Georgia forestry, Vol. 34, no. 3 (Sept. 1981)

Georgia

FORESTRY

USPS No. 2 17120

Sept. 1981

No.3 Vol. 33

George Bu sbee - Go ve rno r A. Ray Sh irley - Directo r

BO A RD OF CO MM ISS IONERS
J im L. Gillis , J r., chairman, Soperto n Fe Iton Denney, Ca rrollton Eley C. F razer, Il l, Al bany Robert S im pson. Ill, Lakeland Henry E. Williams, Woodbine
STAFF
Frank E. Cra ve n , Ed itor Howard E. Be nn ett , Associat e Ed ito r Tho mas B. Ha ll , Arti st
DISTRICT OFFICES
Coosa V alley P. 0. Box Z, Mt. Berry 30149 North Geo rgia Rt. 7, Box 8 3, Canton 30114
Chattahoochee Flint P. 0 . Box 1080. Newnan 30263 Mel ntosh T rail Rt. 7, Box 455. Griffin 30223
Middle Flint Rt. 1, Box 23A , Americus 31 7 09 Coastal Plain Rt. 2, A shburn 3 1714 Sou t hwest Georgia Rt. 2, Box 2 15, Camilla 31 7 30 Geo rgia Southe rn Rt. 2, Sta tesbo ro 30458
Slash Pine Rt. 6, Box 167, Wayc ross 3 150 1 Central Savannah River Rt. 2, Box 266, Washington 30673 Georgia Mountains Rt. 11, Box 37, Gainesville 3050 1 Northeast Georgia Rt. 4, Box 168A, A thens 30605 Heart of Georgia Rt. 1, Bo x 46, Helena 31 037
Middle Georgia Rt. 8, Colu m bus Rd. , Macon 31206
Oconee Hwy . 49. Mill edgevill e 31061

Georg ia Forestry is published quarterly by the Geo rgi a Fo restry Commissio r, Rt. 1, Bo x 18 1, Dry Branch, Ga . 3 102 0 .
Second class postage pai d at Manches ter ,
Ga.

Cruising The News

WOOD ENERGY BENEFITS STATE

Georgia's forests and woodlands are playing an increasingly important pan in substituting locally grown energy for oil.
Although the Unit ed States is not out of the woods, (no pun intended) when it comes to energy independence, there are many signs of improvement in some areas.
Georgia's forest industry activities in this area are examples.
Energy-rich Canada , which has plenty of oil, water, coal and wood , only recently began to look on its wood piles as renewable energy resources. Officials there figured, however, that for every 100 feet of so lid wood used in actual finished products, 200 square feet of wood is being wasted in the harvesting process.
This isn ' t so in Georgia. On a state-wide scale, the Georgia Forestry Co mmission has been active in resea rch and d evelopment of wood -energy-saving measures. Researchers at Georgia Tech are undertaking investigations in a number of areas to add new spark to the wood-for-energy program. They are putting "state of the an" tech nology on line in Georgia' s industries even as they continue research into newer areas. (There will be more about Tech ' s wood energy resea rch programs in coming week s.) Most forest industry plants in the state already have converted their boilers to burn wo od or wood by-products to supply t he greatest pan of their energy needs. These plants, in fact , use wood to produce m ost of the energy needed to transform logs into their fini shed product, whether the product is paperboard or newsprint or another k ind of paper. Where many cull trees and tree trimmings once were left in the woods and on the forest f loor w hen the prime timber was removed ,

even these cu lis and scraps are now gathered in many areas.
According to Forestry Commission off icia ls, there are 28 wood chippers within the state that are taken into forests to clean up otherwise "leftover" wood in the fields.
This wood is cut and fed into the chipper where it is prepared for use as fuel.
Hog farmers brag their slaughtering methods use "everyt hing but the oink ."
Foresters are working to use everyth i ng but the wind in the willows. And they claim this sort of harvesting helps promote better forests for a few years down the road, too.
"You can 't grow the best quality lumber in forests with a lot of old, cull trees left standing from the last harvest," one forester explained .
Forestry in Georg ia is giant- with 540 ,000 acres of wood land harvested each year, and eight million tons of pulp produced along with 2.5 billion board feet of lumber.
A s almost every Georgia school child knows, forestry is a $5 .5 billion a-year program in Georgia, and forests are growing on 24 million acres of land within the state.
Georgi a, in fact , grows more wood on privately owned land than any other state in the Union.
It's comforting to k now that much of the energy needed to process the logs on the trucks one sees on the roads and highways will come from the logs themselves, or logs processed only a few days before.
This k ind of energy saving and t his kind of innovation are the sorts of things that will keep our country working in spite of what the Arab nations may do.
-From the Augusta Chronicle

CONTEN TS

Assista nt USDA Secretary V isits Center ..

.3

Agri -T imber Acqu ires Interstate Hold ings .

.3

Tree Seedl ing Sales Promoted . . . . . .. .

.4

Update on Southern Pine Beetle Activity .

.4

Miss G eorg ia Forestry, Miss G um Spir its Selected

.5

GFA Convention Highlights..... .

.6

T imber Survey Unit Completed . . . . .

.7

Wood Harvest Demonstrations Held . .

.8

Sawdust Used to Dry Geo rgia Tobacco

.9

Merger Change s Comm ission Distr ict Boundaries .

.10

Macon Shop Saving Taxpayer Dollars .

. 11

Tree Farmer Named , Committee Meets

.12

Feature Page. . ... . . .... . .

.13

Logg ing the Fo resters, Letters

. 14

Awards . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . .

.15

ON THE COVER - Amy S ir mans, the recently crowned Miss Georgia Forestry , po se s for the photographer on the lawn of her home in Waycross. (See Story Page 5) .
Georgia Forestry/September 198_2__

NEW FOREST RESEARCH

REPORTS PUBLISHED

Assistant Secretary James Crowell of the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently toured the Forestry Center in Macon and observed naval stores operations and forest regeneration near Soperton. In the top photo, Commission Director Ray Shirley, left, shows fire fighting equipment to Secretary Crowell, second from left, and others in the tour group, including Jim Turner, Chief of Forest Protection, GFC; Bob Raisch, U.S. Forest Service, Atlanta; and Eley C. Frazer, Ill of Albany, member of the GFC Board of Commissioners.. At right, Raisch and the secretary hear Turner explain some of the practices used by the Commission in the suppression of forest wildfires. Others on the tour were
Stan Adams and John Ohman, U.S. Forest Service. The group saw the Commission's new motion picture on wood energy and toured the tree seed and fire laboratories during the visit to the center.

Three new Georgia Forest Research Reports have been published since January and an additional three are at the printers, according to John Mixon, the Commission's research chief.
Mixon said the comprehensive reports are available to landowners, wood using industries and other forestry interests.
Reports now being distributed include:
Research Paper No. 14 -Cruising Procedures for Estimating Total Stand Biomass, by Douglas R. Phillips and Joseph R. Saucier, January 1981;
Research Paper No. 15 - Control of the Black Turpentine Beetle, by Edward P. Merkel, January 1981;
Research Paper No. 19 - Green Weight, Volume, Board Foot and Cord Tables for the Major Southern Pine Species, by Joseph R. Saucier and Douglas R. Phillips, January 1981.
Reports now being printed include: Research Paper No. 16- The Firewood Industry in Georgia - A Study of Its Characteristics and Needs, by Dr. James E. Morrow, Georgia State University, May 1981; Research Paper No. 17 - Energy Wood Harvesting - A SWdy of Promises and Pitfalls, by James W. McMinn and Wade L. Nutter, May 1981; Research Paper No. 18 - Weight Loss of Summer-Stored Sweetgum, YellowPoplar, Red Oak, and Loblolly Pine Saw Logs, by Joseph R. Saucier and Douglas R. Phillips, June 1981.

GEORGIA COMPANY ACQUIRES INTERSTATE PAPER INTERESTS

Interstate Paper Corp., operator of a kraft linerboard mill in Riceboro, Georgia, and Interstate Container Corp. of New York City, which operates four corrugated box plants and a corrugating medium mill in the Northeast, have been acquired by Agri-Timber, Inc., a privately owned Georgia company.
Agri-Timber, Inc. is wholly-owned by William F. Belote of Dublin, Ga. The acquisition includes all stock of Interstate Paper, Interstate Container, and a third related company, Newport Timber Corp., also of Riceboro. The three corporations will continue as operating subsidiaries of Agri-Timber, Inc.
Belote and his family have been longtime forest products producers and own or control more than 200,000 acres of timberland in the Georgia, Florida, and

South Carolina areas, as well as sawmills and plywood mills in those states. In addition, Belote owns approximately 700,000 acres of timber and farm land in

Central America and operates mahogany and hardwood mills, a gum naval stores operation, and a wood treating plant there.

ORLANDO SITE OF SOCIETY CONVENTION

Orlando, Florida will be the site of the 1981 National Convention of the Society of American Foresters. Some 2000 foresters and other professionals are expected to gather for the meeting to be held at the Sheraton Twin Towers, in Orlando, September 27-30.
The Convention theme, "Increasing Forest Productivity," will focus on the potential of our nation and the fore stry profession to meet the projected demands for wood and otf.er forest resources in the coming years. Key topics of discus-

sian will center on national a nd wor ld forest productivity, future demand, and management alternatives.
Dr. Emery N. Castle, president of Resources for the Future, will be the featured banquet luncheon speaker and fiv e tours to view forestry in Florida will be availab le.
Fo r further details on registration, contact SAF Convention, 5400 Grosvenor Lane, Washington, D.C. 20014 or phone 301/897-8720

LOBLOLLY ORCHARD
ESTABLISHED, OTHER
EXPANSION PLANNED
A ten-acre plot has been planted to second ge neratio n lo b lo lly seed lings at Baldwin Seed O rchard ne ar Milled gevil le and plans are u nderway to establish a longleaf pine seed o rch ard at t he f acility .
Perso nne l of t he Co m mission 's Refo restation Department said the lobloll y planting co nsists of seedlings carefull y chosen f rom the "best famil ies" that have been cross pollinated to provide high quality seed.
Almost 300 tree selections have been made thro ughout the upper and lowe r Coastal Plain counties as a source fo r seed for the proposed lo ngleaf orchard . Field personnel have aided in locati ng t he q ual ity trees and cone collection will begin in Octobe r. Plan s call for establishing the orch a rd in 1982.

BEETL E UPDATE

Ba rk beetle acti vity statewide has increased since the Commission's June ae ri al su rvey and several " hot spots" have been detected in Hall Cou nty and the surrounding area.
Entomologist Terry Pr ice po inted out, however, that Southern pine beetle populati ons are considered to be light at the present time , but he warned that a steady increase is expected to occur unt il late Oct ober o r earl y November.
Price sa id current infestat ions are scatte red , w ith most of the activity in No rtheast Georgia . He urged landowners to be alert t o pote nt ial infestations on the ir prope rty and said they should contact t heir co unty forestry unit upon sig hting any si gns o f the insects . He said Iiterature dea ling wi th detection and control of

beetles is provided by the Commiss ion . The latest survey showed that Ips and
bl ack turpentine beetles are scattered throughout the state, with the Waycross District reporting the highest level of activi ty .
Pr ice said the Ips a nd turpentine beetle activity is attributed primarily to lightning strikes and wildfires . He explained that trees damaged by lig htn ing and fires are very susceptible to the insects and such trees should be monito red for beetle actiVIty until cool er weather arr ives.
The next statew ide aerial survey is scheduled for early fal l, but Price said immed iate flights would be made if a significant increase in beetle population is noted anyw here in the state.

LANDOWNERS URGED TO ORDER SEEDLINGS EARLY

Georgia landowners pl a nning to plant fore st trees thi s winter should place their orders now with the Forestry Commission to be assured of the volume of seedlings they will need , acco rding to J im Wynens, Chief of t he Reforestation Departme nt .
Although seedling production at the state n urser ie s has bee n greatly expanded over last yea r, Wyne ns said the demand for tree s remain s h igh and there is no assura nce that all landowner need s can be met.
Wyne ns said ord ers are now com ing into Commission offices throughout t he state and advance payment is not required. He pointed out, however, that pay-

Per 1000

Easter n Wh ite $31.00

Im proved Loblo ll y 14_00

Regular Lobloll y 13_00

Improved Sl as h 14.00

Sl ash- High Gum 14.00

Vi rginia Pine

14.00

Longleaf

14.00

Ca t a l pa

30.50

Do gwood

40.50

Le s p e d eza

20.50

Oak, Sawtooth

20.50

Oak, Wh ite

20.50

Redceda r

30.50

Red Map le

38.50

Sweet gum

28_50

Syca mo re

28.50

Ye ll ow Pop lar

38.50

500 $16.25
7 _7 5 6.75 7.75 7.75 7.75 7.75 16.00 21 .00 11.00 11.00 11.00 16.00 20.00 15.00 15.00 20.00

50 $8.00
3.75 2. 75 3.75 3. 75 3.75 3_75 7.50 9.50 5.50 5.50 5. 50 7.50 8.50 6.50 6.50 8.50

4

ment wo u ld have to be made before seedl ings are shipped .
Shipments of the carefully packaged trees wi ll begin December 1 of thi s year and continue through March, 1982.
Seed ling appl icati on forms may be obtai ned from any Comm ission county unit o r distr ict office or by writing to the

Comm ission state headquarters at P. 0 . Box 819, Macon, Georgia 31298-4 599. Fo rms are also available through the offices of county agents, So il Conservation Service and the Agricultural Conse rvation Program . A form for you r convenience is also reproduced on this page .

APPLICATION FOR NURSERY STOCK GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION P.O. BOX 819 MACON, GEORGIA 31298

NAME OF APPLICANT _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PHONE NO. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Cin' _ _ _ _ _ COUNTY _ _ _ _ _ ZIP C O D E - - --

SH IP TO ADDRESS ABO VE OR : NAME - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PHONE NO. - - - - - - -- - - AODRESS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CITY _ _ _ _ _ COUNTV _ _ _ _ _ ZIP CODE - - --

DELIV ERY DESIRED AS SHOWN BELOW :

DATE

SPECIES

NUMBER Of SEE D L I N G S

COUNTY OF PLA N T I N G

FO REST DISTRI CT

TY PE OF OWNER SHI P.

(Check one!

1. Prtv11e persont, clubt, usoctuionl and prtvltl tenooh.
2. Privata forest tndunry lumber manul.:turers. 3. Pr tvlll tortst industry pulp and ~ . 4 Pttvllelonn ondunrv rwval storH, IHVWood , etc. 5 Prtvltl otl'ler induruy lench. 6. Town, county and public: td'lool1. 7. Still and other public ltr'Ch. 8. f!d1r11 govMnment. 9. Other (Spectfyl

METHOD OF SH IPMENT : ICt\eek onel

1. ( ) STATE TRUCK TO COUNTY FO RESTRY OFF IC E 2 I I APPUCANTWILLPICKUPATNURSERY

I HEREBY CI: ,1TIFY THAT I DESIRE TO PURCHASE THE ABOVE NU RSER Y STOCK UNDER CONDITIONS PRINTED ON THE BACK OF THIS FORM .

PAYMENT ; $ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D A T E - - - - - - -- - - SIGNATURE--- - - - - - -- -

I I WALKER NU RSE RY

I I MORGAN NU RSE RY
Georg ia Forestry/September 198 1

. f' .~'.
.. ~ '-t<''\'

Miss Georgia Forestry has many interests, including tennis and an occasional drive around her hometown of Waycross in her father's antique automobile. Shown here admiring the car and it's pretty driver is Forest Ranger R. T. Kirkland of the Commission's Ware County Unit.

WAYCROSS CONTESTANT WINS MISS

GEORGIA FORESTRY TITLE AT JEKYLL

Pretty Miss Amy Marie Sirmans of Waycross, an honor graduate of Southwood School and now bound this fall for Berry College in Rome, is one of the most talented young ladies ever selected to wear the crown of Miss Georgia Forestry.

Chosen from a field of 31 attractive county winners in the state competition this summer on Jekyll Island, the new Miss Georgia Forestry was named Exchange Club Student of th e Year in her home town. She is a Lion's Club Honor Student, an active member of a drama club, a model, fo rmer Sunday School teacher at Trinity United Methodist Church and an excellent tennis and basketball player.
Miss Sirmans, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hamp Sirmans of Waycross, will represent the Georgia Forestry Association, sponsor of the annual pageant, forestrelated industries and organizations by participating in parades, fairs, conventions and other events in the promotion of forestry in Georgia.
First runnerup was Donna Hooks of Swainsboro, representing Emanuel County. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Hook s. The judges also selected Miss Hooks to re ign as the 1981 Miss Gum Spirits of Turpentine. She will represent Georgia's important naval stores industry and will be featured on the new calendar of the American Turpentine Farmers Association.
Second runn e ru p honors went to Miss Carla Chambers, representative of Miller County and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carlton Chambers of Colquitt. Miss Robin Pa lmer, Bacon County's entry and daug hter of Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Palmer of Alma, was thi rd runnerup.
Miss Scarlett McGarr, a 17-year-old
Georgia Forestry/Se tember 1981

I
Miss Donna Hook s of Swainsboro is Georgia's new Miss Gum Spirits of Turpentine. She is shown here with Jim L. Gillis, Jr., of Soperton, president of the American Turpentine Farmers Associa tion, shortly aher she was selected for the honor at the G FA Convention on Jekyll Island.
She competed with young ladies from other gum producing counties for the title and succeeds Miss Lisa Ann Oettmeier of Fargo.
A dance student for the past ten years, Mi ss Hook s received the Governor's Honor Nomin ee in Dance and won the best of overall title in song and tap dance in the Six-County Fiesta Talent Contest.
She plans to attend Georgia Southern College for two years and then complete her education at the University of Georgia for a major in education and a minor in mu sic.
Columbus High Schoo l senior and daugh ter of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin McGc;rr of Columbus, was named Miss Congeniality.
Judges for the Pageant were Mrs. George Kelly , Dry Branch; Mrs. Don Living ston, St. Simons, and Dr. Bill Golden, Statesboro.
Miss Sirmans, who was crowned by the retiring queen, Miss Yvonn e Spinks of Columbus, said she enjoys read;ng, jogg ing, the movies and country music. She has three older brothers and her moth er said. "Amy feels that they are a little overly protective of their sister at times."
Although she has not settled on a chosen career, Miss Sirmans said she is leaning toward a degree in merchandising.

GFA ANNUAL CONVENTION

TERMED''VERY SUCCESSFUL''

DUVALL WEIR
HAEUSSLER BRIGHTWELL
CRAVEN

Officials of the Georgia Forestry Association have declared that the organization's 74th Anniversary Convention held this summer on Jekyll Island was the most successful and best attended annual meeting in the long history of the GFA.
Tal C. DuVall, Director of Extension Services, University of Geor gia, was featured speaker at the business session and a panel of experts on forest genetics and related fields presented a discussion entitled "Reforestation Georgia's Opportunity."
A popular feature of the convention, which was attended by some 850 people, was the selection and crowning of a new Miss Georgia Forestry from a field of 31 pretty girls who had been chosen on the county level to compete for the state title. Judges chose Miss Amy Sirmans of Waycross to serve as Miss Georgia Forestry for 1981. (See story page 5).
DuVall told his audience that the Extension Service has many services and resources to offer foresters and urged forestry organizations and industries to take greater advantage of these opportunities. In the panel discussion on reforestation, speakers included Robert J. Weir of North Carolina State University, Fred Haeussler of Union Camp Corporation, Savannah, and Nelson Brightwell, Cooperative Extension Service, Athens. They cited Georgia's opportunity to increase forest tree production in the nurseries to meet the growing need for quality trees.
Dean Leon Hargreaves of the School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, gave the audience an update of the school's activities and a progress report on current developments.
William Barton, Union Camp, Savannah, outgoing president of the Association, presided at the convention and presented new officers for the coming year. They included Bobby Taylor of Fitzgerald, president, Eley Frazer, Ill, Albany, vice president; and Fred W. Greer, Jr ., Atlanta, treasurer.
Buddy Crown of Owens-Illinois Company, Valdosta, was presented the President's Award and Judge John Sibley, Atlanta, was cited for his successful legal battle to help gain fair tax on forests. W. C. Hodges, Statesboro, Georgia's Tree Farmer of the Year, was introduced.
Forestry Commission personnel presented Performance of Excellence Awards at the convention banquet included District Ranger Hollis Winn, Washington, Assistant Ranger Earl Cook, Pulaski, Seedling Clerk Marvye Woods, Macon, and Patrolman James Abbott, Adel. A special award was presented to Catherine Kelly, Dry Branch. (See photos, details, Page 15). A special award was presented to Commission firefighters and support people across the state for their excellent performance during a very difficult fire season. Ranger Bill Durrence of the Tattnall County Unit accepted the award on behalf of all GFC personnel involved in fire suppression.
Frank Craven, Chief of the Commission's Education Department, was master of ceremonies for the Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant.

BOBBY TAYLOR BEGINS
TERM AS PRESIDENT
Bobby J. Taylor, the new president of the Georgia Forestry Association, is president of Empire Forest Products of Fitzgerald and was previously vice president and general manager of Allied Timber Company.
Willam Barton, the outgoing president of the Association, said the presidency has passed to ''extremely good hands." He praised Taylor as a "dedicated man, a good business man and a forester with great ability ... He believes in the Association and will work to keep it moving."
Taylor, who received his degree in forestry from the School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, is a member of the Association's Long Range Planning Committee.
A native of Homerville, the new GFA president is married to the former Miss Norma Tipton of Glenwood. They have three sons.

BARTON
,.
GREAVES
6

Forestry lost a dedicated friend and worker with the recent death of William Dexter Gatehouse, Jr., Associate Director of the Georgia Forestry Association and Editor of TOPS, the organization's magazine.
Gatehouse, who came with the Association in January of 1976, was formerly executive director of the Georgia Retail Food Dealers Association and editor of the association's prize winning magazine. During the past four years, he had added many new features to TOPS.
The Georgia Forestry Commission extends sympathy to his widow, Mrs. Margaret Gatehouse; his daughter, Linda; and son, William Dexter Gatehouse, Ill, all of Atlanta, and other survivors.
Georgia Fo restry/September 1981

TIMBER RESOURCES

According to an intensive timber re-

sources survey recently completed in

Southwest Georgia, one of the five areas

in which the state has been divided for

the study, timber volume is up over th e

past decade, but commercial forest acre-

ll

age has substantially declined. The statewide survey is carr ied out at

Poster chairman looks over some of the many posters submitted.

approximately 10-year intervals and is conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, in

NEW POSTER CONTEST UNDERWAY

cooperation with the Georgia Forestry Commission.
Commission Director Ray Shirley said findings of the first survey unit complet-

Thanks to Mrs. John Todd of Cobb, Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl will be working harde r t his year to promote

ment and nursing homes to promote the competition. Garden club members across the state are expected to aid locally in giving the prog ram

ed showed that the area of commercia l

forest protectio n and continue the bat- full publicity.

forest land in the tier of 22 counties in

t le against polluti on aro u nd the state.

"I enjoy this work," Mrs. Todd

the Southwest section is down by some

Mrs. Todd has been named for the said, "and I am amazed at the creativ-

248,000 acres, or nine percent, since

second y ear t o serve as chairman of ity of the children in making the pos-

1971. He pointed out that the area

the statewide S mo key Bear-Woodsy ters." She said she is equally pleased

showed a six percent decline, o r 180,000

Owl Poster Co ntest, a project sponsor- with the many senior citizens who

acres, when the previous survey was made for the decade of the sixti es.
Shirley emphas ized that th e survey revealed that the volume of softwood growing stock is up 15 percent, and hardwood showed a 20 percent increase. There was a net annual growth of 86 cubic feet per acre or 1.2 cords per acre during the 10year period.
Net annual growth of pine sawtimber is 687 million board feet, with an annual removal of 507 million board feet. Net annual growth of hardwood sawtimber is 190 million board feet, with an annual removal of 86 million board feet.
Net annual growth is 2,018 , 164 cords of pine and 866,197 cords of hardwood.

ed by the Garden Club of Georgia, in cooperation with t he U.S. Forest Service an d th e Georg ia Forestry Commissio n.
Although sh e wo rk ed in the program last yea r, she said she is more familiar with the contest t his year and is speak ing to garden c lu bs in seven district meeting s across th e st ate to familiarize all me m bers with the contest wh ich will be an ann u al project of the club.
"The contest is open to children from kind ergarten age to high school," Mrs. Todd said, "and we also work with se nior c iti zens." She said she will go into some of t he schools, as well as

show considerable enthusiasm in competing in their category.
Mrs. Todd pointed out that she is a forestland owner and realizes th e publicity value of Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl in alerting the public to the need for better conservation.
Deadline for the contest, which is divided into five competitive divisions according to age, is January 5, 1982. Size of posters cannot be larger than 12 by 18 inches and any type art medium is acceptable.
To enter posters or for further information, contact : Mrs. John Todd, Poster Chairman, Box 365, Cobb, Georgia 317 35.

Annual removals are 1,792,500 cord s of

senior ci t izen organizations and retire-

pine and 467,947 cords of hardwood.

The new survey indicated that there

is a 16 percent drop in acreage of pin e forest types, the Commission Director

FOREST TAX SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULED

said, and annual timber removals of grow ing stock totaled 160 million cubic feet, or71 percentofgrowth.
The survey is expected to be completed statewide late in 1982 or early 1983. Twelve cruise teams are conducting the

A Nati on al Fo rest Taxation Symposi um ha s bee n scheduled for February 9- 12 in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Th e meet ing, to be held at the Colonia l Wi lliamsburg Hotel Complex, will be co-sponso red by t he Society of American

and State U niversity. For furth er information contact
co-chairman William C. Siegel, U.S. Forest Service, 701 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70113 (phone 504589-6652) or Harry L. Han ey, Jr., School

survey and a Commission forester is on Foresters, Sou th ern Forest Experiment of Forestry and Wildlife Resources,

detached service with the teams. Other Station, U.S. Forest Service; and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State

Commission personnel are cooperatin g School of ForesUy and Wildli fE. Re- Un iversity, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061

with the study.

sources, Virginia Polytechnic Institute (phone 703-961-5212) .

7

Georgia Forestry/September 1981

)
NEW HARVEST EQUIPMENT DEMONSTRATED
dvanced wood harvesting equipment never before seen in Georgia was featured in a series of field demonstrations held by the Commission in four locations during August and September. Although feller bunchers, grapple skidders and chippers have been demonstrated before for Georgia landowners, industrialists and other interested groups, John Mixon, Chief of the Commission's Research Department, said the equipment shown in the Blairsville, Gainesville, Jonesboro and Lafayette areas this summer had engineering features that gave the machines increased versatility and productivity advantages. Each field demonstration was preceeded by a showing of a recently produced Commission film dealing with various aspects of wood energy. Ray Shirley, Commission Director, said the utilization of wood as an economical source of energy has been one of the Commission's top priorities for several years and the series of demonstrations was part of a continuing program to inform the public of this great and abundant wealth. The big machines -all operated by professional foresters of the Commission- were demonstrated separately and then shown working together to reduce standing trees to wood chips in a matter of minutes. Mixon said the four sites were chosen because of the abundance of low grade hardwood in those locations that could not be sold for product manufacture, but ideal for conversion to chips for energy purposes. He said the modern harvesting method left the acreage ready for replanting, thus saving high site preparation costs. The demonstration at Jonesboro was held by the Commission in cooperation with the Clayton County Water Authority and the University of Georgia. The others were sponsored solely by the Commission, with demonstration plots provided by timber companies. These scenes at the various demonstration sites show the big machines in action and the foresters explaining the features of the equipment and showing the type of timber that should be chipped.
8

This big mobile unit was set up adjacent to some Treutlen County to bacco barns to show how an inexpensive fuel can possibly replace propane gas in the curing process.
SAWDUST CURES TH E GO LDEN LEAF
Georgia tobacco growers gathered on the Manning Mimbs farm near Soperton last month to see the demonstration of a new system which uses sawdust as fuel for drying the leaf.
The demonstration was sponsored by the Research Department of the Forestry Commission and featured equipment designed and constructed by T-Co, a Moultrie company pioneering in wood-fired systems.
At the Mimbs farm drying operatio n , sawdust \"tas automatica lly fed into a large firebox which heated a boiler. The hot water p roduced was piped into four tobacco curing barns and circulated through rad iators. The barns were previously heated with propane gas and th e t ank s are being retained as a backup system.
Commission Director Ray Shirley pointed out to those attending the demonstration that it was "the Commission's first attempt to investigate the feasibility of using sawdust to cure tobacco," although the Commission had previously demonstrated the use of green wood chips in drying corn.
John Mixon, Chief of the Resea rch De partmen t, sa id fi gures a re being compiled to determine th e saving s a tob acco grower wou ld realize in substituting sawdust for propane in his curing operations. He said preliminary figures are "very imp ressi ve."
Forester Fred Allen explained the techni ca l side of t he de mon stra t ion and Mimbs said the system on his fa rm had been "running on wood for several weeks" and is "looking ve ry good." He adm itted th at there were some problems in th e e xperim e nta l syste m, but p rai sed t he Commission and T-Co pe rsonn e l for su ccessf ully correcting the t rou b le.
Following the demonstrati o n, t h e c rowd moved in to an equipme nt shed to view a film on wood energy which was recently prod uced by the Commission.
Shirley and Mixo n expressed appreciation to Mr. a nd Mrs. Mimbs for mak ing t h eir farm availa b le for the demonstration and the Director invited several state legi slators fr om the tobacco growi ng belt and some of the farme rs to co mment o n their impression of th e demonstration.
Th ei r reactio n wa s fa vorable and they cal led for continued research and d eve lop ment in wood e nergy.
9

MERGERS BRING CHANGES IN DISTRICT BOUNDARIES
The state map shows changes in district alignments as a result of the dissolvement of District 3 and the merger of Districts 6 and 7. District 3- comprising the Atlanta area - was dissolved April 1 of
this year and counties were assigned to adjoining districts. The merger of Districts 6 and 7 came last fall with Columbus phased out as district headquarters and Americus designated as the district office for the combined area. Altogether, the reassignments concerned seven districts .

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Georg ia Forestry/September 198 1

COMMISSION MECHANICS CUT REPAIR COSTS
[JJ t's hard to come up with an exact dollar figure, but Joe Young, who supervises the automotive shop at the Commission's state headquarters in Macon, vows that the savings in repairs are "considerable." Young is referring to the cost of parts and labor at the Macon shop compared to the high charges that would prevail if the Commission's fleet of vehicles, ranging from pickup trucks to big tractor-trailer rigs, had to be repaired at commercial garages across the state.
Although minor repairs are carried out in the small shops maintained by the Commission district headquarters and county units, most of the major repairs are made by the mechanics in the Macon shop.
Young pointed out that the shop's wreckers both conventional and heavy dutyare on call around the clock to bring in disabled vehicles anywhere in the state. Night and weekend calls are handled by security people at the center, who forward messages to assigned shop personnel at their homes.
Although the shop handles all general repairs concerning the mechanical functions of the Commission's rolling stock, the facility also does glass work and maintains a complete paint department. One important phase of the workload is the repair of surplus military vehicles that are to be used in the Rural Fire Defense Program.
Every now and then, Young, who has been with the Commission for 29 years, checks with an outside shop for reassurance that his shop is saving dollars for th e taxpayers. He is pleased to learn that his mechanics can usually turn out a job from 35 to 65 percent less than the commercial garage!
Mechanic Foreman Joe Young, top left, checks parts invoices. Day begins with plenty of work to be done, top photo. At left, Steve Miller pulls a truck motor and Dewey English, right, completes a paint job. Below, Sam Andrews repairs a fork lift.

,.

HODGES NAMED TREE

FARMER OF THE YEAR

I

ac k in th e 1700 ' s, a 2, 000-acre land grant in a section of Georgia now known as Bulloch Coun-

ty was made to Nathaniel

Hodges by the King of England.

Today, W.C. Hodges, a descendant of

Na t han ie l Hodges, farms a nd grows trees

on a portion of that original grant. He

lives in a spacious p lantation-type house

built by his father in 1912 and every time

a tree is cut on the old home place, he

makes sure it is replaced by one or two

seed Iings.

As a result of his wise management of

his forest land, Hodges has been selected

Georgia's 198 1 Tree Farmer of the Year.

He has 5 00 acres in trees, some acreage

in row crops and part of the farm in pas-

ture for his beef cattle. He readily admits

that cattle won't produce the profit he

can derive from trees, but he just likes

to h ave a few cows on the place.

The new tree farmer award recipient

grew up with eight brothers and sisters,

b u t he is the on ly one who chose to stick

to farming as h is life's work. In 19 41 , he

planted 35 acres in slash pine by hand

and since that time, hundreds of thou-

sands of young trees have been set out

on his property. He said he abides by the

"good advice" given by Jerry Lanier,

Statesboro District Forester, and Forester

Jerry Marsh, GFC, in timber thinning,

fire protection and disease and insect

control.

Hodges makes multiple use of his

forestland. He has provided a plot for a

high school agricultural class to plant a

forest and has built a club house and

fishing lake for 4-H youth, Bo y Scouts

and other groups to enjoy.

The tree farmer is married to the for-

mer Irene Groover and they have three

sons and a daughter.

12

Gnann addressed d istrict cha1rmen at rev1ew sess1on.
GEORGIA TREE FARM GOALS SET

More t han 2, 240 G eorgia la ndowne rs are registered Tree Farmers and a cam paign is now underway to interest others in t h is national prog ram t h at seeks wise management of land and ti m ber.
In a recen t meetin g in Macon to review the program and set goa ls for the future, J. G. Gnann of U nion Camp Co rporation, Savannah, newly e lected chairman of the Georgia Tree Farm Committee, asked 18 district chairmen from around the state to intensify their efforts to acquaint landowners with the functions of the American Tree Farm System.
The program, which is administered in the South by the Southern Forest Institute, is supported by the wood using industries. Foresters inspect the lands of prospective new members and if the landowner meets certain standards, he is cer t ified as a Tree Farmer.
Gnann pointed out that wood using industries depend on the private landowners for 75 percent of their raw mater-

ia l and stressed th e importance o f th e program 1n p romoting sound forest m anageme nt.
Ea rly Co unty le ads the state with 63 regist e red Tree F armer s and th e re is only o ne co unty in th e state that do es not h ave at least o ne Tree Farmer, it wa s revea led at th e me eting.
Each year, a Georgia Tree Farme r of th e Yea r is chosen a nd the current recip ie n t o f th e aw a rd is W. C. Hodges of Statesbo ro. T he award last year was m ade to Milton (Buddy) Hopkins of Fitzgerald, w h o we nt o n t o win the Southern Di strict aw a rd a nd is now competing on th e na tion a l level.
Foreste r J o hn Ham m ond, Assistant Ch ief o f Fo rest Ma nagement and coordinato r o f th e progra m fo r the Co mmi ssion, said mem b e rs re ce ive the familiar gre e n and wh ite Tree Farm metal sign to post on their pro pe rty, as well as a magazine and other helpful literature aimed at the improvem e nt of the forests and lands.

Tim Moore of Swainsboro , state winner of the Home Forest Award, is shown with his fath er, Wal to n J. Moore, left, and Vo-Ag Instruc tor Randall Tanner. The Moore farm is one o f Georgia's many registered Tree Farms.
Georgia Fo restry/Septe mber 1981

Saw'!11"11er Josh Powell confers with Forester Ed Banks at his tiny sawmill. Below, Dru1d Preston, head of the Commission's Forest Management Department, is shown some of the ancient machinery in the mill.
CITY LAWYER TURNED SAWYER
FINDS PEACE IN RURAL SETTING

Josh Powell, a big husky Kentuckian, studied engineering at Georgia Tech and earned a law degree at Emory University, but he chose not to pursue careers in either of those fields.
He decided, instead, to become owner and operator of a peckerwo od sa wmill!
You've no doubt read of successful professional people who abandon lucrative careers to begin a new and simple life far from the rat race of the big city. Well, Josh Powell is of that breed.
Powell said he practiced law from his office in the heart of Atlanta for alrmst a year before he decided he "just couldn't take it anymore". He wanted out.
His escape to the rural life came when he located a 24-acre tract of rolling hills in Cherokee County . He said he had no t rouble convincing his wife, Ann, that they should forsake the gl a mour of th e city for the serenity of the countryside. After all, he reasoned, they had had experience in operating a youth athletic program and the rustic setting of the property they were conside ring would be ideal for a summer youth camp.
Shortly after they bought the property, Powell began looking fo r a used sa wmill to set down on the wooded acrea ge . He found an abandoned mill near Griffin a nd after a heavy growth of vin es was p u ll ed away from the rusting machinery, the owner gladly accepted $400 fo r the entire mill.
"I had no idea of how to set down a sawmill," Powell confesse d, "but a n o ld retired sawmiller showed me st e p-by-st ep how it was done." Afte r co nsid era bl e tinkering, the ancient mill fin ally co ugh ed a couple of times and c a me to lif e.
"The most import a nt t h ing I lea rn e d," Powell said, "was neve r to set down a mill

facing west ... you get sawdust in your eyes!" He remembered that when he erected his second mill.
The second mill, which replaced the first little mill, is now bJzzing away to turn out specialized lumber, with much of it going to landscaping companies.
The second mill was also an abandoned plant and had to be dug out of an old mill site near Pine Mountain that was overgrown with bri a rs. "Got that one for $600," Powell said. "It was a complete mill, with two saws, two edoers and two

power u ni t s." He sa id he later so ld some of the equipment.
Po we ll used some of his lumber to build a t wo story home for his fami ly and vo w s th at "every sawmi ll owner should
b uild a hou se wit h his own lumber." He sa id th a t "it teac hes you to turn out better lumbe r."
Po we ll' s co unt ry h ome, a rustic de si gn co pied from a pa int brochure, features big expo sed bea ms and wide si ding. Powell said h e took th e gree n, rou gh lumber di rectly from hi s mill y a rd a nd constr uct ed th e spaciou s home. Lu c kily, th e lumbe r did not warp.
"I'm certainly not a ca rpenter," he said, "and I had a n e lde rly man, a for mer builder, to ke e p me leve l and keep me plumb in building th e hou se."
Powell explained th at the barter system was used in compl e ting o ne section of his home. "A Mennonite family in Tennessee needed a barn and I needed a firePlace and we traded." He sa id th e
family came over and built the fireplace and chimney and he cut all th e lumbe r they needed for a new barn.
When Powell came to the land in th e early seventies, he cleared some of the acreage, built a dam and a small lake and established roads and trails in prepar ation for a youth camp.
Powell frequently consults the Fo restry Commission in making the best use of his timberland. Forester Ed Banks, who heads the Urban Forestry Program for the Georgia Forestry Commission, has advised him on several occasi o ns.
This month marks the ninth season of Josh Powell's Summer Day Ca mp and by the middle of August, mo re t han 240 Atlanta area children will have en joyed the facilities. With th at many kids around, daughter Juli e, 7, has little ti me for loneliness.
If you we re an At lan t a Fla mes fan before th e tea m m o ved to Canada, you heard Po we ll at the beginning of every home ga me. He san g t he na t iona l anthem. "Last full ti me e m p loy me nt I had," he quipped. T he baritone also sings at Pre sbyte ri an Church services and at an occasional funeral or wedding.
Powel l's main interest, howeve r, is his sawm ill. He said he "never heard of a rich sawmi ll man" and it' s quite obvious he will never give se riou s competition to Weyerhauser or Geo rgi a Pacific. But he said he wi ll continue to p roduce custom lumber a nd learn more about the lumbering business along the way.
Josh Powell, known to many of his acquaintances as the "Lawyer turned Sawyer, " sa id he has had no regrets in changing hi s lifestyle. He is happy with his escape.
13

logging

We would like to express our appreciation to the Commission's R FD staff for the excellent program presented to the firemen of our county recently.
We are especially grateful for the excellent cooperation between the RFD program people and our local forestry unit.
Your work has benefited the Jackson County program and we will reap the benefits from this training for years to come.
Jim Cody Jackson County Firemens Association
Jefferson, Georgia

the foresters
engineer , recently came w ith t he Commission to head the Macon Shop. A na tive of Decatur and a graduate of Georgia Tech." Jacobs was a plant engineer for 15

We want to thank you very much for your efficient control of the fire on our property on the Woodland Road just out of Waverly Hall. We did not know of the fire until we happened to go out there.
Caroline Owen Johnson Columbus, Georgia
Once again the Com missio n did a great job with the field trip for my cl ass at Georgia State. As you know, the class is Methods and M aterials of Teaching Science to Young Children and the students and I are delighted with the way your work shop give s them not o nly ex cellent materials to take with them b ut also some wonderful ideas for getting children involved with their environment.
Thank you f o r do ing su ch a good job.
Laurene Smith Department of Early Childhood Education
Georgia State University A t lanta, Georgia

BELFLOWER

JACOBS

WAYNE BELFLOWER , who came with the Commission in 1969 as patrolman in Bleckley County and later served as Assistant Superintendent and more recently Superintendent of Arrowhead Seed Orchard, has been promoted to Superintendent of Morgan Nursery. Belflower holds an associate degree from Middle Georgia College. The superintendent and his wife, Mattie, have four children.
ALBERT (BERT) JACOBS, mechanical

years and served as sales representative for an engineering firm for 13 years. The engineer and his wife, Libbie, and their four children make their home on Ridge Avenue in Macon.
AIR SUPPORT READY FOR FIRE SEASON
The Commission's Air Operations will begin the fall fire season with an improved fleet of 31 planes and four he Iicopters.
Several of the older planes and one he Iicopter were phased out in recent months and eight new Cessna aircraft have been acquired. Two additional planes are on order.
The fixed wing planes fly 26 designated air patrol areas across the state in the

detection of fire and in many instances

direct firefighting ground crews.

The helicopters have special water

drop equipment and are used to combat

fire in mountainous and other rugged

terrain.

Phil Parrish, Air Operations Specialist,

said the Commission employs six perma -

nent pilots, 20 seasonal pilots and four

mechanics. The part time pilots, many of

whom are crop dusters during the spring

and summer, fly for the Commission dur-

ing the critical fire season each year.

Parrish said a 4,000 square foot extension has been made to the Commisison's

hanger at Herbert Smart Airport in Macon and a second hanger is under construction at the GFC facility at Waycross Airport. Although the bulk of the planes are stationed at these two points, Parrish pointed out that planes and air strips are maintained in other strategic locations

These children received certificates for actively participating in the Smokey Bear Read'ng Club sp onsored by the Dalton Junior Womans Club and the Dalton Regional Library, in cooperdion with the F orestry Commission. Melissa Cook, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Randell Cook of Cohu tta , took top honors by reading 82 books during the sum mer program .

around the state. During the past fiscal year, the planes
flew 8,480 hours on fire missions and reported a total of 26,818 fires, wildfires and other type smokes. They assisted in the suppression of 2,323 fires.

14

0 t

In Photo 1, Bill Barton , outgoing president of the Georgia Forestry Association, presents an award of appreciation to Catherine Kelly, secretary, Education Department, GFC, on behalf of the association for her faithful service. The award was made at the annual GFA convention on Jekyll Island. In Photo 2, Harbyn Cook, secretary, Reforestation Department, GFC, receives an award from Director Ray Shirley during recent ceremonies at the Macon office. She was commended for her extra effort in maintaining a good image of the Commission and her helpful assistance to companies and landowners. Photo 3 depicts Forester Charles B. Place, Jr., Education Department, GFC, left, receivinq the Environmental Educator of the Year Award from Robert Oertel, Chairman, Awards Committee, Georgia Chapter, Soil Conservation Society of America. Place was selected for the honor for his outstanding contribution to environmental education. Oertel also presented a plaque to the Commission on behalf of the Soil Conservation Society for the close cooperation exhibited by the forestry agency. Director Shirley (Photo 4) accepts the plaque. In Photo 5, personnel of the Commission are shown receiving Performance of Excellence Awards from the GFA at the Jekyll Island convention. Left to right are District Ranger Hollis Winn, Washington; Assistant Ranger Earl Cook, Candler-Evans-Tattnall Unit; Seedling Clerk Marvye Woods, Reforestation Department, Macon office; and Patrolman James Abbott, Cook County Unit. The four were honored for "outstanding performance of their forestry services to the citizens of Georgia." Photo 6 shows Director Shirley presenting an award to John Joiner of the Macon Plant, Toms Foods, in appreciation of the company's cooperation with the Commission's state headquarters in maintain-
ing security and working with GFC in other mutual interests. The company plant is adja-
cent to the Commission's property in Macon.

SEPTEMBER, 1981
There is a unique tree at the corner of Finley and Dearing Streets in Athens. Residents of the neighborhood pay little attention to the tree, but visitors to the Georgia city stop for a closer examination when they spot the marble stone beneath its branches. The inscription reads. "The tree that owns itself" and further declares that "For and in consideration of the great love I bear this tree and the great desire I have for its protection for all time, I convey entire possession of itself and all land within eight feet of the tree on all sides... William H. Jackson." The tree, deeded in the early 1800's, is now in its second genera tion. The original white oak died in 1942 and the tree that now towers over the little plot is from an acorn of the old tree. It is said to be the only tree in the world that has inherited the land on which its forebear stood.

SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT MANCHESTER , GA.

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