~ --- - ~ --~_-_.., Georgia -- - ORESTRV ~n ':(JOO . PI Fit? 33)4 DECEMBER, 1980 Received APR 14 1981 DOCUM~NTS UGA LIBRARIES Georgia FORESTRY USPS No . 217120 Dec . 1980 No.4 Vol. 32 George Busbee - Governor A. Ray Shirley - Director BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Jim L. Gilli s, Jr ., chairman, Soperton Felton Denney, Carrollton Eley C. Frazer, Ill, AI bany Robert Simpson, I ll , Lakeland Henry E. Williams, Woodbine STAFF Frank E. Craven, Editor Howard E. Bennett, A ssociate Editor Thomas B. Hal l, Arti st DISTRICT OFFICES Coosa Valley P. 0. Box Z , Mt. Berry 30149 North Georgia Rt. 7, Box 83, Canton 30114 Atl anta- 7 Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Room 545, Atlanta 30334 Ch attahoochee Flint P. 0. Box 1080, Newnan 30263 Mel ntosh Trail Rt. 7, Box 455, Griffin 302 23 Middle Flint Rt. 1, Box 23A, Americus 31709 Coasta l Pl ain Rt. 2, Ashburn 31714 Southwest Georgia Rt. 2, Box 215, Camilla 31730 Georgia Southern Rt. 2, Statesboro 30458 Co asta l P. 0 . Box 113, Midway 31320 Sl ash Pin e Rt. 6, Box 167, Waycross 31501 Central Savannah River Rt. 2, Box 266, Washington 306 73 Georgia Mountains Rt. 11, Box 37, Gainesville 30501 Northeast Georgia Rt. 4, Box 168A, Athens 30605 Heart of Georgia Rt. 1, Box 46, Helena 31 037 Middle Georgia Rt. 8, Columbus Rd., M aco n 31206 Oconee Hwy. 49. Milledgeville 3 1061 Georgia Forestry is pub li shed quarterly by the Georgia Fo res try Commission, Rt. 1, Box 181, Dry Bran ch, Ga. 31020. Second class postage paid at Rome, Ga. Cruising The News ALTERNATE ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPED Georgia is doing some thing about the need to develop alternate sou rces of energy and reduce dependence on foreign supplies of traditional sources such as oil. The state recently p laced into operation at the Northwest Regional Hospital in Rome what Gov . George Busbee called the "la rgest operational wood gasification system in the United States and the first ever to be installed at a major state institution." The system produces low-c ost fuel gas from green wood chips. The gas in turn provides fuel for a modified boiler that generates steam for heating, air conditioning and laundry services at the 650-bed facility . Gov. Busbee was understandably excited about the facility at Rome and the potential of wood gasification as an energy source. "We are here today for the beginning of what may be the end of energy dependence in our country and particularly in our state," Busbee said in helping to dedicate the facility . "The State of Georgia, by using the primary source of fuel for most of man's history, is tak - ing a step not into the past but into the future." The governor indicated that up to 10 per- cent of the state's annual energy needs could be provided by wide application of the type system being used in Rome . Moreover, the alternative energy so urce could prove much less expensive than imported oil. The Rome project cost less than $400,000 to develop, and it is expected to save $250,000 a year in energy costs at the hospi tal. Several groups helped develop the Rome project , and they and others can be expected to expand the approach in the future . The pioneer project was a joint effort of the Geo rgia Forestry Commission, Georgia Tech's engineering station, Applied Engineering Co. of South Carolina and the Weyerhaeuser Corp. In addition to providing an alternate ene rgy source and saving fuel costs, the development of wood energy could provide an important new industry in the state. Georgia's continued progress in this field should be encouraged. - From the Athens Banner-Herald FIREWOOD OPENS NEW OPPORTUNITIES There has been a limited market in North Georgia for low grade and scrub hardwood timber. However, with the new fuel woodyard in Blairsville, a landowner has an opportunity to dispose of this product. This yard will also reduce the number of miles that many wood producers will have to drive to market. The woodyard will take all hardwood, down to a minimum diameter of four inches and up to a maximum of twenty inches. Th e wood processo r is set up to operate with an eight foot log and the firewood will be cut into sixteen inch sticks. They are buying wood by weight , usi ng a set weight per cord and paying prices comparable with pulpwood. Gold Kist farmers mutual exchange is operating the yard. Because Gold Kist is a co-op, any landowner se ll ing to them will be eligible for a dividend just as they are when buying or selling anything else. Having this market for this product will afford a landowner a monetary return . This in turn will help pay for the cost of putting unproduct ive land into productive timber land again . There is a cost sharing program through the county Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation service office. Any lan downer can app ly for cost sharing assistance in carrying out forest improvement practices. The Georgia Forestry Commission is available to provide technical forestry assistance to any private landowner upon request. - From the Clayton Tribune CONTENTS Urban Forestry Mobile Exhibit On The Road ....... .. ....... ... .. .. . .. . 3 Statewide Beetle Activity Update.. . . . . . . ..... . .. . .. ....... .. . . . . ... . 3 Gillis New Board Chairman ... . ...... . ....................... ... .. . . 3 Project Promotes Firewood Production .. ........ ... . .. ... . .......... . . 4 Crops Dri ed With Commi ssion Equipment.. . ... ...... . .... . ........... . 5 Jackson County Fire men Honored........... _. _............ . ........ . 6 Computer Terminals Add New Function.................. . ... .. ...... . 7 Seedling Lifting Underway.. .. . .... ... . .. . ......... .. . . . .... . 7 Wood Gasification System Dedicated . ................ . ....... .. ...... . 8 Chin ese Vi sit, Entomologi sts Meet ...... _.. . ... _.. .. ... . 10 Chips Heat Public School. ........................ .. .......... . . . . . . 11 Stroke Fatal to Veteran Ranger . .... _.. .. . _... . . .... ..... ... . . ...... . 11 Long Careers End for Two .......... ... ........ . ... . . . . ... _. _.. ... . 12 Feature Page .... ...... . . ....... . _...................... . ... .. .. . 13 Awards A t Norman Park .... . . . .. .. _.. _. _.. ....... .... . . . . ...... . . . 14 -~.., - I'' URBAN RESIDENTS VIEW EXHIBIT The Commission's Urban Forestry Mobile Exhibit is now touring the cities and towns of Georgia. The vehicle was outfitted in the summer by the Education Department with a wide range of interesting and inform ati ve exhibits to acquaint the urban dweller with the proper maintenance of shade and ornamental trees and to aid in the control of forestry diseases and insects that sometime plague city homeowners. The first showing was at the Georgia Mountain Fair at Hiawassee, where a large number of viewers passed through the bus. Since that initial showing, the exhibit has been seen by thousands of people attending regional and county fairs across the state. The events have included the Georgia State Fair in Macon, the North Georgia State Fair in Cobb County, Tift County Fair, Spalding County Fair, Jones County Fair, Houston County Fair, Richmond County Fair and Henry County Fair. It was also shown at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta. Th e exhibit will be featured December 19-21 at the Energy Exposition at the World Congress Center in Atlanta and it is being booked for several other events in the new year. Commission personne l are on hand at the exhibit to answer questions and help viewers choose literature pertaining to their problems. Before the exhibit is transferred from one site to another, Commission personnel relinquishing the exhibit, as well as the one receiving it, must sign a check list certifying that the bus is clean inside and out and that all equipment is in good working order. BEETLE ACTIVITY SHOWS DECLINE The la te st statewide survey conducted by Commission en tomologists revealed that only two Georgia counties- Franklin and Hart- are now classified as epidemic in Southern pine beetle infestation. In February, 44 counties were on the list, but by July only ten remained. Th e latest survey also showed that 69 counties continued to have so me degree of beetle activity, with a total of 2,063 spots of infestation. About 85 percent of the spots, however, averaged less than 25 trets each. The report showed that since January, 1979, Commission personnel contacted more than 8,400 landowners concerning beetle activity on their property . A total of 1 189 842 cords of wood have been killed since th e outbreak be gan in the spring of l~st y~ar. Of that volume, 1,018,973 cords have been sa lvaged. The Commission in 1981 will be actively inv o lve d in several app li ed re sea rch projects aimed at preventing southern pine beetl e outbreaks in th e state. Silvicultural practices and population manipulation with insect pheromones will be involved. Although the entomologists are encouraged with th e decrease in so uth ern pine beetle activity as th e year ended, th e y said th ere is some increase in th e Ips and turpentine beetle infestation in so me sections of th e st ate. That ?.r. tivity is being closely monitored, they said. Georgia Forestry/ December 1980 GILLIS IS NAMED BOARD CHAIRMAN Jim L. Gillis, Jr., prominen t Treutlen County forestland owner and well known conservation advocate, has been named chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Georgia Forestry Commission. A. Ray Shirley, Commission Director, said Gillis was named to the chairmanship by the four other members of the board, which serves as a governing body for the state agency. Gillis, who r%ides in Soperton, is president of the Am erican Tur pentine Farme rs Associ atio n , a di rector and past presid e nt of th e Georgia Forestry Association, a nd has served as chairman o f the State Soil and Water Conservation Com mittee for more th a n 27 y ears. Gillis succeeds H.E . Willi ams of Woodbine as chairman of the board . He gr aduated from th e University of Georgia in 1937 with a degree in forestry. The other members a lso a re educated in forestry or have business inte rests in forestry. Oth er mem bers include Felton Denney, Carroll ton; Eley C. Frazer, Ill, Albany; and Robert Simpson, Ill, Lakeland. Gilli s is also a farmer and banker an d has l1eld prominent positions in several organizations conce1 ned with Georgia banking and agriculture. He is a former state senator, county commissione1 and mayor. He is married to the former Miss Katherine Hudman of Screven County and they have four children and nine grandchildren. 3 PROJECT PROMOTES FIREWOOD Top left: Commission Forester David McLa in, right, and Forester Bill Nussbaumer, TVA, center, discuss woodyard operations with Ray Madden, a Dalton vendor. At right, wood is fed into an automatic splitter at a Dalton woodyard. Bottom left: Forester Crawford Cooper and an operator inspect a new type splitter at a Blairsville woodlot_ At right: woodmen begin production in Whitfield County to meet the coming winter demand. As cold weat her approaches, more and more people are purcl1asing heating systems which use wood as a fu el. Thank s to the efforts of four organ izations ~ the Georgia Forestry Co mmission, Southern Solar Energy Center o f Atlanta, the Tennessee Val ley Authority and the North Georgia Electric Membership Corporation residents of Northwest Georgia have an excellent opportunity to use wood as a source of heat. A firewood project l1as been initiated in Catoosa, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Walker and Whitfield Counties. A survev was conducted through the Georgia State University which found that in a nine county area, includ ing the seven above listed counties, there is a current demand for 98,520 cords of wood for fuel. There are 39,730 homes in the area, according to the survey, which use 2.5 cords per year and 18,400 homeowners plan to install so me type of wood burning stove or furnace in the future which wil l dramatical ly increase the demand for firewood. David Mclain, Commission forester, points out that in the seven-county project area there are 1,009,000 acres of forest land, much of which is in hard woods. He said he thinks there is e nough hardwood on these acres to support the firewood demand. Trees to be used would primarily include those which have no other commercial value and were former ly waste materia l. Mclain also said that clearing land of these inferior trees serves to enhance the for est, as it eliminates competition for quality trees and provides more sunlight for their growth. Mc lain emphasized th a t species such as oak and hickory make the best fire wood, but they require more drying time than so ft e r species. Ideally, he sa id, wood should be dried for six months to lower its moisture co ntent. Mclain sai d local firewood bu sinesses are opening up in the Dalton area to m eet th e d e mand s of fir ewoo d for customers. One s uch business is th e A&A Lawn and Tree Service Company, operated by William Metcalf and Aubry Har rell . Located a t 300 Ea st Hawthorne Stree t, the co mpany utilizes tree s cut during th e ir normal city services and they also buy logs an d rounds from la ndown e rs. N ewco m ~ r s to the firewood bu s in ess a re Ray Madden a nd Monro e Bl ack well, co-owners of B&M Wood Compa ny . The co mpany, loca ted on Eas t Waugh Street just o ff US 76 between Dalton an d Ch atsworth, is open six d ays a week. Th e company does have a te lepho ne a n swer ing se rvice for times when th e office is c losed . They have a retail outlet on th e corner of Easterlin g a nd East Wau gh Streets. The Beaverdale Woodyard, operated by Max Gu ess a nd Hubert Lan gl e y, is locat e d on High way 2 near Pra ter's Mill. Th ei r yard contains oa k , hickor y a nd m ap le. At the present time, th e co mp a ny does not split their logs into firewood. They se ll random le ngth logs, purchased from producers. Milton Greeso n, supervisor, Conservation Department, North Georgia El ec tric Members hip Corporation, Dalton, sai d the corporation has financed without interest a total of 1,014 wood heaters for homeown ers in the seve n-co unty se rvice area. For additional firewood information, Fores t e r Mclain suggests inte res ted persons contact their local county Forestry Commission office. Gear 1a Forestry/December 1980 ;\ ..,. -- Above, corn is dried on a Mitchell County farm Below, the dryer is set up at another loca tion and a forester is sho wn explaining its operation to a group of observers, including Gov. George Busbee (seventh from right). ON MITCHELL FARM WOOD-FIRED CROP DRYER SHOWN A crop clry1ng demonstration featunng the Commission's new mobile chip-fired equipment was held recently on the Mack Hayes farm near Camilla in Mitchell County. Fred Allen, Wood Energy Specialist in the Commission's Forest Research Department, said it was the first of several demonstrations planned to show farmers of Georgia how they can save considerable costs by converting from propane gas to green wood chips in drying grains and other crops. All en said the Commission's Rettew furnace, mounted on a trailer and equipped with chip conveyers, an e lectronic control panel and several safety features, was used to provide heat for an existing crop drying system on the Hay es farm. He said certain modifications had to be made to convert the syste m from propane to green wood chips. The specialist said the furnace generates up to three mi IIi on BTU /h r an d is mounted on the trailer for convenient moves from one h rm site to another. A conventional John Dee re forage trailer is used for storing the wood chips. A Patz agricultural conveyer moves th e chips from the trail e r to the furnace. Allen explained that the chips pass through a rotary ai r lock and slid e down a sloping wall to the pinhole grate, where the fuel is burn e d . Und erfire air is blown through the pinhole grate to keep the wood chips burning. From the-area above the grates , the hot gases pass over a sixinch fire wa ll into a secondary combustion chamber and then into the firetubes of the heat exchanger. The agricultural crop dryer produces hot a ir up to 200F. The hot air is moved from the furnace at 16,000 CFM. County officials, the county agent, local farmers and representatives from the Georgia Farm Bureau Federation attended the initial demonstration in Mitchell County. Allen said the Commission is also studying the possi bi l1 ty of using the equipment to heat poultry houses and serve Georgia agriculture and industry in other ways. 5 \ \ Commission makes water drop to demonstrate aerial assault on forest fires m rugged or remote terrain. At left, Georgia Fire A cademy presents a spectacular liquid fire suppression exercise. (Photos courtesy The Jefferson Herald.) COMMISSION JOINS JEFFERSON IN SALUTE TO FIREFIGHTERS A water drop by a Commission helicopter was one of the highlights of the recent Firemen's Arpreciation Day held in Jefferson to honor all volunteer firemen and emergency service volunteers of Jackson County. The CommissiOn also displayed a tractor unrt from the Jackson-Barrow office, with personnel on hand to explain the features of the equipment. Several fire knockers and quick response vehicles that are provided communities in the county by the Commission through the Rural Fire Defense program were also on dis play. The specral day was sronsored by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. The Board of Comrnrssroners rn the courl ty publicly expressed arpreciation and grat itude for the work carried out by the volunteer s. The board also praised the chamber for inaugurating th e recognition day. Visitors attending the event at Jeff erson Memorial Stadium wer e welcomed by Henry Robinson, chairman of the county commissioners and opening remark s were by Ron Bond, chamber pr es ident. Gu es t spea k er was Johnny Caldwell, St ate Insura nce Commissioner. Guests wer e introduced by local Fir e Chief L au ren (Bubba) McDonald. Pr esen tation s were m ade by Mayor Byrd Bruce of Jeffer so n. Memorials to James Ginn and Smith Bridges were m ade by Larry Edwards, Pr esi dent, Jackson County Fir em ens A ssociation. A certified pure air compressor truck was clisrlayed by the Geor gi a Fire Academy and a 56-foot ladder truck was shown by Georgia Industrial of Alto. Communities participating in the observance and displaying fire equipment included West Jefferson, Harrisburg, Fairview, Nicholson, South Jefferson, Maysville, Plainview and Arcade. Jim Turner, Chief of the Commission's Forest Prote ction Derartment, which also administers the Rural Fire Defense program, said the event was "very im pressive" and praised the sponsors for their recognition of the area's firefighters. Geory1a For est ry December 1980 SEEDLING SHIPPING SEASON UNDERWAY Work is now underwa y at the Com mission nurseries to lift, pack and ship more than 86 million tree seedlings. Jim Wynens, Chief of the Commission's Reforestation Department, said the shipping season got underway gradually in October and by late November it was in full swing. He said the season usually extends into March of the following year. The department head said the crop this year is a substantial increase over production last season and was planned when a rising demand could not be met in 1979. The Commission earlier this year carried out a concerted drive to inform landowners statewide that an expanded supply of seedlings would be available for the 1980-81 planting season. As a result of the campaign, many orders came in early and were processed by the department before the fall rush began. H. G. Ellenburg, Nurseryman of Morgan Memorial Nursery at Byron, said the seedlings this season "look extremely good." He said the growing season was one of the driest and hottest on record, but extensive use of the irrigation system pulled the young trees through the summer. Below: Mrs. Joyce Smith processes seedling orders for shipment at Morgan Nursery. At right: Jim Wynens, reforestation chief_ inspects some of the healthy young trees. --; I r Sharon Bennett, Waycross District Secretary, punches in biomass cruise information on a computer terminal in her office. BIOMASS NOW RAPIDLY COMPUTED The Commission's 21 computer terminals around the state have been formerly used exclusively for rapid weather data, but now they are taking on an additional function. Druid Preston, Chief of the Forest Management Department, said the terminals will now be used to determine biomass on any given forested area in the state. He explained that conventional timber cruise data, including the number of trees, diameter of trees and merchantable height of trees, is fed into the terminal and an especially programmed computer in Athens will almost immediately respond with a readout providing the total biomass in th at particular plot. Preston said the Commission has been working closely with the U.S. Fo r est Service in perfecting the procedure. He said the computer can provide th e total biomass in either green weight or board feet and will be inva luabl e t o landowners who need to know the immediate value of their fore st holdings. The computer terminals, which are located in most district offices, three county units and in the Macon headquarters, were first introduced in th e Commission's Forest Protection Department about two years ago and have served well in providing up-to-date weather inform ation . .. - .. t :.. .. :) ~ I - -=- --- ,_ 'J . " .. .~ .."" ~ ~ .... ;.,; [!] he nation's largest wood gasification system - a major project of t he Georgi a Forestry Commission - is now operational at Northwest Georgi a Region al Hospital in Rome, where it is providing the energy necessary to both heat and cool the sprawling 665-bed facility. Landowners, industrialists, legi slators and a large press corps were on hand at recent dedication ceremonies in which Governor George Busbee sa id the state has taken a primary source of fuel used for most of the nation's history to make a broad step into the future . He said the new gasification system is one of the f irst cost-effective techniques developed in the nation's quest for alternative energy sources . The gas produced will be burned in the hospital's boiler room to generate 19,000 pounds of steam per hour, which is expected to provide most of the energy needs for the facility's heating and cooling equipment. The ga sification program was developed as a joint project by the Georgia Forestry Commission, the Georgia Tech Engi neering Experiment Station, the Weyerhaeuser Corporation and Appli ed Engineering Compan y of Orangeburg, S.C., which designed an d built the gasi fi er. Experts estimate the gasification. sys - tern will save the hospital about 5250,000 in fuel costs yearly. T hey say the boiler could pay for itself within two years. Gov. Busbee praised the Forestry Commission, along with Georgia Tech's En gineering Experiment Station and the Weyerhaeuser Corporation, which provided engineering and technical assistance and offered specia l thanks to Applied En gineering Company for producing the system. Ray Shirley, director, Georgia Forestry Commi ssio n, said that the more than 24 million forest acres in the state could meet 10 percent of the state's commercial energy needs in the future by utilizing cull timber that presently does not have a market. Shirley further stated that wood chips for the Rome hospital will be provided from North Georgia forests by loggers who not only will chip limbs, logging debris and cull trees from both hardwoods and softwoods, but in the process will also be clearing land and site preparing it for replanting. During the dedication, demonstration plots and logging equipment were shown. Feller-bunch ers cut the trees which were hauled by log hogs to the chipper. Theresultant chips were blown into a trailer for transportation to the hospital where they WOOD GASIFICATION SYSTEM DEDICATED THE NATION'S LARGEST were unloaded onto a conveyer belt system for storage in a si lo . A commercial harvest plot showed the conventional method of harve stin g, vlklile an adjacent control plot was left in its natural state. A clearcut plot demonstrated the total removal of the timber stand for the purpose of regenerating a more valuable acre of timber. After remova l of the sawtimber, the undesirable trees, limbs and the remaining biomass were chipped. It was designed to show land owners how this method of harvest can save the cost of site preparation. At the same time the landowner would realize additional income from the sa le of chips produced from biomass. A selective thinning plot was demon- strated, which left desirable trees for a future timber crop. The object of the plot was to show landowners how they can improve their timber stand and at the same time realize revenue from low grade and cull m ateria ls when converted to chips. A control plot was located adjacent to this plot. A firewood plot was set aside to show the type of tree that can be profitably harvested for this purpose . It also emphasized that by taking out poor quality trees for fuel purposes, the entire stand is vastly improved . 8 The Georgia Forestry Commi ssion has been actively promoting the technique of whole tree chipping as an important forest management tool. Director Shirley told the dedication audience that the who le tree approach is basic to the economic success of wood gasifiers and other wood -fueled equipment . He pointed out that a logging operation leaves almost 22 tons of biomass per acre which can be chipped for modern wood heating systems, thereby providing a new source of revenue for landowners and bring about site clearance for reforestation purposes. G. A. Thomp son, senior vice president and general manager of Appli ed Engineer- ing Company , exp lained that the system at the hospital "is not an experimental or prototype installation ... it is a fully operational first-generation system that offers real advantages over conventional fuels such as oil and natural gas." Thompson praised the foresight an d cooperation of the Forestry Commission during the development of the new process and said the project was an outstanding example of how the public and private sectors can work closely together in achie ving vital energy goals. Governor George Busbee in the above photo is shown conducting a news conference at Rome in which he termed the gasification system a "broad step into the future . " Reporters representing the state's major newspapers and radio an d television stations, as well as representatives of the wire services, were in attendance. Below are scenes of the gasifier just outside the boiler room at the big hospital and a group observing one of the forest demonstration plots set up near the city to show various types of management practices and wood usage. The Georgia Council of Entomol ogy recently held its 25th annual meeting in the Commission auditorium in Macon. Members attending the session were : front row, left to right, Terr y Price, Georgia Forestry Commission, 1980 Chairman; Ralph Gentr y, Southeastern Fruit and Nut Tree Research Station; R. H. Prestage, USDA , APHIS, PPQ; Bruce Ezell, Georgia Southern College; and Harry Yates, USDA , Forest Service, 1981 Chairman. Back r ow, 1-r, Oscar Fultz, Chatham County Mosquito Control Commission; Herb Womack, University of Georgia Ex tension Service; Carl Scott, Georgia Department of Agriculture; Harry Gross, USDA, Southern Grain Insects Research Lab; Roy Bry, USDA, Stored Product Insects Research Lab; Kerry Th omas, GFC; Bill Tietjen, Georgia South western College; and Preston Hunter, University of Georgia. Several foresters from the Republic of China recently toured sections of the United States under the sponsorship of the USDA, Forest Service. Part of the tour included the Georgia Forestry Cen ter and the Commission's nurseries and seed orchards. Th e Chinese are shown here (front row) with Director Ray Shirley and o ther Commission officials. Left to right 10 are Wang Hansheng, Huang Yuyian , Li Changjian , Du Menggang, Wu Chung tun, Wang Zhenru, Yang Wentao, Shirley and Huang Shu. Back row, left to right, Druid Preston, George Collier, David Westmoreland, Stanley Krugman, Cash Harper, Bill Hess, Jim Wynens and Jim Turner. Geo rgi a Fo restry/ Dece mber 1980 Jl .. I ~ t ~ i .'I' ll t Commission Engineer B. 0. Jarrett, right, explains chip-fired system to vie wers. At bottom, John Mixon, research chief, shows chip storage wagon and conveyer system. WOOD CHIPS HEAT UNION SCHOOL Ceremonies were held recently at According to Clyde Collins, Union Union County Junior High School in County School Superintendent, th e sy s- Blairsville to dedicate a new heating sys - tem will not only sa ve e nergy and school tem which utilizes green wood chips. funds alloted for heating, but will al so Th e unique system, which was e ngineer ed a nd installed under the direction of th e Georgi a Forestry Commi ss ion, be- provide an additional source of income for for es t la nd o wn e rs . During th e d e dic at ion, John Mi xon, ca m e ope rational thi s fa ll. Th e junior Chief, Fores t Resea rch for th e Commis - high facility is beli e ved to be the only sion , pointe d o ut th at th e ve nture wa s a public school in the South eas t in mode rn times to be heated by wood. The chips are transported to the school from a nearby sawmill in a Ne w Holland forage trailer, and then moved onto a live bottom hopper in th e boil e r cooperative eff o rt betwee n the Commission, TV A, State De pa rtm e nt of Edu cation and the Uni o n Co unty School Board . TV A funded $25,000 toward the sy ste m , Mixon sa id, whil e th e Commi ss ion su pe rvi sed th e inst all ation of the syst e m. room by me ans of a conveyer . From th e hopper, the chips travel by a screw convey e r to a firebox which was constructe d on the boil e r room fl o or . Ste a m from the wood fir e d bo il e r h ea ts a portion of th e school building . Beca use of th e e x tre mely high combu sti o n te m - Mi x on sa id th e syst e m will use 700 pound s of gree n w oo d cl1ip s during a 2 4hour period, as com pared to 17-18 gallon s of fue l oi l that w o uld be req uired if th at fu e l w ere use d . B. 0 . J a rre tt , Commi ss ion Engin ee r , sa id th e cos t o f c hips w ou ld run abo ut per atures , th e st ack emi ss ion s are ve ry one -third th e cos t o f fu e l o il. low. DEATH CLAIMS RANGER RAY Commission pe rsonn e l acro ss th e state deeply regre t th e loss o f For est Ra nger Le on Ray o f Em a nu e l County and extend sympathy to hi s fa mily . Th e range r , a n a tive o f Do ugl as, di e d Octobe r 28 in t he Vete rans Admini str at ion Hosr ita l in Dub li n. He had s uffe re d a st roke in August. Range r Ray , w ho had stud ied at a ra nge r sc h o ol in Fl orida, came with th e Co m m iss ion in the fall of 1951 . He was named ranger of the Em a nu e l Co un ty Un it at that time and served in that capacity during hi s 29 -y ear career. Di st ri c t Forester Don Griner sa id Ray , a war veteran a nd a Baptist, alwa y s kept his county unit, w hi ch is located about a h alf mil e from Swainsboro on U.S. Highway 1, in good condition and performed his duties well. The ranger was presented a commendation award at the recent statewide training session at Nor- man Park for leading all counties in assisting landowners in prescribed and control burning and maintain ing 252 miles of firebreaks. Ray was unable to attend and the award was accepted on his behalf by G11ner. Range1 Ray was ma1 ned to the former M1ss V1rg1111a Reese and they had four child1en. Fune1 al serv1ces were held at the F1rst Bapt1st Church of Swc~1nsboro. Georgia Forestry/December 1980 11 A veteran District Forester and a Senior Forest Ranger with 30 years of service were among the personnel who recently retired from the Commission. Honored at retirement dinners were District Forester Jim Henson of Waycross and Ranger Marvin (Red) McMichael of Monticello. Commission personnel from the District. the Macon office and others honored Henson with a retirement dinner at the Holiday Inn in Waycross. He received several gifts and many compliments from his associates and friends. A graduate of the School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Henson began his career with the Commission as ranger of the Emanuel County Unit in Henson clears desk as long career ends. McMichael, right, receives plaque from District Forester Lynn Hooven. 1950. He was named Assistant D1 strict Forester in the Statesboro District in 1951 and later served in the Newnan District. He came to Waycross in 1958. Henson and his wife, Colleen, have two sons and they are members of the Church of Christ in Waycross. Fellow employees and othe1 friends of McMichael of the Jasper-Jones County Unit, gathered at the Jaycees Building in late August to pay tribute to the retiring veteran of 30 years service. District Forester Lynn B. Hooven of Macon was master of ceremonies at the informal party and praised McMichael for three decades of dedicated service to landowners and others in the area. McMichael, a native of Monticello, is a graduate of Monticel lo High School. He served in the infantry of the U.S. Army during World War II and was awarded the purple heart, battle star and other medals McMichael came with the Commission in the fall of 1950 as Assistant Ranger and was named Ranger the fo ll owing year. The ranger is married to the former Miss Mabie Womack and they have one son, Terry. They are members of the Monticello United Methodist Church, Tr ee Farm Honors Announced W. L. "Buddy" Crown, Jr., Owens-Illinois Company, Valdosta, has been chosen as Georgia's 1980 Outstanding Tree Farm District Chairman. Selected by the State Tree Farm Committee, Crown was presented a shotgun during the recent Tree Farm Committee meeting at St. Regis Lodge Commission employees recognized for distinguished service in the Tree Farm program were Thomas H. Joyner, Rome; John D. Nicholson, Griffin; Charles G. Hill, Griffin; Hubert A. Strickland, Blakely; Jerry D. Marsh, Statesboro; Coke E. Rogers, Statesboro; Armand J. Cote, Athens. Odie Turner, Continental Can Company, Wrens, WdS also presented a shotgun in recognition of his 'PIPct1on as Tree Farm Inspector of the Year. W L. Crown, left, is presented a gun by Dave Mitchell, St. Regis Paper Co. Geor ia Forestry / Decembe r 1980 TOTAL TREE CONCEPT ELEVATES BARK l FE ATURE I ~ PAGE -. i 'GIORGIA FORESTRY distributors in m a ny sec ti o ns of th e n ation. Ba rk ~ y es t e rday' s waste, but today's residu e ~ h as now jo in ed o th e r fo rest materi a ls in making a s ignifi ca nt co ntr ibution to the economy. Mill operators just a little while ago considered it a rea l nuisance. Some was used to fire the boilers, but most of the material e nded up with t he sawd ust in a huge, smolderi ng waste pile out on the e dge of th e mill yard. Now, however, the revolution that brought a bout the whole tree utilization concept has made th e once lowly bark a sa la bl e product ' Pioneer processors, In c., which claims it is the "largest manufacturer of qual ity lan d scape bark products on the East Coast," opened a p lan t in Adel in 1977 and now p roce sses a bout 1% million bags of bark each year . John Vick, m ana ger of the p la nt in Cook County , sa id h e is now in hi s busiest sea son of the year. The bark is now being processed for spring so les. Vick said the co mpany, which has home offices in Virgini a , emp loyees 14 peop le in th e loca l operat ion and in creases the work force to 20 during peak periods when two shifts are necessary. Vick exp lained that the finished product falls into four categor ies. Nuggets and mini -nuggets a re bark pa rticl es that a re size d to be p lace d around shr ub s and o th er la nd scaping plants for decorative ONCE LOWLY BARK NOW A DESIRABLE LANDSCAPE PRODUCT! purposes. A sm a ll er size is packaged for use as a mulch for bedding p lants, wh il e a fourth size is refined for use as a so il cond itioner. Th e bark is packaged in polyethylene bags of three cubic feet capacity. The individual bags weigh from 40 to 80 pounds, depend ing on the coarseness of the bark. Th e plant manager said the bark is purchased from sawm ill s in the area a nd after processing it is so ld to distributors who provide the plant with bags bearing their own label. Some, he said, is sold in bulk form. From 12 to 14 large highway vans loaded with th e bagged bark leave the plant each day to deliver the product to In top photo, Plant Manager John Vick shows bag of bark nuggets coming down conveyer line. Above, Cook County Ranger John Mainor examines processed bark an d scene at left shows grading and separating m achines. 13 ~ , ,1. ~ ,, ~ ~ ~ ~ ( \J Featured guests shown with Director Ray Shirley, right, at the recent Commission training conference held at Norman Park were, 1-r, Bohby Taylor, Georgia Forestry Association; Robert Raisch, U.S. Forest Service; Gary Tyre, SCS; J.D. "Red" Strange, Consultant Forester and Jim L. Gillis, Jr. , Commission Board member. Adron Harden, Farm Bureau, was not presen t for the picture. Photo 6 : John H. Radcliffe, left, Lee County Forest Ranger, was awarded for his con triiJUtions to the Commission's building program. David Westmoreland, Field Supervisor, Macon, presented the awards. Robert A. Rhodes, Laurens County, right, received an award for his expertise in constructing Fire Knockers. Photo 7: Mrs. Virginia B. Tyndall, Secretary, Research Division, Macon, is awarded for her role in promoting forest re search, particularly wood energy. It was presented by John W Mixon, Chief, Forest Research Department, Macon. Everett U. Rhodes, Fores t Ranger, Blairsville, was presented a commendation award for his au tstanding assistance in promoting wood for energy in the Fannin, Towns and Union area. Photo 8: Shirley F. Ford, Secretary, Atlanta Office, is a warded for her ability to Photo 1: J ohn W Johnson , left , Seed work well under pressure, coupled with Orchard Superintendent, Glenwood, was her sincere friendliness. It was presented awarded for his expertise in carrying out a designed genetics program. It was presented by James C. Wvnen s, Chief, Re- HERE ARE RECIPIENTS OF AWARDS PRESENTED AT by Julian Reeves, Coordinator of Forestry Programs, Atlanta. forestation, Macon Center. Howard W. Stanley, Nursery Superintendent, Reidsville, was awarded for his role in producing and propagating over 40 species and varieties of plants. Photo 2: Spencer McGraw, left, Ranger, Haralson-Polk Forestry Unit, wa s awarded for his leadership in planning and developing a comprehensive Rural Fire Defense Program in Haralson County. Joel W Hall, Jr., second from right, District Fo r ester, Americus, was awarded for developing Ma ster Fire Plans for the eight counties in his District. Don Griner, right, District Forester, Washington, accepted a commenda tion award on behalf (lf Leon Ray, Ranger , Emanuel County, who was u nable to a ttend the meeting. Ray was recognized for leading all counties in assistance to lando wners with prescribed and control burning. Presenting the awards is James C. Turn er, Jr., Chief, Forest Pro tection, Macon . THE COMMISSION'S TRAINING SESSION AT NORMAN PARK. Storekeeper with the Commission, right, was also presented an award for his efficiency in conducting the operation of the warehouse. The awards were presented by Floyd A. Smith, Chief, Forest Administration, Macon Center. Photo 4: Henry Grady Williams, center, Naval Stores Specialist, M c Rae, was honored for his outstanding supervision of the State's naval stores program. Presenting Williams with an award was Robert Raisch, U.S. Forest Service, while Jim L. Gillis, Jr., President, American Turpentine Farmers of America, looks on. Photo 5: Mrs. Glynda W Thornton, Secretary, Management Division , M acon, wa s awarded for her high production and Photo 9: J.L. Stanford, left, ClarkeOconee County Forest Ranger, Athens, is awarded for his expertise in teaching Red Cross courses and driver's training and his role in securing assistance to take down and re-erect radio towers. It was presented by H. G. Collier, Jr., Field Supervisor, Macon . John A. Osbolt, Jr., right, County Forest Ranger, Griffin, was awarded for his rebuilding state equipment, repairing fire extinguishers and serving as an evaluator for new Forest Patrolmen. Photo 10: Charles B. Place, Jr., left, Fores t Education A ssistant, Macon, was awarded for developing tl1e Commission's Environmental Education program. The award was presented by Frank E. Craven, Chief, Forest Education Department, Macon. Floyd M. Cook, right, Forester, Columbus, was awarded for his imaginative educational programs in the Chattahoochee Valley. Phc t1J J George C. San ders, left, Pro c urcmen r Officer for the Commission, Mat c,,, was o varded for his knowledge of 1 ''li{Jrnen t specd1r.a tions and th e fast cif'llvtry of necessar y 1tems to fit the ""'17111/SS IOn 's nee ds. Charles Jeff Bridges, knowledge of all management programs. Druid Preston, Chief, Forest Management, Macon, presented tl1e award. William D. Millians, right, District Forester, Milledgeville, wa s awarded for his leadership, guidance and personal involvement in the forest management program. Plwto 77: Robert Raisch, right, Area Director, U.S. Forest Service, Atlanta, presents James C. Turner, Jr., Chief, Forest Protection Department, Macon, with a plaque in appreciation of the fire crews sent West to combat fires. 14 Georg1a Forestry/ Dece mber 1980 DECEMBER, 1980 WISHING YOU A JOYOUS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR Director Ray Shirley and the Staff, Georgia Forestry Commission ~ SECOND CLASS POST AGE PAID AT ROME , GEORGIA