Georgia forestry, Vol. 49, no. 1 (Spring 1996)

attend a dedication ceremony. The network of towers rapidly
spread into almost every county and more than 200 were eventually in service. Seasonal and permanent operators were hired to do clerical work and attended to other duties around the county unit offices during inclement weather. When smoke or fire is spotted, the operator uses an alidade, an instrument that helps pinpoint the location. Firefighters are contacted by radio. Some operators work with other towers, depending on terrain and distance, in pinpointing the problem area.
The public has always seemed to be intrigued with the lonely guardians that pierce the woodlands and many operators have had to field the standard inquiry: "What's it like up there in that little house?"
Well, almost every tower operator has a different answer. Some have a little story to tell.
BEAR ENCOUNTER
Faye Allen, now a ranger in the Houston County Forestry Unit, was a seasonal operator on a cold winter day back in 1985 when she was startled by a big, black bear.
"I had never seen a bear before, except in a zoo," Allen said, "and when it came out of nowhere and started running along the side of my car about a mile before I got to my tower, I was plenty scared." Fortunately, the big beast soon turned and disappeared into a dense forest; a nervous Faye Allen drove on down to the remote Kathleen Tower, cautiously surveyed the area and wasted no time in running up the 137 steps to her workplace.
Could a bear climb a 100-foot tower? She pondered the question the rest of the day, but finally surmised bears were not that energetic.
Allen was careful to slow down for the "bear crossing" in the days that followed, but a jack rabbit was the largest animal she encountered during the remainder of the fire season.

Frightened by a
bear, blasted by
jet fighter planes,
roasted in the
heat of summer,
blessed by peace-
fuI solitude ...
tower operators
tell their stories
as they bid fare-
well to a fading
era.
The operator afforded the most spectacular view was Forest Ranger Ricky Hood, who quipped he had "the highest position in the state" as he managed the tower atop Brasstown Bald Mountain, Georgia's highest peak at 4,784 feet above sea level. The coldest, too! He has known the thermometer to dip 14 degrees below zero.
Hood, who assumed another position with the Commission after operating the tower more than 13 years, said that on a clear day he could see North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and the office towers of distant Atlanta. He looked down on formations of wild geese winging southward in the fall and sometime spotted Air Force bombers in the clouds far below.
Gail Lynn, the present operator, said she thoroughly enjoys her lofty station above the clouds, and agrees with Hood that the view is unsurpassed.
The tower operator's function is to search the surrounding forests and sky and report any unusual smoke, but he or she has the luxury of thinking of other things. Leila Averett, for instance, keeps a sharp eye out for smoke from her high perch above the forests of Taylor County, but her thoughts are usually on ancient cemeteries she frequently visits and court-

house records she studies during many of her off duty hours.
OLD CEMETERIES
"I've traced some of my family back to several generations," declared the veteran tower operator, who has been on a genealogical kick for about 30 years. "I visit a lot of libraries, courthouses and graveyards and I write many letters in tracing the history of the family." Whenever forest rangers in her unit tell her they've come upon an abandoned cemetery while working a fire, she said she can hardly wait to "get out there and examine some old vine-covered gravestones."
Averett, who describes herself as "a tomboy and tree climber while growing up on a farm," said she has enjoyed her 29 y_ears of duty on the tall tower and the countless climbs to the top have been excellent exercise, although she readily admits it was "a lot easier the first 15 years to run up and down that tower two or three times a day." Now, she just makes one trip up and spends the day in her lookout cubicle.
What does a tower operator do while on vacation?
Freeman Land, now enjoying his retirement years in Texas after 32 years of service in the Macon County tower, not only climbed the 135 steps thousands of times, he enjoyed walking three miles to get to his work each day. He took off for North Georgia or Tennessee about once a year for a brief vacation, and, as if tower climbing wasn't enough, he pursued his favorite hobby: mountain climbing!
"This certainly beats picking cotton," avowed another operator in that district. Charles McMath, who manned the Schley County tower before he retired, well remembers the back-breaking chores he had in the fields while growing up. Keeping an eye out for smoke, working with firefighters and watching fighter planes from Moody and Eglin dart across the sky is "a much better way of life

10I Georgia ForestryI Spring, 1996

I than picking the white stuff," ac' cording to McMath. "You would almost freeze to death, especially that time we had

I nine degree weather one winter,

I and you would almost roast in the

I
~

summer up in that tower, but I

enjoyed every minute of it," said

Jackie Richardson of Mount

Vernon, now retired after guarding

the forests of Montgomery and surrounding counties for 20 years.

An electric heater and an oscil-

lating fan during the temperature

extremes provided little comfort in her observation post above the

treetops, but Richardson would

rather remember the happy days, the countless pleasant hours view-

ing the wide countryside, meditat-

ing and "listening to music and the

ball games on the radio." With the exception of a scare

from a lightning storm, the only

frightening experience came early in her career. Jet fighter planes

from Moody Air Force base would

sweep across the sky at low alti-

tudes and blast the vibrating tower with incredible noise. "Scary the

first time," Richardson said, "but

just something you had to get used to."

"I've loved my work in the tower from the very beginning," said Mary

Times, who came with the Com-

mission ten years ago as operator

of the Marion County tower. "It's

peaceful up there, gives you a place

to think." She had precious little time to think of what to do, how-

ever, on an unforgettable day about

three months into her new employment.

DECEIVING WEATHER
"It was an absolutely beautiful, perfect day," related Times. "The sun was shining brightly and the sky was fair, but then dark clouds suddenly started gathering on the horizon; it grew very dark in a hurry and the wind began rocking the tower. Driving rain set in and lightning was flashing all around me."She said the phone went out and then the electricity failed.
"I was really scared and when I

saw the wind peeling sheets of corrugated tin from the roof of a nearby building," said Times, "I knew it was time to leave that tower!" Frightened and watersoaked to the skin, she managed to descend the swaying tower. "Now I know exactly when it's time to hit the ground," she said.
Faye Simmons has been looking out over the ancient mountains and valleys of Gordon County for more than 20 years. "When I first started, I practically ran up those
"I like to read, but you just can't put
your face in a
book when you keep glancing 360
degrees."
many steps to the cab of my tower," she said, "but now I've slowed down and the climb doesn't get any shorter." Simmons enjoys her work and points out that her job "is seldom boring, because when we have high frre ratings, I'm busy checking smoke and when it rains, there is plenty to do in the office down below."
"They told me to climb up that tower and see if I like it," said Pam Brooks. "I climbed to the top on that February day and it was one of the windiest days I have ever known and that tower was really rocking." When she came down to the ground on that day almost 20 years ago, she told the ranger she wasn't the least bit frightened by the height or the sway of the 110foot Pierce County tower and she was promptly hired. "It's been a very peaceful, serene place to work ever since," she said.
"I was looking down on a highway from the tower one day and I saw a dog fall off of a pickup truck," said former tower operator Ruth Hodge of Eastman. "He was tied to a rope and I was helpless to do anything as I watched the truck

drag the poor animal while the driver went on down the road and out of sight." That was one of the saddest scenes to catch the eye of the operator, who began her work at the Dodge County tower on a seasonal basis in 1957 at $100 a month."Those were the days when you had to be up in the tower before nine in the morning," she said, "and you didn't come down until dark, with the exception of coming down in the morning to check the weather instruments." The operator lived a short distance from the tower, an advantage not exactly appreciated by her children. She had an excellent aerial view of her neighborhood and she said "if I looked down in the afternoon when school was out and saw my kids playing in the yard, I got on the phone and told them to get in that house and get their lessons!"
The tower could have been a convenient post from which to guard her property against intruders, but she said such a vigil "would have been unnecessary in those days. We didn't have the crime back then. We never even locked a door."
Hodge's husband had died and she was working as a clerk at a local five and ten cent store to supplement a household budget when the tower job became available. Her father, the late Dewey Beauchamp, was ranger of the Dodge County Unit, and he offered the employment to his daughter. She readily accepted the offer, and although her father was her boss, the workload was never lightened, nor did she expect or want it to be.
"It was seven days a week during the fire season and sometime I was up in the tower until almost midnight when fires were really bad, Hodge said.
A small radio provided about the only other diversion on a long, slow day and she recalls the terrible shock she experienced on that tragic November afternoon when the local station interrupted a program to report the assassination of President John Kennedy.
Hodge said one of the pleasures of working above the treetops was

11 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

watching the seasons change. She

eas of unusually high fire

said she enjoyed watching back-

occurance, or for historical pur-

yard gardens and nearby farms

poses.

being planted in the spring and then following their progress

SAVING MONEY

through the summer and into the

Studies show that on the aver-

fall harvest. Was climbing up and

age, detection of a fire or smoke by

down those many steps a good ex-

aircraft costs the taxpayer a third

ercise for Tower Operator Ruth

. ....:~ . '

Hodge? "Well, I didn't get fat dur-

',-::.

ing those years," she quipped.

less than sightings from a tower, according to Wells. The chief and other protection people point out

"I like to read," said Carole Davis, operator of the Atkinson County tower for the past 11 years, "but you just can't put your face in a book when you keep glancing 360 degrees." She recently glanced across the county's flat landscape and spotted smoke rising from a massive peat bog. The ensuing 1,623-acre wildfire turned out to be the largest frre to occur this year.
LEARNING BEHAVIOR
"When I first started to work in the tower, "Davis said, "I was excited one day when I saw fire racing across a wheat field a farmer was burning off. I thought we would have to call out other units to help us in a major forest fire, but then I learned a wheat field burns fast and furious and suddenly burns itself out." She said she is now "more knowledgeable" about the behavior of fire.
Davis said one of the pleasant aspects of her work is the "appreciation landowners are always expressing for our vigilance against fire on their property."
The Commission began aerial operations as early as the 1950s when a Cessna 170 was purchased and the first pilot was hired in the

There was once a network of 5,000 forest fire lookout towers throughout the United States, but now many are being rapidly replaced by aerial_ surveillance and citizen reports.
The National Historic Lookout Register, a proj.ect of.the American Resources Group, has a goal of lisJing and Pl'otecting 1,000 of the best ,retnaining examples of the many desigris ofthe "Guardians of the Fo17ests" across the nation.
In three states, the last standing tower has been located and is now protected.
An important p4rtner in this effort is ijie Forest Fire. Lookout Association, a _ nationwide organization that brings citizen volunteers together to maintain, restore, and sometime staff these historic structures that are so much a part of America's forest heritage. Some of the restored lookouts are available for rent as scenic and unique vacation ge-taways, according to the association.
For application for membership or additional information on the Forest Fire Lookout Association, contact the Information and Education Department, Georgia Forestry Commission, P.O. Box819, Macon, GA. 31298. (912) 7513530.

that a rapidly moving wildfire can seem almost uncontrollable when viewed from the ground, but the inferno is often less formidable when observed several hundred feet above the scene. The firefighter plowing the break is often hampered by smoke, whereas the pilot has a clearer picture of the fire's behavior and can direct suppression maneuvers.
Aside from aerial surveillance being less expensive than tower observance, maintenance of the towers is another consideration in the Commission's decision to phase out the steel structures. The towers have to be repainted periodically and the cost on each runs $6,000. Replacement of the many heavy wooden steps is another expense and when a tower needs to be moved, a contractor charges $8,750.
A rapid increase in population in recent years has left fewer remote, uninhabited areas in Georgia and now residents report about 65 percent of the forest fires. With an alert and cooperative citizenry ever watchful on the ground and pilots scanning wide areas from the sky, it is obvious the familiar fire tower is fading into obsolescence.
CLOSE TO HEAVEN

Waycross area. Limited surveillance by aircraft proved the worth of the new system and the agency over the years acquired a small fleet of planes and helicopters. As air operations expanded, towers were phased out.

while some are currently being used, many of the others are abandoned. Some have been sold to prisons and even individuals have bought a few."
When the transition to aerial sur-

Most of Georgia's fire tower operators - those still active and the many now in retirement - said they are appreciative of their years of lofty employment above the turmoil of ordinary activities. "All of us had our own little world up there -

veillance is completed, five or six quiet, peaceful, serene," said one

STILL STANDING

towers will remain near airports who looked back over a 30-year and military air bases where air career in a tower, and another de-

Wells said there is "quite a num- space is restricted. A few others will scribed it as 'just a little closer to

ber of towers still standing and probably be retained in certain ar- heaven up there."

12I Georgia ForestryI Spring, 1996

.,
, '

Warren Blye, a volunteer with the Lakemont-Wiley Fire Department, cruises Lake Rabun in new FireBoat custom designed to protect shoreline of835-acre North Georgia lake. Complete with deck gun, the boat can travel 45 mph and pump 1,000 gallons ofwater per minute from the lake.

FIREBOAT PROTECTS LAKE HOMES
By Bill Edwards

Lake Rabun, an 835-acre North Georgia lake with more than 400 expensive homes fringing 25 miles of shoreline, has developed an innovative solution to a potentially disastrous interface wildfire situation.
The solution - a first in Georgia for fire protection - is a 25-foot "FireBoat" that can zip through the lake at 45 mph and draw water at 1,000 gallons a minute to send an uninterrupted torrent up surrounding mountainsides to extinguish the worst offires quickly and efficiently.
"The slow response time, due to terrain and limited water supply, has always been a negative factor in the Lake Rabun fire protection conditions," said Don Freyer, Commission State Fire Planner who worked with Rabun County's

Lakemont-Wiley Volunteer Fire Department in designing a fire protection plan to use such a boat with a strategically placed piping system.
COMMISSION WORKED WITH FIREBOAT PLAN DESIGNED TO HELP PROTECT
LAKEFRONT.

Freyer emphasized Lake Rabun's dangerous potential for uncontrollable wildfire is not a new problem. He pointed out that this area, which began developing in the 1930s, was one of the first "getaways" for the Atlanta population.
"The basic problem in fire protection in the area is the terrain," Freyer said. "Most of it is extremely steep, rocky, and heavily wooded. A fire truck in this terrain is always under the disadvantage of being in a slow uphill or downhill grind - plus the only water supply to extinguish a fire is being transported by the truck. The only other water supply in the area is the lake."
The Lakemont-Wiley Volunteer Fire Department has been concerned about this situation for years, but did the best job it was

13 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

capable of under the circumstances. However, as construction on the lake continued to increase rapidly with North Georgia's escalating population, it became apparent that something had to be done.
COMMITTEE FORMED
The Lake Rabun Association of Fire Protection was formed to study the problem. "The objective of the committee," Freyer said, "was development of a plan emphasizing fire prevention - but also geared to better fire protection for the increasing number of lake residents and surrounding areas."
Freyer worked with the committee as they developed a three-part plan. Agreeing that fire prevention should be a vital ongoing facet of the plan, the committee initially distributed the Commission booklet Living Fire Safe in the Wild.lands to all Lake Rabun residents. More information and programs emphasizing fire protection are scheduled for future development.
SUPPRESSION
The second stage of commitee action was the purchase of a custom-made 25-foot FireBoat with twin 115 horsepower outboard engines. The boat also is equipped with a 121 horsepower marine engine powering the 1,000 gallonper-minute pump; this pump draws lake water into a 2.5 inch deck gun with two comparably sized discharge outlets. The boat also contains some of the usual firefighting equipment carried on a fire truck. Due to custom design, a specially designed boathouse was constructed to house the craft.
"This is quite a boat, 11 Freyer said, "but it wasn't decided on and purchased overnight. Warren Blye was the chief cook and bottle washer when it came to making decisions on the boat."
Warren Blye, a volunteer department firefighter who is now one of the boat's captains (no relation to Mutiny on the Bounty's Captain
14I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

Bligh), consulted extensively with SeaArk boat manufacturers to determine exactly what design was needed for the job to be done. Determinations were made and the boat was custom built.
"It wasn't a question with the boat builders that - we've never done this before, 11 Freyer said, "because they had built many similar designs for the Coast Guard. It was a question of - tell us exactly what you need and we will design a boat to those specifications. 11
FIREBOAT CAPABILITIES
Results of the design is a fast, 6,000-pound craft with a SO-gallon fuel capacity. The powerful deluge gun on deck can jettison a 120-foot stream of water from the lake for as long as necessary to extinguish a blaze in the area.
Two 1,000-foot floodlights are installed on the craft with a 200,000-candle spotlight. There are two dry chemical fire extinguishers and a 90-gallon-perminute floating pump with 1.5 inch discharge.
A total of 1,000 feet of fire hose is carried on board; this includes a single 450-foot length of threeinch hose. Turbojet nozzles are included to fit all hoses.
"Although the water from the deck gun can reach houses at 120feet up the steep terrain, there was still the problem of providing protection for the many other houses at higher elevations," Freyer said. "Which brought us to phase three of the fire plan. 11
PIPING
It did not require much of the committee's time to determine that installation of wet or dry hydrants within 1,000 feet of all shoreline structures would be impossible to fund.
The decision was eventually reached that for the fire protection of the entire lake community, a system offour- inch, above-ground

RESPONSE AMONG
HOME(JWNERS
HAS BEEN POSI-
TIVE TO THIS
L(jNG-STANDING tsA!iDDANGBROUS
. . ~.;;:.~.. n~B1\:.T'.l"'t J'.~.T ~-~ ~~i~,i~
NOW ON THE i:fll$8l;E.OF BElNG
;~atV:B~["~.
dry standpipes would be installed. The purpose of the strategically placed system would provide protection for as many structures as possible within a given area.
STEEP TERRAIN
The piping system transfers water from the fireboat pump up the steep terrain to a fire apparatus. "These standpipes can be used for immediate fire supression or filling transport tankers, 11 Freyer said. He added that although fire trucks will still be used - depending on fire locations - as a connection for water pumped from the lake, there will be no concern related to a limited water source previously transported by the truck.
As for possible fires in more remote and difficult to traverse terrain, Freyer said the negative time factor now can be significantly reduced by using pickup trucks loaded with water-pumping devices that can be attached to the upward end of a piping system running from the lake.
"A pickup loaded with a small pumping apparatus can travel this terrain much faster than a big fire truck loaded down with water, 11 Freyer said. "And this procedure will still offer the same uninterrupted flow of water from the lake with a much faster response time. 11
According to committee activity reports, homeowners on Lake

Rabun are currently being contacted about a cost-sharing program among residents for the individual piping systems. Response among lake homeowners has been positive to this long-standing and dangerous fire potential now on the verge of being solved.
A report from the LakemontWiley Volunteer Fire Department states that funding and expertise for this project was beyond their capabilities. The report concludes

that assistance from the following organizations made implementation of the fire plan possible: Lake Rabun Association, Hall's Boathouse Inc., Georgia Power Company, Rabun County Board of Commissioners, and the Georgia Forestry Commission.

AABUlf BEACH PAR!(
u.s.F.&
RABUN BEACH GROCERY \
A "'-. NACOOCHEE PARK rit ,-~1I V~=~~~~"'t. \ ' MINNEHAHA FALLS The FireBoat is stationed in the recently built lakeside shed below.

CLUB ANNOUNCES
POSTER WINNERS
Winners of the 1996 Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl Poster Contest were recently announced by the sponsoring Garden Club of Georgia, Inc., Georgia Forestry Commission, and the U.S. Forest Service.
The students will be honored April 22-24 at the annual state convention of the Garden Club at the Radisson Hotel in Augusta.
First-place winners in the Smokey Bear Poster contest were Wayne Seeley, first grade, Athens; Marianne Wheeler, second grade, Watkinsville; Hayley Barnett, third grade, Watkinsville; Andrew Ramirez, fourth grade, Box Springs; and Rebecca Bowen, fifth grade, Cuthbert.
Winning first in the Woodsy Owl Poster competition were J'Lista Givins, first grade, Buena Vista; Jim Amundson, second grade, Columbus; Camille Witbeck, third grade, Columbus; David Haralson, fourth grade, Columbus; and Tabb McGill, fifth grade, Midland. Special Education awards for best posters went to Kendall Harris, fourth grade, Dublin; and Lavance Steward, fifth grade, Dublin.

FORESTRY FIELD
DAYS SCHEDULED
Statewide locations and dates for 1996 FFA (Future Farmers of America) Forestry Field Days competition among high schools has been scheduled as follows for eight events and the state finals meet: Blakely, April 16; Athens, April 16; Cordele, April 23; Reidsville, April 23; Rome, April 25; Adel, April 30; Broadhurst, April 30.
FFA students from high schools throughout the state compete at the nine regional meets. Winning teams from regional meets compete at the FFA State Finals held at the Macon Commission Headquarters. Winners of the Georgia finals then advance to national competition.

15 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

I

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~
~

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,;;

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/

Commission.firefighters (above and opposite page) extinguish hot spots in the longenduring Atkinson County.fire.
COMMISSION BAIYILES ANOTHER MAJOR PEAT BOG FIRE IN SOUTH GEORGIA

They called it the "Valentine's Day Fire," but the day stretched into almost a month before Commission firefighters were able to subdue the stubborn blaze that spread across a 1,613-acre South Georgia peat bog.
The long-smoldering Atkinson County frre emitted smoke so dense that the State Patrol closed a section of the four-laned Corridor Z, principal Brunswick-to-Columbus highway, night after night. At least one area school was closed when it became too dangerous for school buses to make their routes. County roads were blockaded on days when the black smoke hampered visibility.
"It was so bad at times," said Incident Commander Travis Watson,
16I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

"you could hardly see your hand when held just a foot in front of your face. Emergency vehicle driv-
PEAT MOSS IS THE ACCUMULATION OF PARTLY DECAYED VEGETABLE MAT-
TER OVER HUNDREDS OR EVEN THOUSANDS OF YEARS. IT CAN BE SEVERAL FEET
DEEP.

ers had to open a door, lean out and try to see the white line on the pavement just to creep along and stay on the road."
As incident commander, Watson had the arduous task of directing the operation which required more than 60 firefighters and support personnel called in from four districts. Ten truck-tractor suppression units were brought in and helicopter pilots spent 50 hours of flight time in dropping water on the scene. More than 10,000 feet of hose were used. "We had some hardworking people on that fire," said Watson, whose regular position is chief ranger of the Commission's Berrien County Forestry Unit. "We had excellent cooperation from the Department of Transportation (DOT), law enforce

ment agencies, area fire departments and many local citizens."
Watson said he is especially grateful to Sheriff Herman Tucker of Atkinson County and his brother, Derrell Tucker, owners of a large farm. They let the Commission use three irrigation pumps that pumped 800 gallons of water per minute and had guns that shot 120-foot streams. "We had this equipment going around the clock," said Watson, "and we started calling the crew 'night rain' that kept the diesel pumps running throughout the night."
CANAL NETWORK
Personnel on the Valentine's Day Fire ran into a unique situation one they used to an advantage in finally containing the fire. Some eight years ago a network of canals had been established in the big swamp area, apparently in an effort to drain the area so timber that once thrived there could be harvested. The canal system flowed into one main channel and Watson had personnel build a dam at that point to raise the water level. The flooding helped to some extent to extinguish the burning peat moss.

Rangers used low ground pressure crawler tractors to build a cat line so the thousands offeet ofhose could be installed. Several hand lines were than attached to the four-inch line. "Every person on the crew did a great job in pulling those hose," Watson said, "and when they came out, they were covered with gumbo mud and black ashes; just black all over."
The fire was first detected by Carole Davis, operator of the tower at the Atkinson County Unit at Pearson. Rangers were immediately alerted and when they reached the area, which is called Roundabout Bay, they kept the fire from spreading to adjacent pine plantations. It continued to smolder in the peat moss - often as much as four feet deep - for about two weeks before smoke became a hazard and assistance came in from other units.
A staging area was hastily set up on the Jeff Kirkland Farm near Roundabout Bay. A mobile communications unit, portable electric generating plant and other essential facilities were soon in place. A field was graded for vehicle assembly and helicopter landings.
Watson was named incident commander because of his previous experience in fire suppression, according to Wells. He was squad boss in 1994 while working on the big Cascade Mountain Fire in Idaho and also was involved in the suppression of the Rogue River Fire in Oregon in 1987. He also worked on the two big peat bog fires that occurred near Adel in recent years.
Tower Operator Davis said this is the second time she has witnessed a major fire in Roundabout Bay. Shortly after she began her career in 1985, she spotted a big fire in the big swamp and that one continued for three months and spread across 3,500 acres before it was finally extinguished.
Ranger Travis Watson, left, was Incident Commander of this operation.

Watson said very little of the timber adjacent to the swamp was lost, but he pointed out that firefighters were warned ofthe danger that existed when they plowed near trees. The underground fire eating away at the moss also burned roots supporting the trees, causing many to topple.
Roger Browning, Rural Fire Defense Specialist, who dispatched "gun runners" and other pieces of special forest protection equipment to the scene, served as water handling specialist. He said at its peak, more than two million gallons of water were being pumped daily. David Nicholson, also of the Macon office, worked on the fire.
"One thing that made smoke such a problem," Watson said, "was fire in the many old fat liter stumps in some sections of the swamp where pine timber had been harvested years ago. 11
Watson said weather brought frustration to the operation when rainfall hit surrounding areas on several occasions, "but the most we got during the whole time of the fire was just one and a half inches. 11
(Continued on page 21)
I 7 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

Photo courtesy of University of Georgia/Rick O'Quinn
DEAN MACE
AN ORDERLY MAN WITH A SENSE OF MISSION
By Phil Williams

It's a sunny day and light floods Arnett C. Mace's office, tucked in the middle of the Daniel B. Warnell School of Forest Resources. Mace ignores his computer, which has beeped to announce yet another email message. All day long, every day, messages arrive by phone, fax or e-mail. Students, faculty and staff visit constantly, too. Mace,

dean of the Warnell School, doesn't mind. In fact, he seems to thrive on the contact. An orderly man with a sense of mission, he can cite the school's statistics by the armload with a restrained pride that never approaches hubris.
"If you're going to be a dean these days, you'd better like people," he explains.

"That quality may be crucial, but there are also budgets. And outside funding. And concerns of the students. And problems that sometimes seem to fill every nook and cranny of the sprawling forestry complex on South Campus." Mace, who has been dean since he came here from the University of Florida in 1991, remains undaunted.

18/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1996

One reason is his personality, which is businesslike but flexible. Another is that the Warnell School is humming along these days like wind through the Georgia pines.
If interest in certain fields runs in cycles, forest resources is surging upward, with the top of the curve nowhere in sight. The quality of students has never been higher, and since 1991, contracts and grants have more than doubled. One reason for the success is obvious: Georgia is the leading producer of pulp and paper in the nation. In fact, the value of forest industries in the state is a staggering $16 billion a year, with a work force of more than 150,000.
Mace says that the Warnell School ranks in the top five of all such schools nationwide. Not content to stand still, however, the administration and faculty overhauled the undergraduate curriculum, beginning with a study group
"My job as dean is to create and maintain an environment that enables our students, faculty and staff to meet
their professional objectives."
in 1992 and leading to a stronger focus on communication, technology and problem-solving skills.
"But we didn't do this in a vacuum," says Mace. "The faculty drafted the revised curriculum, but we also sought ideas and input from alumni and our friends in the field from federal, state and private areas."
The revised curriculum established four undergraduate majors: fisheries and aquaculture, production forestry, wildlife and forest environmental resources. These majors, says Mace, will help maintain the school's preeminence in traditional forestry as well as develop new approaches.
BUCKING THE NATIONAL TREND
Some forest resource schools nationwide have turned into centers

for the study of forest ecology. But with UGA's internationally known Institute of Ecology next door and the state's strength in the business of forestry, Mace says the school won't follow that national trend.
"We have not done that and don't intend to," he says. "If you look at what the business contributes to the state and the additional hundreds of millions of dollars it realizes from wildlife, hunting and fishing, we believe we know our niche."
The Warnell School has pre-professional students in their freshman and sophomore years here. Then, as juniors, they enter the professional program. This fall, the school has some 208 pre-professional students, 229 professional students, and 116 in the graduate programs. Teaching duties, plus research and service, are handled by 40 faculty.
Hiring and retaining top faculty are two parts of the job that Mace clearly loves. (Among recent hires is Bruce Beck, eminent scholar in water quality, who came to the school from England.) But Mace also understands the importance of meeting statewide with alumni groups since the school has more than 3,000 living alumni.
Since arriving here, Mace has not only overseen curriculum changes and attended to the needs of faculty, staff and students, but also has helped oversee use of the 25,000 acres of land managed by the school and forged new ties between the school and other units on campus, as well as with private and public organizations.
Mace still finds time to have lunch almost every day with his wife, Barbara, and to play an occasional round of golf. He'd like to read more for pleasure if he could only find the time. He clearly enjoys being dean, however, and as another e-mail signals its presence with a beep on his computer, he makes that perfectly clear.
Phil Williams covers the Warnell School of Forest Resources for the UGA News Service in the O.ffice of Public Information.

Robert Simpson III
DEATH CLAIMS
BOARD MEMBER
Personnel of the Georgia Forestry Commission were saddened recently by the death of Robert Simpson III ofLakeland, a member of the Commission's Board of Commissioners for the past 20 years.
Commission Director David Westmoreland said, "Mr. Simpson's death brings a great loss to our organization and to Georgia forestry in general. His dedication to the promotion of forestry will have influences that will endure for many years."
A native of Lakeland, he graduated from Lanier County High School in 1945 and the University of Georgia, with a BS degree in Business, in 1950.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1951-1952, spending 18 months in Korea. He had served as a member of the Lanier County Developmental Services Center, chairman of the Farmers and Merchants Bank Board, president of the Lanier County Farm Bureau, director for several years.
He was past supervisor of the Lanier County Soil Conservation Service, past chairman of the ASC Committee and vice chairman of the Lanier County Welfare Board.
Mr. Simpson was married to the former Patricia Lanier of Dawson. He was a member of the Lakeland United Methodist Church where he served on the Administrative Board and was past superintindent of the Sunday School. The Simpsons have five children and three grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at Lakeland United Methodist Church, with burial in Sunset Hills Cemetery in Waycross.
19I Georgia ForestryI Spring, 1996

Chuck Place
PLACE TO CARRY
OLYMPIC TORCH
Charles (Chuck) Place Jr., a professional forester who retired from the Commission in 1988, has been selected one of the torch bearers of the Olympic flame as it passes through Middle Georgia en route to the games in Atlanta this summer.
The honor came to Place for his role in promoting the acquisition of Brown's Mount by the Museum of Arts and Sciences as a public environmental study area.
"What an honor," Place said. "This is an overwhelming moment to think my community considers me worthy to represent them as a torchbearer. How exciting to be chosen one of 5,500 out of millions of people. Then to top it off, the opportunity to own a torch used to relay the Olympic flame. Wow."
Each person named to the honor will carry the torch one kilometer (slightly more than 62 percent of a
~~*~
Q5e9
1~ ~ Atlanta 1996
20/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1996

SMALLEST TREE CITY QUALIFIES

Big, sprawling Atlanta is a Tree City USA and so is little Trenton, up there in the northwest corner of the state, but tiny Williamson in Pike County has the distinction of being Georgia's smallest community to fly the attractive white and green flag.
The citizens of Williamson population 295 - began planting trees in 1994 and continued in 1995 in an effort to meet the criteria; when Arbor Day rolled around this year, they had achieved the Tree City USA distinction.
The Commission's Management Forester Lee Milby of Pike County presented Williamson Mayor Henry Gold with the flag, a walnut plaque and entrance signs to the community that declare its new status.
City clerk Lou Vickery said residents are proud of the accomplishments and declared "it's a big deal for us." The many townspeople who came out and volunteered as tree planters also considered the beautification project a big deal as they set out red maples and other trees along an abandoned railroad bed that is now a walking trail.
To become eligible for a Tree City USA designation, a municipality must appoint a tree board or department, adopt a tree ordinance
mile). Place said the torch will pass through Macon July 13, followed by a celebration at the Centreplex.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a graduate of the New York State Rangers School and Eastern Michigan University, Place served in several capacities during his 34 years with the Commission. He is a member of the Society of American Foresters, the American Legion, and is an elected Fellow of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. He is active in the Lutheran Church.
Place and his wife, Thelma, have two sons, a daughter, and four grandchildren.

and a comprehensive community forestry program, observe Arbor Day each February, and maintain a tree budget of at least $2.00 per capita.
@)
TREE CITY USA
More than 78 Georgia municipalities, ranging from the state's major cities to medium and small towns, are now a part of the Tree City USA program, a project founded by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
Six other Georgia cities received first time Tree City USA designation this year for outstanding urban forestry accomplishments last year. They include Ashburn, Colquitt, Lumpkin, Milledgeville, Reynolds and Screven.
POSTER WINNERS
ARE ANNOUNCED
Tommy Smith of the Social Circle Elementary School was judged Georgia winner in the 1996 Arbor Day Poster Contest with his poster illustrating the theme "Trees are Terrific.. .Inside and Out".
The student competed with over a thousand fifth grade students from schools around the state. His poster will go to the National Arbor Day Foundation to compete with other state winners for the national award. He will receive a $100 U.S. Savings Bond from the Georgia Project Learning Tree Program and a plaque from the Georgia Forestry Commission.
Dan Miller from Tunnel Hill Elementary School in Tunnel Hill won the second place award and Meghann Parker from BurroughsMolette Elementary School in Brunswick won third place. They will receive a plaque and a $75 and $50 savings bond, respectively.

Bob Lazenby
SOCIETY NAMES
LAZENBY FELLOW
Bob Lazenby, chief of the Commission's Information and Education Department, was recently named a fellow of the Society of American Foresters, one of the highest honors bestowed by the national organization.
A 1968 graduate of the School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Lazenby came with the Commission in 1971 and served as urban forester in Brunswick and Atlanta until 1974, when he was named Gainesville District Forester. He became regional forester

in 1983, a position charged with the responsibility of line supervision of all Commission programs in the northern half of the state.
The forester left the state agency in 1984 to form a partnership in a consulting firm, but returned to the Commission in 1985 to assume his present position.
Lazenby has been a member of the Southeastern Society of the SAF since 1968 and has been chairman ofseveral committees, on both regional and national levels. He headed the National Foresters Fund Committee in 1993 and was an ex-officio member of the National Communications Committee. He also served on a SESAF committee to develop a Private Landowners Rights position statement and was chairman of the SESAF Forest Health and Productivity Committee. An instructor of the Georgia Division Youth Camp for five years, Lazenby is technical advisor for Georgia Forestry, the Commission's magazine, and is currently a LTC/Battalion Commander in the Georgia National Guard.
Roger Weaver, Georgia division chairman, SAF, and members of the Ocmulgee Chapter honored Lazenby for his elevation to Fellow status at a recent meeting in Macon.

MAJOR FIRE (Continued from page 17)

Watson said, "Forest Protection Department ChiefWesley Wells visited the scene about four times and he gave us everything we asked for in subduing the fire." He also praised the overhead team that worked with him, including Chief Ranger Sammy Sweat of the Atkinson County Unit, Deputy Commander; Donald Bennett, Colquitt County, Operations Chief; Frank Sorrells, Glynn County, Planning Chief; Bo Davis, Irwin County, Logistics; John Godwin, Early County, Safety Officer; Judy Couch, Baldwin County, Information Officer; Chuck Norvell, Doug-

herty County, Resource Planning; and Jenny Lynn Bruner, Monroe County, Communications Unit Leader. Benny Brewton, Commission Videographer, also was on the fire scene for several days working with media and recording for Commission archives.
"Incident Commander Watson did an outstandingjob in handling this fire, the largest we have had in acreage in some time," said Wells. "Travis has invaluable experience in fighting this type fire and he had a very knowledgeable and dedicated overhead team backing him up.

21 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

INCOME OPPORTUNITIES IN SPECIAL FOREST PRODUCTS, USDA Forest Service Agriculture Information Bulletin 666, 206 pages, photos. To order caU 1-404-347-
7240.
Subtitled "Self-Help Suggestions for Rural Entrepreneurs," this informative volume offers methods of sustainable economic development including numerous innovative approaches to natural resource conservation, management, and utilization. The publications describe special forest products offering rural landowners opportunities to generate income.
Types of forest products include: cones, seeds, botanicals, berries, fruits, honey, mushrooms, syrup, nuts, and weaving materials. Each venture includes competition and market considerations; packaging and distribution techniques are also described.
In general, products described are suitable for small and/ or parttime business operations. Suggested roles for such small enterprises are analyzed within the btgpicture framework of rural economic development. Each chapter concludes with a list of contributors and additional resources.
One objective of this publication is to encourage a closer look at the nation's forests as a source of diversified goods and services. The volume emphasizes that every region of the country has nontimber commodities and services representing financial opportunities for the rural entrepreneur.

Womick educates and entertains students with his tree message at a North Georgia school, one of many schools he visited during his recent run across the state.

WOMICK COMPLETES ANOTHER RUN

Tim Womick, environmentalist and amateur marathon runner, has completed another run across Georgia conducting educational symposiums during Arbor Day Week in Dalton, Athens, Atlanta, Valdosta, and Warner Robins. A modern-day Johnny Appleseed, Womick has run thousands of miles in Georgia and other states to spread his message on the importance of trees and planting "a trail of trees" to prove it. On many occasions, he has been joined by governors of various states in tree planting ceremonies.
Four years ago, Womick made it his mission to educate children on the importance of planting trees through his program titled "A Trail of Trees." The part-time gourmet chefuses humor and improvisation to make his message stick. He has received national awards from American Forests -- as well as recognition from every community he visits. One admirer ofWomick and his program described him as "leaving a sense of hope and purpose with every person he meets."
In 1993, Womick ran 440 miles through Georgia from Savannah to

Fort Oglethorpe; the following year, he ran from Columbus to Augusta. During this year's run through the state, his inspiring forestry message was heard by more than 2,000 students and adults. The message emphasizes that each person has the opportunity to take personal responsibility for health of the environment - and their own individual health that is closely connected with the natural environment.
On all of his runs, Womick continues to stress the role of trees cleaning the air. "Clean air is love," he says as the message is completed and students prepare to plant trees for a positive future. By motivating students and communities in such a life-affirming activity as tree planting, Womick is making his personalized contribution to restoring the environment and ensuring a sustainable future.
Crusader Womick not only leaves a multitude of trees planted in his wake, he manages to throw in some historical specimens for good measure. On his latest '96 run through Georgia, he left a number of such
(Continued on next page)

22 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

people
1n the news
GRADY JARVIS is the new chief ranger of the Miller-Seminole Unit. An employee of the Commission since August 1987, the Seminole County native is a graduate of Seminole County High School and was a member of the Donaldson-

./

JARVIS

SHOVER

ville Fire Department for eight

years. He attended the Georgia

Fire Academy and is a certified fire

instructor. The chief ranger also

is active in FFA activities and will

work this year with FFA Forestry

Field Day events. Jarvis and his

wife, Lori, have two young children,

Mallory and Megan ... BILLY

ROLAND, chief ranger who was

succeeded by Grady Jarvis as head

of the Miller-Seminole Unit, retired

January 1 to

end a 34-year

career with the

Commission. A

native of Miller

County, he

served as chief

ranger of the

Decatur

ROLAND

County Unit for

two years prior

to being as-

signed to Miller-Seminole. A re-

tirement party was held in his

honor by co-workers and other

friends. Roland and his wife, Jane,

are members of the New Salem

Freewill Baptist Church. They

have two married children, Jeff and

Steve ... DARRELL SHOVER, who

came with the Commission in 1973

as a seasonal tower operator and

was later a patrolman in the Pul-

aski County Unit, was recently promoted to chief ranger of that unit. Shover, who was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, moved to Georgia with his parents in 1966. He is a graduate of Hawkinsville High School. The new chief ranger and his wife, Cathy, have three children, Tommy, Mandie, and Faith, and the family attends Broad Street Baptist Church in Hawkinsville. Shover succeeds JOE E. BATCHELOR, who retired from the chiefranger post late last year after serving 34 years with the Commission ... KIP CORBIN, the reigning "Miss Georgia Forestry," will be mistress of ceremony and featured entertainer Saturday, May 28 at the Augusta Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant. She will be relinquishing her title as the 1995 Augusta winner and crowning a new local queen. The winner in the Augusta contest, to be held at the Spirit Creek Middle School, will compete for the state crown in Waycross in July.

WOMICKRUN
(Continued from page 22)
historical reminders. More than 400 Atlanta students at John F. Kennedy Middle School and George Washington Carver High School, witnessed the planting of trees from American Forests ' Famous and Historic Tree Seedling collection. A persimmon tree planted at Carver High School is a descendant of the persimmon growing at George Washington Carver's birthplace in Diamond Grove, Missouri. The yellowood tree, planted at JFK Middle School, descends from a tree planted in 1964 at Kennedy's Arlington National Cemetery gravesite.
HISTORIC TREES
Running further north to Athens, Warnick planted two more American Forests historic trees at Alps Road Elementary and Barnett Shoals Elementary schools; more than 600 students witnessed the planting ceremonies. Alps school is the site of a Lincoln Birthplace Overcup Oak, a descendant of the Hardin County, Kentucky Bur Oak near a reconstructed log cabin depicting Abraham Lincoln's birthplace.

Some children in Pearson and surrounding communitiesfully expected-Smokey Bear to check out the big.fl.re in their county (Page 16) and when Judy Couch, iriformation officer on thefire, somehow heard about their expectations, quick arrangements were made. When Smokey arrived, Couch was there to make this picture.

23 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

THE FUTURE
"The Future Belongs to Those Who Plant For It" is a slogan of the Georgi~ Forestry Commission and it has never been more meaningful than it is today. Growing timber in Georgia is a safe, sound investment! Maybe it's time for you to consult a forester instead of your stock broker.

GEORGIA

FORESTRY

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SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT DRY BRANCH, GEORGIA AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES
Approximate Cost of Press Time and Paper Only COST: 3606 QTY: SM

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FORESTRY

USPS No. 217120 Spring, 1996 No. 1 Vol. 49

STAFF Howard E. Bennett, Editor William S. Edwards, Assoc.
Editor Jackie N. Mitchell, Graphic
Artist Bob Lazenby, Technical Advisor

Zell Miller, Governor David L. Westmoreland, Director

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Jim Gillis, Jr., Chairman,

4

Soperton

'

J.G.Fendig,Savannah

Gloria Shatto, Mount Berry

C. M. Eunice, Jr., Blackshear

DISTRICT OFFICES
District One 3086 Martha Berry Hwy./NE/Rome, GA
30165
District Two 3005 Atlanta Hwy./Gainesville, GA 30507
District Three 1055 E. Whitehall Rd. I Athens, GA 30605
District Four 187 Corinth Rd./Newnan, GA 30263
District Five 119 Hwy. 49/Milledgeville, GA 31061
Distlct Six 1465 Tignall Rd./Washington, GA 30673
District Seven 243 U. S. Hwy. 19 N./Americus, GA 31709
District Eight Route 3, Box 17 /Tifton, GA 31794
District Nine P. 0. Box 345/Camilla, GA 31730
District Ten 18899 U. S. Hwy. 301 N.
Statesboro, GA 30458
District Eleven Route 1, Box 67 /Helena, GA 31037
District Twelve 5003 Jacksonville Hwy. N./Waycross, GA
31503
Georgia Forestry is published quarterly by the Georgia Forestry Commission, Route l, Box 181, Dry Branch, GA 31020. Second class postage paid at Macon, GA POSTMASTER: Send address change to Georgia Forestry Commission, Route 1, Box 181, Dry Branch, GA 31020.
2/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1996

Hey, he's real! Not the familiar Smokey, but a black bear some hunter mistakenly shot in the Oakey Woods WMA in Houston County when he thought he was firing at a wild boar. The Game and Fish Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resouces, disturbed over the animal being killed out of season, stored the bear in a Forestry Commission cold storage seed compartment for more than a year while the case was pending. Now a gift to the Commission, the bear has been mounted by a local taxidermist and Environmental Education Specialist Ken Dunn, shown here posing with the 390-pound beast, said he will be used for educational purposes.
ON THE COVER - A healthy stand of poplar begins to dress in shades of green and tell the countryside another springtime has arrived. (Photo by Commission photographer Billy Godfrey)

.....
FORESTRY DAY FEATURED IN WORKSHOP

A week-long conservation education workshop - including intensive concentration on forestry has expanded to a 15-county potential in the Augusta area.
Titled "Teachers Conservation Workshop," the annual instructional meet is coordinated by the Richmond/Columbia USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in support of the Columbia County Soil and Water Conservation District. Initiated six years ago by Phil Hadarits, NRCS District Conservationist, the program has grown to its current district expansion status due to demand from the area. Twenty-one educational systems are now eligible for enrollment.
Hadarits defines the workshop as a program to "educate the educators by offering correct scientific information to teachers for instruction of courses involving natural resources." He said the workshops offer recertification credits for teachers of grades 1-12. Representatives of various federal, state, and

15 COUNTIES INVOLVED

local agencies provide instruction. "Since the workshop is organized
this way," Hadarits said, "teachers not only receive excellent and accurate instruction, they also become well acquainted with the structure and services offered by various private and public sector organizations involved with natural resources."
AGENDA
The District Workshop is conducted on five consecutive days, with each day designated for a natural resources topic; representatives from appropriate agencies are assigned to that day for instruction, practice sessions, field trips, etc. The current daily schedule is:
Mon--Soil Conservation Tue--Forestry Wed--Georgia DNR Thu--Urban Conservation Fri--Conservation Education

"Although each day has a specific topic and definite representatives of that topic, many of the areas overlap as the workshop progresses," Hadarits said. "The workshop is designed to show connections of the various aspects of natural resources and management systems."
Hadarits pointed out that Monday I Soil Conservation day offers education linking soil and water quality with information to be provided during the Tuesday/Forestry session. "This is the underlying concept of the entire workshop," Hadarits said. "It includes many views related to various aspects of learning. This prevents tunnel vision and establishes a comprehensive perspective on a wide range of subjects."
FORESTRY DAY
On Tuesday morning, the workshop is turned over to Cathy Black, Commission Urban Forester for

3 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

the Columbia County Unit, who coordinates all activities for this daylong session. Instructional topics include: forest succession and regeneration, tree growth, and fire control. A video titled, "America's Forests: A History ofResilience and Recovery", is included in the schedule with a demonstration of tree identification. Field trips to a timber harvest site and lumber mill are vital segments of the day's forestryrelated activities.
Commission instructors for the forestry segment of the District Workshop include: Cliff Hargrove, District Forester (District 6); John Colberg, Columbia County Forester; Steve Abbott, Columbia County Forest Ranger, Reggie Lanier, Wilkes County Senior Forester; and Buford Sanders, Warren County Senior Forester.
Hadarits said one of the most popular segments of Forestry Day is Cathy Black's demonstration of papermaking. "The forestry phase of the workshop - like other segments - has been refined to a compressed and effective one-day educational session," Hadarits said. "All I have to do is turn the day over to Cathy and the forestry session is guaranteed to be an enjoyable and educational success."
Although there may be year-toyear variables in schedule, the Forestry Day format is divided basically into three segments: reforestation, urban forestry, and sawmills.
ORIGIN
The annual teachers workshop is not a general federal program. Hadarits, who has an agronomy degree from Oklahoma State University and 30 years experience teaching Army Reserve classes, developed the program after requests for him to conduct area classroom sessions became overwhelming.
"So I started the workshop with
only a few teachers from counties and interest just continued to increase," Hadarits said. "As it turned out, the workshop has evolved into a specific thing for this area. Our objective is to concen-

DISTRICT FORESTER EVALUATES WORKSHOP
He also taught "Smoke Management" to all Commission District Foresters.
"When the workshop first started in Columbia County, I expected maybe five or six teachers to attend. We had 10 or 12, which was more than I expected," Hargrove said. "But what really surprised me was that the teachers were not just science teachers. There were English teachers, math teachers, history teachers--teachers from across the spectrum. The common denominator was that they all were interested in the environment."

Cliff Hargrove
Cliff Hargrove, Commission District Forester, has been involved in the Teachers Conservation Workshop program since its single-county inception six years ago. A forest management degree from Clemson University and an education degree from the Citadel provide him with training to evaluate such a program.
Hargrove taught social studies to grades seven through twelve for five years before going into forestry. He has served as an instructor in numerous Commission education programs like "Contact Training" -- a public relations class designed to establish a positive public image that was taught to district level personnel.

POSITIVE RESPONSE
Hargrove said the varied representation of teachers at that first workshop was a good sign of things to come, but he says he had no idea that the program would increase to it's current 15county level and still be growing.
"I think much of this interest relates back to previous work the Commission has done in Project Learning Tree," Hargrove said. (Project Learning Tree is defined as an "environmental workshop for teachers of kindergarten through 12th grade that emphasizes teaching students how--not what--to think about the environment.")

trate on topics of concern for this area."
Hadarits and Cathy Black are enthusiastic about progress of the workshop. An indication of the program's effectiveness is the changing teacher response during the workshop. "What really happens is that the first day teachers are just here to endure the session so they can get recertification credit," Hadarits said. "By Wednesday, the teachers are bringing lunches for the field trips and really enjoying the sessions. When it ends on Friday, a lot of them say they wish it was longer."

Hadarits said this year's June meet is expected to have the largest attendance since the program began - with interest still increasing. "But this is about as big as we can get without getting into overnight lodging," Hadarits said. "So if the attendance continues to increase, we'll make lodging arrangements for next year."
For further information on the next annual workshop June 10-14 call: Phillip Hadarits (706) 7984070 or Cathy Black (706)5568610.

4 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

Certificatesfor campus tour trees designated to Georgia Landmark and Historic Tree Register are displayed. Left to right are: Mary Brown Bullock, Agnes Scott president; Gary Pe!ffer, Dekalb County extension agent; Boyd Leake, director of Georgia Trees Coalition; and A. Victoria Lambert, Agnes Scott manager of campus services. At right, President Bullock places ceremonial shovel ofdirt on tree plantedfor Arbor Day.

AGNES SCOTT TREES FEATURED

A gnes Scott College has established the first official college campus tree tour in Georgia. Located in the suburb of Decatur, only six miles from downtown Atlanta, the scenic campus is one of the rare areas of the surrounding urban sprawl where trees have remained relatively undisturbed for more than a century.
Founded in 1889, Agnes Scott's campus trees blend with Victorian and Gothic structures to create a distinctive atmosphere that has attracted producers of 17 movies to film on campus. Movies include the 1955 production of "A Man Called Peter", written by Agnes Scott alumna Catherine Marshall, and the recent Academy Award winning "Driving Miss Daisy."

FIRST COLLEGE IN GEORGIA TO
ESTABLISH TOUR
OF HISTORIC TREES
A. Victoria Lambert, manager of campus services for Agnes Scott, described the campus appeal by saying, "Without these magnificent old trees, the college just would not be what it is today."

EDUCATIONAL STROLL
Named "A Stroll Through The Trees", the basic purpose is to increase awareness of tree value as essential components of the campus, community, city and ecosystem. Although the tour is only one year old, it has already attracted numerous schools, church groups, tourists, alumnae, and local individuals.
Although the tour is designed to be self-guided, Lambert said, the college also provides guided group tours that may be scheduled through the public relations office. "Interest in group tours has increased," she said, "so we have trained a number of volunteers to conduct these tours. Volunteers
5 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

include master gardeners, student gardeners on work-study pro-

ANCIENT CEDAR

Hall to a height of 65 feet. An increment bore determined this tree

f
I

grams, and alumnae who enjoy maintaining contact with the col-

The incense-cedar (Libocedrus decurrens) is of particular interest

has been growing at a steady rate since 1854. Despite pruning due

lege." Lambert credits much of the suc-
cess and increasing interest in the tree tour program to new college president, Dr. Mary Brown Bullock,

because of its age and origin. An increment bore sampling determined the age to be 162 years. Dr. Kim Coder, University of Georgia Extension Service Forester who

to storm damage, the ash retains a rounded canopy.
The Battle of Decatur, the eastern front of the Battle of Atlanta, was fought on the site when this

--.

an alumna who realizes the importance of preserving the campus tree

assisted Agnes Scott with tree research, noted that the species is

ash was only 10 years old. Although the young tree survived the

population and planting more. "This is her first year as college

native to the Western United States - from Oregon to Nevada and into

fighting, human casualties in the Battle ofAtlanta totaled more than

president," Lambert said, "but she has shown so much enthusiasm

southern California and the Baja peninsula.

9,000. Union entrenchments ran along

for projects like this that it has become contagious."

The fact that this tree was brought to Decatur and planted

a ridge where Agnes Scott Hall and Rebekah Hall now stand; this ridge

decades before the Civil War adds a mystique to the impressive speci-

is approximately 260 feet south of the white ash. A nearby historical

GOOD ATTENDANCE
Lambert emphasized that there was "an unprecedented amount of enthusiasm" for this year's Arbor Day Program. Previous Agnes Scott Arbor Days - that have become famous for bitter cold and bad weather - had attracted an average of only 30 to 40 people.

men. Dr. Coder offers several theories on how the tree may have reached Agnes Scott. At the time the tree was planted, ornamental specimens were brought from California around Cape Horn through the Straits ofMagellan and shipped to established European gardens. The tree could have been shipped to Savannah or Charleston and purchased there.
Another theory suggested by Dr.

marker, erected in 1921 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy reads: "On this spot was begun the Battle of Decatur on July 22, 1864. The extreme left of the Federal Advance on Atlanta, strongly entrenched upon this ridge, was dislodged by an attack of Wheeler's Cavalry and driven through the cemetery. Two-hundred and twenty-five prisoners, valuable arms and supplies were

This year, however, more than 100 Coder is that during the early captured."

people attended the annual tree 1800s, the tree could have been

Agnes Scott has a map of the

planting ceremony.

one of a number of incense-cedars area from the Army of Ohio, dated

"I think part of this surge in in- imported to the Eastern U.S. for October 1864. The location of the

terest is due to history we've revealed about these magnificent old trees," Lambert said. "How did they

manufacturing pencils. It was determined, however, that indigineous redcedar was more

white ash is marked in red. MAGNOLIA ROW

get here? Why are they still alive? suitable. Still another possibility

The third historic tree certifica-

Who cares enough to pay for their is that the tree may have been tion on campus was designated to

preservation?" The subject oftreecost preservation brings up what

brought by British plantsmen conducting horticultural experiments

a row of three southern magnolias (Magnolia grandijlora). The trees

Lambert considers a major plus of in the U.S.

are located on a wooded lawn in

Agnes Scott. "It's just understood

There are other theories, but it front of a residence hall. They are

at Agnes Scott that a tree care bud- is now impossible to determine how within 30 to 50 feet ofthe main loop

get is an important expenditure - the incense-cedar arrived in drive through campus. Two of the

not just replanting, but also sus- Decatur. The important point is magnolias have an open spreading

taining what we have," she said.

that it was planted thousands of form; the third has an upright

The highlight of this year's Agnes miles from its native range, almost branching tendency due to prun-

Scott Arbor Day Program was the 150 years ago, by someone with an ing. The trees are named "Profes-

annoucement that two individual affmity for this imposing tree that sor Dieckmann's Magnolias."

trees and one group of campus is now 70 feet tall and exceeds 27

Adele Dieckmann McKee, a 1948

trees have been certified as Land- inches in diameter.

graduate of Agnes Scott, docu-

mark Trees by the Georgia Urban

The second tree certified to the mented the origin of the trees in a

Forest Council to the Georgia Land- Historic Register is one of the most note she wrote to Adelia Patrick,

mark & Historic Tree Register. frequently noticed campus trees ASC assistant vice president of de-

Certifications include: "The Mys- due to its location and well- velopment. Mrs. McKee's father,

tery Incense-Cedar," "The Battle of rounded shape. "The Battle of Christian W. Dieckmann, was a

Decatur White Ash," and "Profes- Decatur White Ash" (Fraxinus professor of music at Agnes Scott

sor Dieckmann's Magnolias."

americana) towers over Hopkins from 1905 to 1949.

6 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

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TOP LEFT: "Battle ofDecatur White Ash" (Historic Register) was only 10 years old when Civil War battle wasfought on site. Tree survived but human casualties totaled over 9,000 in Battle of Atlanta. TOP RIGHT: "Incense"Cedar" (Historic Register) adds mystique to campus. No one knows how 162-year-<Jld tree, native to the Western U.S., happened to be planted thousands ofmUesfrom its native range in 1833. BOTTOM LEFT: "PrQfessor Dteckmann's Magnolias" (Historic Register) planted in 1905 by professor who took cuttingsfrom Candler Street area. BOTTOM RIGHT: Another view Qf ''Dieckmann" magnolias similar to that on 1912 Agnes Scott postcard that showed trees as young saplings.

According to the note, Dr. Dieckmann went for Sunday afternoon walks through a wooded area that is now South Candler Street. During one of these long walks in

1905, Dieckmann "took them (magnolia seedlings) up with his pocketknife" and planted them in front of Rebekah Scott Hall. Mrs. McKee said, "This is a fact I have

heard from my parents a good number of times as I was growing up." A postcard printed in 1912 shows the buildings of a young Agnes Scott. In the foreground, the
7 I Georgia Forestry I Spring, 1996

Dieckmann magnolias can be seen age, disease treatment, etc. The

as saplings.

database, however, is an ongoing

ENVIROTHON

Certified historic trees on campus add to the prestige of the college, but they should not detract from numerous other impressive

process and does not include all trees on campus, such as 90 trees recently planted near a campus parking lot.

HELD NEAR COVINGTON

trees on the tour. Five sawtooth

oaks, fringing a busy street, em-

WELL PREPARED

The Commission again partici-

phasize the urban forestry atmo-

pated in the Georgia Envirothon

sphere of the college. A large

"When I started, my work was al- held at the Georgia FFA-FHA Cen-

American basswood, that can grow ready cut out for me with the trees," ter near Covington on March 29

,-_

over 100 feet tall, makes afternoon Lambert said. "So we just started and 30. The 1996 statewide meet

/

shadows on the campus lawn, doing it and have been doing it ever involved high school teams com-

while pods of a golden raintree since." Although she has no for- peting in events that test knowl-

rattle in the wind. Further along mal training in forestry, botany, or edge and skills related to natural

is a fast growing cucumbertree, related sciences, she was well pre- resources and environmental is-

with leaves up to 10 inches long, pared for the job after 20 years of sues.

planted on Arbor Day in 1992. A working with plants. After attend-

Numerous sponsoring agencies

large pecan tree, occupying a con- ing Mercer University in Macon, represented classifications of com-

spicuous spot on Woodruff Quad- she turned to her real interest of petition. Areas of competition in-

rangle, provides food for campus plants. She started working a part- cluded: soil, forestry, aquatics,

squirrels.

time nursery job, then managed wildlife, and land use. This year's

wholesale growing operations and predominant topic was Land Use,

SCARLET OAK

managed retail shops. The City of which reflected aspects of the

Atlanta recognized her skills and Commission's Forest Stewardship

Then there's the scarlet oak, she worked as City Horticulturist Program.

named the "Senior Oak" for some for three years.

reason long forgotten during its

The quality of her work at Agnes

111-year lifespan. And an unusu- Scott is reflected by establishment

ally old lobolly pine, well over 100 of the state's first college campus

years, that stands alone on a tree tour.

grassy stretch. The list could go

"It's helped a lot that past and

on and on. Victoria Lambert knows present administrations realized

the list well and cares for its mem- the importance of campus trees,"

bers like favored children. Those she said.

who believe in metaphysical merg-

Agnes Scott's regard for trees

Typical forestry events included

ers could consider Lambert's ar- was indicated when the college held timber measurement, tree identi-

rival at Agnes Scott to be an act of dedication proceedings for the new fication, disease analyses, and de-

synchronicity.

tree tour on Alumnae Weekend. vising forest management plans.

In August 1986, Agnes Scott con- Purple ribbons were tied around 20 One advanced category called for

ducted its first tree inventory that trees on the tour. A separate teams to plan an entire clearance

revealed many trees were alumna was assigned to each tree permit process for resort building

overmature and in a state of de- to cut the ribbon and give a his- on environmentally sensitive land.

cline. In essence, the report said toric profile of the tree. Lambert The '96 Envirothon also featured

that if something was not done, conducted the tour.

extensive college and career fair

there would be serious and irreversible repercussions.
Lambert came to work for Agnes Scott one month after the survey was completed. The trees, with other things, were turned over to her. Now, nine years later, the negative state of the tree population has been reversed and there is a computerized database of 875 trees. The database includes for each tree: common name and scientific name - with records of examination, pruning, fertilization,

(All photos in this story by Mary Alma Durrett
Courtesy ofAgnes Scott College)

display areas. Currently, participation in the
annual meet is limited to the first 24 teams making application. Envirothon officials say, however, that competition i:nay be expanded next year to a regional format that would include more than the 24team limit participation.
For further information contact: Georgia Envirothon Steering Committee, Route 1, Box lAl, Rabun Gap, GA. Or call Terry Seehorn, 706-746-7467, extension 242.

8/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1996

FIRE TOWER ERA ENDING

By Howard Bennett

T hose familiar steel forest fire towers that once dominated hilltops and poked above treetops from Blairsville to Valdosta are disappearing from the Georgia landscape.
The tall sentinels guarding the state's abundant forests for more than 75 years are now becoming obsolete as they yield to aircraft; planes provide a more efficient, cost-saving surveillance of the 24 million acres of woodlands under the protection of the Georgia Forestry Commission.
The vast forested area a pilot can survey, as contrasted with the limited view available to a tower operator, is one of the obvious advantages of aerial surveillance, according to Wesley Wells, chief of the Commission's Forest Protection Department.
The Commission fire towers have played a significant role in fire detection and prevention down through the years, of course, and

the millions of dollars saved by the watchful eyes of operators and the quick response of firefighters is incalculable. Forestry now contributes 16.1 billion dollars annually to the Georgia economy, an accom-

plishment that would have been impossible if organized protection had not existed in some form since the 1920s.
Some of the early towers that existed well before the Commission was created in 1949 were converted oil well derricks or wooden structures. A tower was even placed on the roof of the Ware Hotel in Waycross in 1928 and water tanks served as lookout posts in some of the pine belt communities. The Forest Farmers Association and other pioneer timber protection organizations were responsible for some of the first installations.
The Commission's modern steel towers began to spring up around the state in the early 1950s and they were a welcome sight to landowners who were losing too much
valuable timber to wildfires. The completion of the first tower in Laurens County was such an important achievement that 650 citizens braved cold, windy weather to

9/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1996