo at right, Joel Tanner, right, is p resented the Ware Master Tree Farmer A wa rd by
Charles Walker. Far right, Paula Simm ons 6 1\ crowned Mtss Ware County Forescry.

t

he Georgia Forestry Commission joins industry and other forestry organiza-

tions in the state and

throughout the nation in the pro-

motion of the American Tree Farm

System.

Last year, Mr. E. E. (Gene)

Yawn of Eastman was named Geor-

gi<i's Tree Farmer of the Year and

the i 980 selection will be made in

June at the annual convention of

the Georgia Forestry Association.

Yawn, who owns 738 acres of

land and makes multiple use of his

forest acres, is one of 30,000 tree

farmers in the American Tree Farm

System. No two of them, however,

are exactly alike.

There are tree farmers who are

architects, doctors, truck drivers,

school teachers, dentists and bank-

ers. Several prominent entertainers

own and manage tree farms.

The files also show that senators,

boilermakers, corporations and even

scout troops participate in tree

farming. Several thousand women

are certified tree farmers.

The Athens Trinity Church re-

cently became the first church in

Georgia to become a Tree Farmer

and is believed to be the only

church in the na'tion to earn that

distinction. The church, located on

the outskirts of Athens, owns a

tract of pine timber adjacent to the

church grounds. Through the assis-

tance of forestry groups, the acre-

age is properly managed.

The nationwide system is spon-

sored by the wood using industries

through the American Forest Insti-

tute, wjth assistance from forestry

associations, government agencies,

consulting foresters and others.

Its purpose is to encourage pri-

vate forest landowners to protect

and manage their forest resources

tor the production of forest pro-

ducts with all the attendant bene-

fits.

Yawn met these qualifica tio ns

in working with his forested lands

in Dodge County and David K.

(Dave) Mitch ell of St. Regis Paper

Company, chairman of the Tree

Farm Committee in Georgia, said

he was selected for th e honor be-

cause of his excellent multipl e use

concept.

Mitchell and his committee

pointed out that Yawn has been

extremely versatile in utiliz in g his

forests and other lands. They said he worked 3,000 naval stores faces at one time and in recent years successfully grew and marketed Christmas trees. He has cross fenced his acreage with posts cut from his woodlands and has set out food plots for game.
The Tree Program, which was started back in 1941, now has some
2,000 members in Georgia. Private and public foresters conduct inspections for Tree Farm certification and there is no cost to the landowner.
Forester John Hammond, Assistant Chief of the Forest Manage-

tree farmers throughout the nation, however, as the number of rural households decrease.
Foresters who participate in the Tree Farm System report that the number of absentee owners is growing. Night classes in urban centers are well attended by landowners who hav. purchased rural property and want to manage it wisely, and in accordance with their own ideas of environmental balance.
Working tree farms in the Amer-

ment Department, represents the Georgia Forestry Commission as Tree Farm coordinator and all foresters in the Commission are authorized to serve as inspectors.
The Tree Farm land must be privately owned and adequately protected from fire, insects, diseases and destructive grazing to qualify for certification. Hammond said most successfu l tree farmers go well beyond the basi c requirements to practice timber stand improvements and to increase yield through silvicultural metho ds.
Georgia's current Tree Farmer of th e Year lives in Eastman and drives out to his rural property in a pickup truck to manage his woodlands. He is not unlike many other

ican Tree Farm System range from 20 acres to more than 1.5 million acres. There is even a one-acre demonstration tree fa rm in Washington, D.C. owned and operated by the Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States.
Most of the tree farms, however, are small woodlots and the American Forestry Association has reported that "The day is not far off when these small forests will be called upon to make greater contributions to the national economy ... surveys indicate wood consumption by the year 2000 will be twice our current levels of production."
The turn of the century is not far away and the certified Tree Farmers of Georgia and the nation could make the difference in meeting the nation's needs in the future.
7

The t ree nurseries of the Georgia Forestry Commission have been seeded for 85 million seedlings - an increase of 20 million over the production of last year - to meet the demands for th e 1980-81 planting season.
James C. Wynens, Chief of the Reforestat ion Division, said the new crop of trees will reforest more than 100,000 acres of land and approximately 95 percent of the seedlings will be of genetically superior stock.
The forestry official said orders for seedlings are now being accepted and advance payment is not required but must be paid before sh ipment. He urged landowners to place orders as soon as possible to assure delivery in the fall.
Wynens said the Commission is accepting orders several weeks earlier than in previous years in order to give the landowner a better chance to plan his reforestion.
Sh ipments will be made from Dec. 1 through March, 1981 . The seedlings are carefully packaged with complete planting instructions included and are available in multiples of 50, 500 and 1,000.
Wynens said Georgia's prominent place as one of the leading state's in the production of forest products is reflected in the greatly increased demand for quality seedlings. He said the accelerated use of wood as an energy source has also contributed to the sharp increase in seedling demands.
Seedling application forms may be obtained from any Commission county unit or district office or by writing to the Commission state headquarters at P.O. Box 819, Macon, Georgia 31298. Forms are also available through the offices of county agents, Soil Conservation Service and the Agricultural Conservation Program. A form for your convenience is also reproduced at right.
SPECIES

This big Rettew forced air furnace will be used this summer and fall to dry various Georgia agricultural crops. The 3,000,000 BTU dryer, as well as a silage wagon and conveyor system to feed green chips into the furnace, is a mobile unit assembled by the Reseach Department. Georgia Forestry Commission, to be used ex-. perimentally in the field to test the use of wood chips versus other fuels in drying farm crops. The fully automatic system will be under the supervision of Commission personnel in the field tests.

COMMISSION NOW ACCEPTING ORDERS FOR TREE SEEDLINGS

APPLICATION FOR NURSERY STOCK

OAOERNO - - -

GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION P.O. BOX 819 MACON , GEORGIA 31298

H.A.ME OF APPLICANT : - - -- - - - -- - - - - -- - - PHONE NO. - - - - -- - - --

ADDRE SS:

CITY

COUNTY _ _ _ _ _ ZIP CODE - - -

SHIP TO ADDR ESS ABOVE OR:

NAME : ADDRE SS:

- - - - - - -- - - -- - - - - -- - PHON E NO. - -- - - - - - - -

CIT Y

COU NTY

ZIP CODE

DELI VER Y DESIRED AS SHOWN BE LOW,

DATE

SP ECIES

NUMB E R OF SEEDLI NGS

COUNTY OF PLAN TI NG

FOREST D ISTR IC T

Improved Loblolly $12.50 $ 6.25 $3.00

Improved Slash

12.50 6.25 3.00

Slash-High Gum 12.50 6.25 3.00

Virginia Pine

12.50 6.25 3.00

Eastern White Pine 28.50 14.25 6.00

Catalpa

30.50 15.25 7.00

Dogwood

40.50 20.25 9.00

Lespedeza

20.50 10.25 5.00

Oak, Sawtooth

20.50 10.25 5.00

Oak, White

20.50 10.25 5.00

Red Cedar

30.50 15.25 7.00

Sweet gum

28.50 14.25 6.00

Sycamore

28.50 14.25 6.00

Yellow Poplar

38.50 19.25 8.00

8

I I
TYPE OF OWNERSH IP: (Ch.c:&. one)
CJ 1. Privar. per10n 1, Club . Auoc: ot 1on & p, ,.,. ol Schools . CJ 2. P rivate ForU I ln dull ry L u ~t~b el Mfg . t:l 3. P rivate For e 11 lnd..l llry P ulp & P aper .
D 4 . P ri vat e Forti! In du stry No -1 Stor e , P lywood , e tc. C .5. P rivo teo ther lndustryl oruh. 0 6 . Town, C00o1nty , ond Publ1c: Sochool ' 0 7 . Stot e ond othe r Public Lond l . 0 8. Fada!'aI Go vernment 0 9. Ottw ( pec tfy )

METHOD OF SHIPMENT,

I I

0 I

STATE TRUCK TO COUN TY FORESTRY OFF ICE

0 7

APPLICANT WILL PICK UP AT NURSERY

SEED LI NGS RE CEI V ED IN GOOD CONDITION

I HEREBY CERTIF Y THAT I DESI RE TO PU RCHASE THE ABOV E NU RSER Y STOCK UNDER CONDITIONS PR IN TE D ON THE BACIC OF TH IS FORM

PAYMENT: S - - -- --

DATE - - - - - - - --

SIGNAT URE - - - -- - - -- - - -

DO HOT WRI TE BELOW THI S LIN E

D WALK ER

D MORGAN

MAJOR WOOD ENERGY SYSTEM PLANNED BY UNION CAMP

The Union Camp Corporation will construct a $91 million power boiler and turbine facility t hat will make the huge Savannah, Georgia, complex totally self sufficient in electrical power, according to James M. Piette, senior vice president and resident manager.
The company official said the facility, to be completed in the last half of 1982, would also generate surplus electricity which could be made available to the Savannah Electric and Power Company.
The project would reduce fuel oil consumption by the equivalent of almost one million barrels a year.
The facility is to use coal as a primary fuel and also wood waste.
Approximately 600 tons a day of wood waste also will be used as fuel. In
addition to residual wood waste generated as a by-product of Union Camp's own pulpwood and lumber operations, the company presently uses sawdust and bark supplied by nearby lumber mills and other sources as fuel.
Consumption per day is expected to be about 730 tons.
The Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has reviewed the applications for construction and reached a preliminary determination to approve

them. Pe nding issuance o f th e permits, the company hopes to be a bl e to begin with the initial stages of construction this summer. The project would provide up to 600 construction jobs.
"This project will involve the most advanced tech no Iogy in power generation," Piette said. The installation, which will operate at 1800 pounds per square inch (psig). will be the first industrial
Armstrong Cork Company is also planning to turn to wood chips as a fuel source to displace a portion of its present natural gas useage. A. H. Guritz, manager of the company's Macon Plant, said a fuelized bed will be installed to burn chips to create heat to be blown into the plant's hot air drying system. He said only a small percentage of the drying will be done by the new method in this initial conversion.
boiler in the United States to produce steam at above 1500 psig. Pressures of 1800 and higher, with resultant fuel economies, are not uncommon in Europe.
The Union Camp installation is designed to generate up to 800,000 pounds of steam an hour. The matching generator will produce 65,000 kilowatts of electrical power.

NEW FOREST SURVEY UNDERWAY

The Georgia Forest Resources Survey, a major project to gain an accurate inventory of the state's standing timber and other vital forest information, is now underway.
The survey, which is carried out at approximately ten year intervals, is conducted by the U. S. Forest Service, with cooperation from the Georgia Forestry Commission.
A new feature this year is the inclusion of biomass in the survey. "This means," said Druid Preston, Chief of the Commission's Forest Management Department, "that every stem will be in the count to determine the total volume of material in our forests."
He said biomass was added this time because of the new demand on the forests to provide wood as an energy source.

The survey teams will also record the amount of growing stock, number of desirable trees by specie, ownership of forestlands and other data. The information will be of benefit to wood using industries, economists and others throughout the state and is expected to provide an in centive for companies considering plant locations in Georgia.
Preston said the state has bee n d ivi ded into five units for the e xh austive survey . He said the Commission wi ll f urnish so me manpower and equipme nt a nd Geor gi a Forest ry Commission personnel wHI be especially helpful in con tact ing land own ers in their own count ies t o ex pl ain the purpose of the survey.
Completion of t h e survey is expested late in 1982 or eany 1983.

..
I
ENGINEER JOINS
RESEARCH STAFF
Branyon 0. Jarrett, a mechanical engineer, has been added to the staff of the Forest Research Department, Georgia Forestry Commission, to work in the various energy projects of the department.
John Mixon, Chief of Research, said the professional engineer will supervise construction and start up of the projects and aid in the demonstration of equipment used in the studies.
He said he would monitor construction of energy systems to be installed in the Franklin County Comprehensive High School and Treutlen County Comprehensive High School and inspect the Union County Junior High School system which has just been completed.
Mixon said Jarrett will evaluate other schools and public facilities to determine the feasibility of installing wood energy systems to replace gas or oil fuel ed systems. His duties will also include m aking an evaluation o f t he wood gas ification system now being installed at the Northwest Geo rgia Regiona l Hospital in Ro me, working with t he crop drying project and writing e ngineering specificatio ns for future wood energy programs an d projects.
Ja rrett was Facilities En gin eer wi t h the Georgia Department of Educat ion prior to his employ ment with the Co mmission. He holds a Bachelor of Mechani cal Engineering degree from Georg ia Tech and is a membe r of the American Socie t y of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Con d itioning Engineers.
He is auth or of 18 papers on energy conser vat io n in Georgi a publi c sch o ols 9

CH

Visiting Canadian forestry officials are shown with Georgia Forestry Commission hosts. Left to right are W. Cash Harper, Macon, Assistant to the Director, Georgia Forestry Commission; Albert Bru/1, Atlanta Delegation Government of Quebec;

Laurent Marois, Jean-Claude Mercier, Jean-Louis Caron and Roger Dugas, all of Quebec City, Quebec; and Ray Shirley, Forestry Commission Director.

CANADIAN FORESTERS VISIT COMMISSION

A group of Canadian forestry officials Orchard near Cochran, and Dixon Memo-

In greeting t he visitors t o th e Commis-

recently toured facilities of the Georgia rial State Forest near Waycross.

sion, Shirley pointed out that the Com-

Forestry Commission to study genetics,

They also saw a demonstration of the mission has earned its p lace as a showcase

reforestation and other programs.

Commission's forest protection equip of modern and progressive forestry and

The visitors were members of the Que- ment and aircraft and toured facilities of has been host to many out-of-state and

bec Forestry Mission and were in Georgia Georgia Timberlands, Inc.

foreign visitors.

to observe and study the management of

public forests and large forests owned by companies in the Southeastern United

SEED LABORATORY NAME CHANGED

States.

Commission Director Ray Shirley said

The facility on the grounds of the atory is now the National Tree Seed

the officials were especially interested in Georgia Forestry Center in Macon former Laboratory.

genetics and reforestation developments ly known as the F:astern Tree Seed Labor

The name change was announced re-

and were being shown several silvicultural operations by Commission personnel. Up-

MANUAL AVAILABLE

cently by John A. Vance, Area Director, USDA, Forest Service, Atlanta, who ex-

on arrival, the mission visited the Forestry

The 1980 Forest Farmer Manual, a plained that the action was taken as a re-

Commission's state headquarters in Ma- guidebook for forest farmers presented in sult of the laboratory's increasing role in

con where department chiefs led discus- laymen terms to make their investment national and international tree seed activ-

sions on forest administration, research, in timberlands more profitable and re- ities.

education and reforestatio n. The visitors warding, is now off the press.

Vance said the U. S. Forest Tree Seed

were also given a briefing on forest utili-

Persons interested in the new edition Center is a part of the National Tree Seed

zation and a field trip to the Georgia Paci- of the comprehensive manual should Laboratory and currently has an inven-

fic Particle Board Plant in Vienna. They write Forest Farmers Association, Box tory of about 1,000 known source lots of

late1 to~red the Commission's Morgan 95385, Atlanta, Georgia 30347. Cost of 66 species. He said the center has shipped

10 Nur y at Byron, the Arrowhead Seed the book is $12.50, including postage.

to more than 80 different countries.

NEW LOW IN FIRES RECORDED

CRAVEN RECEI VES
KIWANIS HONOR
Frank Cra ven , Chief of the Commission's Education Department and Immediate Past Governor of the Georgia District of Kiwanis International, has been named Distinguished Governor, an honor given to only 13 Kiwanians worldwide.
The title was bestowed on Craven by Hilmar L Solberg of Appleton, Wisconsin, Past President of Kiwanis International.
He was cited for his leadership in exceeding goa ls set by the Inte rnational or ganization involving increased membership, new clubs, participation in th e Ma jor Emphasis program and attendance at conventions.
Solberg said Craven a nd his 12 fellow Di stin guish e d Govern ors will be honored at the Kiwanis International Conventi o n to be held in June in Anaheim, California.
Craven will also receive a Distric t Administrative Exce ll e nce Award for th e Georgia Di strict's performa nce under h is leadership.

One of the best spring forest fir e records in the history of the Georgi a Forestry Commissio n wa s set in March of th is year, with the number of fires down more 75 percent over Ma rch of th e previo us year!
Jim Turner, Chief of the Commission's Forest Protection Department, said the dramatic decrease in the number of fires throughout the state in March was attri buted to excessive rains. "In fact," said Turner, "we had about 12 inches of rain , which was approximately seven inches above normal rainfall for March."
Records show that there were only 698 fires in March, compared to 3,012
for the same period last year. Number of acres burned dropped from 15,526 in March, 1979 to 2,473 this March.
A substantial decrease in fires was also noted in January of this year. A total of 344 fires burned 830 acres, compared to 625 fires and 1,834 acres in 1979. Febru ary, however, showed an increase with 1,811 fires burning 10,425 acres, compared to 1,265 fires and 6,074 acres the previous year.
Turner said "the fire occurence in March of this year was the lowest in more than 20 years." He emphasized that "it was a very unusual month" and said "we can't, of course, expect the weather to come to our aid very often to this extent."
The Protection Chief stressed the need

TWO DAY COURSE

for continued vigilance by Commi ssion pe rson ne l a nd th e gen e ral public to keep fire and the threat of fire to a minimum in th e forests of Georgia.
SOUTHERN CHIEFS
SET MACON MEET
The annual meeting of the Southern Information and Educat ion Chiefs will be held in Macon July 9-11, with the Geor gia Forestry Commission se rving as host.
Frank Craven, the Commission 's I&E Chief, said other states to be represented will be Florida, South Carolina, Alaba ma , Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, North Carolina, Maryland and Oklahoma.
Ray Shirley, Director of the Commission, will give the welcoming address for the visiting chiefs and Craven, who is chairman of the organization, will preside at the business session.
The forest education leaders from the variou s states will discuss a wide range of subjects dealing with promotional and motivational programs and projects.
The three-day meeting, to be held at Ra mada Inn, West, will a lso include an "Around the States" session in which chiefs from each of t he 13 sta t es will di scuss any novel or unique programs or techniques th ey are now using to reach the public.

PLANNED IN JULY

The Committee for Continuing Edu-

cation of Foreste rs, in coope ration wi th

th e Un ive rsity of Georgi a Ce nte r fo r Co n-

tinuing Education, will hold a Pi ed m on t

Woods Roads Short Course at th e Geor-

gia Ce nter July 9-10.

Progra m faculty for t he c ourse in -

clud es Dr. Walte r L Cook and Dr . John

Hew le tt, both m e mbe rs o f th e fac ulty of

th e Univers ity of Georg1 a Sch oo l of For-

est Resources ; W. C. Moody , J r., Di strict

Manager of th e Brunswi c k Pu lp La nd The Urban Forestry Mobile Exh ibtt is about ready to roll. The vehicle is being outfit-

Compa ny ; Dick Stum p of th e U. S. Fo r- ted by the Educa tion Department, Georgia Forestry Commission, with informative

est Service, and Harold S . Winger, Ma na- exhibits of in terest to urban d wellers and will soon tour the state. Shade tree planting

ger o f Land Use Aff airs, In te rn at ional and main tenance and control o f insects and diseases are fu lly explained in the compre-

Pa per Company.

hensive exhibit.

11

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12

MISS FORESTRY WINNERS
ON THE COUNTY LEVEL
00 oung ladies in 32 counties have been judged winners in local for est ry pageants and now they are eli gibl e to compete for the Miss Georgia Forestry title at the annual convention of the Georgia Forestry Association on Jekyll Island in June. County pageant winners whose photos were available are shown on this page. Top row, left to right, Lean Woodward, Chattooga County; Sharon Hall, Glynn County; Candi Fitzgerald, Wilcox County; Lynn Lightsey, Oconee County; Linda Lamb, Candler County. Second row, Anne Tippens, Richmond County; Cher Chastain, Fannin County; Leanne Kirkland, Miller County; Cindy Lochte, Toombs County; Ann Talley, Muscogee County. Third row: Sandy Parker, Johnson-Washington Counties; Lisa Orr, Henry County; Brenda McDonnell, Harris County, Betty Lynn, Bulloch County. Fourth row: Kim Sutton, Sumter County. Fifth row: Garcia Reed, Lincoln County; Sheri Collins, Union County. Sixth row: Mary Alice Titshaw, Crisp County; Leann Strickland, Liberty County.

here is nothing unusual about rangers and patrolmen of the Georgia Forestry Commission constructing their own county unit headquarters. Many are excellent carpenters, roofers, painters and electricians. It is unusual, however, when a ranger designs his own unit office to blend with the local environment a nd to have talented personnel who can handle unique architectural treatment. Forest Ranger Everett Rhodes, who came with the Commission in 1973 and was promoted to ranger of the FanninTowns-Union Unit in 1977, began drawing up plans when it was learned that Macon headquarters would approve construction of an office. At that time the office was located in one end of a Quonset Hut that also served as a shop. The ranger envisioned a cha let or lodge type building in his p lanning and set about gathering native stones and timbers to be used in the structure on the mountainous site some three miles from Bl airs ville. Work got underway in March of 1978 and by "working between forest fires" and other duties, Rhodes said the building was completed by September of that year. Unusual features included ex posed white and yellow pine ceiling beams, chandeliers fashioned from oxen yokes, a partition with lathed spindles and a stone hea rth and wall.

Rhodes said personnel in the three counties that make up the unit participated in the project. In commenting on the stone work and other features, the ranger said "some of us had to learn to do things

we had never done before." Rhodes said many visitors stop by the
unit for literature and other reasons and many linger to "look over the building and ask about some of the materi als that we used." He said many have said that it is "the kind of mountain retreat" that they had always wanted to build for themselves.
By providing all the labor, the cost of the building was held to approximately $4,500, Ranger Rhodes said. If built by a contractor, it would cost about $15,000, he estimated.

Top photo: Ranger Everett Rhodes is shown in his

recently constructed Fannin- Towns-Union County

Fores try Unit office. Middle photo : Patrolman Gordon

Payne, Patrolman Michael Payne and Ranger Rhodes

pose at th e office built on a scenic mountain slope near

Blairsville. Bottom photo: Patrolman Michael Payne

loads wood heater in the new office.

13

GROUP PLANS NEW

MILL IN GORDON

I wanted you to know how gratef ul I am to Mr. George Turk, Forester, Milledgeville District, in helping with my farm in Johnson County. I have found him most efficient. I have called him both at the office and home, and he is always courteous. I think you are fortunate to have this kind of representation in your organization.

A chip mill to cost more than $1,800,000 is being constructed in Gor don, Georgia, by The Continental Group, Inc.
The mill will have the capacity to process more than 50,000 cords of pine and hardwood pulpwood annually. Production from the facility will be delivered to Continental's pulp mills at Port Wentworth and Augusta.

Miss Doris Wheeler Augusta, Georgia

CHIP SYSTEM NOW

Once again we are most grateful for the assistance provided us by GFC at the Louisville and Vidalia FFA Field Days March 18th and 19th. Billy Barber, Don Griner and Jerry Lanier were fully cooperative as usual. As a result the Field Days were highly successful. We are most app reciative.

This and other wood splitters were fea tured in fuel wood demonstrations.
NORTH GEORGIANS

E. A. Davenport, Jr. Chief Conservation Forester Union Camp Corporation Savannah, Georgia
I want to express my appreciation for the assistance Ranger W. A. DeMore, Habersh,.mRabun-White Forestry Unit, gave us during the ice storm. Please pass on to all the men who helped us cut trees off the power lines our sincere thanks.
It is most gratifying to know that there are still good neighbors such as your organization in our area.
William E. Canup Habersham Electric Membership Corporation Clarkesville, Georgia
On behalf of Cub Scout Pack 76, let me thank you (Ranger J. L. Stanford, ClarkeOconee Unit) for the lecture and Smokey Bear presentation which you and Mr. John Nelms provided for the boys last week. The enti re program was a delight. Both the boys and their parents thoroughly enjoyed it. We are grateful to you and Mr. Nelms for this fine service you provided us.
Bernard P. Dauenhauer Program Chairman Cub Scout Pack 76 Athens, Georgia
The T unnel Hill Junior Women's Club wishes to thank you (R anger C. V. Bramlett, Whitfield County) fo r your assistance in obtaining 1,000 sycamore see dlings. On Arbor Day the seedlings were d istributed to the students of Tunnel Hill Elementary and Westside Elementary schools which seemed to go well.
Sue Yarbrough 1nel Hill Junior Women's Club
l unnel Hill, Georgia

VIEW EQUIPMENT
A series of demonstrations were re cently conducted in North Georgia by the Georgia Forestry Commission to acquaint landowners, business people and other interested persons with specialized equipment used in the harvest and pro duction of firewood.
The field demonstrations, preceded by color slide presentations, were held in Rome, Dalton and Blairsville.
John Mixon, Chief of Forest Research for th e Commission, told the gatherings that many families are saving from $60 to $100 per winter month by changing their heating source to wood. He pointed out, h owe ver, that the Commi ss ion is urging wood dealers and others to utilize only scrub or cull timber and waste materials for stove wood, as quality trees continue to be more valuable when used for lumber or other products.
It was pointed out at the sessi ons that North Georgia has an abundance of hardwood and cull species, limbs, logging resi dues and other wastes that could be converted to firewood.
Equipm ent demonstrated in forest areas near the three cities included seve ral types of skidders used to bring logs out of the woods and a variety of automatic wood splitters. Most of the equipment was of advanced des ign an d so m e of the splitters wer e shown in th e areas for the first time.
The series was cosponsored by the Tennessee Vall ey Authority, Southern Solar, North Geor gia El ectric Membership Cooperative and Berry College.

IN UNION SCHOOL
John Mixon, Chief of the Commission's Forest Research Department, said the installation of the system is nearing completion and will be operational for the new school term this fall. Mixon's department is in charge of the project in Blairsville, as well as similar projects at schools in Franklin and Treutlen Counties which are now getting underway.
The Union County school is presently using fuel oil and when the conversion is made to wood chips, it is estimated the fuel cost will be cut about 50 percent.
The system, which will heat a boiler to provide steam heat for the school, was designed by Dr. John Riley of the University of Maine. He is serving as consulting engineer on the installation "of the system and his fee is provided by TV A.
A building to house the equipment was constructed by the Union County Board of Education.
Mixon said the system will serve as a demonstration project to show how wood can economically replace other fuels in schools and public buildings in Georgia.
The Union County Junior High School in Blairsville is th e first sc hool in th e state to convert its heating system to wood chips as the primary fuel source.
The syste m was in stall e d by the Georgia Forestry Commission, with coope ration from the Tennessee Vall ey Authority, State Board of Education and the Union County Board of Education .

AWARDS-- ~--- -~ - .
Mr. Albert Brull, left, Economtc Counsellor of the Quebec Delegation, Atlanta, presents a plaque to Ray Shirley, Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission, in appreciation of the Commission hosting a recent tour of Canadian forestry officials and providing them with technical forestry information on successful landowner programs. The unique plaque is shaped in the form of the Expo Fair in CBnada and is made of wood (See story page 10).

The Patterson Chapter, Future Farmers of America, captured first place in the FFA Field Day finals for the second consecutive year. The Louisville Chapter claimed second place. The 21st annual field day was sponsored by the Trust Company of Georgia and its affiliate banks throughout the state. William Bowdoin of the Trust Company, praised the students for their participation in the character building organization. Chapter members are, left to right, front row, Richard James, Rusty Moody, Steve Boyett, Rodney Dirkin and Advisor Jim my Mock. Second row includes Scott Yeomans, Freddy Crews, Timmy Newton, Keith Brown, Lanier Walker, Andy Ezell and Joseph Boyett.

Storekeeper Griffin Bond, a familiar face for many years at the central warehouse in Macon, was pleasantly surprised at a recent luncheon in his honor when Jeanette Moss, Warehouse Secretary presented him with a long string of two dollar bills on behalf of Georgia Forestry Commission employees, as Mrs. Bond looks on. The occasion was Bond's retirement after 27 years of faithful service.
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