Georgia forestry, Vol. 42, no. 3 (Autumn 1989)

FEATURE PHOTO

Georgia
FORESTRY

USPS No. 217120
Autumn, 1989 No.3 Vol. 42
STAFF Howard E. Bennett, Editor William S. Edwards, Asso. Editor Jackie N. Swinson, Graphic Artist

Joe Frank Harris - Governor John W. Mixon - Director
BOARD OF COMMISSIONE RS
Jim L. Gillis, Jr., Chairman, Soperton Felton Denney, Carrollton James Fendig, Savannah Dr. Gloria Shatto, Rome
Robert Simpson, Ill, Lakeland

This photo from Georgia Archives shows stacks of Southern yellow pine being shipped from Savannah docks in 1890. Destination of the lumber is unknown, but it was probably bound for New York and other booming Eastern seaboard cities
Near the turn of the century, vast areas of America's Southern forests were bein.g cleared of virgin timber to make way for agricultural needs of a growing nation on the verge of industrialization. Much of the wood cut was exported to other countries.
The wood was straight, durable and easily worked with for construction. Much of this lumber, heart pine, is still standing in sturdy European buildings.
Southern yellow pine was the wood of choice for the 1890's- as it is in today's wood market. Versatile characteristics have enabled Southern yellow pine to be adapted for many uses through modern technology. The adaptable wood is as vital in today's fast-paced economy as it was in establishing a transforming nation's world trade power in the 1890s. Savannah remain s one of the most important shipping centers on the Eastern seaboard.
ON TH f COVER - Although the Georgia Forestry Commission is
charged with the protection of millions of acres of forests in rural areas, it also has the responsibility of helping urban areas protect and maintain trees. The well kept trees in this scene are on the grounds of the Cultural Center in Madison.
(Photo By Billy Godfrey) 2/Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989

DISTRICT OFFICES
District One 3088 Martha Beny Hwy., NE/Rome, GA 30161
District Two Route 11, Box 37/Gainesville, GA 30501
District Three Route 4, Box 168NAthens, GA 30605
District Four P.O. 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 23NAmericus, GA 31 709
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 30456
District Eleven Route 1, Box 46/Helena, GA 31037
District Twelve Route 6, Box 167/Waycross, GA 31501
Urban Forestry 6835 Memorial Drive/Stone Mountain, GA 30063
Georgia Foresrry is published quarterly by the Georgia Forestry Com m~ stan. Route 1, Box 181 , Ory8ranch,CA31020. Second c.lasspostage J>'kl at Macon,GA POSTMASTER: Send address changes toC eotgi.a ForestiY Commission, Route 1, Box 181 , Dry 8r.J.nch, GA 31020.

LAND-USE
and
FOREST MANAGEMENT
FIELD DAY

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

As a private landowner, you are the manager of your land and your trees. You can increase the value and benefits of your land, and preserve our natural resources for future generations with specific landuse and forest management techniques.
Local, state, and national specialists will demonstrate techniques and answer your questions. Come for the information you need to increase the recreational, aesthetic, and economic returns on your land. Numerous exhibits will be provided by forestry and land-use related firms and thousands of dollars worth of prizes from the sponsors will be awarded throughout the afternoon. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. The Field Day will be held on Ellis Road near Griffin.

VEGETATION CONTROL PRESCRIBED BURNING WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT SOUTHERN BARK BEETLES LOW-COST REGENERATION .THINNING PRACTICES SELLING YOUR TIMBER HARDWOOD MANAGEMENT POND RENOVATION DEVELOPING HOMESITES IN WOODED
.AREAS
MANAGING PINE STANDS FOR STRAW PRODUCTION
PINE PLANTATION ESTABLISHMENT FOREST MANAGEMENT, ESTATE AND TAX
PLANNING, AND CONSERVATION PLANS BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND
FOREST ROAD CONSTRUCTION

For Additional Information, Contact Your Local Forestry Commission Office Or 1-800-GA TREES

(Please detach here and return)
LAND-USE AND FOREST MANAGEMENT FIELD DAY

Registration

September 27, 1989

Name -------------------- County

Address

City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State ____________ Zip

Telephone (day)

Evening _________

$8.00 Pre-registration fee before 5:00 P.M . September 20. After September 20 -registration will be $10.00. Price includes lunch. Program and hat to first 1500 registrants and a chance to win numerous door prizes.
Make check payable to LFMFD. Mail to LFMFD, c/o Albert E. Smith, Georgia Experiment Station, Experiment (Griffin), Georgia 30212 .

Georgia Forestry/Fall1989/3

RETIRED COMMISSION PIONEER LAUNCHES SECOND CAREER

NOW HE OWNS ATELEPHONE COMPA

By Howard Bennett

very Strickland of Nahunta is unique among retirees of the Georgia Forestry Commission. He formed his own telephone company as a result of technical knowledge and practical experience gained during his career with the Commission. He is also one of the first rangers - and possibly the very first- hired by the old Timber Protection Organization to later become a Commission ranger when the state agency assumed fore st protection responsibility in his county. Strickland knew early in life that he wanted to pursue work related to the forests, a career that was quite a contrast to the telephone business he would eventually establish . " My father was in the sawmill and pulpwood business and I grew up in the woods," he said, " and I had my goal set on forestry." Money was tight during that time of the Great Depression, but the youngster finally found a way to advance his education beyond high school. "I milked my way through school," to study forestry and agriculture, he said.
ACCEPTED TEACHING POSITION
He explained that he had to roll out of bed at four o'clock every morning, seven days a week, to milk up to 35 cows at the Martha Berry College dairy farm to pay for his tuition and board. After college, forestrelated jobs were scarce so he returned home to his native Brantley County and taught school for $61.00 a month for four years.
Strickland's employment in forestry came in September, 1939, when he was offered the position of ranger and secretary of the Brantley County Timber Protection Organization (TPO), with an office in the courthouse. He competed with 17 other applicants to land the job. The TPO later moved down the street to a new headquarters building constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
4/Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989

The little frame building, now almost 50 years o ld, became headquarters for the Commission's unit. It was finally vacated earlier this year when the unit moved to new offices on U.S. Highway 82- two miles east of town.
In 1933, CCC enrollees erected steel fire lookout towers in the towns of Hoboken, Waynesville an d
Strickland shows a map of the early Commission Telephone system to Ranger Barry Chesser, who now heads the Brantley County Unit once directed by the retired ranger.

Ranger Strickland and his personnel maintained telephone lines strung through the woods for fire control communications in the early days of the forestry Commission. The experience in line repair, switchboard operation and other work with the system led the veteran ranger to form his own telephone company after retirement.

Schallatersville and strung 150 miles of telephone lines throughout the pinelands as a communication network for reporting forest fires.
W hen Stri ckland assumed the position as ran ger, he inherited the rural telephone system as part of his unit. "Th ose phone lines the CCC boys strung up on cyp ress pol es in the early thirties had to be serviced," he said, " an d I had to learn everything from the operation of a switchboard to line repair." He said the system consisted of 30 telep hones, with most of them instal led on th e property of large landowners.
HAD TO MAINTAIN LINES
The pioneer ranger said he was intrigued with the little system t hat tied the remote areas of the co unty's forests with the unit office, but he found the maintenance o f the lines to be a troublesome, unending ~ho re . Rapidly growing trees and brush had to be con tmu ously cleared from the lines.
W hen the ran ger began planning his retirement, he learned that the " State of Georgia was anxious to get o_ut of the telephone business and that's when I deCided I wo uld like to get into the telephone bugi ness." An agreeme nt was reached and Strickland bought the system, th us endin g one career and beginning another.

Today, he is owner and president of Brantley Telephone Company, In c., which efficiently serves his home cou nty and portions of five neighboring cou nties. The operation is fully automated and 97 percent of the lines are now underground.
Strickland learned how much he is held in high esteem by townspeople one night last May when he was invited to attend "a small barbecue dinner." When he arrived, he learned that he was the guest of honor and more than a thousand people were in attendance to applaud as a state senator presented a plaque designating him " Nahunta Bu sinessman of the Year."
The Brantley County TPO was formed in 1925 when a small group of landowners began the operation by using an automobile as the only means of transportation into the woods and cal ling on volunteers to fight
the wildfires. The late J. R. James, clerk of court, was
named the first secretary-treasurer and the organization had the support of the K. S. Varn Company, a naval stores firm with vast forest holdings, and many individual landowners who wanted organized protection of the county's more than 263,000 acres of fo rests.
FOREST LANDOWNERS ASSESSED
The TPO assessed landowners one cent per acre and with those funds the organization eventually was able to buy a pickup truck, a tractor and a couple of plows. Wh en Strickland became ranger, however, the depression was waning and the country was moving into a war economy. Money became more plentiful and additional people were hired and equipment was updated. The ranger's first annual budget was $7,000. There were 300 fires that year, burning 6,000 acres.
In his association with th e TPO and his work with the Commission from its in fancy, Stri ckland naturally witnessed most of the important innovations that helped bring the agency to its present day status as one of the nation's leading forestry organizations.
He saw the telephone give way to sop histi cated radio communications, the construction of a network of fire lookout towers across the state, the introduction of aircraft for fire patrol, the replacement of water wagons by crawler tractor and plow units, and the employment and training of firefighters to replace civilian volunteers.
The former ranger remembers the great "cow burns," the term used fo r the deliberate setting of fire to the woods to affect the "green up" in the spring to provide pasture for livestock. He conside rs the closed range law
Georgia Forestry/Fall1989/5

This little office building in Nahunta, constructed almost 50 years ago by the Civilian Conservation Corps, is said to have been the first county unit building in the Commission. It was occupied by the Brantley County Unit until last year, when the office was moved to spacious new quarters two miles east of the city. Forest Ranger Barry Chesser is shown pointing out the historic and now vacant building to a visitor to his city.

enacted in 1954 as "one of the best things that ever happened to forestry." He admits that many landowners at first took the law lightly, "but our unit was the first to have a violator arrested and convicted and after that, we didn't have any trouble enforcing the new law."
Strickland said the late Guyton Deloach, who was his district forester and later was appointed state forester and Commission director, "fortunately selected Brantley County as a model county forestry unit. As director, he sent me all over the state to demonstrate our newest tractors and other equipment." He said his job was "to sell" other units on equipment that had proven to be effective in his own county and he "really got the attention" of personnel when he showed that a two-way radio could be installed on the tractors. He said the travel around the state was " very enjoyable work" and it gave him an opportunity to meet Commission people and to gain a better insight into the scope of the organization that was developing around the state.
According to some local landowners and records found in the county, Brantley was the first county in the state to establish a TPO, followed by Clinch, Charlton and Camden Counties. The year 1925 also saw the General Assembly pass legislation creating the Georgia Forestry Department. In 1931 , the department was reorganized as the State Department of Forestry, Parks and Geological Development, and did not exist under
6/Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989

the name of Georgia Forestry Commi ssion until 1949.

Although records show that there were 87 TPOs by

1933, history is sketchy as to when the TPO in the

individual counties merged with the county forestry

units and ultimately turned over protection and other

responsibilities to the state agency, as it too evolved

from a multi-resource department to an exclusive

organization dealing with forest protection and

development.

Barry Chesser, current ranger of the Brantley Cou nty

Unit, said he is fascinated with accounts he has heard

and read of the early days of forest protection in the

state and is appreciative of Strickland and others who

laid the groundwork for the Commission. "Our first

ranger in Brantley County is well respected and remem-

bered for the work he did in establishing a good forestry

program and it has been our goal to retain and expan d

the program he started," said Chesser.

Today, Herdsman, Marshall Bryan keeps track of 70

cows at the Martha Berry College dairy and milki ng time

is still four o'clock in the morning for several students

working their way through school. The old barns have

changed little since Strickland was there more than 50

years ago, but the Nahunta telephone executive woul d

be pleased to know that electric milkers have, of

course, long since replaced the old hand squeezin g

method.



CERTIFICATE REQUIRED
IN STRAW TRANSACTION
A Senate bill passed during the 1989 session of the Legislature requires persons harvesting pine straw to have a "Certificate of Harvest" in their possession.
The new law was created to protect landowners from persons who tres-
pass on the!r lands for the_ purpose ?f
gathering pme straw. Leg1slators sa1d they saw a need to deter those tempted to wrongly go on another's land to harvest what has become a $1 0 million industry in Georgia.
The new law requires the harvester to have the certificate in his possession when gathering a landowner's straw, and at the point of sale.
The new law doesn 't apply to persons harvesting straw for home or personal use, but those who do violate the law as set forth in senate bill 88, 1989 session of the Georgia Assembly, will be guilty of a misdemeanor.
The certificates, which must be dated and signed by both the harvester and the landowner, are issued free of charge to the harvester and are availabl e from any forestry Commission office in the state.
REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS
HONORED BY ASSOCIATION
The Forest Farmer Award was presented to U.S. Representative Lindsay Thomas by the Forest Farmers Association at the 48th annual meeting in recognition of his contributions to southern forestry.
In presenting the award to Thomas, Forest Farmers Association President Kent Van Cleave said, "The 1989 recipient is by far the youngest to receive this prestigious award, but years do not count when you look at what he has done and is doing for forestry in the South and the nation."
Thomas of the First Congressional District of Georgia, one of very few ~embers of Congress who is a certIfied tree farmer, is the founding chairman of the Forestry 2000 Task Force. The task force was organized in 1989 among a bipartisan coalition of House members who share an interest in timber and forestry issues. A total of 116 Members of Congress currently belong to the organization.

DON1 TAKE CHANCE WITH DOGWOOD TREES OUT IN THE FORESTS
Fall is the season for transplanting trees and many people are inclined to take to the woods to dig up plants to re-establish on their lawns. If you've eyed some pretty dogwoods in the forest and plan to add them to your residential landscape, the Georgia . Forestry Commission says DON'T DO IT!
There's a problem called fungus discula, which causes the fatal disease termed dogwood anthracnose. First found in New York in the late 1970's, discula has spread to 17 states, primarily moving down the Appalachian mountain chain and experts say wild trees growing naturally on the cool, damp forest floor, are most susceptible to the disease.
Commission Urban Forester Ken Bailey urges people not to transplant dogwoods from the wild because they may be bringing the disease to their neighborhoods. Although trees in sunny locations, such as yards and parks, have survived in areas where the fungus has been present for a decade, Bailey said yard trees are best protected by making sure they have adequate fertilizer and water.
Symptoms of the disease include purple-rimmed spots with brown centers on the leaves. Even-
tually, twigs die, followed by
branches from the bottom up. Water sprouts also occur. It takes two to five years afterthe leaf spots appear for a tree to die, Bailey said.
On behalf of the task force, Thomas has testified before several congressional committees, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS}, and at congressional field hearings in support of various forestry programs and the needs of timberland owners. Recently, Thomas introduced legislation that would restore annual business tax deductions to owners of small timberland tracts.

COMMISSION SEEKING
HISTORIC TREES INFO
Is there a historic tree in your neighborhood? One that legend claims a famous Confederate general tied his horse to, or perhaps a landmark oak that denotes the site of a treaty signing ceremony or some other event? Maybe your tree is not that historic, but has great significance on the local level.
The Commission is asking residents throughout the state to help compile a list of historic trees to be included in a national register.
Urban Forester Sharon Dolliver said ten historic trees in Georgia are currently included in Famous and Historic Trees but "there are many others in our state that are of historic status and should be featured in the national publication."
Georgia trees now included in Famous and Historic Trees, published by the American Forestry Association, are the LaFayette Oak and the Juliette Low Oak, Savannah; the Franklin D. Roosevelt Pine near Warm Springs; the General Robert ToombsOak and the Thomas H. Chivers Holly, Washington; Wrightsboro Mulberry, Wrightsville; Oglethorpe Yews, University of Georgia campus; Sidney Lanier Oak, Brunswick; the Tree That Owns Itself, Athens; and the Big Oak of Thomasville, Thomasville.
Persons knowing the whereabouts of trees that might qualify for the distinction should write to Forester Sharon Dolliver, Georgia Forestry Commission, P.O. Box 819, Macon, Georgia 31298-4599, or call 912/744-3377.
ARBOR DAY MATERIAL
IS FREE TO TEACHERS
The National Arbor Day Foundation recently announced the availability of free instructional materials for fifth grade teachers."Arbor Day: A Celebration of Stewardship" contains a color poster, a booklet, an audio cassette, and a teacher's guide with student activity sheets.
The National Arbor Day Foundation is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to tree planting, conservation, and environmental stewardship .
To receive the material, fifth grade teachers should write to: Trees Are Terrific, The National Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Avenue, Nebraska City, NE 68410.
Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989/7

Patrolman Mike Brunson confers with Ranger Hollis Burns.

College; and Pen ny, a daughter who is now married .
The ran ger said th e greatest improvem en ts have been made in com munication s, equ ipment and training and he has enjoyed seein g these changes co me about during his tim e with the Commission.
Today, Ran ger Burn s and his three patrolmen and a tower operator are charged with the prote ction o f 169,900 acres of forests throu ghout Gordon County. They also work closely with six Rural Fire Defen se un its which are staffed by voluntee rfiremen to fight stru ctural fires ..

PATROLMAN TROY FLOYD, JR.

GORDON COUNTY UNIT

ollis Burns, who grew up on a Gordon County farm, declares that "there is only one thing harder than picking cotton, and that's loading pulpwood." After graduating from Oostanaula High School and serving some time with the U. S. Army in Japan, however, he came home to begin a career that would involve the protection and perpetuation of the forests that grow profitable pulpwood. He no longer had to load pulpwood, of course, but he did have the task of battling wildfiresthat often threatened the growth of pulpwood and saw timber in his native cou nty. Burns came with the Commission as a forest patrolman 24 years ago and shortly after the retirement of Ranger J. C. MeDearis in 1975, he was named to head the Gordon County Unit. He attained senior ranger status last year. The ranger's firefighting experience actually began durin g his youth . " When fires broke out in the woods," he said , "a fire warden with the U. S. Forest Service would hire several boys around here to help fight fire with rakes. " He said they were paid 45 cents per hour " and that was real good money during those days of the Great Depression." He said he "really learned what a giant fire could do to a forest" when he served as part of the
8/Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989

first team of firefighters sent to th e west by the Commission.
Although the North Georgia mo untains are not th e towerin g Rocki es of the west, they do present some problems when wildfires began racin g up their slopes. But Ran ger Burn s contends that his people " know how to expertly handle a tracto r in our kind of
ANOTHER IN A SERIES OF STORIES ON OUTSTANDING COUNTY FORESTRY UNITS
terrain ." He sai d his patrolmen can size up a fire and then use good judgement in knowin g" when to climb, how to climb and when to back off."
Burn s sai d he has seen many improvements in working conditions sin ce he first mounted a tractor as a young firefi ghter in 1965. He remembers the 44-hourwork week "when we knocked off at noon on Saturday and then had to stay by the phone at hom e the rest of the weekend." He said there were many tim es when fires " kept you from gettin g ho me for supper, but that became a way of life and the family accepted it." Acceptin g it in his family were his w ife, Charlcie, a li ce nsed practical nurse; a son, Jimmy, now attending Berry

Forest Patrolman Troy Floyd Jr. sai d he "grew up" in the Georgia Forestry Commission . His fath er, who retired as ran ger of the Floyd County Un it after 34 years of service, greatly influenced him in seekin g a career in wh ich he could enjoy working outdoors.
Floyd, who came with th e unit five years ago, said he worked for a time in a mill but didn't like the confi nement. Now that he is with th e Com mission, he said he enjoys working with forest landowners and others who need the age ncy's services.
Ran ger Burn s said Fl oyd "caught on quickly in handling a tractor in mountainous terrain and is also very efficient in dut ies other than firefigh tin g." The patrolman, who earn ed the rank of Eagle Scout in Troop 55 in Ro me an d is a graduate of Armu chee Hi gh School, came with th e unit in tim e to get in o n a major remod eling project at th e headquarters on Old Fairmont Highway near Calhoun.
The patrolm an and hi s wife, Wen dy, a lice nsed practical nurse, have two children, Mi chael, 5, and Katie, 9 m o n t h s.
PATROLMAN THOMAS BLALOC K
Fore st Patrolm an Thom as Blalock felt that the grass was green er on the other side of th e fe nce. He was wo rking for th e Departm ent of Transpo rt~ tion in th e seventi es and his DOT un1t was next door to th e fore stry unit.
He would look over the fen ce and see uniformed men leavin g out in white tran sport trucks bearin g yelloW crawl er tractors and reasone d that fightin g forest wildfires would be m?re exciting and rewardin g than mow1ng

th e grass along state highways. He came with the Commission in the fall
of 1978. Although he sometimes feels the
effects of shrapnel wounds in a leg and arm from combat in Vietnam, the patro lman doesn 't let it stand in the way of turning in top performance in the unit, according to Ranger Burns. Many in the Commission remember Blalock as the patrolman who demon strated a portable wood gasifier
around the state. Patro lman Blalock and his wife,
Lyn n, a rural mail carrier, have a son, Anthony, 18, who is entering Georgia Tech t his fall , and two daughters, An gie, 16, and Amanda, 8. The family attends the Baptist Church.
PATROLMAN MIKE BRUNSON
Forest Patrolman Mike Brunson, a native of Douglasville, is a man who knows exactly what to do with a set of too ls. After graduation from Armuchee High School, he attended Coosa Valley Technical School, where he received excellent training in auto mechanics.
His kn owledge and skill in mechanics has been invaluable to the unit in the maintenance of its trucks and tractors.
The patrolman remembers being in only one "tight spot" during his five years with the Commission . "I headed my t ractor into a gorge one day when we were having a wildfire driven by a 30 to 40 mile an hour wind," he related . " The minute I did it, I realized my mistake. A great wall of fire was com ing toward me from the other end of th e gorge and it was moving fast! " He said he dreads to think what would have happened if the engine on his tractor had conked out as he hurriedly backed out of the trap.
Bru nson's favorite hobby is hitting the Appalachian Trail, with dreams of so.me day completing the entire 2,100 m1.le route from Maine to Georgia. By usmg vacation time and other free ~ime he has already walked approxImately 900 miles of the trail.
Patrolm an Brunson and his wife
Jo~n , wh? had enough of the Appla~
ch1an Trail after a few miles, have two daughters, Rebecca, 4, and Hannah, 9 months. The family is active in the East Calh oun Church of God.

Patrolmen Mike Brunson and Troy Floyd, }r. discuss a mechanical problem. Below, Tower Operator Faye Simmons refills a literature rack and Patrolman Thomas Blalock checks the weather station.

valleys of Gordon County for 20 years. Her job is to keep an eye out for forest fire from her vantage point high in a 65foot tower mounted on a plot of ground 740 feet above sea level.
When she started work with the Commission, she said she "practically ran" up the many steps to the cab of the tower and considered it good exercise. "Now I've slowed down," she said, "and the climb doesn't get any shorter."
The tower operator said she has always enjoyed her work. "It's seldom boring." she said, " when we have high fire ratings, I'm busy checking smoke from the tower and when rains come, I'm doing paper work down in the office."
Mrs. Simmons said " the best thing about being with the Commission is the people. You can't find nicer people to work with, here in the unit and across the district."

The tower operator and her husband, Clyde, atechnical director with a carpet manufacturing company, have six married children : Steve, Toby, Kelley, Debbie, judy and Wayne.
District Forester Carl W. Melear said from his office in Rome that the Gordon Unit is "one of the best looking units in the district...immaculate is the word!" He said the equipment in the unit is always in good repair, the people are hard working and polite when dealing with the public, and the services are always professional.

TOWER OPERATOR FAYE SIMMONS
Faye Si mmons has been looking out over the ancient mountains and

GEORGIA SADDLE TREE COMPANY PRESERVES RARE CRAFTSMANSHIP

By Bill Edwards

ost people don't know that a saddle is more than half wood. The leather portion is molded over a solid, wooden frame called a "saddle tree." joe Barefoot, a North Georgia businessman, knows all about saddle trees. He manages Flor Saddle Tree Company, Inc., located in Demorest. The companyistheonlyoneofits kind in Georgia and Barefoot maintains it is the oldest saddle tree company in the United States. "Maybe the oldest in the world," Barefoot said, "but that's something saddle tree companies have in common. They all claim to be older than the others." Although which saddle tree company is the oldest may be debatable, one thing is certain. Only a handful of such companies exist in the U.S. and as Barefoot puts it - "making saddle trees is one of the more unique uses of wood for business purposes. " "We probably use in the neighborhood of 20,000 board feet a month," Barefoot said, "not a tremendous amount of wood usage compared to the furniture or cabinet making industry, but certainly a significant volume when it is considered that this is a tedious and painstaking woodworking craft." The business is not only unusual from the perspective of wood use, but also in terms of age and stability. The company was established in 1879 by
10/Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989

"WE'VE GOT A LOT OF
HISTORY BEHIND US, BUT THE MAKING OF SADDLE
TREES IS ESSENTIALLY
THE SAME SPECIALIZED
WOODCRAFT IT WAS A HUNDRED YEARS AGO."
Edward Flor, a German immigrant who turned to saddle tree making when he was unable to secure employment as a musician. The business has never changed locations and many of the current employees are third and fourth generation wood craftsmen whose parents worked for the firm.
Through the years, the business went through family and financial alterations. In 1975, Barefoot came to work with the organization as sales manager. Two years later he bought the company from the original Flor heirs and owned the business until he sold it to P.l. Inc. of Athens, Tennessee in 1987. Barefoot remained with the company and continues to manage it.
"We've got a lot of history behind us, but the making of saddle trees is essentially the same specialized woodcraft it was a hundred yearsago," Barefoot said. "You have to know horses, saddles and wood."

A native of Pennsylvania, Barefoot came by his interest in horses as a sort of cultural inheritance; he said his grandfather was a horse thief. "Or maybe just an alleged horse thief," said Barefoot with a laugh. "Nobody ever proved anything."
However, grandpa did carry on some suspicious activities. Althou gh his home was in Pennsylvania, he maintained a homestead in Montana. Periodically he would go to Montana and return with a herd of the finest horses, which he would promptly sell to Pennsylvania's Amish farmers. There were those who wondered how grandpa could consistently come up with herd after herd of prime horses. Grandpa never gave any details.
Barefoot's interest in horses and woodcrafting finally surfaced and he went into the saddle tree business. He came to Georgia 21 years ago, after graduating from Mississippi State, where he majored in sociology and criminal justice. He joined the facu lty of Brenau College in Gainesville and had all intentions of settling comfortably into a career of college professor, but after several years Barefoot came to the conclusion that academic satisfaction was not necessarily synonymous with financial prosperity.
"I had some experience with horses, saddles and woodcrafting, so I went to work for the saddle tree company," Barefoot said.
Although he had some prior

joe Barefoot, above, manager of Flor Saddle Tree Company, checks dimensions of Southern yellow pine saddle tree with customer. Established in 1879, the company is the only one of its kind in the state and possibly oldest such organization in the nation. At right, veteran saddle tree craftsman Earl Watson displays stack of wooden saddle trees ready for rawhide stitching and leather covering. Although it is not obvious by looking at the finished product, a saddle is made of more than half wood. The requirements of this specialized woodcraft have changed little since the days of the Old West.
At left, Watson checks oak patterns for saddle trees. More than 600 wooden models are stocked by the Demorest based company. Many of the company's personnel are third and fourth generation craftsmen. Saddle tree craftsman shown above attaches horn to wooden saddle tree. Although automated tools are used, wood craftsmen spend as much time using sandpaper and a hand rasp as they do operating power tools.
Georgia Forestry/Fall1989/11

knowledge of the field, Barefoot discovered the production of saddle trees was a new educational process in itself - a process Barefoot has now perfected into an art. One vital educational factor is wood selection. Barefoot now personally selects all wood used in the saddle trees. Yellow poplar is the primary source, but Southern yellow pine is also used. In selecting wood, he makes sure there are no remaining bark edges and that no wood falls below required dimensions. He prefers wood from native Georgia trees.
"Nothing too sappy or widegrained," Barefoot said examining a new stack of lumber, "and, of course, all wood has to be of the best quality for our purposes."
MORE THAN 600 PATTERNS
The company maintains more than 600 saddle tree patterns. Barefoot said all patterns are made from oak for durability. He pointed out that some companies use plastic patterns, but he prefers the durable oak because wood patterns offer flexibility for changing models without the use of expensive molds.
"The flexibility offered by wood is important," Barefoot said. "Patterns change."
As the horse changed - patterns changed. Actual photos of the Old West show horses with angular backs that sloped off sharply on the sides. Despite the romanticized version of the horse in the Old West, these animals were often parasite-infested creatures suffering from poor nutrition . Current selective breeding practices and better care have produced healthier and sturdier horses - with rounded backs.
"Regardless of the shape of the horse," Barefoot said, " a good saddle must fit the top of the horse and the bottom of the rider simultaneously."
Company records show that an average of about 50 out of the approximate 600 styles are good sellers at any given time. Models range from the Texas Roper to the Modern Arabian. Custom made trees are also available. Prices vary according to model, but popularity of models seem to have little to do with price.
"It's just whatever comes along and influences the public to want a certain style," Barefoot said.
12/Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989

After the television mm1-series "Lonesome Dove" Barefoot said he was flooded with orders for the A-Fork Old Timer Model. The series depicted actor Robert Duvall being chased on horseback across the desert by a group of undesirables. Duvall lost ground during the chase and was forced to kill his horse, wedge himself behind the saddle of the fallen animal, and shoot it out with the culprits. During the
"No matter how
much woodworking
technology improves,
this is an art that
boils down to using
sandpaper and
a hand rasp..."
shootout sequence, a series of closeups, showing Duvall shooting over the dead horse, revealed unmistakably that the saddle was an A-Fork Old Timer Model. Using a sadd le as a barrier was common practice in such gunfights because the wooden saddle tree provided an effective bullet buffer.
" Orders poured in," Barefoot said . "We had an Old Timer oak pattern left over from the 1800s, so it was no problem to fill the orders."
As Barefoot points out, there is no problem for the company filling orders if a pattern is available. However, find ing skilled wood craftsmen in this field can be a problem. It is relatively slow and tedious work- especially in the latter stages- and one that is not quickly learned. The skill is often passed on within a family, from one generation to the next.
Although traditional woodworking skills are helpful to some degree, they have little to do with this craft. While cabinet and furniture makers deal mainly with angles and edges, saddle tree makers are primarily concerned with curves and radiuses of wood.
"No matter how much woodworking technology improves," Barefoot said, "this is an art that boils down to using sandpaper and a hand rasp. Much of this skill has to do with feel

and sight, and it can only be learned through experience."
High speed duplicating lathes an d spindle carving are used to turn out masters and patterns. Spindle carvin g machines form the swells and cantles of the saddles. After each part is inspected and approved, the t ree is assembled on a jig to insme correct dimensions and customer specifications. Horns are installed with rivets that run through the fork and into a plate at the bottom of the gullet.
Prior to covering, each tree is hand rasped and sanded (formed) to insure smooth joints in areas where rawhi de must fit perfectly. The tree is then dipped in a special solution that seals the wood and provides a foun dation for rawhide covering.
Rawhide coverings of varying weights are used, depending on t he type of tree being covered. Afte r hand stitching, finished trees are air dried and varnished according to customer specifications. Trees are sent to sad dle companies for leather coverings.
TIME TO GO FISHING
Saddle making requirements have not changed much through the years, but Barefoot said, changing times have changed the business. What was once a necessity has become primarily a leisure time item. Although saddles are still made for working cowboys and rodeo athletes, the major market is now elsewhere. This market tran sition has made the business increasi ngly vulnerable to recession .
"My personal theory of econ omics is that in times of recession - leisure time products are the first to go," Barefoot said . "Attimeswe've been hit hard by recession, but we never laid anybody off. We just went to a fourday week and went fishing on e day a week until it blew over."
When the recessions receded , it was back to saddle tree making as usual the basics being virtually the same as they were in the days of " Lonesome Dove." The mechanized part has improved, but the craft still re lies on the wood craftsmen. Saddle t ree woodworkers spend as much ti me with sandpaper and a hand rasp as they do with automated tools.
"That's why it remains just as much of a unique and demanding woodworking craft as it was in the 1800s," Barefoot said, "and I don't expect it to change much in the future."

ASSOCIATION AWARDS DISTRICT, UNITS

The Georgia Forestry Association presented the Commission with a number of awards and honored the Logger of the Year at the recent Annual GFA Convention held on Jekyll Island.
Outstanding Service Awards were presented to the Irwin County Unit and the Lamar-Pike-Spalding County Unit. The awards were based on accomplishments in forest management objectives, as well as protection of forest lands from wildfires and other hazards.
An outstanding District Award went to District 10 with headquarters in Statesboro. District Forester Jerry Lanier and his

staff are responsible for Commission activities in the Bulloch County area Overall superiority in all facets of operation are required for this award.
Charles Hill of Jeffersonville won the Logger of the Year Award. Hill, who has been logging for 18 years, gained experience while logging with his father. The Hill logging operation delivers 800to 900 cords weekly. Hill, who holds aBBA in management from Georgia Southern College, sums up his philosophy of successful logging with what he terms "the five Ps - Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance."

Nursery Coordinator Howard Stanley stands at the base of the largest Elliottia (EIIiottia racemosa Muhl.) tree in the United States. Stanley and Forester Red Castleman of the Commission's McRae Di~trict discovered the champion tree in a nver swamp near Reidsville. Although not as impressive as the mighty oak, this t_all and slender tree puts other Elliottia's
m the shade. The two finders were pre-
sented certificates of appreciation from the National Register of Big Trees for their discovery.

BASIC POINTS ARE DISCUSSED ON

ENDANGERED SPECIES PROTECTION

Walter Jarck, corporate director - forest resources, Georgia Pacific, was interviewed recently on Cable News Network (CNN) with regard to a recent environmental ruling.
A judge in Texas has decreed that the red cockaded woodpecker (RCW), on the endangered species list and native to Southeastern pine forests, should have approximately 1,100 acres around each colony where only limited timber harvesting can take place.
On June 26, the U.S. Forest Service extended the Texas management plan to other national forests throughout the South. Although the ruling presently applies only to federally owned lands, it is believed to have future implications for privately held lands, affecting both industrial owners such as Georgia-Pacific and small landowners.
The National Forest Service had earlier determined that the RCW is adequately protected with 200 feet as a buffer. Recent research shows that the bird is hatched, lives and dies within 125 acres, a relatively short range for birds.
Jarck made several basic points during the interview, which took place at G-P's distribution center in Norcross:

"We have time to study and

determine the needs of the

bird. Thriving colonies have

been observed close to clear

cuts, along roads and in young-

er stands of timber. Our final

judgment should be based on

sound research that considers

the needs of the bird along

with the impact on jobs and

state and federal revenues. The

public in many cases has been

given incomplete information.

"The ruling could result in

higher prices for forest products

passed on to consumers, but of

even more importance is the

great number of small timberland

owners, whose average holding

is about 100-500 acres. It could

wipe them out.

"G-P abides by the Endan-

gered Species Act, which

means we avoid cutting all trees

within an active colony of the

RCW, as well as the trees in a buf-

fer zone around the colony. We

also

avoid

disturbance

within the colony area during

the nesting season, which is

April through June."

Jarck, who is active in num-

erous forest product industry

organizations, concluded with

the summary that good forest

management practices are good

for wildlife as well.

From "Atlanta This Week," Georgia Pacific Newsletter

Georgia Forestry/fall 1989/13

DADDY WAS
A TURPENTINE FARMER

An admiring daughter
looks back.on the
long career of her
dad and fondly recalls
the sense of values
and abiding love of
nature tha t he instilled in her as she worked as his helper deep in the forests of
Southeast Georgia.

0

rchie Lee Bacon devoted fifty years of his life to the hard, honest labor of collecting raw

gum from tens of thousands

of pine trees and a daughter is grateful

for the rewarding childhood experi-

ence of often having been his summer-

time helper.

Margie Bacon Deloach remembers

the toil of the long days in the woods,

but she also recalls the beauty and

serenity of the forest: the shaded fish-

ing hole, the wild berries and flowers,

the secret places. Most of all, however,

she remembers the admiration she

had for her father and how he taught

her, through example, about endur-

ance, patience and character in gen-

eral. She said he also instilled in her an

enduring love of nature and the great

outdoors.

"Daddy was always soaking wet

with sweat from tramping so many

miles through the woods each day.

Heat rash, ticks, and redbugs were

always nuisances to contend with, and

mosquitoes and yellow flies, espec-

ially near the swampy areas, swarmed

after him," said Mrs. Deloach. "I twas a

m iracle that he was never bitten by a

snake."

Despite the many inconveniences,

she said her father never complained;

he looked forward to each new

season.

"First, Daddy had to select new trees

each year that were of proper size to

be cupped and when the weather

began to get warm, he would put the

first streak on the tree, that is, he would

chip the bark <;?ff a small section with a

14/Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989

tool called a hack" is Mrs. Deloach's explanation for those not familiar with the industry. "A metal cup was fastened to the tree to catch the gum (or

sap) that ran out of the exposed streak and acid was sprayed on the cut to make the gum run faster."
Bacon, a native of Long County w ho

is approaching his 78th birthday, had a career that extended from 1920 to 1970. " He was always proud of his work and it took a lot of strength and will power to perform this hard job over and over throughout the many years," said his daughter. "It is a trade that has now almost vanished from
the South."
PROUD OF WATER WHITE
She said activities picked up during "dipping time - a time when Daddy would empty cups from the individual trees into big wooden barrels to be hauled to the naval stores market in jesup,Giennvilleorsomeothertown. l liked to see the ones marked "W/W." This meant it was Water White, the highest grade gum, and would bring the best price. Daddy was as proud of this top grade as a farmer would be with a blue ribbon Glennville onion. He received half the proceeds from the sale."
Mrs. Deloach said "my sister and I occasionally had to help my brother and father work in the woods during the summertime. We would spray the acid on the trees after they chipped them. Daddy could squeeze the bottle with one hand, but it took both of mine. The wind would blow the acid back onto my face and arms and into my eyes and it certainly would burn . My clothes also needed patching after a day in the woods with the acid bottle."
She said "Daddy had a set pattern for going from one tree to another and this way he seldom missed a tree. He knew the best way to get all the boxes worked using the least number of steps. Afterworking in the woods since 7:30 in the morning, we were ready for noon and we thought our legs would fold under us as we walked home for lunch. I think Daddy enjoyed our company as much as he liked us helping with his work. We learned to appreciate the hard work he did daily without grumbling.
TIME FOR BERRY PICKING
"~ometimes Mama and my two little s!ster~ went with us and carried pails to fill With wild blueberries while we worked. When we finished the tract of trees.on ~he spot,we helped them pick the npe JUicy berries. They were used to make delicious cobblers and blueberry muffins.
"If we were working near Pigott Branch, we would take our cane fishing

poles along to use after we finished working. I think this was Daddy's way of enticing us to work faster. Near the baptism hole was an old sawdust pile that furnished plenty of worms for fish bait and if we were lucky we would be able to take home a nice string of pike with our hack and acid bottle."
She said she learned to appreciate the woodlands of her native county at an early age and described one of her favorite places deep in the pine forest:
"The Beaver dam was always full of water and no one else but us ever went there. It was dark and spooky looking and beavers had it dammed in many places; we enjoyed looking at the freshly gnawed trees across the water. Catfish bit well in this place and I had a favorite spot in atree with a low branch that extended over the water. This made an extellent spot to sit and fish and there was a clear hole near the
One lady just had to feel the tar. "Imagine her surprise when she stuck her hand into the dip bucket and tried to pull it out. Daddy just laughed."
dam that we used to swim in until we heard the gator bellow!"
Mrs. Deloach said her father was very close to nature and knew every path through the hundreds of acres of woodland. He recognized all the different animal signs and tracks and was aware of anything unusual that had happened since his last visit.
She also explained why he probably escaped being bitten by a snake. "Fido, his small black cur dog, was his constant companion. He followed him everywhere and he bayed rattlesnakes when he found them. Daddy could tell by the tone of his bark when he had a snake at bay. Fido would not stop barking until Daddy went to him and killed the snake. At the sound of thunder, Fido quickly ran to him and barked. He wanted Daddy to quit work and go to a shelter."
After the gum running season, the

trees had to be scraped. All the tar that had struck on the face of the trees throughout the season had to be scraped off. Pine straw and trash were mixed in it. "Scrape" brought the lowest price.
Out-of-state tourists travelling on U. S. Highway 301 would sometimes stop to see what was happening to the trees at the edge of the woods. One lady just had to feel the tar. "Imagine her surprise when she stuck her hand into the dip bucket and tried to pull it out," said Mrs. Deloach . "Daddy just laughed at her."
When the scraping was finished , the trees had to be weeded. "This was our after school chore and we were paid one penny per tree," Mrs. Deloach said. "Each tree had to be cleared of weeds around its trunk to keep it from catching fire." The woods were burned each winter to keep down the underbrush, ticks, and snakes. " I always enjoyed watching the roaring flames march across the woods knowing it was controlled and I knew that soon new green grass would cover the blackened ground and purple dogtooth violets would be easily spotted for the picking." she said.
WELL DESERVED REST
The daughter said her father was "always on the go and seldom stopped to rest " during his half century of work in the forests. Now that he is finally enjoying a well deserved life of leisure, she painted this poignant word picture:
"Time passed and Daddy had spent fifty years in Long County working turpentine for the Baxters, Howards, and Parkers. His steps had slowed and his vision had blurred. Retirement was due. Daddy moved to Darien several years ago and now spends time with his wife, Bessie, working in the garden and sitting on a five gallon bucket beside a saltwater creek waiting for the fish to bite.
"As he sits there silently and patiently waiting, I'm sure that his mind must travel back to the thousands of miles he has spent in the southeastern Georgia woods. As he approaches 78 years of age, his health is still fairly well. His large strong hands and deeply tanned face and arms reflect the many long, hard hours he has spent outdoors. He seems as much a part of nature as a tree itself--strong ana sturdy!"
Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989/15

Forestry students Stacey Drake, left, and Stanley Wallace surprised some landowners in mountainous North Georgia during the summer as they placed strange little gadgets on many hardwood trees in the region. The traps will determine how many scouts are crossing the state line in advance of an expected gradual invasion of the gypsy moth. The two encountered some hostile landowners, but most were friendly and appreciative of the project they were carrying out.

NORTHERN PESTS HITCHHIKING SOUT

By Gwendolyn Gordon

driver backs out of his driveway and is startled to find that the street is covered two to three inches deep with something so slippery and dangerous to drive on that he thinks it could be snow or ice. But in reality, it's the middle of the summer, and the street in front of his house isn't iced over, it's teeming with gypsy moth caterpi llars! This scene is common in New England and other Northern states. The gypsy moth caterp illars cause a
16/G eorgia Forestry/Fall 1989

number of highway accidents, swarm houses and yards, and even crawl through peop le's hair and clothing every summer.
Georgia's problem with this pest isn't that serious--at least not yet. The moths are, however, migrating further South each year. Unknowingly, Northerners vacationing in the South provide the main method of transportation. The pests lay their eggs on cars, mobile homes, and campers. Once in a campground, picni c area, or other

wooded site, the moths find a new home.
Two fo restry students from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College are tracking t he progress of the gypsy moth in the northern part of the state th is summer for the Georgia Forestry Commission . Stanley Wallace, who has performed his job for three seasons, is responsible for District One and works out of Chattooga County, w hile Stacey Drake, working on his second season, patrols District Two and works out of

Franklin County. The two cover 21 counties and said
they have se~ approximately 1,300 traps in both d1stncts. The traps have a female scent that attracts the male
moths. Besides being a nuisance, the gypsy
moth represents a danger to Georgia's forests. In the caterpillar stage, the pest strips trees of their leaves. This slows tree growth, and they can damage thousands of acres of trees in a period of a few days. The gypsy moth prefers oak trees, but will eat most any type of hardwoods. The trees eventually die after being attacked for several years.
CANKER INCREASES PROBLEM
Commission Entomologist Terry
Pri ce said he feels the situation may becom e serious in the South because of a naturally occurring disease on oak trees, hypoxylon canker. Th e disease normally feeds only on dead bark tissue, but when a tree is stressed by the gypsy moth, it begins to feed on the healthy tissue, thus kill ing the tree more rapidly, he explain ed.
"The moth weakens the trees so that the fungus becomes aggressive. Th e weather in the South is much more conducive to fungal growth an d one year could be all the time it takes for the moths and the fungus to kill a tree, whereas a tree up North cou ld survive for three or four years," Pri ce said.
The gypsy moths are in an egg form during the winter, and become larva in the spring. They defoliate trees for about ten weeks as they grow into adu lt caterpi llars and come forth as moths in middle to late summer.
Wallace and Drake said they are kee pin g a close watch on popular recreation sites in Georgia, such as Helen and state parks. They have hung 20 to 30 traps around the outskirts of Helen, and approximately 80 traps within a squ are mile inside the town. A grid system is normally used to determine where to set traps, but popular tourist areas are much more concentrated.
" We have a lot of tourists around Helen, and the number of moths we have caught there has tripled since last year," Wa llace said. If more than one moth is trapped in an area, then one squ are kilometer around the site is gridded with several hundred traps to determ ine if there are others in the area.
"The traps help us locate infes-

ing after work. Some, however, are not so glad to
see the men. They haven't been shot at yet, but have heard some strong language from landowners thinking they are trespassers. Campers are sometimes wary of them also.
"Some of them think we're game wardens. They get really nervous and want to know if we need to see their fishing licenses," Wallace said. "One woman wanted to know if she could have one of the traps to use as a roach trap."

tations while they are still small enough to eradicate easily. More than one moth in a trap is a good indication of an infestation," Price said.
The students set traps on private as well as public lands.
"We have the right to go on anyone's land, but we try to get in touch with the owners first. Usually, as soon as we explain what we are doing, landowners are glad to let us do our work," Wallace said . Drake added that some owners are so grateful for the help in locating and controlling insects that they have been invited to go fish-

INTRODUCED BY BIOLOGIST
The moths were first brought to the United States by biologist L. Trouvelot in 1869. The scientist wanted to interbreed the gypsy moth with the silk worm, but many escaped from his lab in Massachusetts and established themselves in the New England states.
Research has been conducted on viruses and bacteria that have been shown to kill the gypsy moth. While scientists have been able to reduce them with insecticides, the sheer number of moths makes total eradication very difficult.
Although the two trapsetters have been cursed and accused of trespassing, both are still fascinated with the state's forests and said that most ofthe mountain folk are very pleasant. As the gypsy moth travels closer to Georgia, it is becoming necessary to inspect the forests even more carefully. With patrolmen like Drake and Wallace on the front line, Georgia will stay on top of the problem.

Gypsy moths often
~)/ find their way South
f. and to Georgia's

. ,1

,



1 11

.__~

forests by clinging I ! '~

to recreat~on

1;

v~hicles. I
~<

~'1

1 1
.

Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989/17

KATHRYN LEIGH MAY

MISS GEORGIA FORESTRY .

[K] athryn Leigh May studied brochures, reports and other material on forestry to be prepared for tough questions from the judges when she competed against 46 other young ladies for the Miss Georgia Forestry crown .
"Guess what," she said, "they didn't ask a single question about forestry." But that's okay. She won the title and came away with a $1,000 scholarship, and an opportunity to represent forestry in parades and at festivals across the state and, of course, a fairly good knowledge of basic forestry!
After she was crowned by Kay Ellenburg of Greensboro, the retiring Miss Georgia Forestry, at the conclusion of the statewide pageant on jekyll Island, the new queen set out for Jacksonville to catch a plane for Houston. "In Houston," she said, "I began singing my way back to Georgia."
The 17-year-old daughter of Debby and E. K. May of Tennille explained that she is a member of the Sandersville United Methodist Church Youth Choir and the singers were on their annual tour of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and she said "I had to catch up with them."
SWAMPED WITH CALLS
While Kathryn was singing in churches across four states and making the bus trip back home, her mother was swamped with phone calls of congratulations to her daughter. Some businesses around town displayed banners proclaiming the good news and the local newspaper was on a deadline when the word came from jekyll, but managed a front page bulletin with promise of a full story in the next edition.
Kathryn, who represented Washington County and was sponsored by local merchants in the state finals, also captured the Miss Congeniality title. Frank Craven of Macon, coordinator for the pageant, said he has been involved in the event for more than 20
18/Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989

years and " it's the first time I have known a girl to win both honors."
FASHIONS INTEREST
The new Miss Georgia Forestry, a rising senior at the Brentwood School, plans to study fashion merchandising at a college yet to be chosen. She has worked in her grandmother's dress shop in Macon and accompanied her to the big Apparels Merchandising

Mart in Atlanta on several occasions to view the latest fashions .
Forest Ranger William Pate of th e Commission's Washington County Unit said this is the first year the unit was able to have a county-level pageant on its own; it was previou sly tied in with a neighboring county. "It was our first year," he said, "and we came in first. We're all very proud of Kathryn and appreciate all who sup-

ported our local pageant." Second place winner in the pageant
was Julie Ann Bagwell , 19, daughter of Charles and Roxie Bagwell of Cordele. An honor student at Georgia Southern , sh e represented Crisp and Dooly Cou nties in the competition. She said

her ambition is to eventually become a medical doctor and to have a successful practice and family life.
Laura H. Windham of Grady County was second runner up, and Michelle Rabun of Richmond CoLJnty was third runner up in the annual competition.

Clockwise: Arranging flowers with mother, chatting with Washington
County Forest Ranger William Pate, rela xing on the front porch with a good
book, getting a little practice on the keys, posing with dad.

Georgia Forestry/Fall1989/19

WOODEN BRIDGES MAKE COMEBACK IN GEORGIA

Miss Dixon is congratulated by jim Gillis, jr. , President of The American Turpentine Farmers Association.
NEW MISS GUM SPIRITS CROWNED

Christian Elaine Dixon, 17, daughter of Jimmy and Patricia Dixon of Vidalia, was crowned Miss Gum Spirits at the annual convention of the Georgia Forestry Association. She will represent Georgia's important naval stores industry for a year. She was chosen from among the state's gum producing counties.
Christian is a student at Vidalia High School, where she received the English Award, and is a majorette in the school band. She is a member of the youth Council

at Tabernacle Baptist Church. Miss Gum Spirits was crowned
by the 1988 winner, Jana Rodgers of Folkston. She represented Toombs County at the pageant and her amibiton is to pursue a career in dentistry.
Christian also was crowned Miss Toombs County Forestry and competed with 46 other county winners for the title.
As Miss Gum Spirits, her photo will appear on the official calendar of the American Turpentine Farmers Association.

OCTOBER HERBICIDE WORKSHOP PLANNED

A Forest Herbicide Prescription Workshop will be held on October 3-4 at the Georgia Southern College Conference Center in Statesboro.
Plan ned by the Cooperative Extension Service in cooperation with the Georgia Forestry Commission and the U.S. Forest Service, the workshop is designed to help foresters, landowners, and vendors do a more effective job when using herbicides, according to officials.
The U. S. Forest Service predicts a 40 percent increase in the demand for pine pulpwood and a 12 percent increase in pine sawtimber needs by the year 2030, thus causing herbicides to become an economically important tool to land-
20/Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989

owners. Herbicides are needed to improve survival and growth by getting rid of competing weeds and brush.
The workshop will be directed by experts in different areas of herbicide use speaking on the first day.The second day will be spent in the field, with participants developing herbicide application prescriptions.
Pesticide recertification and CFE credit will be given and applicator testscan also be taken if requested.
For pre-registration forms and additional information, contact the county Extension office, any Georgia Forestry Commission district office, or Lamar Merck at 912/681-5630.

Wooden bridges are maki ng a comeback in Georgia and numerous states across the U. S. as en gineers merge wood technology with new designs.
The Commission's research department pointed out that several woo d engineered bridges are in various stages of design and constru cti on in Georgia. The bridges include a stru cture over a U. S. Forest Service access road in White County, a Habersham County bridge that the board of Commissioners are building in coop eration with other government agenci es, an d a Putnam County bridge involvi ng fe deral, state and county funds. Also, an experimental bridge is being p lann ed for construction on Commission property near Augusta.
Construction of wooden brid ges has become so commonp lace that the U. S. Forest Service now has a Timber Bridge Pro gram. The Comm ission's research division has projects under study and analytical interests in many more. Department personnel consider wooden bridges ideal for secondary roads.
Economic indicators confi rm that increasing interest in wooden bri dge construction is not a whim of nostalgic aesthetics. Solid financial an d engineering factors are involved.
Designers of the new w ooden bridges confidently claim th ei r st ructures will support the sam e 40-ton trucks that cross steel and concrete bridges. They also point out that w ood lasts longer and is easier to maintain.
However, there is an inevitable obstacle to overcome - t he psychological rut of dismissing wooden bridges because they seem outdated. Many of those of who wou ld make wooden bridges the cro ssi ngs of choice consider this psychological. impediment as the most diffi cu lt problem, since most U.S. engineers have been trained to work with steel and concrete.
Although timber bridges have long been used in the nation's remote areas, acceptance has been sluggish in urban sections. However, a 3.3 million dollar federal project geared to construct 80 wooden bridges in 30 states could create a more positive perspective.

URBAN FORESTRY SETS FIRST STATE MEETING

The Georgia Urban Forestry Council

will hold the state's first Urban Forestry

Conference and Awards Program on

November 15, 1989, at the Macon

Hilton.

The purpose of the conference is to

promote effective management of

urban forestry resources throughout

Georgia. Those attending from sec-

tions throughout the state will include

various city managers, arborists,

mayors, city council members, and

Laura Newbern of the Georgia Forestry Association, left, Sue Shaddeau, representing The American Forestry Council, center, and Sharon Dolliver of the Georgia Forestry Commission, display national award.

urban foresters. The meeting will focus special
emphasis on global warming. Neil Sampson, executive vice president of

LEARNING TREE GIVEN NATIONAL AWARD

the American Forestry Association, will deliver a keynote speech on global

Georgia's Project Learning Tree

Coordinators include Dolliver and warming and the association's relief

recently re ce ived a national award for Laura Newbern of the association.

program.

inaugurati ng the most outstanding

new program, according to sponsors of

th e environmental educational pro-

gram for stude nts.

The award was given for the great

nu mber of workshops administered in

Georgia, the quality of video presen-

tati ons and other activities involved in

trai ning more than 1,100 teachers and

others. Learni ng Tree is tau ght to

stu dents in grades K to 12 in many

schools t hroughout the state.

The award was presented by the

ational Forest Council at the

ational Learning Tree annual con-

ference in New Hampshire and it was

accepted by Forester Sharon Dolliver

of th e Georgia Forestry Commission.

The program is sponsored in Georgia

by the Commission, Georgia Forestry Association and the Extension Service.

ARBORETUM IS MEMORIAL TO BUSCH

The Darrell A. Bu sch Memorial Arboretum at the Ernst Brender

FFA ELECTS GEORGIANS

Dem onstration Forest near Macon is named for a young forester who worked with high skill and enthusiasm prior to his untimely death earlier

EleyC. Fraze r Ill of Albany, Chairman

this year to make the area an interesting attraction for visitors.

of the Board , F&W Forestry Services, is

A ceremony dedi cati ngthe project to Busch was held recently and his

the new president of Forest Farmers

widow, Miriam , and young son returned from their home in Erie,

Associatio n and three other Georgians

Pennsylvania to attend. Commission and U.S. Forest Service officers said

also curre ntly hold offices in the organization.

the arboretum will be a livingtribute to the forester and praise him for the contributions he made toward establishing a permanent projectthatwill

Frazer was named to the post during

benefit generations to come.

the recent an nual meetin g of th e

Busch was coord inator of the Demonstration Forest and the

organization in Little Rock, AR. He suc-

arboretum was hi s favorite project. He made sure that it contained trees

ceeds A. Ke nt Van Cleve of Mississippt.

both native and non-native to th e region and signs were posted by each

. Other Georgians holding associa-

so that visitors may learn about them.

tion offices include Noll A. Van Cleve

A native of Vall ejo, California, he was first employed by the Commis-

of Columbus, regio nal vice president;

sion as a forester with the Gwinnett County Unit in March 1987. Five

A Hardin of Forsyth, new dire-ctor;

months later he was tran sferred to the demonstration forest as

and G. W. McVickers, Jr. of Atlanta, reelected director.

coordinator.

Georgia Forestry/Fall 1989/21

ARRESTS MADE IN
FOREST FIRE CASE S
A North Carolina man wa5 sentenced to serve 90 days in federal prison for setting fires which burned onto National Forest land. . The fire in Georgia burned approxImately seven acres within the Chattahoochee National Forest boundary near the Gilmer/Murray County line.
In addition to serving prison time, the man will have to pay $1 ,149 to cover the total cost of suppressing the fire, according to Forest Service Special Agent Les Burri I.
A Rabun County man early this year was sentenced to serve five years in prison and pay $37,000 in restitution costs for an arson fire that burned 200 acres of National Forest land.

~riends of the_ late Pa~ Th?mas hear tributes to the national forest supe1Yisor durmg ceremomes ded1catmg and naming a new visitor center in his memory.

NEW VISITOR CENTER NAMED IN MEMORY OF PAT THOMAS

An attractive visitor center to picturesque Anna Ruby Falls in the mountains of White County was recently dedicated to the late William (Pat) Thomas, who served as supervisor of the 860,000-acre ChattahoocheeOconee National forests.
Several speakers told of the forester's dedication to the protection and preservation of the forests. He was praised for always insisting that the general public had a right to determine how the national forests were to be managed .
Thomas was a native of the North Georgia mountains and friends and coworkers said he loved the special people and places of the region. They said he sought to preserve the quality of life found in the mountains while managing the forests for both present and future generations.
22/Georgia Forestry/Fall1989

A large crowd attended the Saturday morning ceremony to hear Congressman Ed Jenkins pay tribute to Thomas. Forest Supervisor Ken Henderson welcomed those attending and opening remarks were made by Regional Forester John Alcock and Deputy Chief William Rice. Dedication of the Pat Thomas Visitor Center was presented by Helen Thomas and James Mathis, with the Chattahoochee-Oconee Creed presented by Gil Massie, recreation staff officer.
In his remarks, Alcock said " My friend, Pat Thomas, devoted his professional life to the protection and management of our National Forests. His work made a difference and left a legacy to present and future generations." Massie said "Pat's stewardship of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests is a living message he sent to a time he will not see."
The new visitor center is at the entrance to a canyon that leads to Anna Ruby Falls. The twin waterfall is visited by more than 250,000 persons each year, according to the U. S. Forest Service.

REUNION PLAN NED
The first GFC Retirees Day - a day set aside to honor all persons who have retired from the Georgia Forestry Commission has been scheduled for September 29 at the Georgia Forestry Center in Macon.
The program will be gin at 11 :00 with a welcome by John Mixon, Commission Director, followed by an address by state Senator Waymond (Sonny) Hu ggi ns, a former forest ran ger in Walker County and a mem ber of the planning committee for the event. He will discuss th e status of legislation co nce rnin g in come tax on retired state employees.
Randall Perry of Atlanta, the Commission's personnel director, will speak to group on general retirement benefits and field any questions that might be asked.
Frank Craven of M acon, administrative secretary of Georgia District of Kiwan.is International and former chief of the Commission's Forest Education Department, who is also a member of the planning comm ittee, said the retirees will have lunch on the Forestry Center grou nds.

WILLIAM F. (BILL) CORLEY who has been with the Commission for over 32 years, was r~cently honored. with. a retirement dmner. He spent h1s ent1re career at the Walker Nursery, and many co-workers, friends, and family gathered to express their con-
gratulations and thanks for his service. Corley developed many close relationships with forestry personnel and frien ds in other agencies during the years and his supervisor sai d he will be missed by those visiting Walker Nursery...Forester DONNA STEWART, a native of Canada who grew up in Oklahoma and earned a degree in forestry fro m Oklahoma State University, has joined the staff at the Stone Mou ntain office to work in urban forestry. Her family moved from Calgary to Oklahoma City when she was a child and later moved to Mustang. The forester is a member of the Society of American Foresters. She enjoys hikin g, camping and horseback riding. She has performed in several rodeos... Ranger HAROLD SMITH of the Columbia County Unit retired in July after a 32year career with the Commission. The ranger, w ho is succeeded by Ran ger W. J. TOWNSEND who transferred from Burke County, was honored at a
PLACE

farewell party given by Richmond County officials, including commissioners, department heads and others. A second party was given by his co-workers and other Commission personnel. Smith , a native of Richmond County, and his wife, Freda, who also recently retired from her work, plan to travel and work in woodcrafts. The couple has six married children and several grandchildren ... Retired Commission Forester CHARLES (CHUCK) PLACE was one of 11 Soil and Water Conservation Society members to receive the national Outstanding Service Award for 1989 at the organization's recent awards meeting in Canada. Place was cited for his work in conservation workshops in Georgia for 26 years which were attended by more than

DILLS

HOLLOWAY

7,000 students...SADIE DILLS, formerly a senior patrolman with the Barrow/ jackson unit, has been promoted to ranger with Forsyth/North Fulton unit. She was employed by the Commission in 1985 as a patrolman with the Barrowjackson unit. A native of Pell City Alabama, Dills is a graduate of Pell City High School. She also attended Gainesville Junior College as an accounting major...JAMES B. HOLLOWAY, JR., a native of Metter w ho served as a patrolm en in Jenki ns County si nce coming with the Commission in 1984, has been named forest ran ger of the Bu rke County Unit. Th e new ranger, a graduate of Metter High School, attended South Georgia Junior College in Douglas. Holloway and his wife, Lyn elle, are active in Charlton Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Collins...

RANGER WILLIAM L. WHITE, who headed the Walker County Unit since 1982, recently retired after 35 years of service to the Commission. White is a native of Walker County and a graduate of the old West Armuchee High School. The ranger, who was given a farewell party in Rome by fellow employees and other friends, lives with his wife, Hazel, and son, Lee, on a farm in Walker County...ALTON
RODGERS, who has served as a patrolman in the Walker County Unit since 1965 was named to succeed White as ranger. The new ranger is a native of the county, a graduate of Walker County High School and an army veteran of the Vietnam War. Rodgers and his wife, Gail, have two daughters, Jamie and Katie...HOWARD STANLEY, nursery coordinator for the.Commission, has retired. A native otcRae, Stanley was employed by the Commission in 1957 as an assistant nurseryman. In 1958, he was promoted to nurseryman and became nursery superintendent in 1966. Five years ago, he was named nursery coordinator. Stanley and his wife, Lynease, reside in Reidsville. Th ey have two sons, William and Lee. A plaque for faithful services was presented to the retiree by Director John Mixon... D. JOEL PRI CE, so n of Ranger Donnie Price, Emanuel County Unit, was named the 1989 F & W Young Forester of the Year fo r Outstandin g Achievement at the 4-H Congress. The youth was prese nted a $500 co llege scholarship by the F& W Forestry consulting firm, w ith home office in Albany.

Good forest management in Georgia means more than good trees. Among many other things, it means cleaner, clearer water. Trees growing along the creek and river banks and at the rim of lakes filter sediment and prevent the run off of soil and pollutants into the water. Trees help maintain habitat for wildlife and enhance boating, fishing and swimming at many recreational sites around the state. Trees make a difference!

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