SPRING, 1988 
 
 Georgia 
FORESTRY 
USPS No. 21 71 20 
Spring, 1988 No. 1 Vol. 41 
Joe Frank Harris - Governor John W . M ixon- Direc10r 
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 
Jim L. Gillis. Jr:. Chairman. Soperton Felton Denney. Carrollton Eley C. Frazer, Ill. Albany Dr. Gloria Shano, Rome 
Robert Simpson, Ill, lakeland 
STAFF Howard E. Benneu . Edi tor W illiam S. Edwards. Associate Edi tor Jac kie N. Swinson. Graphic Artist 
DISTRICT OFFICES 
District One 3088 M artha Berry Hwy., NE 
Rome. GA 30161 
District Two Rou te 11 . Box 37 Ga inesville. GA 30501 
District Three Route 4 , Box 168A At hens. GA 30605 
District Four P.O. Box 108 0 Newnan. GA 302 6 4 
District Five Highway 49 M illedgeville. GA 31061 
District Six Route 2. Box 266 Washington. GA 30673 
Dist rict Seven Route 1, Box 23A Americus . GA 31 709 
Dostric t Eight Route 3. Box 17 Tilton, GA 31 794 
District Nine Route 2. Box 722 Camilla. GA 31 7 30 
District Ten Route 2. Box 28 Statesboro, GA 30458 
District Eleven Route 1. Box 46 Helena. GA 31037 
District Twelve Route 6. Box 16 7 Waycross. GA 3 1501 
Urban Forestry 6 8 35 Memorial Drive Stone Mountain. GA 300 83 
Georgia Forestry 1s published quanerly by the Georgia Forestry Commission, Rou te 1, Box 181 . Dry Branch. GA 31020. Second class postage paid at M acon. GA. POSTMASTER: Send addres s changes to Georgia Forestry Commission, Route 1, Box 181 . Dry Branch. GA 31020. 
 2 / Georaia Forestrv/ Sorina 1988 
 
Forester Stephen Smith and friends plant an Arbor Day tree. 
 
ARBOR DAY CELEBRATIONS BECOMI NG MORE POPULAR THROUGHTOUT STATE 
 
Governor Joe Frank Harris signed a proclamation during a brief ceremony in his capitol office in Atlanta and Forester Stephen C. Smith of the Georgia Forestry Commission showed school children in Columbus how to properly plant a dogwood tree. 
Those two activities and hundreds of others across the state marked the observance of the 1988 Arbor Day In Georgia. 
Arbor Day - the statewide annual celebration emphasizing the value of treesmushroomed this year into what Commission officials bel ieve to be the most extensive celebration of the event since it was inaugurated by the General Assembly in 1941. The day is celebrated on the third Friday in February. 
From the North Georgia mountains to the Atlantic coast. small towns and cities 
 
throughoutthe state planted trees to honor the special day. Schools ranging from small elementa ry units to large coll eg es planted trees . w hile mayors and other city officials presided over num erous tree planting ceremon ies in parks and on other public property. In many publ ic tree pla nting ceremonies, trees were dedicated to individuals who had mad e worth y contributions to their community. Reports indicate an unusually large number of private landowners also celebrated Arbor Day this year by planting trees on their lawns. 
In Macon, th e headquarters of the Commission, the city reacted to Arbor Day w ith typical enthusiasm reflected across the state. The Macon Beautif ication Tree Committee sponsored a tree planting ceremony in Mulberry Street Park. Two trees w ere 
(continued on page 6) 
 
0 N TH E C0 V ER Forest fires in Georgia are usually contained by breaks plowed by 
crawler tractors, but when fire rages in rugged terrain, the Commission 's helicopters are brought in to squelch the blaze. This was a demonstration to show the effectiveness of a water drop to a group of forest landowners. {Photo by Bill Edwards). 
 
 D0 those portable fire shelters really work? Ask Forest Patrolmen Bobby Smith. Bartow County, and Jimmy Cranford, Pulaski County. They found out the hard way and their answer to the question is a definite YES! 
The two were attempting to plow a couple of firebreaks on a s~eep slope <?n Pi~e Mountain near Cartersville to contam a f1re that had been set when a pole snapped on a 15 ,000-volt powerline. It was a windy autumn day, but the wind was not the main problem. The rough , steep terrain made plowing difficult and as the heavy tractors lumbered closer to the mountain top it became even worse. 
BLOCKED BY STONES 
Smith and Cranford were confronted by huge boulders - some largerthan their tractors - and jagged rocks that could have easily overturned the crawlers if hit from a certain angle. Fortunately, Pilot Curtis Dowis, who was circling above the scene, recognized the difficult time they were having with the terrain and instructed the operators to drop back to the rear of the fireb reaks and clear out a safety zone. 
After completing a safety zone, the two tractors continued to the top of the mountain . They were completely cut off from view of the fire. The pilot, however, was keeping a close eye on the fire's behavior and w hen he saw it suddenly start to make avery strong and rapid run to the mountain top, he immediately alerted the patrolmen. They were told to return to the safety area and get into their shelters. 
The pilot reported flames shooting 100 feet above the treetops . He instructed a Commission helicopter which was also worki ng the fire to make a water drop on the men and the swiftly approaching fire. The copter, piloted by Brad Turner. responded immediately. 
Patrolman Smith estimated that they had only two or three minutes to make it to the clearing and get inside the small tents. He said it was warm inside the shelter, but not too uncomfortable because the water drop had come in time to check some ofthe fire's fury. 
ANXIOUS MINUTES 
Meanwhile, Forester Specialist David Nicholson ofthe Commission 's Forest Protection Department, who operated the bucket from the helicopter, said " we spent from five to ten very anxious minutes in trying to find the men from the air. ..we were hindered by some very dense smoke." Nicholson said he did, however, " hit the target" when the men were spotted. 
Smith said the close call made him grateful for the special training and safety equipment that have been given to Commission firefighting personnel in recent months. Patrolman Cranford , who is experienced in fighting fire in the flatlands of Middle Georgia, said he is thankful to Smith for 
 
Gainesville District Ranger Jimmy Smith shows the type of life-saving portable shelter used recently when two patrolmen were trapped in a dangerous mountain fire in North Georgia. When in use, a person lies flat on the ground and the cover is similar to a small oneman tent. When not in use, it folds to the size of a large envelope. 
 
YES, PORTABLE FIRE SHELTERS WORK! 
 
Patrolmen Smith and Cranford Learned The Hard Way 
 
showing him how to maneuver atractor up the side of a rocky mountain. 
Ranger Gene Walraven of the Bartow County Unit was fire boss on the stubborn fire that burned or smoldered for four days before it finally subdued . He said it required a considerable number of men 
 
and pieces of equipment from the Commission, as well as men and equipment from the U.S. Army Reserve, to battle the big fire. He said the most anxious moments came, of course, when Smith and Cranford were forced to try out the efficiency of their life-saving shelters. 
 
EVANS HEADS NATIONAL FORESTRY COMMITTEE 
Walter Evans, Screven County timber grower, has been named chairman of the American Farm Bureau Forestry Advisory committee. 
The committee, composed of 19 timber growers from throughout the United States, will advise the nation's largest farm organization on timber policies. 
Evans, who began managing his family's timberland 30 years ago, raises 350 acres of timber today on his farm near Sylvania. He also owns and operates Evans Lumber Co., Inc., a sawmill that cuts more than five million board feet a year. His farm also includes 150 acres of pastureland and row crops. 
Recognized statewide for his expertise in the field of timber, Evans serves as chairman of the Georgia Farm Bureau Forestry Advisory Committee, and was recently appointed by Governor Joe Frank Harris to a six-year term on the Georgia Forestry Research board. The Research Department, a division of the Georgia Forestry Commission handles the budgets for all forestry research projects funded by the state. 
Evans was among a select groups of Georgians invited to testify at a recent hearing held in Macon by U.S. Senator Wyche Fowler (D-GA) on the two-year old federal Conservation Reserve Program, which has resulted in the planting of 330,000 acres in trees in Georgia. 
The national chairman also serves on the oversight committee of the Ernst Brender Experimental Forest. 
 
 J.ndowners generally look to a contract only as the means to secu re payment for a timber sale. But a tim ber-sale contract can be more than that with a little planning, it can be an excellent investment device that helps the landowner accomplish objectives for the land, even afte r t he t rees are gone. This is usu ally done through restrictive and reforestation clauses, which will be di scussed later in this article. 
First. you should know that a good ti mber contract need not be complicat ed or full of "legalese." In most ca ses, si mpl e, straightforward language is best . Don 't try to save money by using a sta ndard contract. In timber harvesting there is no '"standard" contract, because each forest has its own unique characteristics that will need to be addressed accord ing to t he landowner's objectives. 
Because a timber sale involves the la ndowner, forester, and independent contract logger and/ or buyer, the contract should strive for a harmonious relationship among the three by spelling out each party's objectives and restrictions. (If the buyer is not the logger but contracts someone else to harvest your timber, they will usually have their own separate agreement, but its specifications will depend on the timber contract .) 
THE FIRST STEP 
As a first step in creating a timber contract, you should consult an attorney or have your forester do so. Foresters often know of lawyers who deal with timber con tracts regularly and who will understand and pay attention to your si lvicu ltura l goals. Basic questions such as how much control you want, and what clauses are needed to meet objectives should be answered before writing the contract. 
Although the contract should be worded to accomplish what the landowner wants, it is wise not to be too t ight on the logger or timber purchaser. In many cases, a landowner will want a purchaser's business again. But even if this is the timber sa le of your lifetime, if you load t he contract with picky restrictions, either you wi ll not get a buyer or you 'll break the logger you do get. The logger is an integral part of the timber-sale process, but he has to satisfy the landowner and the purchaser (if he himself is not the buyer) . 
Som e landowners are wary of loggers and feel that if you give a logger a steel ba ll he w ill bend it. Other landowners do not like th e heavy equipment most of today's loggers use. The forester should be able to sense these fears and can do a couple of things to allay them . First, he or she can arrange for the landowner to visit with the logger or purchaser on sites presently being logged or where a job was recentl y completed. Also, the forester should explain to the landowner that although some loggers specialize in small, low- 
4/ Geor. ia Forestry/ Spring 1988 
 
JN TIMBER SALES 
THERE IS NO 'STANDARD CONTRACT ' 
 
By Bob Izlar 
EDITOR'S NOTE: Georgia Forestry has published articles periodically urging landowners to negotiate a sound contract to avoid costly pitfalls before selling their timber, but this version b y Bob lzlar, Executi ve Director of the Georgia Forestry Association, details the advantages in a wider perspective. Thanks to American Forests magazine for permission to reprint this copyrighted article. 
 
impact operations, their services may cost more than the environmental advantages are worth on some tracts. 
From a regeneration standpoint, the main thrust of a timber-sale contract should be to minimize damage and allow the purchaser to harvest quickly, efficiently, and profitably. The landowner should expect some damage to occur, but the contract can make provisions to keep damage to a minimum. Timber harvests naturally look rough to a landowner who has never sold timber. A forester can tell the difference between a rough-looking harvest and one that causes unnecessary damage, and the contract should set guidelines for on-site inspections by the forester. 
RESTRICTIVE 
CLAUSES HELP 
PROTECT THE SITE 
. DURING AND AFTER 
THE HARVEST 
As mentioned before, a timber contract can act to protect and enhance your forestland investment in two ways-via restrictive clauses and reforestation clauses . Restrictive clauses help protect the site during 
 
and after the harvest. There are several types, and it is up to you , your forester, and perhaps the logger to decide which shou ld be included in your contract. 
Every contract should have a w etweatherclause, however. ln extremely w et weather, a forester or landowner can use such a clause to suspend logging unt il ground conditions are more favorable. A corollary to this type of restrictive clause is the extension clause, which gives a logger more time to complete t he job in case w et weather limits access to the site. 
A landowner may choose to have a penalty clause to discourage the cutting of trees that are not part of the sale, or to pay for damage to fences, roads, ditches, gates, streams, etc. A cleanup clause assures that the logger or buyer will pick up trash left on the site and restore roads and ditches to their preharvest cond ition. Other stipulations that might be included, either under a clau se already menti oned or listed on their own, are size and grade of trees to be cut; acceptable stump height; top diameter limits of trees cut; and provisions for unmerchantable tops, limbs, and slash. A fire protection clause provides for precaution , control , and suppression of f ire and allows for suspens ion of logging activities during hazardous periods. 
Logging layout is also often specified in a timber contract. Some considerations having to do w ith layout that might be included are measures to protect erodible slopes. streams, and trees along roads and skid trails; arrangements for landing and haulroad location, construction, and main- 
____.... 
 
 tenance; limitations on equipment size and type; and ma~i mum skidding log length. 
While restncttve clauses generally protect the forest site during and immediately after the logging. reforestation clauses help the landowner see to the future ofthe land.There are two kinds of reforestation clauses - consulting agreements and service agree- 
ments. 
 
REFORESTATION CLAUSES GENERALLY PROTECT THE FOREST SITE AFTER THE LOGGING 
 
In a consulting agreement, the purchaser 
 
agrees to provide the landowner with techni- 
 
cal reforestation advice, either free or for a 
 
price. These agreements are usually part of a 
 
larger management plan. On the other hand, 
 
service agreements establish a contractual 
 
relationship between purchaser and land- 
 
owner in which the purchaser agrees to per- 
 
form certain reforestation activities at an 
 
established price. These activities may 
 
include planting, land clearing, prescribed 
 
bu rn ing, fertilization, bedding, chopping, 
 
or other site preparation activities. 
 
In one form of a consulting agreement. the 
 
purchaser develops a forest management 
 
plan for the landowner. The plan contains 
 
silvicultural recommendati ons and, if the 
 
landow ner requests it, t echnical assis- 
 
tance on recommended treatments. This 
 
service is usually free or at minimal cost. 
 
How ever, the purchaser does not assume 
 
any responsibilities for or contribute to the 
 
actual cost of performing the services recom- 
 
mended. Although the purchaser will often 
 
introduce the landowner to independent 
 
contractors who perform the needed ser- 
 
vices,the landowner negotiates with the con- 
 
tractors on his own and pays them. If 
 
contractors are not available, the buyer may 
 
perform the suggested services at a rate pre- 
 
Viously agreed upon, butthe agreementthen 
 
becomes a service agreement. 
 
. As part of a consulting agreement. the 
 
ttm ber purchaser may also offer to assist 
 
the la ndowner in applying for federal or 
 
state forestry incentive and cost- sharing 
 
monies. In some cases, the buyer may 
 
agree to pay 50 percent of approved tree 
 
seedling orders. 
 
 
 
In a service agreement that provides 
 
reforestation services under a purchaser's 
 
ma nagement plan, the buyer agrees to per- 
 
form site preparation and planting at cost. 
 
And t hat is where the buyer's respon~lbil ity ~t.ops ; the landowner accepts re- 
 
Ponstbtlity for tree survival. 
 
CHERRY BLOSSOM 
FESTIVAL INCLUDES 
COMMISSION TOUR 
A series of forestry events, t itled Smokey's Firefighting Demonstrations, will be offered by the Commission on March 18 and 25 as one of the highlights of Macon 's nationally publicized annual Cherry Blossom Festival. 
Schedu led at 3 :30p.m . on both Fridays during the festival ,the demonstrations will include a variety of events including a helicopter water drop and a tour of the Commission's wood heating system . Tour buses will pick up visitors at 3 :00 p.m. from Central City Park on both days and return them to the park immediately after the demonstration. 
Sharon Dolliver. forester specialist stationed at Commission state headquarters in Macon , said the program is designed for adults and children . "Very few people know what goes on behind the scenes in cultivating and protecting Georgia 's $8.6 billion forestry industry," Doll iver said . "This series of demonstrations offers art unusual opportunity for people to see things they might never otherwise get a chance to see." 
A case in point. Dolliver points out. is a massive helicopter water drop used in large scale firefighting operations . " Most people would never get close enough to such a fire to see a helicopter water drop," she said . 
Visitors will have another unusual opportun ity when the tour takes them to a demonstration of the Commission's wood heating system. In operation since 1981 , the system uses 344 tons of wood chips per year and saves more than $1 8 ,000 annually in energy costs . 
"The wood energy demonstration is highly relevant to our current energy problems," Dolliver said , "because this use of a renewable resource for heating may well be the wave of the future ." 
Visitors will later view truck and tractor firefighting units and see a shingle machine turning out beautifully crafted shingles- to show only one of the numerous uses of Georgia's pine timber. Visitors will be given shingle samples for souvenirs . 
And, of course, we'll have Smokey Bear," Dolliver pointed out. " Smokey is always a big hit with children and adults. This time he'll be passing out his special gifts and packets of pine seedlings." 
Persons interested in taking the Commission 's special demonstration tour may sign up at the Commission's exhibit in the round building at Central City Park or call 744-3377 , Dolliver said . 
 
Dr. Gloria M. Shatto 
GOVERNOR NAMES BERRY PRESIDENT BOARD MEMBER 
Dr. Gloria M . Shatto, president of Berry College, has been appointed by Governor Joe Frank Harris to serve on the Georgia Forestry Board of Commissioners. 
Dr. Shatto, a native of Houston, Texas, replaced Patricia Robinson of Atlanta, who recently resigned to accept a position in Wisconsin. 
Dr. Shatto, who was named president of the college in Mount Berry near Rome in 1980, previously served on the faculty of Trinity College in San Antonio, the University of Houston and Georgia Tech .She is on the board of trustees of Georgia Tech, Berry College and the First United Methodist Church. She is on the board of directors of Georgia Power Company, K Mart Corporation, The Southern Company, Redmond Park Hospital and other institutions and organizations. She is the author of several articles pertaining to economics and related topics. 
The educator has two college-age sons and her husband is an engineer with Georgia Power Company in Rome. 
John Mixon, Commission director, said " we are highly pleased that the governor has appointed Dr. Shatto to our board. We know she will be a tremendous asset to the Commission. " 
 
 NEW BROCHURE ON LOG HOMES NOW AVAilABLE 
 
The Commission now has a new 
 
brochure available titled "Log Home 
 
Construction and Maintenance Tips: 
 
Judges for the 1988 Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl Poster Contest look over hundreds of entries. Judges in front, left to right, are Mrs. James Phillips, Mrs. Bernard Bridges and Mrs. Lynn Jones, all of Moultrie. The three represent the Garden Club of Georgia, cosponsor ofthe annual contest. In back are Colquitt County Ranger Donald Bennett and Mrs. Retha Beverly. Mrs. Jones, the club 's state poster chairman, said more than 1,000 posters were entered in the contest this year to set a new record. Winners will be announced at the club 's annual convention this summer in Atlanta. 
 
How to prevent Decay and Insects." The publication is a guide for log house owners and individuals desiring to build a log house. The brochure details proper drying techniques for logs, as well as correct storage, shipping, and handling methods. 
 
The brochure is co-authored by 
 
ARBOR DAY 
(continued from page 2) 
 
sion Director John Mixon attended the Gainesville Arbor Day Ceremony and presented the award to city officials. Jean 
 
Terry Price, Commission Entomologist. Others include Lonnie Williams, USFS. and Terry 
 
Sawyer, chairman of the city's Clean and 
 
Amburcey, Mississippi State 
 
Beautiful Committee, was highly instru- 
 
University. 
 
planted in dedication to Macon residents mental in developing the city's status to 
 
Other topics include incorrect 
 
for community service. 
 
Tree City USA caliber. 
 
house design and prevention of 
 
Other Macon activities included a tree 
 
Gainesville city officials say this year's 
 
insect infestation. Since insects can 
 
planting ceremony on the grounds of Arbor Day tree planting ceremonies mark a 
 
present a serious problem in log 
 
Henry A. Hunt Elementary School. This new beginning in the city's efforts 
 
structures, special attention is given 
 
ceremony, attended by Mayor Lee Robin- toward beautification . 
 
to certain types of insects, including 
 
son, was the kickoff of a grounds beau- 
 
Columbus was the first city in the state 
 
flat-headed borers, old house 
 
tification program being initiated by the school. Commission Deputy Director 
 
to be designated a Tree City USA and on Arbor Day this year, Mayor James 
 
borers, carpenter bees, powderpost beetles and termites. 
 
David Westmoreland attended the Macon Jernigan and other community leaders 
 
The insects are divided into two 
 
tree planting ceremonies. Atlanta had unusually widespread Arbor 
 
participated in a downtown ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of that 
 
categories: those attacking freshly cut logs with bark, and those attack- 
 
Day activity this year. Fifth graders in vir- certification . 
 
ing seasoned wood. The publication 
 
tually all Atlanta elementary schools 
 
A ceremony was also held in February in 
 
emphasizes that both categories of 
 
participated by planting 15,000 seed packets distributed by the Commission 
 
which Governor Harris presented a certificate of appreciation to the mayors of 
 
insects can be a serious problem. Prevention of insect attacks is 
 
and the Outdoor Activity Center. Also, Mayor Andrew Young and Commissioner 
 
Georgia cities that currently have the Tree City status. The cities include Trenton, 
 
always preferable to controlling the pests, according to the brochure. 
 
Michael Lomax participated in planting Marietta, Atlanta, Avondale Estates, 
 
Copies of the brochure may be 
 
ceremonies with children from five local Washington, Augusta, Macon, Gainesville, 
 
obtained from Commission offices. 
 
schools. Trees were planted to serve as liv- Columbus, Savannah and Valdosta. 
 
ing monuments of the city's 150th 
 
anniversary- and 200th anniversary of the national constitution. 
Atlanta's progressive tradition of balanc- 
 
DATES SET FOR TIMBER HARVEST EXPO 
 
ing an urban environment with nature was 
 
Loggers have Georgia on their minds Tifton , with headquarters at the Rural 
 
emphasized on Arbor Day by the dedica- when spring blooms across the South. The Developm ent Center on Interstate 75. 
 
tion of a special grove of trees in honor of state is the site of the Timber Harvesting 
 
At the last Expo in 1986, more tha n 
 
the U. S. Constitution. The grove was Expo -- Southeast. 
 
1,500 loggers, timber dealers, sawmillers 
 
planted at Cascade Springs Nature Pre- 
 
The Expo, held every two years, has and forest products company represen- 
 
serve. And to receive the final and appro- become the premiere event for people tatives attended. 
 
priate finishing touch for a massive Arbor involved in Southern logging to learn ways 
 
Joe McNeel, Expocoordinatorand atim- 
 
Day celebration, Atlanta received recer- to do their jobs better and more profitably ber harvesting specialist for the University 
 
tification as a Tree City USA, as did several and to see what's new in timber har- of Georgia Extension Service, says the 
 
other Georgia cities. 
 
vesting technology. 
 
two-day show is a compact package of 
 
The city of Gainesville became Tree City 
 
The eighth Timber Harvesting Expo -- educational sessions, static equipme nt 
 
USA for the first time this year. Commis- Southeast will be held April 22-23 in displays and in-woods demonstrations. 
 
 Patrolmen Carolyn Reagan and Phillip Talley take a coffee break in the kitchen lined with attractive pine cabinets built by unit personnel. 
 
DAWSON PERSONNEL BUILD ALL-PINE OFFICE 
 
The Commission's Dawson County Unit is one of a kind, according to Ranger Jerry Barron. " If it's not one of a kind," said Barron. qualifying his statement. " I don't know of another one like it. " The Dawsonville ranger. in charge of the unit's operation. is referring to a recently completed all-pine office building. The interior is white pine with Southern yellow pine flooring, while the exterior is pine plywood . All lumber was kiln dried in Cleveland. The yellow pine flooring was v-g rooved in Gainesville. Ranger Barron pointed out that as much ofthe project as possible- other than actual construction -was done in nearby areas for efficiency and economy. Unit personnel did al l carpentry work as well as plumbing , electrical and heating installations. The Commission 's portable (mobile dimension) sawmill was transported to Daw son County where Iumber for the project was cut to specifications. White pine wall s were cut to eight foot lengths in widths of four, six and eight inches. Pine roofi ng shingles were made at the Commission's headquarters in Macon on the Commission's shingle machine. The most dramatic feature of this selfsustai ning unit's construction work is the interior white pine; everything inside the unit, from the intricate cabinet design to the toilet paper dispenser, is white pine. The beautifully grained white walls are etched from ceiling to floor with nature's 
 
arrangements of dark images that rival the psychological Rorschach ink blot test for possible interpretations. 
" We have a lot of comments from visitors on how unusual these walls are," Barron said. 
Images in the white pine are formed by knots. and most ofthe images require little imagination to see numerous identifications -unit personnel have made during the short time since the building's completion . Easily recognizable outlines include a raccoon, bulldog, butterfly, and the eerie face of E. T. staring straight out of the woodwork. Even the face of one unit staff member has been identified- by other members of the staff, not the individual identified. 
 
The Dawsonville staff say more and more images are being identified as time passes. 
" We're proud of our unit because of the craftsmanship and unique quality of the white pine," Barron said . " All of our personnel worked long and hard on this project." He added that scheduling the work was often the most difficult aspect of the project. since construction had to be coordinated with fire fighting, equipment maintenance and other duties. 
Unit personnel responsible for the project include: Jerry Barron. ranger; Leonard Slaton, tower operator; Winston West, forester; Carolyn Reagan. patrolman; Phillip Talley, patrolman; and Willy Patterson, patrolman. 
 
 memories prevented him from using it 
 
until 1981 . 
 
" But if I had started when it was recom- 
 
A VETERAN S1~SMAN, WHO EMERGED FROM 
THE GEORGIAoDLANDS TO NATIONAL PROMI~ENCE ,TURNS HOME TO A NEW AGE OF FORESTRY, 
 
mended, I would have fifty percent more timber now,"Talmadge said. " It took us 50 years to teach people not to burn the woods, and it's going to take another 50 years to teach them to use prescribed burning ." 
Talmadge said he now has all of his land planted in trees, but if he could start anew he would do two things differently: 
 
" I would have my rows wide enough 
 
where I could keep the middles clean and 
 
I'd rake pinestraw every winter and sell it. 
 
There's a tremendous market for pine- 
 
straw. and it brings about as much or more 
 
than alfalfa hay." 
 
Landowner Robert Ware, Senator Talmadge, Commission Director John Mixon. 
 
By Howard Bennett & WilliamS. Edwards 
 
He said the second change he would make in his planting program would be to plant some walnut trees . " You hear of 
 
TAI,MAI>GE: Some s On Forestry 
 
walnut trees selling for over $1 ,000 apiece. It's a long range proposition, but all timber is long range." 
He had high praise for the present day Forestry Commission and recalled that it was nationally acclaimed almost 40 years 
 
ago. " I attended a National Governor's 
 
Conference in Seattle - I think it was in 
 
Herman E. Talmadge, former governor of Georgia, former United States Senator and present day practicing attorney and tree farmer, had just completed a telephone interview from a news source in New England concerning his recently published memoirs. 
 
But Talmadge knew, even at 12 years of age, that his family fought forest fires to protect their timber, and he remembered that they were among the first in that area to fight wildfires with that objective. He also remembers when the smoke of uncontrolled wildfires blotted outthe Georgia 
 
Talmadge . " If my memory is correct, he said, " we 
then had only about 2 7 counties in the state under fire protection." That did not seem logical to Talmadge when considering Georgia's timber resources in use at 
 
on it" for just a little more than $20,000. He said he talked the proposition over with his father, who was governor at that time, and he advised against the deal as it might later be construed by some as a conflict of interest. The friend sold tractors and other eq uipment and ifthe state ever purchased 
 
accepting prescribed burning as a forest management tool , but now regrets that he didn't " start using it when the Forestry Commission recommended it to me in 1960." 
" I wasn't going to let anybody put fire in my woods, " he .said. Lack of knowledge 
 
19 51 - and Douglas McKay, Secretary of the Interior at the time, made a speech to all the governors and the picked out Georgia's Forestry Commission for special commendation. " He said the Commission was the " r.est in the Union" then and it has been improving ever since. 
 
The author, who served as governor of his state for six years and spent 24 years in the Senate, has enough political experience to easily fill a book and his memoirs 
 
sun. The primitive and often dangerous 
methods of fighting wildfires in those days left indelible impressions on the young 
 
"WHEN I TOOK 
 
from him, the elder Talmadge reasoned, concerning benefits of controlled burning, some conflict of interest involving his son coupled with the memories of wildfires ~ might be alleged. " I had to turn down the raging out of control across Georgia's tim- 
 
PRO TECTION PRAISED 
He said he is especially impressed with 
 
deal, but can you imagine what that pro- berlands left a psychological barrier to set- the progress that has been made in fire 
 
tell it all! There have been ups and downs and pros and cons, but regardless of all situations concerned, one factor remained 
 
Talmadge that led to his second stage of interest in forestry. 
"When I was governor of Georgia," he 
 
OFFICE, I THINK GEORGIA WAS RATED 
 
perty would be worth today," said Ta lmadge. 
At a later time in his life, he said he was 
 
ting any kind of fire in the woods. When he was governor, even Talmadge was reluctant to use this highly beneficial tech- 
 
protection , as there was a time when one could drive south of Macon and "see a mile in any d irection from the road " because 
 
constant- Herman Talmadge has been a visionary for forestry since boyhood and became a major force in developing Georgia 's forestry potential into the state's number one money industry that now serves in many aspects as a role model for 
 
said, "I decidedatthattimethattimberwas our greatest and most noble resource in the state. We weren 't blessed with any great resources in minerals and had little or no gold. We did have a good deal of mica but it was just in the process of being 
 
47 OUT OF 48 STATES IN FORESTRY. IN TWO YEARS IT WAS RATED NUMBER ONE., 
 
offered " 6,000 acres down in Clinch nique. 
 
County for $4.00 an acre." He said he 
 
"When 1 was running for governor," 
 
seriously considered buying the tract, but Talmadge remembered, "''d drive around ~ "I was preparing to go into the Navy and I the state and find roads so clogged with 
 
w ondered what my wife would do with smoke that I'd have to stop and wait until it 
 
6,000 acres of timberland on the edge of cleared before 1could goon. Remembering 
 
fires had destroyed the forests. " But you drive down and look at it now and you can't see 50 feet off the road for the timber resources, " he added. 
When asked his opinion on the current Conservation Reserve Program , Talmadge 
 
the nation. 
 
developed. We didn 't have any petroleum, 
 
Okefenokee Swamp if I got killed in the all that. I didn 't want to start this burning was quick to sing the praises of the 
 
On this day, however, his literary accom- but I knew that a tree could replenish itself 
 
war, so I turned it down for that reason. " business. " 
 
federally-funded measure that has already 
 
plishmentwas not paramount on his mind. pretty fast." 
 
Talmadge said " I really got interested in 
 
converted more than 330,000 acres of 
 
Georgia Forestry had asked his candid 
 
The new governor set out to lure wood- 
 
forestry when I was governor. " He said he 
 
marginal lands in Georgia into tree planting 
 
views on forestry and he said he was eager to comply. 
Lounging comfortably in the spacious den of his home on Lake Talmadge, the nationally known figure seemed to study 
 
related industries into the state, but he confessed that it took a Connecticut industrialist to make him better realize the true worth of Georgia 's abundant forests and how they could attract manufacturers and 
 
that time was valued at approximately $300,000,000. 
" So we expanded our fire protection statewide, increasedtheproductionofour nurseries, and encouraged farmers to 
 
started planting trees on his own farm in Henry County in 1951 and began tree stand improvement three years later. He said much of his farm was in low grade hardwood and he cut and shipped more 
 
"IT TOOK US 50 YEARS TO TEACH PEOPLE NOT TO BURN THE 
 
sites. " I think for any farmer in Georgia who has a substantial amount of land, it's the most profitable crop he can raise with a guaranteedprofitofabout$37 .00anacre, and I've heard it goes up to $45.00 per 
 
the large portrait of his legendary father, Eugene Talmadge, over a fireplace mantle as he spoke of his early childhood impressions of the pine forests that surrounded the family home in Telfair County. 
DOWN HOME MEMORIES 
"Some of my earliest recollections as a 
 
wood processing plants. 
"One of the first plants that I sought and 
was successful in getting was Rayonier in Jesup, " he said. " I made a trip up to the company president's homhebin CoGnnecti_c~t and he made me a speec a out eorg1a s resources. He said we had a tremendous 
potential in cellulose fiber and we could 
 
plant timber," Talmadge said. "When I took office, I think Georgia was rated 4 7 out of the 48 states in forestry.ln two year it was rated number one. Now we have 
moretreeF farmd s thandany state idn the Union except 1on a, an we pro uce more cellulose fiber than any state except Oregon." 
 
than 100 carloads of hardwood pulpwood to Brunswick Pulp Company to get rid of it. "I think mine was the first hardwood pu lpwood sold in this part of the state," 
he said . 1n eliminating the hardwood to make 
w ay for pine, he said he also "got a jackleg sawmiller from over in Alabama and he 
 
WOODS AND IT'S 
 
GOING 
 
TO 
 
T'A TrE 
ftn. 
 
50 
 
YEARS TO TEACH ... 
 
PRESCRIBED BURNING." 
 
acre. Now, when you can get that return with no labor, no fertilizer, no tilling for ten years, a man's a fool not to take advantage of it." 
TheffohrmSer senator, who served as chairman o t e enate Agricultural Committee during many of his 24 years in Washington, said " I don 't know of a crop that you 
 
young boy were fighting forest fires ," grow it better than any other area in the 
 
To illustrate the escalating timberland 
 
stayed on my farm for over a year cutting 
 
can plant in this state year in and year out 
 
Talmadge said. He recalls his neighbors world . 
 
value that he has witnessed since Georgia 
 
everything he could make a crosstie or 
 
that you can get $45 .00 an acre that's cer- 
 
setting fire to the woods annually..."some 
 
"When I came back home I was really began to better utilize her woodlands, 
 
board out of...but I made one mistake, I cut 
 
tain ...l've tried a little of everything, row 
 
to kill rattlesnakes and boll weevils, some interested in making better use of our Talmadge told of a time when he and a 
 
all my white oak out that would be worth a 
 
Although the Commission recommend- cropping , etc." But he term,ed trees plan- 
 
to get early wiregrass grazing for cattle, resources and I put in a crash program to friend were offered 6,000 acres of Effing- 
 
lot of money today." 
 
ed prescribed burning to Talmadge forth is ted under the Soil Bank Porgram during 
 
and some just for the hell of it." 
 
improve the Forestry Commission, " said ham County land " with pretty good timber 
 
Talmadge said he had a difficult time timberland in 1960, the senator said bad 
 
(continued on page 14) 
 
~--~-.......................................~..........lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.............................................._________________jG~e~o~rgqt~a,Froestrv/Sorinn 1qRR / O 
 
 GEORGIA WINS FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR! 
 
National winner Walt Register poses with his proud parents, Mr. and Mrs. Reid Register, at their home in Homerville. 
 
Georgia did it again! For the second consecutive year, Georgia high school students captured first place honors in FFA forestry competition at the annual national convention of the Future Farmers of America. 
Coming home from Kansas city with the national trophy were Chris Johnson, Blackshear; Walt Register, Homerville; and Steve Dennard, Perry. 
The individual performance of the three team members was also impressive. Johnson walked away with the national first place, Register came in second and Dennard won fourth. 
Johnson, the son of Mr. and Mrs. W . A. Johnson of Blackshear, is a graduate of Pierce County High School and is now studying forestry at Ware Tech in Waycross . " We knew we did good on the tests," said the student, " and when they announced the answers at the banquet we thought we might have won." 
When news of the team 's victory reached his home town , signs and posters went up and a special " Chris Johnson Day" was planned . 
Register, son of Mr. and Mrs. Reid Register, is a senior at Clinch County High School. He said he will attend college and is " considering forestry " as a career. He said the team was well versed in general forestry and had considerable practice in the many competi tive skills "that gives us confidence" in competing against 25 other teams from across the nation. 
A special " Walt Register Assembly" was held at the local high school, with Board of Education and Chamber of Commerce officials ioininQ students and teachers in the tribute. 
Dennard, son of Mary and Donald Finley of Perry, is a recent 
graduate of Perry High School. He is presently working at a wholesale sporting goods company, but plans to enter Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College to study forestry. "I thought we had a pretty good chance of winning," Dennard said of the Kansas City contest, " we were well prepared." 
The Houston County student said he was edged out of third place nationally in individual ratings by a participant from Connecticut by just eight points. 
The three members of the Georgia team had high praise for Don Register and Malcolm Dillard, foresters with the Department of Education who work with FFA youth across the state, for helping them train for the national competition and then accompanying them to Kansas City. 
The team that brought home the national trophy the previous year was composed of Tim Hughes of Statenville, Tony Waller of Patterson and Stephen Tinsley of Homerville. 
 
FORESTRY TEAM TAKES TOP HONORS 
Chris Johnson, left, and Steve Dennard knew the right answers in national competition in Kansas City. 
 
 Foresters Paul Butts, left, and Chuck Place were instrumental in having this markf!r erected. 
ARMY POSTS WERE LOCATED ON SITE 
 
NOW OCCUPIED BY FORESTRY CENTER 
 
A fact not widely publicized or known among Georgians is that the Georgia Forestry Commission's State Headquarters complex on the outskirts of Macon is located on the site of a large military camp that was used during both world wars. 
The significance of this site was recognized recently with a dedication ceremony and historical marker describing Camp 
Wheeler. The 22,000-acre camp was first established in 191 7 after Macon leaders sent local writer Harry Stillwell Edwards to Washington to ask his friend, Teddy Roosevelt, if he could help locate a camp in Bibb Cou nty. The camp was established shortly afterwards and named for Confede rate General Joe Wheeler, who had distinguished himself in cavalry battles near Macon. 
Atthepeakofactivityduring 1918,almost 28,000 soldiers were camped at Wheeler. The tent camp included infantry and artillery training, but its primary purpose was an infantry replacement training center. Wheeler was the headquarters for the Thirty 
 
First, or Dixie Division during this period. Casualties among Wheeler trainees during 
World War I were numerous, even before training was completed. An epidemic of measles and flu swept through the camp killing six to eight men a day. Casualties after training were even worse; some reports show that companies sent to France with two or three hundred troops returned with only adozen or so ofthe original soldiers alive or not wounded. 
After the first world war, the land was returned to the owners from whom it had been leased. 
In 1940, when it appeared thatthe United States was again headed for war, 14,400 acres of the original camp sites were again leased and Camp Wheeler was re-established.The new camp was a large and prominent facility with more than 700 buildings to accomodate 2 6,000 troops. Included were a prisoner-of-war camp for 2,000 Italians and Germans, a 1,000-bed hospital and a Womens Army Corps detachment of 500 nearby. 
 
Before the war ended, 218,000 soldiers had been trained at Wheeler. Hundreds of war heroes were produced by the camp, including Charles "Commando" Kelly and Sergeant Paul Huff, both of whom were awarded The Congressional Medal of Honor. 
When World War II ended Camp Wheeler ended. The Army again returned the land to its owners and most of the buildings were sold or torn down. 
In 1954,the State of Georgia acquired part of the site for a Forestry Center and Commission Headquarters. Today, it is also the home of other agencies and industries, including the Southeastern Forest Fire Laboratory, Georgia Department of Natural Resources regional office, National Tree Seed Laboratory occupy the camp site. 
On the Georgia Forestry Center grounds, four of Camp Wheeler's World War II buildings are still in use, including the welding and mechanics shops. Other remains include foundations, paved streets, pi pes and drains. 
Paul Butts, Commission Utilization Forester, and Charles Place, Macon Metro Forester, were instrumental in getting the historic plaque approved. 
The row upon row of Army barracks, the mess halls, the sprawling hospital complex, the mammoth warehouses, the drill fields and the motor pools are gone now, but the organization that maintains its headquarters on the location today is, in essence, also engaged in a kind of war- war against forest wildfire, forest insects and forest diseases. 
Occasionally an "Old Soldier" from the Camp Wheeler days will pay a nostalgic visit to the Center for a glimpse ofthe area where he received his infantry training almost 50 years ago. He is usually referred to Staff Forester Paul Butts, a dedicated history buff, who has done extensive research on the camp. He has produced a display of old Wheeler photos, one of which is reproduced below. 
 
 ~- 
 
This model fire suppression unit was carefully carved from pine wood 35 years ago and is now on permanent display at the Georgia Forestry Center. Nannette Godfrey examines a rear view mirror and other tiny details. 
FORMER EMPLOYEE CREATED UNIQUE CARVING OF EARLY EQUIPMENT 
Eugene Crummey no longer does wood carving, but he makes items such as the "country porch" shown here for his children and grandchildren. Now retired, he works in his shop at his home near Jesup. 
 
One thing t hat usually catches t he eye of the visitor to the state headquarters of the Georgia Forestry Commission in M acon is a minature forest fire suppression unit ca rved from yellow pine. 
Painstakingly whittled from four pieces of wood to form a truck, trailer, crawler tractor and plow, the carving is displayed in a glass case in the foyer of the Commission's administration building.A brass plate proclai ms the intricate work was done by Eugene Crummey. 
But who is Mr. Crummey? When and w hy did he whittle out this fascinating curio that so faithfully resembles a 19 5 1 Ford truck, an International tractor and a Mathis plow? Why did he leave it to the Commission? 
Some Commission ..oldtimers.. remember the wood carver, a former assistant warehouseman at the Commission's headquarters back in the fifties, but Georgia Forestry had to locate him to find the answers. 
Crummey was found at his home on a country lane a couple of miles east of Jesup...1 lived in a converted army barracks on the ground when I worked for the Commission,.. he recalled, ..and I had a lot of time on my hands at night and on weekends...and I just started whittling..... He said he mainly used ..just a plain old pocket knife.. to fashion the exact replica of mobile firefighting equipment used by the Commission 35 years ago. ..It took me about three months, working on and off. to complete it... he said. 
For a while the carving rested on a shelf in the office of the late Cecil Osborne in the Administration Department, but when the U.S. Forest Service and other organizations asked to borrow it for display at fa irs, conventions and other events, it was taken down and encased in glass for protection. 
Crummey left the Commission to go into a dry cleaning business in Florida and the art he had created in wood was left with Doc Lassiter, a welder in the Macon shop. Lassiter later presented the carving to the Commisison. 
The retired Crummey said he no longer whittles, but does some woodworking in a small shop in his home. He makes things with power tools for his children and grandchildren. They're attractive and w ell crafted, but they don't compare with the beauty of the hand-carved suppression unit he left with the Commission for permanent display. 
 
0 
 
 RANGER AND SERVICE GROUPS SET HIGH SCHOLARSHIP FUND 
Forest Ra nger Larry Brantley, with the help of two community organizations, will stage a county forestry pageant this year, but so will ran gers m about 35 other counties. 
But what makes Brantley's pageant unique is the value of the scholarshi p offered the winning contestant and the request that all girls competing for the Miss Toombs County Forestry write a brief essay on forestry. 
The Toombs ranger said other organizations in the area that sponsor pageants "have been giving their winning girl substantially more than the $250 scholarship our winner gets and I felt that we could do better. " 
He did do much better! Thanks to the forest-related industries in Toombs County and the aid of the local Jaycees and the Lyons Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi who helped solicit the contributors, the young lady selected to represent Toombs at the Miss Georgia Forestry finals this year will receive a $1 ,000 college scholarship and an all expense paid trip to Jekyll Island. Although the scholarship is the highest awarded in any forestry pageant on the county level, Brantley gives credit to Ranger Billy Roland of the Decatur County Unit " for showing me how people in his county worked together to get contributions for t he girls." The pageant in Roland 's county last year awarded a $500 sc holarship to the winner, with another $500 divided between the first and second runnersup. Ranger Brantley is also requiring contestants to submit a!) essay on how forest industries influence their lives. " We have had girls in the past who just didn't know the first thing about forestry and I feel this will at least cause them to become acquainted with the importance of forestry here in their own home county." The ranger said the sponsoring Jaycees and the sorority agreed that the traditional Miss Congeniality award be eliminated in favor of atrophy to be awarded for the best essay at the pageant. 
Jill Oliver of Lyons, a member of the Jaycees which co-sponsors the M iss Toombs County Forestry Pageant, looks over plans with Ranger Larry Brantley for the annual contest to be staged in March to select a girl to represent the county in the state finals June 12 on Jekyll Island. 
 
Lt. Joe Kucera, Detachment 1 Commander, 82nd Maintenance Company, Georgia National Guard, stands with Ranger O'Neal Kellar of the Commission 's Franklin-Hart-Stephens County Unit in a Lavonia park as they prepare to plant a white oak tree. The planting ceremony was one of many observed around the state by the National Guard in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the U. S. Constitution. The trees were provided by the Commission. 
FFA FORESTRY FIELD DAYS 
SCHEDULE IS ANNOUNCED 
Dates and locations for statewide FFA (Future Farmers of America) competitive forestry meets have been set, according to Don Register and B. M . Dillard. consultant foresters with the Vocational Agricultural Department. 
Forester Register coordinates the forestry field days for the Southern section of the state, while Dillard is responsible for competition in the Northern section. A total of nine regional meets will be held for FFA chapter high school students throughout the state to compete in forestry related events including : forest management, land measurement, standing pulpwood estimation, tree identification, selective marking, ocular estimation, and identification of insects and diseases. 
Two months of regional competition will culminate with state finals to be held at Commission headquarters in Macon. Foresters Register and Dillard describe the state finals as an intensive competition that brings together the elite FFA forestry competitors of Georgia. 
Schedule for the 1988 meet is as follows : March 23, Vidalia; March 31, Louisville; April 12, Adel; April 14, Broadhurst; April 19, Blakely; April 21, Cordele; April 14, Fairburn; April 19, Athens; April 21, Chatsworth; and the state finals May 4 in Macon. Publicity for the field days and the final competition is provided by the Commission's Education and Fire Prevention Department and many of the Commission's foresters serve as judges in the contests. 
Georgia Forestry/ Spring 1988/ 13 
 
 TALMADGE 
(continued from page 9) 
 
"IF LAND WASN'T IN WATER, IT WAS IN TRE.ES. I WANTED SOMETHING I DIDN'T HAVE TO FEED, FERTILIZE, PLOW OR HIRE LABOR TO LOOK AFTER.'' 
 
the Eisenhower Administration " the best farming deal I ever made. " He said the payment under that program was $8.00 an acre "and that was a good deal at that time." He said he has no acreage under CRP. 
" All my adult life I've been thinking as the number of farms declined and the number offarmers declined and living conditions improved worldwide that we were going to have a better future for the farmer. " He now sees tree farming as the way to that brighter future for the Georgia farmer. 
" One reason I'm so strong on timber is that it's not a perishable product. " he said. " A farmer can state his own price for his product and sell it at any time he wants to, but if you've got a perishable product, you 've got to sell it when the time is right and usually the market is depressed at that time. 
ELIMINATE PRESSURE 
" Whenever you are producing a product that you've got to take to town and say 'What'll you give me?' on auction market. you are usually going to get a poor price for it. but you can pick outtheyearyou want to sell your timber when the prices are good. When I started thinning mine and selling after I got out of the Senate in 1981, I fortunately hit a good market and some timber went for around $1 80 a thousand, which is very good for North Georgia. but it's not good for South Georgia." 
He says he feels that more and more people are finding it saddening to drive through the state and see vast areas of land that could be producing timber "when its not producing anything but persimmon trees. trash wood and broom sedge." 
He said, however, that "when you go to South Georgia today you don 't see too much of that...! was hunting in Taylor County yesterday and noticed some scrub ridges were planted in longleaf pine...! drove from Roberta to Butler and I was highly pleased to see that all that poor land that used to be in nothing but blackjack oak is now growing pine trees." 
Although he acknowledged Georgia's highly successful reforestation program statewide, he agreed with Commission Director John Mixon and others with 
 
strong forestry interests that "we still have a long way to go, particularly in the Piedmont Region, but South Georgia has been quicker to see the value of growing timb_er than North Georgia. One reason is they get better prices down there." 
Talmadge realizes, of course, that the better prices stem from South Georgia 's great pine belt - the species that is in demand by the state's 16 pulp and paper mills and many of the sawmills. but he terms it "unfortunate that practically all of the pulp and paper mills are concentrated in South Georgia" and hopes that a greater volume of hardwood pulpwood will someday be utilized and bring new forest industry to the North. 
He said he remembered a time, however, when even South Georgia pine wasn't bringing a great price. "In fact, I remember the first pulpwood that Union Camp bought. It was about 1937 and it sold forfiftycents a unit on the stump ...that was the value of it." 
But a greater value was on the horizon and "there were a few pioneers like Harley Langdale and Jim Gillis who could see it." He said "I was talking to Jim Gillis one day and I asked him how he got into the timber business...now I'm talking about the old man, notJim,Jr...and he told me that when he got out of the University of Georgia the only people in Treutlen County who had any money were the turpentine folks and the sawmillers. 
"He said he figured that he had better get into that business and he started off turpentining and soon noticed how fast a pine tree could grow. They didn't have seedling nurseries at that time and Jim said they would dig up trees around the creek bottoms and replant them ...that was before Roosevelt's reforestation and conservation commissions." 
FATHER'S VISION 
Talmadge said his father also planted trees long before it was a widely accepted practice. "He had a vision that forestry had a future and every time he got a nickel ahead. he would buy a piece of land. He bought this land we're sitting on right now and it was 2,500acreswithtimberon it for $1 0.00 an acre. Mr. Cox, who was a sawmiller over here back of the farm. said Papa 
 
ruined the value of timber in the area, as it was going for just $3.00 per acre." 
Talmadge said that after he was discharged from the Navy, his father gave him a house said to represent Twelve Oaks in the motion picture " Gone With The Wind" and 1,000 acres of land. "I grew everything indigenous to this section of the state," he said , " but by 19 51 I had made up my mind that its best utilization was pine trees." 
He said he continued t'o plant trees until 1 7 years ago "when I covered my last acre...if land wasn 't in water, it was in trees. I wanted something you didn't have to feed, fertilize. plow or hire labor to look after." 
Talmadge, a registered Tree Farmer who conforms to the multiple-use policy of that organization in managing his forest holdings, said "when I quit farming, my quail population declined enormously, but I've been planting patches of feed in my pines and the quail are beginning to come since I started control burning." 
ATTITUDE CHANGE 
The veteran political leader well remembers the day when forestry in Georgia was considered to be little more than an interesting novelty and those who planted trees in hopes of actually making money were classified as just plain crazy. Fortunately, he has lived to see the day when that attitude has been radically altered. 
Talmadge and a handful of other pioneers, such as Langdale and Gillis, witnessed a healthy forest industry in its embryonic stage and were able to look across the years and predict that it would one day pump billions into Georgia's economy. 
Today, forestry in the state contributes $8.6 billion to the economy and provides employment for more than 80,000 Georgians. 
The man who has personally known six presidents, served on the Watergate Investigative Committee and other important panels, and whose name is a household word throughout his native Georgia, has come home to his pine forests where neighbors no longer set fire to his trees. 
~~ 
 
 HARDWOOD RESEARCH GROUP PlANS FIFTH ANNUAL COMPETITION 
 
THERON L. DEVEREAUX, veteran Athens District forester and more recently a manager of special projects, retired effective March 1. A native of Wayne county, he is a graduate of the School of Forest 
Resou rces, University of Georgia, and came with the Commission in 1959. Many Comm ission friends and others gathered in Ath ens February 2 7 for a party in his honor......FRANK CRAVEN of Macon, who served 1n the Commission 32 years prior to his retirement in 1983, has been named a Fellow in the Society of American Foresters. He is one of only five foresters in the Southeast to receive the honor,the highest to be bestowed by the Society...LEVY RENlZ Ill, who earned an associate degree in forestry and wildlife at Abraham Baldwin Agri- 
 
cultural College, has been named ranger of 
 
theTalbot Cou nty Forestry Unit. Rentz, son of 
 
Lt. Col. (retired) and Mrs. Levy Rentz of 
 
Valdosta, has lived in several states as a 
 
member of an Air Force family and attend- 
 
ed school in Germany in his youth . He is a 
 
member of the United Methodist Church ... 
 
FORESTER MELINDA HOGG has been 
 
!ransferred from the Urban Forestry Pro- 
 
Ject, Stone Mountain, to the Macon head- 
 
quarters to work with the Forest Research 
 
Department. A graduate of the School of 
 
Forest Resources, UGA she came with the 
 
Commission in 1985...LAURA NEWBERN, a n~tive of Valdosta and a graduate of Emory 
 
tUhneiVo~eircsiit~yl, 
 
has been magazine 
 
named editor of TOPS, of the Georgia Forestry 
 
Assoc1at1on. She has been with GFA for ten ~s as administrative assistant...LLOYD 
 
ERS, ranger for Dodge County, retired 
 
March 1. A native of Eastman, Rogers joined the Commission staff in 1958 as a patrolman. He is aveteran of the Korean War and is currently active in the Masonic Lodge...JAMES W . RICHEY, a senior forester in the 
Milledgeville District, recently retired from the Commission. He joined the agency in 19 56 and was transferred toM illedgeville in 19 57 to serve as assistant district forester. A native of Ben Hill County, Richey is a graduate of the School of Forest Resources, UGA. He is a member of the United Methodist Church ... KENNETH HANSON , a newly hired aircraft pilot for the Commission, has been assigned to the McRae District Office. He is a native of Treutlen County and a graduate of Treutlen County High School. Prior to joining the Commission aircraft personnel, Hanson was employed as a corporate pilot for Charter Medical Corporation in Macon. 
ANNOUNCEMENT WINS! 
A 30-second television public service announcement produced by the Commission 's Education and Fire Prevention Department captured the 198 7 Addy Award Certifi cate of Merit at the recent annual awa rds meeting of the Ad Club of Middle Georgia. 
The spot, produced by Benjamin Brewton, the department's video producer, was titled " Fire Prevention in Georgia " and featured Lisa Smith, tower operator in the Jefferson County Forestry Unit. 
 
The Hardwood Research Council for the fifth consecutive year will sponsor a competition to recognize outstanding original research on hardwoods. In years past, the Council has alternated competition between forest management and forest utilization. This year's competition is in the area of forest management. 
Research scientists in industry, universities, government, and other agencies and organizations are invited to apply as contestants in this award competition. The award is $1 ,000 ca sh. The winning contestant will also be the Counc il' s guest at the award ceremony. 
A formal notification of intent to participate in the competition must be received in the offices of the Hardwood Research Council not later than October 3, 1988. Application forms and other details may be obtained by contacting the Hardwood Research Council, P. 0 . Box 3451 8 , Memphis, TN 38183-0518 . 
Candidate papers, accompanied by an abstract of not more than 2 50 words, must be received in the offices of the Cou neil not later than November 30, 1988. 
PAPER CHEMISTRY 
INSTITUTE PLANS 
MOVE TO GEORGIA 
Georgia 's reputation as the national leader in the production of paper was further advanced recently when it was announced that the Institute of Paper Chemistry will move its headquarters to the campus of Georgia Tech. 
Presently located in Appleton , Wisconsin, the Institute is internationally renowned for its graduate-level education programs and technical research and development initiatives. Alumni of the Institute comprise better than 25% of the engineers and scientists in the entire pulp and paper industry. 
When it completes the move to Georgia in 1991 , the institute will employ 250 faculty members and researchers and 100 graduate students. 
GFA MEETINGS SET 
The Georgia Forestry Association, has set dates and a place for its annual meetings through 1992. The convention will be held each year on Jekyll Island. 
Villas By The Sea will be the official lodging 
designated by the Association. The dates are as follows : 
1988, June 12-1 3; 1989, June 1112; 1990,June 10-11; 1991 , June 1617; 1992, June 28-29. 
 
 "PLT is targeted at school children - the leaders of the future. It is a program with a long-term horizon, as is forestry." 
A forester 
Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an unbiased , award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators working with students in kindergarten through grade 12 . The multidisciplinary program supplements, rather than adds to, an educator's teaching requirements. Using the forest as a "window" into the natural world , students gain awareness , knowledge and skills for intelligent and responsible decision-making about conservation practices and resource use. And PLT is fun! It's sponsored nationally by the American Forest Council and the Western Region Environmental Education Council and in Georgia by the Georgia Forestry Association, Georgia Forestry Commission and the Extension Forest Resources/Cooperative Extension Service The University of Georgia. 
 
~ 
PLT 
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Georgia PLT P.O. Box 819 Macon, GA 31298-4599 Phone: (912) 744-3377 
 
SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT MACON, GEORGIA