Georgia forestry, Vol. 38, no. 3 (Sept. 1985)

Georgia

FORESTRY

USPS No. 217120
September, 1985

No. 3

Vol . 38

Joe Frank Harris -Governor John W. Mixon- Director
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Jim L. Gillis, Jr ., Chairman, Soperton Felton Denney, Carrollton Eley C. Frazer, Ill, Albany
Patricia B. Robinson, Atlanta Robert Simpson, Ill, Lakeland
STAFF Howard E. Bennett, Editor WilliamS. Edwards, Associate Editor Jackie N. Swinson, Artist
DISTRICT OFFICES

District One 3088 Martha Berry Hwy., NE
Rome, GA 30161
District Two Route 11, Box 37 Gainesville, GA 30501
District Three Route 4, Box 168A Athens, GA 30605
District Four P. 0 . Box 1080 Newnan, GA 30264
District Five Highway 49 Milledgeville , GA 31061
District Six Route 2, Box 266 Washington, GA 30673
District Seven Route 1, Box 23A Americus, GA 31709
District Eight Route 3, Box 17 Tifton, GA 31794
District Nine Route 2 , Box 722 Camilla, GA 31730
District Ten Route 2, Box 28 Statesboro, GA 30458
District Eleven Route 1, Box 46 Helena, GA 31037
District Twelve Route 6, Box 167 Waycross, GA 31501
Georgia Forestry is published quarterly by the Georgia Forestry Commission, Route 1, Box 85, Dry Branch, GA 31020. Second class postage paid at Macon, GA .

2

One conveyor moves chips into a storage area, while another conveys the material to the boiler section of the complex.

WOOD ENERGY SYSTEM OPERATIONAL

AT HUGE CENTRAL STATE HOSPITAL

The 143-year-old Central State Hospital in Milledgeville has returned to wood as a heating fuel.
Georgia's newest major wood energy system is now operating at Central State Hospital, providing 85 percent of the steam required to heat and cool more than 250 buildings located on 1,300 acres.
The hospital, operated by the De partment of Human Resources, provides patient care under a variety of medical and psych iatric programs. Established in 1842, the state facility down through the years has previously used oil, coal, wood, and natural gas system .
The Forestry Commission obtained $2,500,000 from the 1982 General Assembly to fund the Central State project. Commission Director John Mixon sa id the new installation is a major addition in Georgia's increasing use of wood energy systems. The Commission has an established program promoting wood energy systems in Georgia .
State institutions now operating wood energy systems include five schools, three prisons, and two hospitals. Six major buildings of the Georgia Forestry Commission headquarters in Macon are heated by such a system.
Fred Allen, the Comm ission's chief of forest research and wood energy programs, said the new Milledgeville facility's wood energy system will result

in an estimated $1.5 million annu al savings .
"The new wood system will provide all but 15 percent of the hospital 's energy needs," Allen pointed out. "Th is small remainder will be provided by natural gas as demand dictates."
Allen , who has coordinated instal lation of all the state's major wood burning facil ities , said the Central State project replaced two of the hospital's four boilers with two 25,000 lb / hr wood fired boilers.
At full load, fuel consumption of these boilers is an estimated 4.75 tons/ hour per boiler requiring 230 tons of wood chips per day. This consumption is required to sustain full load on both boilers.
According to specifications, the Centrat State system is designed to burn wood fuel, produce steam, remove ash, and release environmentally acceptable flue gas. The two remaining gas systems have been retained as backups.
Allen said the fuel handling system lead ing to the boiler plant is basically designed for simple maintenance and high efficiency. Th e first step in the system is weighing wood chips (with a moisture content less than 50 percent yielding a minimum 4,000 BTU per pound) on scales certifying appropriate weight. The second step is an unloading procedure that processes 60
(Continued on Page 15)

ON THE COVER
Miss Marion Ansleigh Riddle, the new Miss Georgia Forestry, poses amid the flowering shrubs of her attractive hometown of Montezuma. On Page 12 are less formal photos of pretty Miss Riddle as she relaxes at her home.

COMMISSION AIDS CALIFORNIA IN FIRE BATTLE

The Commission this year responded twice to appeals from other states for help in battling stubborn forest wildfires.
The first call came from neighboring Florida in May, when great fires were raging out of control in several sections of the state. The Commission's Forest Protection Department sent men and equipment south to aid in that emergency.
In July, the U. S. Forest Service appealed for help on the west coast, as fire swept across vast forests and grass in California.
With little notice to prepare for the trip westward , 20 volunteers were recruited from throughout the state and told to report to Macon Airport for a flight to Knoxville, Tenn. At the Knoxville Airport, they teamed up with other firefighters for the flight to the coast.
After two weeks on the scene, the major fires were subdued and the battle . weary Commission personnel returned home.
Jack Long, Assistant Chief of the Protection Department, who coordinated t he Commission 's role in assisting California, said emergency request for Georgia firefighters came from the U.S. Forest Service office in Gainesville Georgia. He said Commission personnei were assigned to fight fires in the vast Los Padres National Forest located in the Big Sur Region .
''The Georgia personnel were among 12,000 elite firefighters sent from all over the country to assist California," Long said. "Our Commission personnel worked 16 to 18 hours a day and slept only when and where they could."
According to Commission records, much of the burning terrain assigned to the Georgia crews is mountainous and required crew members to climb steep slopes and cut fire breaks where the bulldozers could not travel.
Firefighters compared the California fire fighting effort to a military campaign with reconnaissance, prearranged food suppi ies, and calculations of humidity and wind velocity . Long emphasized that all the Georgia firefighters were Commission volunteers.
Georgia Forestry personnel dispatched to the west coast were from units as far north as Whitfield County and as far south as Ware County .
- Georgia Forestry personnel sent to the west coast included Mike McMullen, Monroe County; Steve Tankersley, Murray County; James Grygo, McDuffie-Warren Unit; Billy James, Waycross District; Carl Melear, Rome District; Bradley Ridley, Murray County; Thomas Blalock, Gordon County; Jimmy Gallman, Whitfield County; Kenneth Moss, Lumpkin County;

Mark Wiles, Elbert County ; John David Nicholson, Spalding County; Randy Bingham, Monroe County; Steve Abbott, Columbia County; Lowell R. Cullison, Sumter County ; Donald Bishop, Mitchell

County ; Steve Campbell , Toombs County; Joseph A. Smith, Jr. , Appling County
Steven P. Miller, Macon Headquarters; L~rr:v W. Watson, Ware County; and W1ll1am Garrett, Lumpkin County .

Forester Melear, left, points out fire area to District Forester Tom Joyner.

FIRE WAS NOT THE ONLY HAZARD

I

t wasn't ~he_ first time Forester Carl Malea~ of the Commission's Rome D1stnct had flown west to help f1ght the mounta in infernos, but it was a trip he will long remember.

Melear was one of the Commission's volunteers who joined

firefighters from 25 other states for a couple of weeks in July to help

stamp out fires that ultimately burned over 375,000 acres of California

grass and timber lands.

But the raging fire was not the only hazard facing the firefighters

in the California mountains. "Poison oak was a major threat," Melear

explained . "It was everywhere and some men had the po is on on as much

as 80 percent of their bodies and had to be sent home. "

Melear and his fellow Georgians were miraculously spared that fate,

but they did run into a problem involving scorpions. "Indians on the fire

lines told us that a bite from these particular scorpions could be fatal

and we ended up at night trying to rest on the ground in the middle of

a dirt road, with one eye out for the scorpions, but we were so tired we

finally went to sleep ...the Indians were probably kidding, anyway."

The Forest Service personnel also warned the firefighters of another

peril. "They said there were some marijuana fields in the area that could

be booby trapped and we were told to look out for them, but we didn't

run into that situation," Melear said.

The forester maintained communications with his wife , Fa ith, back

home in Everett Springs, a small town about 15 miles north of Rome

but it wasn't easy . He had to walk about two miles to a phone booth'

at a country store and then wait in line for about an hour to make his call.

Melear said people at the store often "thanked us for com ing west

and helping battle the fires" and at one po int, a group of local citizens

applauded the firefighters as they passed by in a convoy , a gesture that

was greatly appreciated by the Georgia volunteers.

3

STUDY SHOWS BENEFITS DERIVED service foresters are regulated to providing only a limited number of assist -

ance days annually, th is type of success-
FROM ASSISTANCE TO LANDOWNERS ful performance in the field also generates business for private consultants.

The first national legislation estab1ish ing state and federal cooperative efforts to control wildfires and reduce destructive timber cutting practices was passed in 1924. Designated the ClarkeMcNary Act, the legislation marked the beginning of numerous programs involving cooperative efforts of the U.S. Forest Service and state forestry agencies.
Today, technical assistance is provided from state and federal funds to produce seed and seedlings, perform

public view points. Federal dollars generated by the program more than pay for the federal share of RFA, and state income tax returns almost equal the costs of management plan preparation and timber marking."
The report states on the basis of its findings that such programs and service foresters help promote investments in forestry. Many cases reveal that RFA foresters promote forestry and demonstrate the value of advice. Since these

Another positive aspect the report considers is that state foresters frequentl y provide assistance for owners of sma ll tracts, which fulfills a need consultants might find less appealing from a standpoint of financial profits.
In essence, the report concludes that state forestry assistance is an effective and cost efficient program that provides technical information on forest management while serving the national interest by ensuring a continuing timber supply from private forest lands.

non-federal forest planning, and pro-

tect private timberlands. These assistance programs also provide financial or tech-

nical assistance to private landowners, operators, and public agencies.

Most cooperative forestry programs have been created as a result of needs defined by forestry, agricultural, -'and

conservation groups. The needs included some means to solve problems rang ing

from forest fires to insect damage.

Budget officials are requiring more and more that these programs not only be strongly supported by the public, but

that such efforts be substantiated in terms of cost effectiveness.

A 59-page study, titled "An Economic

Evaluation of Georgia Rural Forestry

Assistance," has evaluated Georgia's Pied-

mont. The comparisons determined treat-

ments and results for assisted and non-

assisted landowners.

The 1985 study (Research Bulletin 322) was written by Frederick W. Cubbage, Thomas M. Skinner, and Chr istopher D. Risbrudt. It was pub-

Components of a typical acid rain monitoring station are shown. The Commission is setting up a statewide network of similar systems.

lished by The University of Georgia College of Agriculture Experiment Station.
The authors point out that while landowners, foresters and legislators generally believe forestry programs provide valuable services; few studies have documented the effects of RFA foresters serving in the field.
The purpose of the study was to first determine if different results existed for landowners receiving technical assistance and those not receiving assistance. These differences were then evaluated to determine program returns to the landowner, forestry organization, or society.
The comprehensive report concludes with a number of documented results. One such basic finding is that technical assistance provided by state foresters in the Georgia Piedmont area tends to produce favorable forest conditions and financial profits-40%more profits for those receiving assistance.
The report states "the RFA program seems efficient from private, social and

ACID RAIN MONITORING BEGINS

The first of the Commission's network of acid rain monitoring stations is now operating in Dawson County near Dawsonville. Other stations will be located in the following areas, Ware County (Waycross), McDuffie County (Thomson). Clarke County (Athens). and Putnam County (Eatonton). All stations are expected to be operational with in six weeks.
Fred Allen, the Commission's Chief of forest research, pointed out that similar units are operating in the state, but these units are located primarily in agricultural areas. He said the Commission's monitoring stations are located in carefully se lected forest areas to provide research data on acid deposition in forest environments.
"Acid rain is a compl icated problem," Allen pointed out, "numerous ecosystem factors can combine with acid deposition to cause damage or dieback in forest areas."
The recent forest dieback in the

Mount Mitchell, North Carol ina, area caused much of the concern in Georgia over possible acid rain damage . However, Allen said there is no scientific evidence that any forest dieback in Georgia has been caused by acid rain.
"But there are negative possibilities," Allen said. "Forestry is Georgia's number one industry, so the Commission is going to maintain a tho rough research program to protect the state's forests and economy."
Before November, the Commission is scheduled to participate in a joint research project with U. S. Forest Service concerning acid rain. The near term assessment study will cover Georgia, North Carol ina, and South Carolina.
Research will concentrate on selected loblolly pine stands in the three states. Remeasu rement of large stands of pines will be taken to determine any possible change in growth patterns over past years .

4

"At one point I was convinced I was about to die," confes sed Forest Patrolman Ronald Grine r, a Vietnam veteran ass igned to the Commission's Lowndes County Unit, "and I'm convinced that the boss saved my Iife."
"The boss" and reluctant hero in the drama is Ranger Billy Rowe, long time firef ighter who modestly admitted that it was "a very tight spot to be in, but it's all in the day's work."
It hadn't rained in a month and fires were popping up all over the county . When the call came , Rowe believed it would be just another routine plowing job. W ithin minutes , Patrolman Griner was on the site and plowing a break into a seemingly dry swamp. The ranger was following on foot and dispatching other units by radio.
The tractor suddenly mired down in the soft earth and had to be winched out, but as Griner again started to move further into the low lying area, the two men heard a tremendous roar. Looking back, they discovered that the high wind had suddenly shifted and the fire had crossed their fire line. It was headed directly toward them.
The patrolman, who had been with the Commission only five months, said he was reluctant to leave his tractor. Although he had become stuck again, he said "I thought I could quickly wi nch it out of there and outrun the fire, but the boss said 'come on, we've got to go.'"
They abandoned the tractor and began searching for an escape route. The area turned out to be a discarded fish pond and peat bog with many years of accumulated debris to fuel the raging fire. - a fact that was not known when they entered the area. Some of it had been planted in pines in the fifties.
"The underbrush was so thick we finally had to get down on our hands and knees and crawl, "Griner said. As they fought their way through a tangle of vines and stubborn brush, the terrain became lower and lower and the patrolman, who said he was a "country boy who grew up in the woods," realized they might find water if they kept their course. "That fire behind us sounded like a jet fighter plane," Griner said, "and

it made us do some pretty fast crawling." T ime was running out. Ranger Rowe est imated they had
"maybe three or four minutes to make it" when they came upon a small pond of water. It was in a cluste r of gum trees and" that green vetetation and the water saved us."
Scratched, mud splattered and exhausted, Griner said he plunged into the water up to his waist and for the first time had time to consider how calm the ranger had rema ined throughou t the ordeal. " I hate to admit it," he said, "but I was plenty scared ... I was new on the job and I would have made the wrong move. The boss saved my life... l believed he saved both of us by staying calm ... " A lthough he had experienced some anxious moments in Vietnam, the patrolman said the race aga inst the wildfire topped them all.
Rowe was quick to point out that Griner had worked on at least a hundred fires during his brief time with the Commission and there was no lack of training. "It was just a very unusual situation we ran into," he said.
The ranger was in constant contact by radio with other un its working the fire and one tractor operator made a rescue attempt, but was driven off by dense smoke.
Ranger Rowe has been battling wildfires for 32 years, but he said he had never before known a fire to "change from one type fire to another so quickly." It was a relatively slow burning fire when they went in, but it suddenly turned to a raging inferno. "But after it passed through the swamp and hit some higher ground, the flames that were boi Iing above the tree tops calmed down to about six feet high ... it was like a stallion changing into a tamed mul e!"
The fire smoldered and flared up in spots for another three weeks before the county unit, along with the help of a rain that f inally came, was able to declare it dead out.
One thing continues to puzzle Rowe and Grine r. Although all that terrific heat passed over the tractor, only a plow tire, the battery and the seat were burned beyond repair. The tractor was back in operation 24 hours after the fire.

Patrolman Ronald Griner, left, and Ranger Billy Rowe check a Lowndes County Map to pinpoint location of an unusually vicious fire that could have cost them their lives.

CONFERE NCE SERIES PLANNED TO BENEFIT FOREST LANDOVVNERS

DEATH CLAIMS
TWO FRIENDS
OF COMMISSION
The Commission was saddened recently to learn of two deaths . One came to an aircraft pilot who once served with the Commission and the other was a retired U. S. Forest Service researcher who worked closely with GFC person nel.
Pilot Ph illip A . Parr ish, Jr., was fly ing a missi on for the Georgia National Guard on July 13 when his plane crashed near Winder. Witnesses sa id he ejected from the aircraft before the crash, but his parachute failed to open .
Parrish had a degree in forestry from the University of Georgia and worked for the Commission as a pi lot in the Forest Protection i)epartment for five years . In recent years, he has flown charters and made flights for several corporations.
Funeral services were held at the Byron Un ited Methodist Church. Survivors include his wife and two daughters.
Ernst V. Brender, who retired from the U. S. Forest Service in 1975, but remained active in work ing voluntarily in forestry projects, suffered a fatal heart attack June 18 . His death came after a brief stay in a hospital.
Brender, who was inducted into the Georgia Foresters Hall of Fame in 1972 , was nationally recognized as an outstanding authority on the culture of Piedmont loblolly p ine in the United States. He headed research at Hitchiti Experimental Forest near Macon for more than 25 years and was author of more than 40 scient ific papers and articles.
Funeral services were held at Snow's Memor ial Chapel in Macon .
Georgia, the largest state east of the Mississippi River, is composed of 23.8 million acres of forests. The woodlands cover approximately two-thirds of the state.
6

The Commission will co-sponsor a series of forest landowner conferences throughout the state during September. All landowners are invited to attend.
Each conference will feature experienced foresters speaking on such topics as management techniques, marketing methods, proper planting, and making a profit on t imber.
Comm ission director John Mixon po inted out the v ital need for land owners to attend these conferences.
"During the 1984-85 season, 433,000 acres of trees were planted in Georgia," Mixon said . "But 640,000 acres were harvested. It is essential that Georgia increase properly managed reforestation efforts to meet future demands and sustain our economic benefits."
Speakers for the series will include Dr . John Gunter, Cooperative Extension Service, on " Economics of Growing T imber;" Bob Lazenby , staff forester and reforestation specialist, Forestry Commission, on "Reforestation and Commission Services ;" and Lynn Hooven, Chief of the Commission's Management Department, on "Management of Timber." A panel d iscussion on "How to Sell T imber" will follow .
The locations and dates of the conferences are: September 4-Ramada Inn, 1365 Gordon Highway (U.S. Hwy . 78). Augusta ; September 11 -Continuing Education Center Conference Room, Georgia Southern College, Statesboro; September 12-Georgia Forestry Commission, Research Auditorium, Macon; September 18-South Fulton Government Annex Building, Atlanta; September 19Krannert Center, Main Ball Room , Berry College, Rome ; September 25-Continuing Education Center Auditorium, Columbus College, Columbus; September 26-Exchange Club Dining Hall, Fairgrounds, Albany.
Similar conferences were held in recent years in Atlanta , Macon and

other cities, with a good attendance at each location. Landowners interviewed following those conferences said they learned better ways to plant, protect and harvest their woodlands.
Each session will begin at 1 :30 p.m. and conclude with a question-answer session beginning at 4:15 p.m .
In addition to the Georgia Forestry Commission, other sponsors of the conferences include: Georgia Forestry Association, Georgia Extension Service, Georgia Farm Bureau, Forest Farmers Association, Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Committees, Consulting Foresters of Georgia, Soil Conservation Service, and U. S. Forest Service .

DISTRICT REFORESTATION SPECIALISTS ASSIGNED

The Georgia Forestry Commission has
designated a specialist in each of its 12 districts to work closely with landowners and others in a continuing campaign to increase reforestation throughout the state. The foresters selected for the special assignment will work w ith county committees that were formed three years ago when the statewide reforestation effort was f irst introduced, as well as advise individual landowners in site preparation,

seedling purchasing, planting techniq ues
The reforestation foresters and the districts they represented are as follows : Grant Evans, Rome; Nathan McClure, Gainesville; John Merrill, Athens; Russell Pohl, Newnan; Jack Holt, Milledgeville; Frank Green, Washington; Phil Porter, Americus; Dessie Wynn, Tifton; Mike Ryfun, Camilla; Dennis Pope, Waycross ; Archie McEuen, Wayc ross; and Harry Graham, Mc Rae.

Some of Hinton's volunteer firemen pose before their new truck

Roger Browning discusses features

COMMISSION FABRICATES 500th FIRE KNOCKER

The 500th fire knocker to be built by the Georgia Forestry Commission has been presented to the volunteer fire department of the Hinton Community in Pickens County .
To mark the production milestone, a group of volunteer firemen consisting of farmers, storekeepers and students, gathered at a little red fire house at

the crossroads settlement to view the new fire truck and partic ipate in dedication ceremonies, followed by a demonstration of the equipment.
The fire knocker is a tanker fully equipped with pump, hoses, gauges and other equipment for use in rural and small town fire departments under the Rural Fire Defense Program.

VOLUNTEERS UNITE FARM COMMUN ITY
J . A. Townsend, a farmer in Pickens County's Hinton settlement, was a lad of 12 when a faulty flue set fire to the wood-shingled roof of his home.
"My Daddy saw it in time," he said, " and leaned a ladder against the house and me and my brothers and sister carried buckets of well water up the ladder to put it out." Townsend, an enthusiastic supporter of the newly organ ized volunteer f ire department in his rural community, pointed out that "we were just lucky. Usually, when you had a fire in the country help was too far away and you just had to let a building burn down."
Jay Moss, storekeeper at the rural crossroads and former dairyman , had a large barn to burn to the ground in 1977. "Had hay and corn stored in it and a lot of equipment, including a hammer mill," he said, " and I didn't have any insurance on the property at that time."
Moss is confident the barn and its valuable contents could have been saved if the Hinton fire department had existed at that time.
Moss and others helped organize the department by calling areas residents together to ask their support. With only "word of mouth" publicity, about 70 people showed up for the first meeting.
Rick Baxter, Chief of the new department and a tireless organizer, said "48 people at the initial meeting signed up to take firefighting training." More than $2,300 were pledged during the first week of organization and by April , the new fire house had been completed . An auction and barbecue brought in several thousand additional dollars, and when the new fire truck was delivered, the department was ready to begin operations debt-free.
In speaking to the assembled volunteers and demonstrating features of the fire truck, Roger Brown ing, Rural Fire Defense Spec ialist with the Forestry Commission, pointed out that a community fire department does more than offer fire protection. "It brings the people of a community together," Brown ing said.
Baxter, Townsend, Moss and others agree. The Hinton Commun ity in the rolling hills nine miles from Jasper has founded a new spirit of friendship and cooperation and it revolves around the little red fire house.

The Georg ia Forestry Comm issio n began administering the federally subsidized program ten years ago when it built the first fire knocker for the Lake Cindy Fire Department in Henry County .
Since that time, more than $1,917,220 have been spent for materials in the fabrication of the 500 units. More than 1,500,000 pounds of materials have been used in the manufacture of the truck tanks, walkways and other sections to complete the units. It is estimated that more than 2,000,000 man hours were required by welders, mechanics, painters 11nd others to build the units. Some of the fire knockers were built in the Commission's central shop in Macon, while many were also fabricated in county unit shops around the state, with Commission personnel providing the skilled labor.
At the beginning of the program, truck chassis were obtained through military surplus, but in recent years many communities prefer to buy a truck and have the Comm ission outfit it with tank and equipment.
Water drafted from nearby creek

COMMISSION SEEDLING CROP BEST IN RECENT YEARS

Although millions of seedlings have been sold for the forthcoming planting season, a good supply of slash and loblol ly pine is still available at the state nurseries, according to Johnny Branan, Chief of the Comm ission's Refo restation Department.

He emphasized, howeve r , that landowners who have not yet placed their orders "should not wait too much longer." He said orders "pick up rapidly as we get nearer pi ant ing time."
Branan said most of the min or species grown in the nurseries have been sold

out, but the various pine species the great bulk of trees produced for Geo rgia landowners, are plentiful at this time.
The reforestation chief said "the se edling crop this season is the best I've seen in recent years." It is also one of the la rgest crops ever grown by the state nu rseries. Branan said approximately 132 million trees will be harvested this season.
He said production at the Shi rley Nursery, the Comm ission 's newest facility for growing trees to help meet landowner demands , will be 60 million trees this year. This is the second year trees have been grown on the new 257 -acre nursery n ear Reidsville .
Branan said the huge nursery is capable of produc ing 160 million trees if al l acreage were utilized, but he explained that only about one-third of the land should be planted in seed Iings on a rotation basis, He said most of the remain ing acreage is in cover crops.
Trees are also produced at Page and
Walker Nurseries, actually a part of the Sh irley Complex , in the Reidsvil le area , and at Morgan Nursery near Byron.
Pin e seedlings will be lifted and shipped after the first heavy frost, or abou t December 1 , and hardwood trees will be harvested and shipped at the beginning of the new year.

In top photo, data transcriber processes seedling orders. A bove, young seedlings at Morgan Nursery approaching harvest stage. 8

INSECT REPORT

Georgia's 1985 summer has been a highly active season for insects, with bark beetle activity reaching epidemic proportions in some counties, according to Terry Price, Commission entomologist.
Price said counties in the fall Iine area are hardest hit by beetle activity. These counties include Stewart, Chattahoochee, Upson, Crawford, Bibb, Jones, Putnam, and Baldwin.
"We expect this beetle activity to worsen during the year and peak next year," Price said. "The Commission is now conducting it's third statewide aerial survey and w ill release findings during September."
The aerial survey reports will be compiled on a county basis and individual landowners will be notified if bark beetle activity requires salvage as the most effective means of controlling insects. Landowners are urged to inspect their woodlands for insect activity and report any activity to their lo cal Co mmission un,it .
RARE OCCU R ENCE
Price said a hail storm causing severe damage has resulted in 400 acres of Virginia and shortleaf pines in Stephens County becoming infested with roundheaded wood borers. He said the in testation of these insects requires that the entire 400 acres be salvaged to prevent further damage.
"This is the first record ed incident in Georgia of wood borers attacking such a large acreage of trees," Price said. He explained that this incident is highly unusual because wood borers usually require damage by other insects - such as bark beetles - before they can infest a tree.
"However," Price said, "in this case, the hail damaged the trees to such an extent that the wood borers were able to infest this large stand." He added that when wood borers infest such a large stand of trees, the only solution is salvage . If the trees are not salvaged, a more serious situation involving bark beetle infestation is inevitable.
MINOR THREAT
In other insect activity, Price said pi"ne tip moths have appeared in several areas of the state. He urges landowners to inspect young seed Iings periodically, since these moths usually infest trees one to five years old.
" Pine tip moths generally do not cause mortality," Price pointed out, "but they can become a serious problem if they are not controlled."

This scene illustrates the type of destruction that can result from stubborn fusiform rust. Thanks to intensive research , the killer is being brought under control.

RUST RESISTANT SEEDLINGS AVAILABLE

A new day has dawned in the Commission's cont inuing program to reduce the heavy losses fusiform rust is inflicting on forests in the state.
Director John Mixon announced the availability of fusiform rust resistant loblolly and slash p ine seedlings in the state nurseries for the 1985-8 6 plant ing season.
The program, under the direction of Drs. Harry Powers and John Kraus of the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station (USDA Forest Serv ice), produced enough seed this year for about 300,000 seedlings. About two-thirds are loblolly , and one-third are slash pine. Eventually, production from the program's seed arch ards will be enough to grow 12 to 15 million seedlings a year.
The program's seedlings have demonstrated their resistance in greenhouse tests to very high concentrations of spo res of the rust fungus. Under these severe conditions, the loblolly seedlings had 40 percent fewer rust infections than other genetically improved seedlings, and the slash had 50 percent less.
In discussing the resistant planting stock, Director Mixon said, "These resistant seedlings should make it possi ble to plant each species where it does best. In recent years, we've often discriminated against slash p ine in some areas because of high rust hazard . The distribution of these seedlings-a few now and many more in future years-starts a new phase in our program to greatly reduce fus iform rust in our forests. Until now, the d ise ase has been gaining on us. Now we're going to start gaining on it."

In high rust haza rd areas, use of the resistant stock could make the difference between a successful plantation carried to rotation age and a failure. In field plantings, seed from many of the trees in the resistance orchard have grown very well. After five yea rs, they have much less rust, and are as tall or taller than other genetically improved seedlings.
Because relatively few rust-resistant seedlings are ava il able th is year, first priority will be given to orders from counties where rust hazard is very high. High hazard counties for slash p ine are Henry, Jefferson, Marion, Pike, Schley , Spalding, Sumter, Troup, Wash in gton and Wilkinson . High hazard counties for loblolly are Bleckley, Brooks, Burke, Dooly, Houston, Jefferson , Johnson , Laurens, Macon, Pulaski, Thomas, Twiggs, Washington and Wilkinson.
In addition to normal field plantings by forest landowners, several extensive test areas will be established . These will compare the performance of the new rust-resistant seedlings with that of other genetically improved stock, and will be made in areas where the rust hazard is extremely high . The researchers emphasize that the resistant seedli :-. gs are not immune to fusiform rust. There are no va rie ties, strains, or selections of loblolly or slash pine that are completely immune to the disease, but these new pines are the most resistant yet tested .
9

l .t
1-:~
,;/ .

Harper

Preston

Westmoreland

Hooven

Wells

PROMOTIONS ANNOUNCED AS KEY FIGURES RETIRE

Several promotions were announced at the Commission's central offices in Macon recently, following the retirement of two key officials.
William Cash Harper, Assistant to the Director, retired last month to end a 35-year career with the Comm ission, and Druid N. Preston , Chief of the Forest Management Department, retired this week to his 30-year tenure with the agency.
Dav id Westmoreland, Ch ief of the Forest Protection department for the past three years, has been named to the Commission's number two position of Deputy Director to succeed Harper. The protection post vacated by Westmoreland has been filled by Wesley Wells, formerly a field supervisor. Henry Sw indell has been named to the supervisor position.
The forest management post vacated by Preston has been filled by Lynn Hooven, formerly assistant ch ief of the department.
Harper, a resident of Macon and a nat ive of Vernon, Alabama, came with the Commission in July , 1950, as a forest ranger in the Statesboro D istrict and was soon promoted to District Forester of that district, where he served until he was named Assistant to the Director in 1977.
A graduate of the Schoo I of Forest Resources, University of Geo rgia, Harper is married to the former Miss Dorothy Porter of Taylors Creek. They have a daughter, Penny. The retiring official was feted at a dinner party at the Terrace Inn in Milledgeville.
Preston, a native of Marion County , came with the Commission as a ranger of the Newton County Un it in 1955 and Iater served as Ass istant District Forester in Newnan. He served as D istrict Forester in Rome for five years and following promotions, became Chief of Forest Management in 1973.
Preston, a graduate of the University of Georgia , is married to the former Miss Carol Adams and they have two sons, Druid and Dav id. The family resides in Macon.
A retirement dinner honoring Preston was given by Comm issi on friends and others.
10

Director John Mixon praised both men for their many years of dedicated service to the Comm ission and the people of Georgia .
Westmore land, a native of Newnan and a graduate of Auburn University, with a degree in forestry, came with the Comm ission in 1967 as a project forester in the Americu s District. He served as area forester, district forester, assistant chief of administration and field supervisor, before being named Chief of Forest Protection in 1983.
The new Deputy D irector is married to the former Miss Doris Pende r and they have two sons, Scott and Blake. The family resides in Perry , where they are active in t he Presbyterian Church . Westmoreland is a member of the Society of American Foresters and the Georgia Forestry Association.
Wells , a native of Commerce, came with the Commiss ion as a forest technician in the Washington D istrict in July, 1966. In the years that followed, he served as a management forester, area forester and uti Iization forester in the Washington and Ga inesville Districts and in the Macon Office. He was named Associate Chief, Forest Protection Department, in 1982, and F iel d Supervisor in 1983.
A graduate of the University of Georgia with a BS Degree in Forestry, the new Ch ief of Forest Protection is a member of the Society of American Foresters and the Geo rgia Forestry
Leaf Curl Observed
Several species of shade trees in Georgia have suffered leaf curl and dieback throughout the state. The
most commonly effected species in
elude elm, oak, maple, and syca more.
The symptoms of this disease are leaves turning brown on the edges and curling inward. Although the Commission is monitoring the problem, it is usually not fatal and trees generally recover with sufficient rainfall.

Associat ion. Wells is married to the former Miss
Beverly Dailey of Commerce and they have two sons, Tommy and Ken. They live in Gray and attend Elam Baptist Church , where Wells has served as deacon and in other capacities.
Hooven, a native of Trenton , New Jersey, began his career with the Comm ission as a forest technician in the Newnan District in the summer of 1969. He was named Macon District Forester in 1978, but was transferred to the Central Office in Macon to become Associate Chief of Forest Management when the Macon District was merged into the Milledgeville District .
Hooven earned a degree in forestry at the University of Georgia and has served two years in the U. S . Army . The new head of the Forest Management Department and his wife, Melinda, a native of Clarkesville, have two children, Laura and James. The family lives in Macon and attends Ingleside Baptist Chu rch.
Sw indell began his employment with the Commiss ion as a reforestation assistant in June, 1958. He served as assistant district forester and area forester in Statesboro and in 1972 became Griffin District Forester. He was named Associate Chief of Forest Protection in 1983.
A native of Ludowici , Swindell is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he earned a BSF Degree. He was salutatorian of his class. He served a year in the U. S. Army and in the National Guard.
He has held all elective offices of the Macon Jaycees and has served as vice president, treasurer and president elect of the Macon K iwanis Club. He is a member of the Society of American Foresters.
Swindell and his wife, the former Miss Stella Maddox of Morgan County, live in Macon and they are affiliated with the Baptist Church.
In announcing the four promotions, Director Mixon said all have distingu is hed themselves in the positions they have held in the Commission and they will be an even greater asset to the organization now that they have assumed larger responsibilities.

FORESTRY EVENTS SET AT FESTIVAL

The annual Yellow Daisy Festival

to be held at Stone Mountain on Septem-

ber 6, 7, and 8, will feature a variety

of competitive forestry events.

The festival, which celebrates .the

annual blooming of the Confederate

Yellow Daisy, will hold the forestry

events on Saturday and Sunday (Sep-

tember 7 and 8 ) from 2 :00 p . m. to

4 :00p.m . Melinda Thompson , a forester

with the Georgia Fo restry Commission's

Stone Mountain Unit, will coordinate

and judge the forestry competition.

The Commission has sponsored forestry

events in the festival for more than

a decade.

Forester Thompson said plaques will

be awarded to winners in each compe-

tit ion category . The Satu rday events

include: axe throw, cross cut, cigar fire

fighting, (and greased pole climb for

competitors 12 years of age and young-

er).

Other festival activities include a

standard flower show, arts and crafts,

clogging, bluegrass music, Captain Dave

and Greg Picciano of Atlanta's WSB

radio will be masters of ceremony for

the fest ival.

.,.

_,.

Wildfires catch fish, too.

Fish die after wildfires, because the fire destroys the ground cover, and the streams and rivers become filled wirh suffocating silt and ash. So don't ler a fire be rhe one that got away. Remember, only you can prevent forest fires.
11

MISS

BEAUTY CAPTURES GEORGIA FORESTRY CROWN

When Mar ion An sle igh Riddle arr ived home in Montezuma after capturing the Miss Georgia Forestry crown at the annual GFA Convent ion on Jekyll Island , she was shower ed w ith flowers and swamp ed with telephon e ca lls.
In the days that fol l ow ed , he r mailbox was f illed w ith cards and letters of cong ratulations. One lette r came from Mayor Pat Dozier and another was sen t by Senator Bud Mck enzie. Some of the flowers came from the local Jaycees, th e organization that sponsored Ansle igh when she competed on the county level and gave her full support and encouragement as she went on to the state f inals.
The new M iss Georg ia Forestry, 18, w ill be a senior this fall at Southland Academy . She is th e daughter of Mrs. Carlotta Riddle and the late Harold Riddle . She has a b rother, Harold, 14; and a sister, Havalynn, 8.
She is activ e in th e Monte zuma Un ited Method ist Church , where sh e set a 15-y ear attendance record in Sunday School. Sh e is a membe r of the church 's youth organ ization which sponsors trips to North Carolina for snow sk ii ng, a sport that has become one of her favorites.
This summ er, Ansleigh has worked in a peach packing shed and at a printing company, but one summer she conducted a nursery school in a backyard playhouse for ch il dre n that ranged in age from six months to six y ears. "I Iike to work w ith chil dren, " she sa id, " but I also Iike bus iness." When she enters the Un iversity of Georgia in the fall of 1986 she will have to dec ide on a major "in early child hood education or business.. .1 Iike both, but I know they are poles apa rt ... "
Her first official function as Miss Georgia Forestry was to rid e the float and greet more than 23 ,000 fans dur ing the pre-game festivities at the annual Georg ia Forestry Night baseball game at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. During her reign, she will participate in many parades, forest festivals, fa irs and other events around th e state in the promot ion of forest ry in Georg ia.
She received her crown from the retiring Miss Georgia Forestry , Kathy Usry of Augusta, at the conclusion of the pageant on Jeky ll Island in June .

FROM THE GEORGIA PRESS

BACON SENIOR WINS
GUM SPIRITS TITLE
S haron McNeil( a Bacon County High Sc h ool senior, is Geo rgia's newly selected Miss Gum Spirits of Turpentine . The 17year-old Alma resident was one of 39 contestants competing for the Miss Georgia Fo restry Associat ion on Jekyll Island.
Each year, a new Miss Gum Spirits is selected at the convention pageant from among contestants representing Georgia gum producing counties.
Miss McN eill, like all contestants, qual if ied for statewide competition by win ning on the local pageant level.
T he daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm E. Mitch el l of Alma, Sha ron is a cheerleader involved in numerous school and commun ity activities.
T he new Miss Gum Sp irits will be photographed and featured on the 1986 American Turpent ine Farm ers Associatio n calendar.
Miss Mc Neill was crowned by the retir ing Miss Gum Spirits, Maria Swinson of Waycross .
The young lady selected for the ho nor each year aids the ATFA in the promotion of gum spirits, one of the most important products derived from the vast pine forests of South Georgia.

"TREES GROW TWICE AS FAST HERE"

"I think that I shall never see A billboard lovely as a tree. Perh aps, unless the billboards fall, I'll never see a tree at all... "
That quatrain from "Song of the Open Road" by Ogden Nash, who originated the light and offbeat poetry called "vers de societe" at the turn of the century and who was the original and best known of the "New Yorker" poets, forewarns us about needless destruction of trees in the natural beauty of our country in the midst of a swelling population with commercial and residential growth .
While the influx of people from regions far and near is wonderfu I and exhilarating, we must not tear down and root out our botanical and historical her itage ...
...My place of birth is 2,000 m iles from here -- almost as far away as one can get and still be in the continental U. S. A. Settled later than the Southeast, the Northw est lacks the historical hall marks that this part of the country is so satiated with that many Southerners take for granted their rich cultural and natural her itage.
Natural resources, including trees, are so much more abundant and resplendent here than in the arid areas west of the Mississippi and edst of the Cascades where rainfall is sparse. With a normal rainfall of 60-70 inches per year here, we often fail to appreciate how fortunate we are.
Trees grow twice as fast here as they do in eastern O regon where sagebrush is all that naturally survives and reseeds itself. Th e lonesome prairies are attractive to many and echo their own unique beauty where the naked eye can see 200 miles away on a clear day and can spot the rugged, majestic outlines of Mount Hood and Mount Adams which are snow-peaked all year round.
But the lonesome cry of the coyote is too lonesome for me, and I would rather hear the babble and swish of a gurgling brook muffled by trees.
As new houses, apartments, condominiums, shopping centers and business offices and professional buildings go up, let us not tear down more than we construct. Wh erever the bulldozer do es not have to go, let us leave the ancient trees. They filter dust. They purify and balance the air by inhaling carbon di -

oxide and exhaling oxygen. They screen off the hot rays of the summer sun and when leaves fall, allow in the warm th of winter rays. They provide lum ber
Native Georgians and other Southerners often fail to fully appreciate the abundance of rapidly growing trees in this section of the nation, yet it would be difficult to picture this tier of states without its lush greenery. Jo Lutcher, News Editor of the News-Times in Columbia County, writes in this column of Georgia's beautiful forests and how they differ from the trees in her native Oregon.
for new houses and paper for the presses --for books , magazines, newspapers, and for business, school and personal use.
They do all that and much more, and to the quick and casual eye, they offer an almost subl im inal sense of protective rootedness, aer ial shelter and often unappreciated beauty.
Like the mighty oak which sprouts from the smallest acorn whose roots go down deepest of all, trees should be preserved and should not fall.
Fads in toys come an d go, but wooden toys endure.
Of all the toys manufactured in the United States in the past 100 'years, for example, wooden toys are the ones that have the longest "shelf Iife."
Lincoln Logs were invented in 1916 by John Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wr ight. The younger Wright got his idea when he was in Tokyo with his father observing the construction techniques used in build ing an earth quake -proof hotel. L inco In Logs are produced today in the same manner as they were almos t 70 years ago.
Another wooden toy with a long history of play is the T inkertoy, invented by an Illino is stonemason, Charles Pajeau . Tinkertoys were inspired by children making structures out of pencils and empty spools. These interlocki ng toys aren't only used for play. Architects use them for models.

13

JAMES ALEXANDER, who came with the Comm ission as patrolman in Talbot County in 1979 and later was named assistant ranger of the Ha rr is-MuscogeeTalbot Un it, in recent months was promoted to distr ict ranger of the Ame r icus District_ In July of th is year, he became assistan t to Garland Nelson , Ch ief of Forest Adm in istration _ James and h is w ife have two young sons and the fam ily is active in the Baptist Church __ ,ELEY FRAZER, Ill , President of the Albanybased F&W Forestry Se rvices, Inc ., was
Alexander
awarded the prestigious Wise Owl Award at the annual convention of the Geo rgia Forestry Association . The award was presented by William F. Torrey , Jr ., Presi dent of the Association... lnterstate Resources, Inc. has announced the appointment of CHARLES W. TOWNSEND to the newly established position of vice president of marketing for the firm's linerboard producing subsidiary. He assumes overall respons ib ility for the domestic and export linerboard sales for Interstate Paper Corporation of Riceboro ,
Lazenby
Georg ia... Forester ROBERT LAZENBY , who came with the Commission as a forest technician in 1971 and served in several positions, including d istrict forest er, before res igning to enter into a consultant partnership, recently returned to the Commission and has been ass igned to the Management Department as a reforestation specialist. A native ot' Chattanooga, Tenn ., Lazenby and his wife, Claud ia , have two ch ildren. They are members of the Methodist Church .. .The forest resources department of the Georgia Exten-

McNeel
sion Service expanded recently to include a timber harvesting specialist, JOE MCNEEL, and a woods products specialist , JULIAN BECKWITH. McNeel is stat ioned at the Rural Development Center in Tifton, responsible for educational programs in timber harvesting and the biennial T imber Ha rvesting Exposition . Beckwith , who is located in Athens at the Univers ity of Georgia, w ill supply county extension agents with wood products in formation on the latest developments in their operation ...WILLIAM J . MARTIN has joined the F&W Forestry Services, Inc., as an associate real estate broker to
head the Albany based firm's real estate services. A native of Dawson, he graduated from Georgia Southwestern College in 1974 with a degree in business administration _ He has ope rated h is own real estate company and has been involved in other businesses in recent years.. .Forester CHARLES B. PLACE, JR. has been named Urban Forester for the Macon Metropolitan area and maintains an office at the Bibb County l)n it . Place is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., came with the Commission in 1956 in the Rome Distr ict. He transferred to the Macon Office in 1962 to serve in several capac it ies in the Forest Education Department... K IM D. CODER has jo ined the University of Georg ia staff as an ass istant professor/ extension forester in the Extension Forest Resources Department. Coder comes to UGA from Iowa State Un iversity, where he completed his master's degree in 1981 and a doctorate this year, both in biology .

GEORGIA CITIES URGED
TO SEEK TREE TITLE
Your town can become a TREE CITY USA I
The National Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with the Georgia Fo restry Commission and the U.S. Forest Service, is urging more cities in this state t o become an official TREE CITY USA.
Presently, Columbus, Avondale Estates and Marietta hold that distinction , and other municipalities have expressed interest in qualifying for the title.
TREE CITY USA has been designated to recognize those communities that are effectively managing their tree resources. It is geared to encourage the implementation of a local tree management program based on standards approved by the Na tional Association of State Foresters.
Public Law 92-288 of 1972 gives the state foresters authority and responsibility for providing technical services for the "protect ion, improvement and establish ment of trees and shrubs in urban areas, communities and open spaces."
A quick check with the mayor's office in your city will tell you whether your community is meeting the standards for eligibility .
For further information on TREE CITY USA, contact any office of the Georgia Forestry Commission.
WOOD ENERGY
(Continued from Page 2)
tons per hour. Wood chips of appropriate size pass
through a disc screen, while oversized chips are rejected to a 250 h_p, Hog which can process 30 tons per hour. All fuel is then transferred to a 7,200 square-foot storage area with 1,700 tons (seven-day) capacity.
Following the storage process, wood fuel is reclaimed by a screw type reclaimer and transferred to the Central State 25,000 lbs/hr boilers.
Allen said Central State's adapt ion to wood energy is a vital step in the state's increasing awareness of the value of such systems. Commission records show an estimated 13.1 mill ion tons of roundwood, chips and residues are being used annually for fuel in Georgia. Further statistics show wood energy in Georgia saves users $494.7 million annually w.hile creating an additional benefit of $44.1 million in economic activity.
"These statistics on savings are based on users ranging from industry to homeowners," Allen said . "The $44.1 million increase in economic activ ity is the result of wood fuel being produced within the state rather than use of natural gas and fuel oil that have to be imported."
15

SAETCMOANCDOCNL,AGSESO~~AAGE PAID