Georgia forestry, Vol. 44, no. 3 (Fall 1991)

Georgia

FORESTRY

USPS No. 217120

Fall 1991

No.3

Vol. 45

STAFF
Howrd E. Bennett, Editor Willim S. Edwrds, Asso. Editor Jckie N. Swinson Grphic Artist

Zell Miller, Governor John W. Mixon, Director

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Jim l. Gillis, Jr., Chairman, Soperton
Felton Denney, Carrollton James Fendig, Savannah Dr. Gloria Shatto, Rome Robert Simpson, Ill. Lakeland
DISTRICT OFFICES
District One 3086 Martha Berry Hwy.. E/Rome. GA 30161
DistriCl Two 3005 Atlanta Hwy./Gainesville, GA 30501
District Three 1055 E. Whitehall Rd./Athens. GA 30605
District Four P.O. Box 1080/Newnan. GA 30264
District Five 119 Highway 49/Milledgeville, GA 31061
District Six 1485 Tygnall Rd./Washington . GA 30673
District Seven Route 1. Box 23A/Americus. GA 31709
District Eight Route 3, Box 17/Tifton, GA 31794
District , ine P.O. Box 345/Carnilla, GA 31730
Di trict Ten Route 2. Box 2B/State boro, GA 30458
District Eleven Route 1. Box 67/Hel na. GA 31037
District Twelve 5003 Jacksonville Hwy./Waycros . GA ~1501
Urban Forestry 6835 Memorial Drive Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Georgia Forestry is published quarterly by the Georgia Forestry Commission, Route 1, Box 181 , Dry Branch, GA 31020. Second class postage paid at Macon, GA POSTMASTER; Send address changes to Georgia Forestry Commission, Route 1, Box 181 , Dry Branch, GA 31020.
2/Ceorgia Forestry/Fall, 1991

MASSIVE FIELD DAY PLANNED FOR FARM AND FOREST OWNERS

They're doing it again in Griffin! It's a repeat performance of a major event held for landowners in 1987 and 1989, but many new features have been added and the massive demonstration will be "bigger and better than ever" this time. That's the claim of Robert Farris of the Georgia Forestry Commission, coordinator of the third Land Use and Forest Management Field Day scheduled for September 25. It will again be held on 650 acres of forests, fields and streams that comprise a scenic section of the Georgia Experiment Station. The forester, who has been one of the key planners for the field day since it was first held in 1987, based his claim on several new and innovative demonstration areas that are being added this year and other activities that will benefit the more than 2,000 landowners expected to attend. The event is a joint effort of the Forestry Commission and several other state and federal agencies and organizations to show landowners how modern management techniques can enhance forests, soils, streams and wildlife. The demonstrations will not only deal with environmental concerns, but many will illustrate how landowners can gain a greater profit from their resources.
24 DEMONSTRATIONS
A circuit of 24 demonstration stations will be set up on the grounds with from one to four speakers - each an expert in his or her own professional field - at each location. Landowners will be transported from one station to another by a tram system and a barbecue luncheon will be served.
He pointed out that topics to be

thoroughly discussed and demonstrated in a natural setting will range from artificial regenertion , duck pond management and marketing timber to pine straw management, thinn ing practices, taxes and estate planning, and wildlife management.
Registration will begin at 8:00a.m. at the field day site, followed by brief addresses of welcome and a short talk by a prominent speaker to be announced. The event will end at 4:00 p.m. and many valuable door prizes will be given throughout the day.
TOPIC STATIONS
Some of the topic stations and speakers are as foil owes: ARTIFI CIAL REGENERATION - Jim Hawkes and Glen Johnson, Georgia Pacific. Two foresters with a major forest products company discuss and demonstrate site preparation, tree spacing, proper seedling planting techniques and other practices to help assure a good, healthy stand of trees.
DUCK POND MANAGEMENT Tom Hicks and Steve Johnston. These wildlife biologists with the Department of Natural Resources will show and tell how a pond for ducks can be constructed and how an established pond can be rennovated and maintained for top efficiency as a habitat for fowl.
FOREST ROADS/BROAD BASE DRAINAGE DIPS- Ray Doss and Ben Jackson, School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia. Carelessly built logging roads can cause serious soil erosion and stream pollution. These instructors will demonstrate the correct way to build a road and drainage system to avoid any harm to the terrain .

ON THE COVER- Autumn returns to North Georgia. This rural scene in the mountains was captured by Photographer Benny Brewton.

HARDWOOD MANAGEMENT Kim Coder, ExtensionS rvi e, and Dan Sim , U.S. For t Servic . The in truetor will tell how Georgia's hardwood can be profitably managed. Th ey will di cuss hardwood managem nt and marketin g procedure .
GULLY CONTROL - Ken Gran, Soil Conservation Service. Grass seedi ng, grass waterways co nstru ction, ediment pond s. These are some of th e topi cs to be discu sed.
FOREST STEWARDSHIP - David Hoge and Walker Rive rs, Forestry Commission, and Karen Johansen, DNR. Fore t Steward hip in Action i the them e for the field day and thi trio will tell how landowners ca n become involved in a new movement that i weeping across the state.
HOMESITE$, WILD FLOWERS & BACKYARD HABITAT - Larry Morris, Forestry Commission, and Will Corley, Extension Service. This attractive station on the circu it will feature a mall cabin surrounded by wild flowers, bird houses, tree islands and other landscaping innovations that are ideal for a wooded area.
HUNTING ENTERPRISES - Dan Crumpton, consultant forester, and Jeff Jack on, Extension Service. Many landowners are making a good profit by leasing their woodlands to hunting clubs. Th ese two will tell the best way to set up a lease deal, or a "pay as you hunt" type of profit-making venture.
TREE PESTS - Terry Price, Forestry Commission, and Keith Douce, Extension Service. The most common and destructive in ect and di ea es that plague Georgia's fore t will be identified and co ntrol measures will be discu sed.
LAND MANAGEMENT, ESTATE PLANNING , TAXES - Larry All en, Soil Conservation Service; Bruce Pi erce, Forestry Commission; Mark Gibbs, C&S Bank forester; and Bill Gibson , Gibson and Conger Acco unting. Th e new tax system will be thorou ghly discussed and landowners will learn how best to deal with problems that arise. Sound advice on estate planning will
(continued on page 22)
Demonstration scenes at right are just three of the many station that were featured in the 1989 Land Use and Forest Management Field Day at Griffin. An even greater number of demonstrations are being planned for the upcoming field day.

Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1997/3

TURPENTINE FARMER WEAVES EXPERIENCE INTO HISTORICAL NOVEL
~
~~~\

By Howard Bennen

0

ames S. Willoughby always wanted to be a novelist but had to deal with a serious eye problem, the Great Depression, and the day-

to-day business of making a living for his

family before he finally achieved his goal at age 82 .

The Georgia author's historical novel. "The

'Possum Hunter and the Tar Heels," was published

three years ago and has the distinction of being the

only work of fiction based on the South's turpentine

industry. Willoughby writes from personal experi-

ence, coupled with considerable research, as he

weaves an intriguing tale of the naval stores industry

as it moved southward from North Carolina to thrive

for many years in Georgia.

Willoughby, who grew up in rural Alabama in a

family of eight children, was told by his English

teachers in high school that he had a genuine talent

for writing and they encouraged him to plan for

college, but measles settled in his one good eye dur-

ing his junior year and that and other misfortunes

dashed his hopes of pursuing formal education

beyond high school.

After high school graduation in 1925, however,

Willoughby decided to continue his education

through travel and observation , a pursuit that would

broaden the knowledge of a would-be author. He set

out to tour the country mainly by hitchhiking and

stopping long enough along the way to take odd

jobs to support himself. It was a rambling journey

that lasted two years and after working on a ranch in

4/Ceorgia Forestry/Fall, 7997

Wyomin g, in a cannery in California and tackling a variety of other job , he returned home to operate a country tore.
He grew restles after a couple of year as a merchant, took his store' profit of $700 to buy a new Chevrolet and made a s cond wing through several We t rn tate , thi time enjoying better con trol over his destinations by having hi own transportation. Although it was an enjoyable adventure, Willou ghby oon realized that he was, in e ence, chasing an elusive dream - the dream of becoming a succe tul writer- at a time when the country wa in the depths of a depre ion and writers, as well as other profes ional and non- profes ional , were hard pressed to make a living.
Facing that har h reality, he headed back to his native Southland.
Willoughby farmed and operated a turpentine sti ll with a brother for several years, but old his interest when the Depression continued to worsen in the thirti es. He later began to gradually gain a foothold in forestry. His humble beginning a a tree farmer came when he dug a few pines from the wild and planted them along a fence row. " I was surpri ed they lived," he said. " I had always been told that you couldn't tran plant a pine tree and expect it to survive. "
After deflating that transp lant myth, Willoughby

The writer and his wife look over scrapbook containing newspaper and magazine reviews of his book.

saw a great potential in planted pine and hasten ed to find a seedling supplier in an age when fo re t tree nurseries were virtually unknown. He eventually found a ource and planted seven acres in pine, followed by a planting of 70 acres. He later planted 1,000 acres in pines, tarting with the help of "a man and a mule," but completing the large planting by mechani cal means.
The tree farmer owned 3,030 acre of timber at the peak of his career in fore t management, turpentine production, land speculatio n an d real estate, but he said he had to sell much of his land during periods of economic reces ions. Tod ay, hi land consists of 1,000 acres in three Georgia Counties and in South Carolina.
Willou ghby, who now lives in Thom as ton, owned and operated a turpentine still near Cedar Springs for many years and mu ch of the practical experience and technical knowledge he gained there is reflected in his novel.
" It's hard to say when I first tarted writing the book," th e author said," It wa omewhere between 10 and 20 years ago. I would write when I could find a little spare time, which was always hard to come by." He said he did his writing on a rath er ancient and stubborn typewriter, an d " I have only two fingers that know the keyboard ."
Willou ghby believes hi accumulated experien ces in farming, forestry, naval tares, travel and his keen interest in people and places, as well as an ever present, nagging de ire to write, compe lled him to attempt th e arduous ta k of composi ng 450 pages of fiction.
When the book wa finally finished, the author's wife Doris and their on , Donald, an engineer with Ford Motor Company in Detroit; John, a forester in LaGran ge; Ralph, a geologi tin Columbia, S. C.; their wives, an d every grand child who wa old enough to

read and comprehend, reviewed the work and all insisted that the manuscript was too interesting and well crafted to gather dust at the Thomaston home. They agreed it should be publi shed.
However, Willoughby said he soon learned the hard lesson that awaits most writers seekin g a publisher: The publishing houses- especially the major houses - receive an avalanche of unsolicited manuscripts daily, but few are selected for publication and the sales promotion and wide distribution that follows.
After Willoughby had received his share of rejection slips from publishers, his son Donald came to the rescue. He formed Tall Timber Publishin g Company and had a co mpany in Mi chigan print 1,000 copies.
***
Although the author spent half his life in the naval stores industry, he said " I always wanted to be a writer, even since childhood, and I never intended to get into the turpentine business. It is something I just backed into and when it became a part of my life, it gave me an opportunity to write on a subject I knew a lot about." He also wrote a book of poems.
"Musings Among the Pines by a Georgia Tree Farmer," and he dedicated it to his wife on their 50th wedding anniversary, but he quipped: " Writing poetry is not my hobby, it's my affliction ."
Willoughby never expected his book to make the national best seller list as compiled by the New York Times, but the novel does have considerable regional appeal and has received good reviews in several newspaper and magazines. Most of the original copies, both paperback and hard cover, have been sold but the writer is uncertain as to whether he will order a second printing, claiming rising costs of production and distribution might be prohibitive.
Manuals, brief histories and magazine articles have been written from time to time on the naval stores industry, but James S. Willougby's " The 'Possum Hunters and the Tar Heels" stands alone as the book that reveals the full story as told both dramatically and factually through the voices of John Guilford, Nash Holden, Jack Parkins and several other colorful and unforgettable fictional characters.
Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1991/5

The University of Georgia's Thompson Mills Forest in Jackson County has been designated the state arboretum by the Georgia General Assembly. The 318-acre forest was deeded to the university in 1980 by Lenox Thornton Thompson of Roswell to be used by the School of Forest Resources as a teaching and research facility.
Since 1980, the forest has served as a site for studies of trees and natural plant communities. The forest includes more than 100 indigenous species in addition to approximately 80 native trees grown from seeds collected within the state.
Claud Brown, UGA professor emiritus of forest resources, said that in the next few years the arboretum will include all native trees of the Southeastern United States. Brown, who has spent the past 10 years working to establish the arboretum, said inclusion of all Southeastern tree species would be a unique accomplishment for any arboretum in the region - and possibly the nation.
Brown, a native of Flowery Branch, Georgia, graduated from the University of Georgia in 1949 with a degree in forestry. His first job following graduation was with the Commission as a ranger for Screven County. He returned to UGA and earned his master's in botany in 1954. Brown graduated from Harvard with a PhD in biology in 1958.
From 1958 to 1960, Dr. Brown was in charge of the genetics program at Texas A&M University for the Texas Forest Service. He returned to UGA in 1960 as a professor in the School of Forest Resources.
Although now retired, Brown continues to work with development of the arboretum and has even managed to co-author a book titled Trees of Georgia and Adjacent States with L. Katherine Kirkman. The 292-page
6/Ceorgia Forestry/Fall, 7991

book contains 432 identifying color photographs of trees.
However, the Thompson Mills Forest remains Brown 's primary interest, as it has been for the past decade. He points out that the forest posesses great potential as an arboretum for a variety of reasons including diverse terrain. Numerous habitats include flood plains and swampy areas fringing the Mulberry River, fertile stream bottoms, numerous ravines with steep slopes and dry ridges, and an extensive granite outcrop that harbors threatened plant species.
Dr. Claud Brown, professor emiritus of the University of Georgia and arboretum promoter.
A preliminary study of wild flowers in the arboretu m has identified more than 150 species ranging from Amphianthus (an endangered species) to Sundrops. Brown said a documented floristic survey of the forest has not been completed , but is expected to progress as the arboretum develops. He said that development of a quality arboretum is a slow and meticulous process t hat will serve many generations to come.
Several miles of foot trails already wind through th e

"The objective of
the Arboretum is to have
all native trees of
Georgia growing in
one locale and
provide a repository for
endangered plant species
so visitors can study, observe,
and just enjoy nature."
forest, offering over 150 species of native trees and shrubs identified with permanent, color-coded labels. Approximately 85 percent of Georgia's 213 native trees are now included in the arboretum, with more trees being planted each year. In addition, over 138 species of exotic conifers in 27 genera have been established with flowering trees representing 79 genera.
The pinetum now contains all native conifers of Georgia - and over 100 exotic taxa of gymnosperms from 27 different countrie . A collection of this magnitude is considered invaluable to students of dendrology and to researchers in genetics, tis ue culture, ecology, silviculture and conservation.
"With continued additions to this conifer collection, in time the Georgia state arboretum should have one of the most extensive collections of conifers in North America," Brown said.
Brown gives much of the credit for the arboretum's successful development to his UGA colleague Dr. Harry Sommer, an associate professor of forest resources who has worked with Brown on the project since its inception.
"Dr. Sommer has been instrumental in obtaining seeds from all over the world for the arboretum," Brown said. "He is internationally recognized for his research on tissue culture and cloning forest trees."
Brown said that as the arboretum progresses, it will become an increasing supplement to the state botanical gardens in Athens. "The objective of the arboretum is to have all native trees of Georgia growing in one locale and provide a repository for endangered plant species - so visitors can study, observe, and just enjoy nature. This will supplement the botanical garden's primary orientation toward horticultural and other flowering plants."
During the past 10 years, the Thompson Mills Forest has been used by an increasing number of dendrology
Assistant forest manager Bill Lott examines eight-yearold stand of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster). This species, indigenous to the Mediterranean basin, is the source of Pycnogenal - trade name for a recently developed antioxidant now sold in U. 5. health food stores. This stand- the only one of its kind in the statemay be a role model for future Georgia generations, if health food market demand continues to increa e.

Anyone touring the new state arboretum will encounter Bill Lott, who has served as tour guide and assistant forest resource manager for the pa t ten years. A virtual walking encyclopedia of forestry knowledge, Lott can rattle off a stream of species an genus facts at the drop of a pine cone.
However, Lott has no forestry degree or any formal training in forestry. It's not that he has anything against formal education - he has an associate of liberal studies degree from Gainesville College. In fact, he took "just about every cour e they offered ."
"I took courses until the president of the college told me I would have to go somewhere else, that there was nothing left for me to take," Lott remembers.
In addition to exhausting academic offerings of Gainesville College, Lott also managed to take every "beef cattle short course" conducted by the University of Georgia for 14 years.
So how did Lott learn so much about forestry and evolve as keeper of the state arboretum? "Practical application," he says. During a decade of cultivating and nurturing Thompson Mills Forest, Lott said he personally planted more than 5,000 trees - which include approximately 200 native specie and 100 species of exotic conifers. Periodically he would refer to his book laden truck that includes texts on trees, weeds, birds and mushrooms.
"I 've always been interested in trees," Lott said, "but most of my early learning came from school FFA programs." Lott now serves annually as ajudge in the FFA State Forestry Field Day Finals held at Commission headquarters in Macon. Also sought after for numerous speaking engagements, Lott says he could speak to some group every night, if he wants to.
Lott says some people regard the Thompson Mills Forest as "the best kept secret in the state" during its ten year cultivation period. But this lack of limelight did not prevent considerable attention . Visitors have ranged from local school groups to the Secretary General of Mainland China; and Lott has attracted interviews from such contrasting publication as the Jackson Herald and Wall Street Journal.

students, 4-H Club groups, Boy Scout civi c group . foresters, etc. Currently, the arboretum i open to individuals and small groups only by appointment b cause complete visitor facilities are not yet completed.
The arboretum is now open on week day and closed on w eekend . Individuals and groups interested in visiting the arboretum may contact William Lott (404-654-2666) to schedule a tour. Additional information on the arboretum may be obtained by calling the Univer ity of Georgia School of Forest Resources (404-542-2686).
Federal Energy Commission biomass research site in Thompson Mills Forest is protected by electric fence that discourages deer from feeding on black locust trees. Middle photo: All specie of pine native to Georgia grow on this impressive tra ct. A similar tract supports all species of native oak. Bottom Photo: Leaf of Big Leaf Magnolia species has leaf removed for study. 8/Ceorgia Forestry/Fall, 1991

STATE TREE OF GEORGIA
ADDED TO NATIONAL GROVE
The live oak - Georgia's State Tree -and trees representing nine other states were planted in Washington, D. C. during a ceremony thi summ er which officially established the ational Grove of Trees, a gift from the state foresters from across th e United States.
The grove was dedicated on April 25 , 1990, and th e design for the grounds was approved last January, bu t the initial planting in June was a beginning that wi ll ultimately include trees from all states and the District of Columbia. Each will receive a symbolic deed for an area of 10,000 feet for the planting of a state tree, with future plans calling for the planting of understory native plants, including wildflowers.
John Mixon, director of the Georgia Fore t ry Commission and president of the National Associatio n of State Foresters, and Dale Robertson, Chief ofthe U.S. Forest Service, were among those officiating in th e planting ceremony. Mixon said " it is fittin g that th e states are united in a project that will give vi sitors to our national capital an opportunity to visit a unique forest, a grove that will be both educational and inspirational. It will be an opportunity for a person to tour a 30-acre site and see all the important trees of the entire nation."
Robertson said the grove " is a monument t o America's forest resources and a place where visitors from every state will be able to find a little piece of home." The Forest Service Chief said the grove is not just a living museum, but also an important resource for the arboretum 's continuing research programs.
Visitors to the grove, which was designed by a firm in Alexandria, VA., will follow a set of markers and a connecting trail to experience the beauty, harmony and th e variety of state trees when the project is compl eted within the next two years.
Other states included in the initial planting were Arkansas (short leaf pine), Delaware (American holly), Illinois (white oak), Iowa (bur oak), Maryland (white oak), ebraska (cottonwood), South Dakota (Black Hills spruce), Texas (pecan), and Virginia (flowering dogwood).
Other organizations participating in the establ ishment of the grove included the American Forest Council, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, and the U.S. National Arboretum.

The Commission's District 7, with headquarters in Americus, was presented the Outstanding Forestry District Award at the annual convention of the Georgia Forestry Association.
The district was praised for its balanced activities that promote good forestry practices and provide excellent protection of the forestlands. The selection committee said the district has the cleanest and best maintained equipment, buildings and grounds in the state.
Dawson County won the Outstanding Forestry Unit Award in Region 1 and the Macon-Schley Unit took honors for the best in Region II.
The Dawson Unit, along with the Dawson Forest, captured the award because of the pride and skills of its personnel as reflected in the well maintained equipment and buildings. The ranger and patrolmen were e pecially commended for constructing the unit office from pine that has been planted, harvested and manufactured into lumber by GFC per onnel. The Macon-Schley Unit's award was based on its unique programs for chool , civic club and other groups that effectively promote good forestry in the two counties. An essay contest is conducted in the public chools and Project Learning Tree is a popular project. In fire protection, the unit maintains one of the best records in the state.

Top left: Bob lzlar, executive director of the Georgia Foresty Association, presents Outstanding County Unit Awards to Ranger james Conner, left, Macon-Schley Counties, and Ranger jerry Barron, Dawson County. In the photo above, Larry Walker, technical manager of Procter and Gamble Cellulose Company, Oglethorpe, displays the Wise Owl Awardjust minutes after receiving the coveted award at the convention. Below, Jzler present the Outstanding Forestry Di trict Award to District Forester Rowe Wall of the Commis ion Americu District.

89TH ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION
Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1991/9

COMMISSION'S ARST URBAN FORESTER RETIRES

The first retirement of an urban forester by the Commission marks an increasing national interest in a field that is still in its infancy, according to retirin g Atlanta urban
forester, Louie Deaton. A native of Atlanta, Deaton came with the Commission
in 1958. As one of the first urban foresters in the Southern United States, Deaton began his urban duties in the early 1960s. The Atlanta area's rapid growth created environmental challenges that prompted the nation's first full urban forestry program to be established under the direction of John Mixon, now state director of the Commission.
Despite advancement of urban forestry programs through the years (every state now has a program of some sort), Deaton still regards the field to be in its infancy, with many demands yet to be fulfilled. He plans to work on hi own after retirementto encourage universitiesto establish urban forestry majors within their forestry curricu lums.
Deaton recalls that one major factor in accelerating the development of Georgia's forestry program was the 1962 pine beetle epidemic. Attempting to control the beetle spread, Deaton and other foresters visited urban homeowners and suggested they cut down infested trees.
"While we were doin g that, we wound up giving advice on their shade trees too," Deaton said. Th e hade tree concerns continued to mount and the definite need for an urban forestry unit was established.
Deaton was designated a metro forester in 1965; by 1967 the metro program had officially become the Urban Forestry Program coordinated by John Mixon.
Commission Director Mixon remembers Deaton during the early years of urban fore try as a dedicated forester who never knew when it was time to go home. " He'd gladly work past quitting time to help homeowners with shade tree cases," Mixon recalls.

Deaton 's dedicated work throu gh the years resulted in a long list of awards. After working hours he frequently spoke to civic organizations and other groups. Deaton was recently recognized at the 1990 Georgia Urban Council as Outstanding Educator of 1990.
Numerous awards ca me from his activities with garden clubs, schools, soil and water conservation, contractors, urban homeowners, nurserymen, and scouting. One o f Deaton 's most prized responses to his efforts is a1982 personal letter from President Ronald Reagan congratulatin g
LOUIE DEATON
him on his scouting activities. With environmental concerns increasi ng every day,
Deaton sees a vital and expanding role for urban forestry in the future. Although retired from hisformal duties with th e Commission, he plans to remain active in urban forestry and environmental efforts.
Of his past efforts and numerous awards, Deaton says modestly, "I ju thad a knack for doing exhibit and talki ng to the public."

DRY KILN SEMINAR
SET FOR OCTOBER
The Southern Yellow Pin e HighTemperature Dry Kiln Seminar, sponsored annually by the University of Georgia Extension Service, i scheduled for October 8-9 this year in the Research Auditorium at the Georgia Forestry Center in Macon.
The semi nar provides: ba ic information about how wood drie ; how to operate lumber dry kiln ; and up-todate information on techniques and procedures for improving quality of pine lumber dried at high temperatures. The seminar is designed for kiln operators, new and experienced. However, much information useful to mill manager responsible for dry kiln ,
70/Ceorgia Forestry/Fall, 1991

uch a drying costs, equipment needs and quality control, is pre ented.
Th e eminar will begin at 9 a.m . on October 8, and will end with a mill tour in the afternoon of October9. Th e cost will be $85 for the first registrant from a particular mill, and $70 for each additional registrant from the mill. The registration fee will include the co ts of two lunche , morning and afternoon break , the plant tour and the book Drying Southern Pine Lumber, publi hed by the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association.
OCONEE FOREST GAINS 815 ACRE RIVER TRACT
An 815-acre tract of forest land along the Ocmulgee River between Jack on

and Monticello in Jasper County has been added to the Oconee National Forest.
The property was optioned for purchase in March from a private owner by The Trust for Public Land and held terreconveyance to the U. S. Forest Service. A ceremony acknowledging the acquisition and deed transfer to the Forest Service was held in late July at the old Union Terminal Railroad Station in M acon. Senator Wyche Fowler and Congres man J. Roy Rowland participated in the brief program.
The fore t land wa purchased with $1 million allocated from provision introduced in the FY 1991 Senate Interior Appropriations Bill. The tract wi ll be incorporated in the Oconee National Fore t for managem nt in the River Protection Program.

FORESTRY SCHOOL RENAMED WARNELL

The University of Georgia School of Forest Resources has been dedicated to and renamed for the late Daniel B. Warnell (1881-1945), a native of
Southeast Georgia whose life reflects numerous forestry related successes during a difficult financial period that lacked today's technology.
The university's D. B. Warnell School of Forest Resources is named after a man who was not a scholar in the current traditional sense, yet he served on the Senate University of Georgia Committee. The essence of the legacy he left is a love for the land and a work ethic that benefits from wise use of available methods and resources .
Warnell's business affiliation with forestry began at age 15 when he became a woods rider and bookkeeper for the Kicklighter Naval Stores operation in Goveland. At 18, he and his brother purchased and began operating a turpentine still in Bulloch County. At 24, he purchased his brother's interest in the business and began expanding. Through the years, Warnell acquired numerous naval stores assets throughout Southeast Georgia.
Warnell was elected in 1931 to the Georgia House of Representatives and served in this position until1937. He served in the Georgia Senate from 1937 through 1939. While serving in the Georgia Legislature, he worked to promote forestry, agriculture, game and fish, transportation, banking, and education (including the University of Georgia). Among his most concentrated legislative interests were efforts for statewide forest fire protection.

Mary Ida Phillips, widow of L. L. " Pete" Phillips, stands with Dr. Leon Hargreaves, }r., retired dean of the School of Forest Resources, in front of the new facility named in honor of her late husband.

NEW FOREST SCHOOL BUILDING

MEMORIAL TO ''PETE'' PHILLIPS

@] enerations of forestry students and researchers will have access to the L. L. "Pete" Phillips Wood Utilization and Plant Sciences Building on the campus of the University of Georgia, but few will ever realize the outstanding contributions made to forestry by the person for whom the new facility is named.
Phillips, a 1949 graduate of the School of Forest Resources at the University of Georgia and a member of the House of Representatives for 20

years, died in 1987, leaving legislative accomplishments that continue to benefit the forestry community and environmental interests around the state.
Following recent ceremonies dedicating the new building at the forestry school's Whitehall Forest, Director John W. Mixon of the Georgia Forestry Commission described Phillips as "a loyal friend of forestry, a skilled legislator who was dedicated to helping make and keep Georgia one of the most advanced forestry states in the nation." The director said "the fact that Pete was a graduate forester and a forest landowner himself gave him an insight into the vast economic potential forests hold for our state."
The state representative, who was Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee for many years and also
served on the Ways and Means Committee, Appropriations Committee, Education Committee, was a native of Treutlen County. After
(continued on pg. 18)

At left, Carolyn Warnell Bryan, daughter of Daniel B. Warnell, unveils plaque designating new name of school.
Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1991/11

AN OTHER IN A SERIES OF STORIES ON OUTSTANDING COUNTY FORESTRY UNITS

To become an outstanding forestry unit just didn't happen by chance. The Macon/Schley Forestry Unit obtained this status as a result of hard work and dedication on the part of Senior Forest Ranger james Conner and the other personnel in the unit. It is always a pleasure to see a unit progress and develop a wellrounded forestry program for the forest landowners.
-Americus District Forester Rowe Wall

James R. Conner was a ten-year-old Toombs County farm boy when he had a frightening experience that taught him the dangers that lurk in fo rest fires- even deliberately set and carefully controlled forest fires.
Conner, ranger of the Commission's Macon-Schley County Forestry Unit since 1984, said his father and their neighbors worked together in the late 1950' to burn off forested tracts and after one particular burn, when it was a sumed the fire was " dead out," he was walking with another boy through th e woods when his companion suddenly stepped into a burning stump hole and couldn't get his leg out.
Conner called to his father, who was walking ahead of them, and the seriously burned boy was rescued fro m the trap. Although he didn 't lose his leg, as they had feared for a while, he was handicapped for life.
High Achievement
The vivid memory of that accident has stayed with Conner and now he never fails to stress safety to his patrolmen when they go out on a fire or engage in any other hazardous duty. A good safety record, however, is not the only achievement that had given the unit a high performance rating. The personnel, which includes three patrolmen and two tower operators, protects the 350,000 acres of forests in the two counties by holding the average wildfire to less than 2.5 acres, about half that of the statewide average. The unit averages selling approximately 1.5 million seedlings annually and has encouraged and assisted landowners in placing 14,000 acres under the Conservation Reserve Program since it began five years ago.
The unit is known for its close cooperation with county com-
12/Ceorgia Forestry/Fall, 7997

m1ss1oner , city officials, other tate and county agencies, and the pulp and paper industry. There is also a good relationship with forest landowners throu ghout Macon and Schley Counties.
Ran ger Conner, a grad uate of Toombs Central High School in Lyon s,

came with the Commission in 1979 as patrolman in the Montgomery, Treutlen, Wh eeler County Unit. He transferred to Macon County as ran ger five year later and was promoted to en ior forest ranger in 1989.
The ran ger is District 7 coordinator for Project Learning Tree and has

MACON-SCHLEY FORESTRY UNIT

helped train more than 300 teacher in PLT. He is also coordinator for
ommunity Wildland Fire Defense Training. He has conducted a forestry es ay contest for local fifth graders for the past three years and recently taged the unit's 36th annual Miss Macon County Forestry Pageant.
The ranger is married to the former Miss Brenda Kay Brook of Glenwood, an insurance clerk at Flint River Community Hospital. They have two children, James, 13, and Chelsea, 8. The family attends Cedar Valley Baptist Church. Conner is a member of the Macon County Jaycees, Travelers Rest Lodge, Scottish Rite and Shrine in Macon.
Patrolman Curtis Journey
Macon County forest landowners appreciate the services they receive from Patrolman Curtis Journey, especially the protection against wildfires. They also respect him for his knowledge of soils, insects and other forestry and agricultural concerns.
Journey, who came with the Commission in 1981, attended Albany State College and while a student he was employed by the Great Basin Experiment Area in Provo, Utah. It was a working experience to study plants and insects. He also worked for a time with the Soil Conservation Service in Oglethorpe and gained valuable knowledge concerning erosion control and other agricultural practices.
The patrolman said he enjoys his work and the involvement with landowners, volunteer firemen in the county's Rural Fire Defense departments and other citizens that call on him for assistance.
Journey, a native of Macon County, lives in Montezuma with his wife, Patrena, who is employed at Robins Air Force Base. They attend New Hope Baptist Church.
Patrolman Brent McCarty
Forest Patrolman Brent McCarty, a native of Americus, served four years in the U. S. Air Force and spent much of that time as a jet engine mechanic.
At left, Patrolman Brent McCarty confers with Ranger james Conner. In other photos, Patrolman Curtis journey checks his tractor and Patrolman Wayne Griffin repairs his pickup truck.

aturally, he has no trouble maintaining the less complicated engines that keep the firefighting equipment in top shape at the unit' Schley County headquarters in Ellaville.
McCarty, who came with the unit in 1988, said he cho e a career with the Commission because he enjoys the outdoorwork. He formerly worked for a construction company. As instructor in the Community Wildland Defense Training, he teaches fire behavior, fire tactics and other techniques to citizens of his county. He is district winner in Top Gun competition .
The patrolman, who attended Georgia Southwestern College, is a sportsman and amazed fellow wild turkey hunters recently when he bagged two gobbler with just one shot. When he is not hunting game during his off duty time, he often helps his wife, Kay, who operates a florist shop with her mother in Ellaville. He said he has learned a lot about flowers, but leaves the flower arranging business for weddings, funerals and other occasions to the women .
McCarty and his wife have one son, Daniel, 4. They attend Ellaville Baptist Church.
Patrolman Wayne Griffin
Patrolman Wayne Griffin came with the unit in 1986 and said he has "loved every minute of it," although firefight-

ing and other Commission duties presented a drastic change from working with his family on a 4,000 acre farming operation in Macon and Dooly Counties.
The large acreage included land both owned and leased by Griffin , his father and four brothers and at one time 2,000 acres of cotton was grown on the highly mechanized farm . The patrolman said it was a successful operation until the drought hit in 1977. He said his father died in 1979 and he and hi brothers finally gave up large scale farming in 1983.
Today, Griffin maintains a small farm a a sideline, but said he has adjusted to working for the Commission and is glad he made the change.
The patrolman is a native of Tifton and a graduate of Unadilla High School. His wife Betsy own and operates a flori t shop in Montezuma and they have three daughters: Jennifer, Sally and Grace. Jennifer was named Miss Macon County Forestry in 1989. The family attends Cedar Valley Baptist Church.
Griffin considers hunting his favorite hobby, especially since he won a brand new Ford pickup truck from a deer processing company in 1984 for bagging the top Boone and Crockett deer in a statewide contest.
Towerman Ferman land
Tower Operator Ferman Lane has been climbing the 135 steps of the

100-foot tower at the Macon County

Unit for 31 years and he has looked

down on many dramatic changes dur-

ing those three decades of Commis-

sion progress.

.

He has seen a complete turnover m

unit personnel and many advances in

equipment, training and com-

munications. Every buildin g, including

office, shop and truck shed , has been

replaced with modern structures since

he came with the Commission.

The tower operator doesn't recall

any dramatic moments while standing

guard over the county's forests, but he

does remember being chased down

from the tower by lightning bolts on

several occasions.

Lane said he enjoys walking and gets

in three miles each day by walking

from his home to the unit tower. About

once each year he takes off to North

Georgia or Tennessee to pursue

another hobby, mountain climbing.

Lane, a native of Marion County and

a graduate of Montezuma High

School, is a member of First Baptist

Church in Montezuma.

TWO SHORT COURSES

SCHEDULED AT UGA

Charles McMath manages the fire tower in Schley County and he has enjoyed that job for 28 years. On a clear day he can see for about 23 miles from the vantage point of the 85-foot tower and he said he never tires of the scenery.
McMath, who grew up on a Schley County farm and attended Oglethorpe High School, said most of his observation has been routine; he has not spotted any spectacular forest fires during his career and about the only excitement that comes his way is provided by the U. S. Air Force.
His tower is in the training corridor used by both Moody and Eglin Air Force Bases and when the swift fighter planes sweep across the sky at a low altitude, the steel structure trembles.
McMath said he is content to man the tower and work as guardian of the county's forests and declares that the job "certainly beats picking cotton," a back-breaking chore he had to endure while growing up on the farm.
The tower operator, who is unmarried, lives on a small farm near Ellaville and is a member of the local United Methodist Church.

A short course entitled Wood Procurement Management will be held at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education October 1-2.
The course will cover the principles of wood procurement, legal and business factors , analysis of wood supply information, environmental regul ations, economic analysis of procurement and harvesting decisions, an d computer software to support many of these activities.
The instructors are Tom Harris an d Fred Cubbage. The course has been approved for 13 hours of Category 1 Continuing Forestry Education.
A short course, Herbicides in Fo restry: Assessing and Controlling Competition in Pine Stands, will be held at Center for Continuing Education, October 14 - 16.
The course will examine th e methods for assessing competiti on prior to treatment, prescriptions for controlling competition with chemicals, the responses to various treatments and non-timber issues related to the use of chemicals. A full-day fi eld trip will demonstrate assessment pro-
diD
- - - - - - 1111 - - - - --
The University o fGeorgia
Georgia Ccmcr for Continuing Education
cedures and illustrate the effects and appropriateness of various treatments.
The instructors will be from the forest industry, universities, the U. S. Forest Service, private consultants and the chemical industry. The course has been approved for eight hours of Category 1 Continuing Forestry Education. Itwill also provide recertification training for commercial pesticide applicators.
Foradditional information on the short courses, contact Dr. Richard C. Field, Forestry Programs, Georgia Center for Continuing Education, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 or by phone (404) 542-3063.

TowerOperators Ferman Lane, top photo, and Charles McMath above, guard the forests of two counties. Ranger Conner said both are veteran employees who seldom take annual or sick leave.

14/Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1991

MISS GUM SPIRITS

SELECTED FOR YEAR

Pretty joni Dwozen said she practically "grew up" in her father's drug store in Milan and plans to pursue a career in pharmacy, but she is currently concentrating on her reign as Miss Gum Spirits of Turpentine.
The 17-year-old student at Dodge County High School won the title at the annual convention of the Georgia Forestry Association on jekyll Island. She was selected from a wide field of contestants representing Georgia's naval stores producing counties. She will represent the industry for one year and one of the promotion s will be a calendar produced by the American Turpentine Farmers which will feature her photograph.
The new queen for the industry said, "since I won the title many people have asked me what gum spirits means and I asked if they have ever noticed those little cups attached to all those pine trees in our part of the state." She confessed she doesn't know a lot about the industry but is willing to learn.
Miss Gum Spirits is the daughter of Freddie and Rhonda Dwozen of Milan. She is active in a dance group and a member of a tennis team in her school. She enjoys reading, listening to music and traveling. She will begin her senior year this fall at Dodge County High and after graduation plans to attend Middle Georgia College, later transferring to the Pharmacy School at the University of Georgia.
The student, who was regional winner in the )C Penney Seventeen Cover Girl contest, lives with her family on a 405-acre Certified Tree Farm near Milan. The farm has been in her mother's family since 1850 and

jim Gillis of Soperton, president of the American Turpentin e Farmers Association, congratulates }ani Dwozen of Milan, the new Miss Gum Spirits.
Joni represents the eighth generation to reside there. She represented Eastman at the Rotary Youth Leadersh ip
Awards Conference, served on the Student Council at her school for four years, and was second runner-up in the Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant.

Tifton celebrates landscape grant acquisition. Left to right are Bob Ragsdale,

Tourism Association; Sharon Dolliver, Forestry Commission; David Dixon, DOT;

Patsy Bryan, Council of Garden Clubs; james Tidwell, Forestry Commi sian;

Leroy Rogers, city commissioner; and Charles Kent, commissioner.

76/Ceorgia Forestry/Fall, 7997

(Photo Courtesy of Tifton Gazette)

LANDSCAPE GRANT AWARDED TO TIFTON
The recently redesigned section of Interstate Highway 75 that passes through Tifton will soon be lan dscaped at its exits, thanks to a $10,000 federal grant for beautification plu s a matching fund for that amount from the Tifton-Tift County Tourism Association.
The challenge grant was provided under the America The Beautiful program and is one of several urban and community forestry initiatives adm inistered by the Georgia Forestry Commission.
Sharon Dolliver, coordinator of the Commission's Urban Forestry activities and a member of the grant election committee, accepted an invitation from local representatives to attend a luncheon celebrating the acquisition of fund .

VALDOSTA STUDENT NEW MISS GEORGIA FORESTRY

Miss Georgia Forestry said she is not a desk person but she poses as a pretty secretary as Ranger David Westberry acquaints her with some of the Commission's literature.

mf you saw a pretty, smiling girl soaked to the skin in her silk gown as she rode a prize winning float down Atlanta's rain-drenched Peachtree Street in the annual July 4th parade, you were seeing Kecia Strickland, Miss Georgia
Forestry. The televised parade was the first
event in which the new queen of forestry will participate during her reign of one year. The good natured 20-yearold Valdosta State College student laughs about the soggy Atlanta experience and now looks forward to participating in other parades, festivals, regional fairs and other events to represent forest interests.
Kecia is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roger Strickland of Waycross and represented Lowndes County at the state pageant on jekyll Island, where she won the title in competition with 52 other young ladies. After another year of college in Valdosta, she plans to enter Georgia State University in Atlanta to study broadcast journalism. "One of my friends is in that profes-

sion," she said "and she is always telling how great it is."
The student said she is "a people person and not a desk person ... I like to mix with people and work with words, and investigative reporting sounds exciting to me." She also finds singing exciting and considers music another career objective. She began singing when she was four years old and as a teenager she was selected for the Show Choir, a choral group represe nting singers from across the state that tours Washington, Chicago and other cities.
Miss Georgia Forestry, who was crowned by the retiring queen, Ann Bates of Ware County, plays the piano, likes to cook" when I'm in the mood for it" and attends jamestown Baptist Church when she returns to Waycross to visit her parents, her brother Roger, 17, and sister Mandy, 13.
She recently toured the Georgia Forestry Commission headquarters in Macon and other facilities to become more famil iar with forestry and its impact on the economy of the state.

Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1991/17

GEORGIA YOUTHS TAKE SECOND PLACE HONORS
A team of youths from Georgia took home second place honors this year during the 12th annual National 4-H Forestry Invitational, a four-day event sponsored by the International Paper Company Foundation.
Team members were Clay Tomlinson, 17, Kristie Cason, 16, Stacey Tomlinson , 17, and Lynn Barber, 17, all of Homerville. Other team awards went to Alabama, first place; Arkansas, third; Louisiana, fourth; and Texas, fifth.
Participants tried thier skills at tree measurement, forest evaluation and other forestry events
PHILLIPS HONORED
(continued from pg. 11)
graduation from the local high school, he attended Georgia Teachers College, a school known today as Georgia Southern University. He later served four years in the U.S. Navy, with a tour of duty in the Phillipines.
Phillips earned his degree in forestry at the University of Georgia after leaving military service. He entered the political arena in 1946, and with the exception of two years following reaportionment in his district, he served in the House until 1987, the year of his death.
The lawmaker's widow, Mary Ida, also a native of Treutlen County and a former school teacher, said her husband was intensely interested in promoting good forestry and conservation and that she is appreciative of the honor the university has bestowed on his name. She recalls having accompanied him to the annual conference of the Georgia Forestry Association for 30 years and to other functions that gave her an understanding of the importance of his work as a legislator.
Phillips was active in the Ohoopee Soil Conservation District and a longstanding member of the Lions Club, one of the organizations that supports Soperton and Treutlen County's mammoth Million Pines Festival each year. He taught a Sunday School class for 20 years at Soperton United Methodist Church. 18/Ceorgia Forestry/Fall, 1991

The book Man and Nature, which was published back in 1864 by Georgia Perkins Marsh, has been called the first environmental history and one of the sources of today's conservation movement.
Marsh drew on the past to illustrate how human actions had harmed the earth and led to the demise of earlier civilizations. Marsh wanted not only to warn his contemporaries against this fate but also to inspire measures to prevent it. One prevention measure that Marsh advocated was forest protection.
Marsh's concern for nature arose first from his childhood play in the forests near Woodstock, Vermont, where he was born in 1801. He was a bookish youth who was plagued with eye problems that forced him to cease reading for periods throughout his life; nature thus became his other teacher.
Marsh was a wide-ranging scholar who relied on common sense observations in his work. His firsthand observation of the rapid harvesting of Vermont forests led to his blaming the decline of fish upon this practice. Thus he began to note the relationship of soil , water, and plant cover that he wrote of later in Man and Nature.
FORMER EMPLOYEE DIES
Thomas B. Hankinson, of Martin, S. C. died recently from cancer. He was a 1949 graduate of the University of Georgia School of Forestry and was employed by the Georgia Forestry Commission for 20 years.
Hankinson worked at several locations with the Commission and had a statewide management project for several years. He was assistant forest management chief in the Macon office for ten years and was most recently a consulting forester in South Carolina.

TREE HOUSE PROTOTYPE BEING BUILT IN ATLANTA
There is a unique tree house being built in Bessie Branham Park in the Kirkwood Neighborhood in Atlanta with the deck in the shape fo the United States.
Cooperators in the project, including the U. S. Forest Service, Georgia Pacific Corporation, City of Atlanta, Georgia Forestry Commission and the University of Georgia, are building th e tree house to serve as an educational center on forestry and to familiarize children with the National Forests. The project in Atlanta is a prototype for similar tree houses that may be built in large cities across the United States.
Rising between two large trees, the Urban Tree House is high enough off the ground to give children the impression they are actually in the branches.
Displays space will be built in 'and around the deck. The displays will change periodically and will reflect the educational goals of the cooperators and highlight special events.
PARIS TO HOST CONGRESS
The 1Oth World Forestry Congress will be held September17-26 in Paris, a first time for France to host the organization's annual meeting.
Planners said the general theme of the congress will be " Forests, A Heritage for the Future" and will offer the international forestry community an opportunity to discuss in depth the future role of forests, their use and conservation.
ANNUAL MEETING SLATED
The Forest Farmers Association is making plans for the 1992 Southern Conference and Annual Meeting to be held April 22-24 at Callaway Gardens. One of the features of the annual meeting next year will be a workshop on timber taxes, conducted by Dr. Harry L Haney of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

ANNUAL RETIREE DAY IS SCHEDULED The third annual reunion of retired employees of the Georgia Forestry Commi ssion will be held Friday, September 27, at the Forestry Center in Macon. Th e reunion arrangements committee is urging all retired personnel and their spouses to attend. An entertaining day has been planned.

SEARCH FOR THE BIG ONES

Georgia's " Social Regi ter of Big Trees" publication offers everybody an equal opportunity to go down in forestry history as the discoverer of a State Champion Tree. A champion tree is the largest of its pecie . All trees native or naturalize d in Georgia are eligibl e.
Ri chard Jernigan , staff forester for the Commission who coordinates the state's Champion Tree Program , said the competition is " wide open " because numerous eligible species have never been entered. He pointed out that all tree species native or naturalized in Georgia are eli gible.
"A lot of people think all the champion trees in Georgia have been found ," Jernigan said, "but that's a long way from the truth. Existin g recordsare frequently broken . There are plenty of native Georgia trees that have never been entered in th e competition- and a lon g list of naturalized species that could be added. "
Winnin g trees - with names of finders - are listed in state's 'Social

Register of Big Trees" publication . If a state winner turns out to be a national champion, th e listin g is included in the " National Register of Big Trees."
There are currently 158 Georgia Champion s," Jerni gan said. " Sixteen of these are al so national champion s or co-champions. So th ere's always th e chance that a Georgia winn er could be a National Champion."
There is a mistaken notion that champion trees are found only in deep and remote woods, but records show that champions have been found everywhere from backyards to vacant lots in heavily populated urban areas; and many species are overlooked or ignored for various reasons. Georgia species for which no entry has ever been made are : Chalk Maple, Butternut, Carolina Hickory, and Hazel
Georgia State Champion Pecan Tree is examined by Richard Jernigan, Commission staff forester who coordinates the Champion Tree program.

Alder.
Jernigan said some species are not entered because they are not as abundant as others. However, other species may not attract attention because a champion might be relatively small compared to other winners.
" For example," Jernigan said, "the national champion Eastern Baccharis is only 21 feet tall with a one and one quarter inch circumference and 20foot' crown spread. So anyone not familiar with the species probably would not be impressed with this tree. "
Contrasting examples are three huge Georgia Champion Trees that are not big enough to qualify as national champions: An Eastern White Pine 145 feet tall, a Live Oak with 35 foot circumference, and a Southern Red Oak that has a crown spread of 152 feet.
" The lesson of these comparisons is that you have to know your species and know what you 're looking for," Jernigan said. "There have been cases of champion trees going virtually unnoticed for years while crowds of people walked by them every day."
Champion Tree Competition entries require the following three measurements: circumference, height and crown spread. The trunk circumference is measured at four-and-onehalf feet above the base of the tree. Height is measured from the base of the tree to the highest twig. Average crown spread is determined by tracing an outline of the crown directly beneath the outer branch tips; using an imaginary line passing through the center of the trunk, the longest and shortest distances are measured from the imaginary line to the longest and shortest points of the crown outline. These measurements are added, then divided by two to get the average width of the tree 's crown.
All Champion Tree nominations should include the following information: three required measurements, Latin genus and species, location of tree (detailed enough for someone unfamiliar with area to find it), date measured and by whom , name and address of property owner, description of tree's physical condition, photo of tree and date photographed.
Nominations and requests for further information should be submitted to: Georgia's Social Register of Big Trees, Georgia Forestry Commission, P. 0 . Box 819, Macon, Georgia 31298-4599.
Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1991/19

john Wells, Commission researcher, checks forestry export potential on computer maps of Europe. Last year, Wells generated millions of dollars in forestry related export trade for Georgia Products ranged from raw material to finished products.

COMMISSION RESEARCHER GENERATES $6 MILLION IN FORESTRY EXPORTS

By Bill Edwards

Last year, Commission employee John Wells generated $6.4 million in forestry related export trade for the State of Georgia. The conservative estimate was determined by a detailed spot check of eight companies on Wells' list of 200 such organizations.
Assigned to the Commission' Forest Research Department, Well s works " on loan" with the Georgia Department of Industry and Trade with the primary objective of increas-
20/Ceorgia Fore try/Fall, 7997

ing Georgia's forestry related export busines . Exports range from equipment to raw mateials and finished products. Working from an Atlanta office under the job title of Staff Forester/Marketing International Trade, Wells spe nds 90 percent of his time cultivating export trade. Wells aid solving problems of export potential is a team effort of the Commission; specialists in different fields are assigned to various situation .

" I work with around 35 to 40 Georgia companies on a regular basis," Wells said, "but an irregular contact under the right circumstances can be just as rewardin g to the state's export market." He cites an example of acting a a liaison between a Georgia company an d an agent. The result was a $1f2 millio n equipment sale to a foreign cou ntry.
" The time was right an it happened," Wells said. " I acted onl y in an indirect capacity, but the resu lts

were good." Much of Wells' job is a delicate
balancing act of knowing when the time is right to act - and how to implement the action properly in accordance with international trade needs. A graduate of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Wells has two degrees in forestry: a bachelor's degree in forest management and a master's in forest economics.
CONCEPTS PROMOTER
Wells describes his position as " promoter of economic export concepts." He spends a third of his time in national and international travel, but insists that the job is not the glamorous travel position many people envision. He says the hard work of coordinating foreign trade shows dilutes initial delusions of glamour.
He said that after 12-hour days of trying to determine the needs of foreign buyers, at times requirin g the skills of an interpreter, there is little or no time for tourist activities. Although he does not mention specific countries, Wells also points out that the accomodations are not always what might be expected for the price. Cramped rooms, with inadequate heating and air conditioning are sometimes the reward for U. S. luxury hotel prices.
"But when everything is considered, I like it," Wells said. " It's especially satisfying when you can get the wheels turning on a situation that is mutually beneficial to Georgia, the U. S. economy, and the foreign countries involved."
WIDE TRAVELS
Well's export-seeking itinerary include: England, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Jamaica, Trinidad and the Dominican Repulic. Everywhere that Wells goes on his foreign travels, he encounters certain customs that have to be followed to create a good impression. Some of the customs are very strange to Americans and Wells emphasized that insults can be transmitted without the perpetrator having any knowledge of it
Wells gives the example that in Arab countries one should never cross his legs because others present might see

"It's a world
economy now. The
U. S. has resources
that the rest of the
world wants and this
is potentially good.
But world markets
change and we need
to be ready
to adapt."
the sole of his shoe; that is considered an obscene gesture. In South American countries, a U. S. citizen should not refer to himself as an American; residents of these countries also consider themselves Americans.
" It goes on and on," Wells said. "You have to be careful. For instance in Bulgaria you could turn down an agreement and think you had accepted it. If you nod your head, it means no; if you shake your head from side to side, it means yes."
After all the protocol has been taken care of and an export market has been identified, Wells approaches Georgia companies. " At this stage, I deal in generalities, never specifics," Wells said. " I can walk you step by step through an export situation, but I avoid discussions of prices like the plague, and I never tell anyone that they can expect big profits from exporting goods. There's a profit potential, but the margin should not be expected to be any higher than it would be domestically."
Wells said the basic reason for a company to consider exporting is the benefits of diversification. He said the export market should be approached from the the diversity perspective that is inherent to a sound investment portfolio. The result should be eco-

nomic flexibility with protection and varied potentials.
"It's a world economy now," Wells said. "The U. S. has resources of the rest of the world wants and this is potentially good. But world markets change and we need to be ready to adapt."
Wells gives an example of the changing import-export relationship with Korea, Taiwan and Japan. He pointed out that all these countries used to be considered cheap labor markets. Now, however, much of the labor in these countries is more costly than in the U. S.
WHOLE HOUSE MARKET
" So markets have changed," Wells said. " For instance these countries used to be interested in just buying raw materials like logs. Now they're wanting to buy whole houses (prefabs) because their labor is so expensive."
With all the continuing changes in the export markets, there's plenty for Wells to do abroad. However, one of his primary objectives is to make time for travel within the U. S. to bring business to Georgia from other states.
" I would enjoy traveling more in the U. S.," Wells said. " I know the customs here."
Georgia Forestry/Fall, 7997/21

~~i~B-0-0-K-S-==-=-=~- ;J

FIELD DAY
(continued from pa~e 3)

BACKYARD BIRO SONG, By Richard K. Walton and Robert W . Lawson. Houthton Mifflin Company, Boston -$19.00
There's music among the trees in your own backyard.
Walton and Lawson recently produced a tape, along with a printed guide, to help the homeowner gain a new perspective of a very familiar place, his own backyard. They did it by presenting the authentic songs of the common backyard birds of eastern North America.
The authors believe that person s who spend a reasonable amount of time with the audio guidebook and tape will soon be able to recognize the songs of 28 common backyard birds.
THE "POSSUM HUNTER AND THE TAR HEELS, By James S. Willoughby. Tall Timber Publishing. The Rock, GA - $12.50.
A Georgia author has relied on his long career as a naval stores operator, tree farmer, sawmiller and related pursuits for the authentic background of his novel. Although it is a historical novel of post Civil War days, Willoughby's vast knowled ge of the naval stores industry and its importance in the economy of South Georgia for many years is reflected in his writing. (See feature story Page 4).
A NATURAL HISTORY OF TREES (Eastern and Central North America) by Donald Culross Peattie. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston- @16.95.
Peattie doesn't dwell long on bark, flowers, fruit, wood density, geographic range and other descriptive details when writing of the various species of trees, but takes the reader on an adventurous journey back into American history to clearly reveal how the nation depended so heavily on the great natural forests in the development of its economy, its politics, its culture. The 606-page volume is educational and yet entertaining, with a generous sprinkling of little known but fascinating tidbits pertaining to man's imaginative use of wood down through the ages. This enormous contribution to tree enthusiasts and nature lovers is generously illustrated by dozens of fine old woodcuts. 22/Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1991

~

~

MACE IS NAMED DEAN OF FORESTRY SCHOOL
Arn ett C. M ace Jr. has been named
dean of the University of Georgia School of Forest Re ources by University President Charl es B. Knapp. Mace assumed his new po ition following the retirement of Leon A Hargreaves.
Mace served as a professor and director of the School of forest Resource and Conservation at the University of Florida ince 1978. Before joining the University of Florida faculty, Mace was professor and head of th e department of forest resources at th e University of Minnesota, where he was a faculty member for 11 years.
" I have been impresse d with the quality of faculty and administration at The University of Georgia and with the commun ity of Athens," Mace aid. " I'm looking forward to the opportunities in the School of Forest Resources to contribute to fore try education and research. "
Mace earned a bachelor' degree from West Virginia University and a master of science and doctoral degrees from the University of Arizona. In 1987,
William F. Prokasy, University of Georgia vice president of academic affair , said, "We are fortunate to have attracted Professor Mace to the dean ship of the School of Forest Resou rces. He ha had a highly respected and nationally recognized career as dean at the Univer ity of Florida.

be of benefit to landowners who top

by the tati o n.

LOW COST REGENERATIOt:-J- Larry

Bi hop, U.S. Forest Service, and David

Moorhead, Extension Service. In many

cases it's better to let nature do th e

planting. Th e selection of seed trees to

leave during a timber harvest and other

valuable information for the landown-

er who want to take advantage of this

low cost method of establi shing a

new forest.

MARKETING TIMBER - James Alfriend

and Wesley Stephens, independent

forestry con ultants. Selling your timber

for the best profit after receiving bids

from more than one reliable buyer and

making sure provisions in the contract

fully protects your property will be

discus ed.

PINE STRAW MA AGEMENT -

Dennis Martin, Forestry Commission and

Larry Tankersly, Exten ion Service. Pine

traw production is a relatively new way

to profit from pineland . Proper tree

spacing for future straw harvesting and

selection of specie that produce the

best traw are points to be discussed for

those who are seriously consideri ng th is

rapidly growing market.

PRESCRIBED BURNING

Lynn

Hooven and Larry Thompson, Forestry

Commission. Fire is an enemy of the

fore t, but it is also a friend. When prop-

erly u ed it can be an invaluable

silvicultural tool. Profe ional foresters

will di cus the techniques of a safe and

highly beneficial burn.

RECREATION - Walter Cook, Jr. and

Daniel William, School of Forest

Re ources, UGA. In multi-purpose

forestry, recreation play a significant

role. Picnic areas, fi hing ponds, nature

trails and camping sites will be some of

the topics to be addressed at th is

station.

The pre-registration fee for the field

day is $8.00 and must be made not later

than September 16. The fee after that

date will be $1 0.00. The price includes a

lunch and an opportunity to win

thousands of dollars worth of prizes. Free

oft drinks will be served throughout the

day and the first 1,500 person to register

will receive a hat and a detailed guide

book that wi ll be useful to the landowner

long after he has returned home.

Checks should be made payable to

LFMFD and mailed to LFMFD, c/o Albert

E. Smith. Dial 1-8~A TREES for

additional information.

moved to Bibb County. They are active

in the Baptist Church... ROGER LANE,

who served as a patrolman in Lumpkin

County since 1988, has been named

forest ranger of the Banks-Hall County

Unit. A native of Oklahoma and a

graduate of Edison High School in Tulsa,

the new ranger was previously manger of

a pipeline construction company in

Orlando, Fla Lane succeeds BOB

TOM LAMBERT, who came with the graduate of Pepperell High School in MCDO ALDin the unit. The ranger and

Commission in 1988 a a patrolman in Rome and he attended Tenne see his wife, Bobbie Sue, attend Antioch

the Carroll County Unit, has b en Temple University for three year . Baptist Church. They have two grown

named ranger of the Lee ounty Forest- Hamrick and his wife Jody and children, Peggy Sue and Roger...

ry Unit. A native of Carrollton, the new daughter Lind sey, 6, are member of th e WINSTO WEST, forest specialist at the

Baptist Church...Hamrick succeeded Dawson Demonstration Forest who

Ranger AL CRATON, who served with came with the Commission as assistant

the Commission for 32 years prior to ranger of the Wilkes County Unit in 1960

his recent retirement. Craton and his and served in several capacities in four

wife Brenda have two married child- districts, retired in August. The forester, a

ren , Carol and Michael. More than 50 graduate of the School of Forest Resour-

people attended a retirement dinner ces, University of Georgia, is a native of

honoring the veteran GFC employee South Carolina. He served four years in

... RANGER MAURICE MATHEWS of the U. S. Navy, with some duty in Korea

LAMBERT

ROGERS

the Oglethorpe County Unit recently The forester and his wife, the former retired after 33 years of service. Many Betty Bennett, have three grown child-

ranger is a graduate of Villa Rica High School and has eamed associate degrees in agri-busine and agriscience at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. He fill a post recently vacated by the death of Ranger Jeff Everson. Ranger Lambert, worked with a chemical research company prior to his employment with the Commission. He and his wife Jan have two daughters, Ree and Dana. They attend the Baptist Church . . .FORESTER DAN ROGERS, a native of Wi consin and a graduate of the Univer ity of Wiscon in, has worked with the Commission in urban forestry in recent months, serving Brunswick, Albany and several other citie in South Georgia. He recently resigned from hi position

co-workers and other friends honored

ren, Harold, Cheryl and Laurie. Gainesville District personnel and other friends honored the retiree at a dinner in Gainesville...GREG WALLACE is the new ranger in the Forsyth County Unit. He came with the Commission as patrolman in Forsyth County in 1985 and received the promotion in June. The ranger is an honor graduate of Forsyth County High School and attended Gainesville College. He worked for a printing and office supply company prior to his GFC employment. Wallace and his wife, Samantha, have an infant daughter, Jesi Elizabeth. The family attends Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church... Fellow employees and others gathered at a restaurant in Statesboro August 24 to honor RANGER WARREN COOK, Chatham County Unit, at a retirement

dinner. Cook, a native of Candler

County, came with the Commission as

him at a retirement party. The couple assistant patrolman in the Candler

is active in the United Methodist County Unit in 1959 and was named

Church. RANGER TRACY GRAHAM ranger in Chatham in 1964. The retired

transferred from the Americus District ranger and his wife, Faye, and daughter,

to replace Mathews...BETTY WALTERS, Jincy, attend Pooler Baptist Church...

a native of Ashburn and principal sec-

HAMR ICK

CRATON

retary in the Commission'sEighth District since 1976, has been promoted to

under the Education and Information administrative secretary to succeed the

Department to accept employment a recently retired CATHERINE KELLY in the

city forester in Missoula, Mon- Information and Education Department

tana...MICAH HAMRICK, a patrolman in at Macon headquarters. The secretary

the Haralson County Unit ince and her husband Leonard, who is retired

1986, has been named ranger of the from a career in the U.S. Air Force, have

Paulding County Unit. A native of four children, Tina Damon, Leonard, Jr.,

Haral on County, the new ran ger i a Michael and David. The couple has

Georgia Forestry/Fall, 7997/23

The humid days of summer are giving way to the cool, crisp days of fall, a time when many Georgia landowners make plans to plant profitable pine trees on old, unproductive farm fields and on recently harvested timber tracts. Millions of quality seedlings are on order for fall and winter planting, but landowners who have not yet ordered are urged to reserve trees by contacting the Commission nurseries or the local county forestry office. Forestry in Georgia now represents a $12.1 industry and the first step in sustaining that economic contribution to the state has to be reforestation!
SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT MACON, GEORGIA
Approximate Cott 01
PriSI nmo and P - Only.
COST S3718 86 OTY. 8000