Georgia forestry, Vol. 49, no. 3 (Fall 1996)

counties are classified as urban areas. They contain the state's eight major metropolitan areas and

Soil Bank program in the 1950's. In 1956, six state and four industry-owned nurseries in Georgia produced about 300 million pine seedlings!
Low timber prices, cheap labor, and good markets attracted forest industry to the South. Dr. Herty, who previously had designed the Herty cup for resin collection, demonstrated that satisfactory newsprint could be made from young pines. One of the most significant events in Georgia's forest history took place in 1936 when Union Bag Corporation (now Union Camp) began operating a 150-ton daily kraft paper mill in Savannah. Today, there are 13 paper mills in Georgia with a capacity to produce more than 20,000 tons of pulp daily and pulpwood is the dominant timber product.
Today, forests support an industry second in importance only to

dustry. About half of the trees in the state are hardwoods, the other half pines. The state's rivers and creeks carry much less sediment than they did earlier in this century. Loblolly pine is the most abundant conifer, followed by slash pine, and longleaf pine is being planted at an increasing rate. Red oaks, white oaks, tupelo, sweetgum, and yellow poplar are the predominant hardwood species.
THE FUTURE
What about the future? Forests have always been a major source of prosperity and serenity for Georgians and undoubtedly will continue to be just that, but the character of the forest will change once again. Increasingly, it will become an urban forest.
Already 38 of Georgia's 159

more than four million acres of forested land, mostly in the Piedmont.
What remains as rural forest will face more diverse demands than ever before. Some will be managed in an increasingly naturalistic fashion for aesthetic and recreational objectives; others will be devoted to raise trees like a renewable, agricultural crop to keep the state's important forest industries supplied with wood and fiber. But the great majority of Georgia's forests will provide multiple benefits: clean water, quality wildlife habitat, useful timber, and a place to get away from it all.
Dr. Klaus Steinbeck is a professor at the D. B. Warnell School ofForest Resources, University of Georgia.

REGIONAL MEETINGS ANNOUNCED

textiles. Every county in the state is affected by forests or forest in-
10/Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996

Several regional meetings have been planned this fall by the Georgia Forestry Association for the discussion of several important forestry topics.
A meeting has been set for Oct. 29 at the University of Georgia's Flinchum's Phoenix in Athens. Others will be held Nov. 7 at the Mary Calder Golf Course, Savannah; Nov. 12, Waycross College, Waycross; Nov. 14, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta; and

Nov. 21, Columbus. GFA officials said the
association's annual conference will be held June 22-23, 1997, on Jekyll Island.
For further information on the scheduled meeting, write or call Georgia Forestry Association, 500 Pinnacle Court, Suite 505, Norcross,
GA 30071. Phone 770I 416-7621
or 1/800/9-GROW GA.

TOMORROW'S FORESTERS
A NEW BREED OF EXPERTS
By Kenneth Dunn

I magine tomorrow's foresters a new breed of people who will have to deal with completely different situations than are present today. No more worrying about going out in the hot sun with the poison ivy, snakes, and ticks to cruise timber.
Foresters will use satellite photography and infrared scanning devices to determine species, merchantable height, and volume of thousands ofacres oftimber. Computer programs will take the data and "grow" the trees electronically so that the landowner can see through "virtual reality" what his or her forest will look like in 30 years.
Does all this sound crazy? Well, we all know that nothing will take the place of human contact with a landowner and a visit to the site, but technology sure is going to benefit those foresters who are willing to accept it. Already, the forest industry uses hand-held computers to tally trees and calculate volume in the woods. What used to take hours of calculating, now takes only minutes. Foresters can use computers to send the cruise data back to the office, so that the timber sale can begin even before the forester makes it back home!
What does this mean for the foresters ofthe future? For one thing,

the stereotype is going to change. Foresters will be required to have "people skills," meaning that they must be able to resolve conflicts, promote the business, and communicate well with people from all walks of life. As resource management becomes more complex, foresters will be forced to specialize in their field to keep up with the vast quantities of information that are becoming available, as well as the demand for specialized services, such as environmental impact studies.
Beginning somewhere around 1993, the world was introduced to the World Wide Web, or Internet. Now, anyone who has been within 200 miles of a computer has at least heard about the potential of this new resource. More than just a computer network, development of the Internet really got a boost after the end of the Cold War.
The Internet consists of millions of computers that can "talk" to each other. Every conceivable subject, from aardvarks to zippers, can be accessed through the Internet. What an opportunity for natural resource professionals! As of April 1996, more than 40 million people had access to the Internet, and that figure is growing at 15% per MONTH!
If you think the Internet is a

great tool, wait until you hear about what's going on with satellites and mapping for forestry applications! Right now, the U. S. Forest Service is using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) to manage all the land in the National Forests. By taking a handheld GPS receiver into the woods, a forester can walk around a beetle spot and record its exact location no matter where on Earth it is!
B y taking this information and feeding it into the GIS system, everything that is known about that particular beetle activity can be recorded. From there, the forester can solve resource management problems by running the forest through thousands of different scenarios, looking at the consequences of his actions before the first tree is cut!
The forester of the future will come from a diverse background, and will have considerable experience in rural and urban forest situations. Georgia's population has been predicted to double within the next 30 years, so we will have to manage our resources wisely in order to keep up with the demand for forest products.

Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1996/ 11

THE ROBERT TOOMBS TREE IN WASHINGTON, GEORGIA

GREAT TREES OF GEORGIA
By Howard Bennett

"Nothing makes a statement like a tree; its size, durability, usefulness and sim-
ple elegance make it a choice for honoring and remembering," said newspaper columnist Lee May after a tree had been planted as a memorial to a friend killed in a plane crash. "A tree is a lasting link to people and times no longer with us."
His poignant description could easily have referred to several Georgia trees ofgreat memorial and historical significance.
THOMASVILLE OAK Generations have known the beauty and enjoyed the spreading shade of the Thomasville Big Oak,
12I Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996

a tree that holds membership in the exclusive Live Oak Society organized in 1935 in Louisiana "to
POEMS WERE WRITTEN,
SERMONS WERE PREACHED,
CEREMONIES WERE HELD AND LOVERS WERE UNITED BENEATH THE BOUGHS
OF THE STATE'S MOST FAMOUS
TREES

preserve these ancient giants ofthe forests." To qualify, the mammoth tree in the business district of the South Georgia city had to be more than 100 years old and pay society membership dues in acorns.
Constitution Oak on scenic Sea Island is another huge tree relating to Georgia's early history. Although planted in this century, it is of a species that provided timbers in 1794 for the construction of the frigate Constitution, a U. S. Navy sailing vessel that survives today as an active ship and a museum.
The strong, giant limbs of the live oak provided the necessary curvatures for building sturdy sailing ships and the Navy, in recent years,

returned to the Georgia coast for timbers to repair the aging Constitution.
The Constitution Oak was planted at the Cloister Hotel in 1928 by President Calvin Coolidge and other memorial trees that stand on its meticulously manicured lawns include the Oglethorpe Oak, a planting that came from the once owned English estate of General James Oglethorpe, the colonizer of Georgia in 1732; the Queen's Oak, planted by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands during her visit in 1952; and those planted on the hotel grounds honoring the visits by presidents Eisenhower, Ford, Carter and Bush.

A liveoakwasplantedin 1988 to commemorate the 1OOth anniversary of the birth of Nobel Prize winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, who lived on Sea Island in the l 930's while writing one of his plays. A tree was set out in 1994 to honor the visit offormer Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain.
Are guests of the storied island hotel aware of the memorial trees? "Well, the trees do get a lot of attention," said Jane Bozza of Kaufman Associates, an agency that handles Cloister advertizing and public relations. "We don't promote them with neon," she said, "but a guest will come across a plaque at a tree and say something like 'Oh look' to others and then they begin to notice other memorials on the grounds." Bozza said the tree planting is "a tradition that will continue" as other notables are guests of the world-renowned hotel.

The Thomasville Big Oak, a landmark in the heart ofThomas County, is a "member" ofthe Live Oak Society and pays annual dues with acorns. Below: the ancient Yarborough Oak at the birthplace ofEmory University.

YARBOROUGH OAK

Another magnificent tree is one that has cast a great circle of summer shade in the little town of Oxford, the birthplace of Emory University, for more than two centuries. The Yarborough Oak is a huge white oak named for Rev. John W. Yarborough, who referred to it as 'The Prince of the Forest."

It was periodically pruned and cared for by the Methodist minister and his son, George, as long as they lived.
A history of the town claims the son, who also became a minister, made frequent visits to the oak and actually mailed a Christmas card addressed to the tree each year; the local postmaster, with his office just down the street, dutifully tacked the card to the trunk of the tree!
0 thers in Oxford became so enamored of the tree that local officials legally "deeded the tree to itself." The deed is recorded as follows:
"This indenture made this 30th day of September, 1929, between the commissioners, township of Oxford, county of Newton, state of Georgia, of the first part, and The Giant White Oak tree known as 'The Prince of the Forest', of the county of Newton, township of Oxford, of the second part.
"Witnesseth: that the said party of the first part, for and in consideration of love and affection, has granted unto party of second part, all that tract or parcel of land on which it is situated, lying and being in the city of Oxford, a few paces directly southwest ofthe present Post Office of the said township, including that majestic tree known as The Prince of the Forest', and twenty feet of land running as a radius from the trunk of said tree, on all sides of said tree, this land and tree abutting the property, including the dwelling owned by one Jim Rawlins, the esteemed barber.
"Be it known by all men, that this is a deed by said commissioners, of tree itself, the conveyance growing out of holy love and sincere affection entertained by our citizens, and countless others for this great work of Nature, and handiwork of God.
"Signed and sealed in the presence of the commissioners of the town of Oxford."
The "esteemed barber" apparently witnessed many sightseers stop-
14I Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996

ping by his majestic neighbor, as its beauty made it the town's most revered landmark for generations.
Another hardwood of that distinction is the well-known Athens tree that "owns itself." All land within eight feet of the trunk was deeded to the oak in the early 1800's and when it died in 1942, one of its acorns was promptly planted to produce the tall tree that exist today.
T wo trees were named for Robert Toombs, one of the state's most colorful and controversial statesmen. He was a U.S. Senator, Secretary ofState for the Confederacy and a brigadier general in the Confederate Army, but as a young freshman at the University of Georgia in 1824, a historian remembers him as a belligerent youth who was "bold, vigorous, large ofbuild and full oflife, fresh from a plantation with plantation ways."
In a magazine article by Larry B. Dendy of the university's Office of Public Information, it was pointed out that UGA students of that era "were expected to be pious, polite, and proper, but young Toombs had none of the desired qualities. He chewed tobacco, drank liquor, cursed, gambled, missed prayers, got into fights, and openly flaunted the rules..." After a vicious attack on two students, he was expelled, but soon managed to get

himself readmitted through a petition to the faculty. In 1828 - his senior year - his behavior had become intolerable, however, and he was permanently dismissed.
CAMPUS LEGEND
Why did a student with such a miserable reputation warrant a tree named in his honor? It is said Toombs returned to Athens on graduation day and as the commencement exercises were getting underway in the campus chapel, he stood beneath a nearby tree and delivered a speech so brilliant and powerful that the audience left the chapel and gathered around the big oak to pay rapt attention to his oratory. From that day, the tree was known as the Toombs Oak.
"Good story," said Dendy, "but it's not true." He called it a "legend that has been handed down by generations ofstudents." Although the problem student, who later became a trustee and ardent friend of the university, never gave his own graduation address under the tree, a marble sundial now marks the place on the campus where the legendary tree once stood. The oak was destroyed by lightning on July 4, 1884, a little more than a year before Toombs' death.
Another Toombs Oak stands on the front lawn ofhis old homeplace in Washington, GA. When federal troops entered the town in 1865, they were in pursuit of the general; the invaders were determined to hang the fiery Confederate from the great tree that now bears his name. The elusive Toombs escaped, however, and spent the next two years in hiding and in exile abroad, later returning to the stately mansion where he remained an "unreconstructed rebel" for the remainder of his life.
B runswick claims two famous trees. The Lanier Oak, on a highway overlooking the coastal marshes, is said to be the tree under which Poet Sidney Lanier was inspired to write the "Marshes of Glenn."

LOVERS' OAK
Lovers' Oak, believed to be more than 600 years old, stands in the green median ofBrunswick's Albany Street. The ancient tree, which forms a great leafy canopy over the street and adjacent sidewalks, provided a scenic meeting place for Indian lovers centuries before the first colonists came to Georgia, according to local legend.
One of the state's most celebrated trees was the ancient Wesley Oak on St. Simons Island. John Wesley, missionary and founder of the Methodist Church, and his brother, Charles, preached to the colonists and Indians beneath the shade of its moss-draped limbs. Today, more than 288 years later, only a historical marker designates the place where it once thrived. The mighty tree died several years ago, according to the Brunswick Chamber of Commerce.
The Village Oak looms large on the landscape at Baptist Village in Waycross, a tree named "the most symmetrical" and the third largest of Georgia's great trees by a survey team back in 1963. The tree is such a large umbrella on the grounds ofthe retirement commu-

nity that a speaker's platform and 600 folding chairs filled only one corner of its shaded area during dedication of the village in 1964.
Shortly after the death of George Washington in 1899, four oaks were planted in the coastal town of St. Marys as a living memorial to the nation's first president. The trees flourished and provided shade for the town's pumps where generations came for water. The last of the surviving live oaks, known as the Washington Oak, was cut down in 1987, but there were no protests from local history buffs, according to John Christian of the Bryan-Lang Historical Library in Woodbine, "because the tree was in poor health, it was dying."
Christian said, "the tree stood in a narrow median and had been battered by cars for years and when it began to die, it was cut down, and the wood was shipped to Boston to be used in the repair of the Frigate Constitution." A marker is all that remains of the memorial trees and the town pump.
Not all of Georgia's famous trees have been oaks.
A large pecan tree on the lawn of the "Old McDonald Place" on

Lumpkin Street in Cuthbert grew from a seedling nut brought from Texas in 1848. A tree association held a conference beneath its wide branches in 1923 and declared it the "Mother of Georgia's Pecan Industry."

PRESBYTERIAN POPLAR

The Presbyterian Poplar in Wash-

ington is said to be the tree under

which the state's first Presbyterian

minister was ordained.

The tall Herty Pine once stood

in Statesboro and honored Dr.

Charles H. Herty. The scientist had

developed a method of harvesting

turpentine that would soon revo-

lutionize Georgia's naval stores in-

dustry. The memortal tree was the

first on which the new method was

used.

And then there is the peach tree

- a tree that proudly names the

most famous thoroughfare in the

South!



Across the years, Georgians from

time to time have fought vigorously

and passionately to save favorite

trees from destruction by land de-

velopers, road builders and others

who often view massive oaks and

magnolias as obstacles in the path

of progress. Some protesters have

won the battle, others have lost.

*
Most Georgia cities and many

towns have trees of local signifi-

cance - histortc landmarks where

some meaningful event was once

played out, or trees simply cher-

ished for their magnificent beauty

in the changing seasons.

Nothing makes a statement like

a tree!

Indian loversfound afavorite meeting place beneath the branches of this spreading oak, at left, long before the colonists inhabited the Bnmswick coastal area, according to legend. Known as Lovers' Oak, it is one of the city's best known
landmarks.

Georgia ForestryI Fall. 1996I 15

GEORGIA'S CHAMPION TREES

16/Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996

They are not linked to some historic event and they don't serve as memorials, but they are 155 species that have been declared Georgia's largest trees. Some, in fact, are national champions.
For years, the Forestry Commission has maintained a record of champion trees ranging from the Green Ash to the Yellow Poplar. The recently updated list includes a massive Black Walnut in Rabun County with a circumference of 211 inches and a crown of 105 feet. The once plentiful American Chestnut is almost extinct because of the blight, but a champion thrives near Valdosta. With the standard trunk measurement 4 1\2 feet from the ground, its circumference is 165 inches.
The nation's largest Eastern Red Cedar is growing in the cemetery of the Lone Hill United Methodist Church in Coffee County and the country's largest Georgia Oak is near Athens. The champion oak is on the property of noted Botanist and writer Wilbur Duncan.
"Our documentation of trees follows the guide lines of the National Register of Big Trees, a program of American Forests," said Richard Jernigan, a Commission staff forester and coordinator of Georgia's Champion Trees Program. "Persons who know of an unusually large tree can nominate it for championship."
Whenever a nomination is made, a forester measures the circumference, height, and crown ofthe tree, and if the measurements exceed those of its species already listed, it will become the new champion.
Another national champion in Jernigan's record of big trees is a

Persimmon with a circumference of 91 inches on the Tuckahoe Wildlife Area in Screven County. Georgia's largest Sycamore is on the Brender Demonstration Forest at Juliette.
A huge American Elm near Jefferson takes first place with a circumference of 165 inches and a crown of 120 feet. A Green Ash near Vienna in Dooly County is a winner with a circumference of 168 inches and a crown spread of 84 feet.
A great Yellow Poplar dominates the forest along Bear Creek in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Gilmer County. The state champ measures 208 inches around its big trunk. It is 150 feet tall and has a crown spread of 81 feet.
There are 25 Oaks listed in the record of champions, ranging from the Arkansas Oak in Lumpkin County to a Willow Oak in Decatur County. Some ofthe other oaks are the Black Oak in Fulton County, Cherry Bark Oak in Dougherty County, Live Oak in Brunswick, Post Oak in Jackson, and Scarlet Oak in Butts County.
Some of the other Georgia trees that have made the national champion list are the Elliottia, Georgia Plume near Glennville, Littlehip Hawthorne near Hapeville, Florida Maple in Jasper County, Redbay in Randolph County, Eastern Red Cedar in Coffee County, and a Southern Sumac near Athens.
Jernigan said a free booklet listing the champion trees is available and he welcomes nominations from persons who spot trees they feel might qualify.
Call toll free 1-800-GA-TREES, Fax 912-751-3465, or write to Georgia ForestzyCommission, P. 0. Box819, Macon, GA 31202 for the booklet.

ENTOMOLOGISTS COMPLETE STUDY IN SEARCH OF BEETLE CONTROL

A recently published technical bulletin with the lengthy title, "Virus and Virus-Like Particles Found in Southern Beetle Adults in Mississippi and Georgia," will benefit entomologists, foresters and others .waging the battle against the destructive insect, according to the authors.
A team of four entomologists, including the commission's Terry Price, who wrote the material said the objective of a study reported in the bulletin was to determine if there was evidence for a viral presence within Southern pine beetle populations.
Adults of SPB were trapped in Georgia and Mississippi over the course of two summers (19931994). A total of 100 collections
southern pine beetle
Length: 2.5 to 3 millimeters, the size of a grain of rice.
Life: From egg to adult in 30 to 40 days. Adults usually live a few weeks
Generations: May have up to seven a year, rarely more.
were made. Adults collected in pheromone traps were used in most of this study. Some were also obtained from infested bark that had been placed in emergence chambers at Mississippi State University.
The study is based on the gross morphology ofvirus and virus-like particles, and further studies would be required to characterize viral particles.
Light microscopy was used for detection ofvirus-caused signs and symptoms and also for detection of occluded viruses.
Results of the study imply that viruses are present in the adult populations and although fmdings are based only on the external morphology of the virus-like particles, it was decided, based on morphological differences, to separate them into five families.

A brief description of each family accompanies the appropriate electron micrograph (photograph).
Several photographs illustrate the text.
The other authors involved in the bulletin include P. P. Sikorowski, professor of entomology; A. M. Lawrence, senior research assistant in entomology; and T. E. Nebeker, professor of entomology, all of Mississippi State University.
Persons interested in a copy of the Technical Bulletin 212 should contact Terry Price at 1800-GA TREES.
ADDITIONAL LOGGER WORKSHOPS PLANNED
Loggers and procurement foresters recently attended an informative three-day Georgia Master Timber Harvester Workshop and additional sessions are being planned in various locations in the state.
Frank Green, Commission staff forester in the Forest Management Department, said the workshop is designed primarily for loggers and procurement foresters. 'The American Forest and Paper Association members offer these types ofworkshops through member organizations," Green said. 'The purpose is to promote sustainable forestry initiative and sound management techniques."
SEVERAL TOPICS
Approximately 480 loggers and foresters have already attended the workshops at numerous Georgia locations via GSAMS connections. Primary workshop topics include Sustainable Forestry, Harvest Planning and BMPs, Business Management, and Safety.
Additional workshops are scheduled for October, November and December. For further information call: Frank Green at 1/800/GA-TREES.

Most Georgians are not particularly concerned with Christmas here in the early days of autumn, but the holiday season is very much on the minds of Christmas tree growers across the state as they ready their yuletide forests for another harvest.
The cultivation of Christmas trees is a year-round operation, requiring fertilization, weeding, shaping, and protection from insects and diseases and this is the time of the year when producers begin making a fmal check to assure buyers of healthy, attractive trees.
Although the familiar pines and cedars are still being grown, the Georgia growers this year are featuring the relatively new Leyland Cypress, a tree that doesn't shed needles. The tree is a rare cross between an Alaskan yellow cedar and a Monterey cypress and thrives well in Georgia climate. It is a superior tree that is expected to be favored by many buyers.
Many of the members of the Georgia Christmas Tree Growers Association sell trees through the choose-and-cut method, whereas, families come to the farm to select their tree, while others maintain sales lots in towns or wholesale their trees.
NESTING AREAS GROW
The Ocmulgee Chapter of Quail Unlimited, Georgia Power Co. and the Georgia Forestry Commission continue to work together to enhance feeding and nesting areas on hundreds of acres in the Baldwin County State Forest.
Ocmulgee Chapter chairman Jay Cranford, Georgia Power's John West and Baldwin forest ranger Mike Tanner designed and implemented the program.
Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996I 17

Travis Reed, GFA Logger qf the Year. is a second generation logger who has also worked as a consultant in Egypt, Iraq and England.

REED NAMED LOGGER OF THE YEAR

Travis Reed, of Lincolnton, has
been selected as "The Georgia Forestry Association's 1996 Logger of the Year."
GFA promotes responsible use of Georgia's forest resources through stewardship, environmental practices, education, and research. Criteria for the annual logger award includes efficiency, safety, BMPs, environmental practices, and extracurricular activities related lo forestry.
Reed Logging, Inc. was established 50 years ago in Lincolnton by Reed's father, whose long time commitment and understanding of logging operations - combined with his son's agricultural construction background - built a business worthy of the annual GFA honor.
18I Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1996

A native of Lincoln County, Reed graduated from the University of Georgia School of Forest Resources in 1973. He also has what he describes as "a sort of minor in agricultural engineering." From 1979 to 1985, Reed worked in Egypt, Iraq, and England as an agricultural construction consultant.
RETURNS TO LOGGING
In 1985. Reed returned lo the U.S. and began lo work in the family logging business with his father. eventually assuming total responsibility for the business when his father retired.
Reed Logging operates two crews. one supplies sawtimber for Pollard Lumber Company while the other does first thinnings for Georgia

Pacific. Reed said his company has logged for Pollard 35 years.
Active in forestry related organizations, Reed is president of the \Vashinglon-Greensboro District of the Southeastern Wood Producers Association. He is also a member of Senator Coverdell's Timber Task Force and Representative Norwood's task force.
A firm believer in educating the younger generation on forestry and logging, Reed has a comprehensive slide show that he presents to schools in his area. "It's important to communicate to school age children especially in urban areas," Reed said. "They need an accurate understanding of the role that foresls and farms play in providing us with necessities of life."
One of the most impressive as-

pects of Reed's logging operation is a sophisticated communication system enabling him to be in contact with any member of his two crews - that often work 90 miles apart - in a matter of seconds. The system creates efficiency and safety for crew members.
The digital system, designed for emergency communications, includes a two-way radio, cellular phone, and paging system. Reed can talk to all of his units at once, or any individual crew member separately. Reed equipment operators wear headsets with microphones - which serves the dual purpose of noise protection and communication.
"If necessary, I can sit on my bulldozer and talk to anybody, anywhere in the world, ifthey have the right equipment," Reed said.
The bulldozer is part of Reed's road building equipment. "We're in the road building business, too," he said, referring to logging roads made for his large operation; equipment includes bulldozers, graders, and dump trucks. "I have as much equipment to build roads as I have to log with," he said.
A stabilizing factor in this entire operation is "minimizing downtime," accomplished primarily through maintaining equipment and maintenance records. "Having well-trained, capable equipment operators also is important," he said.
ENVIRONMENTALIST
Reed can become quickly irritated when the attacks of environmentalists are directed at loggers in general. "I am an environmentalist," he said. "I work in the environment and make my living from it, so I am not likely to do anything that tends to destroy it."
Reed believes there is much misunderstanding permeating public opinion concerning logging and forestry in general which he attempts to correct in the slide presentation developed for schools.
"A lot of people simply do not

realize," he said, "that forestry is the state's largest industry. It would be difficult to find an occu-

pation in Georgia that is not touched in some way by the forest industry."

Employees ofReed Logging gather for a group photo. Below: just three of the many pieces ofequipment used by the company in its modern logging operation.

TH
B
c
BUILDING GREENER NEIGHBORHOODS/TREES AS PART OF THE PLAN, by Jack Petit, Debra L. Bassert, and Cheryl Kollin, 117 pages, photos and drawings. American Forests and Home Builder Press. Paperback $12. To order call 1-800-223-2665.
A comprehensive guide offering a practical approach to saving and integrating trees during development. This extraordinary book is based on decades ofexperience and survey results revealing that home buyers and renters will pay more for a home with trees.
The authors emphasize that across the country - in good times and bad - properties with saved and transplanted trees sell and rent faster than treeless counterparts.
In six easy-to-understand chapters the book explains how to: conserve trees to enhance new development appeal; select which trees to save, plant, remove, or transplant; create a tree conservation plan focused on minimal disturbance and reduced development costs; publicize and market tree conservation efforts.
Actual examples and results are included in the study. Cases are from home builders, land developers, and urban foresters working in partnership with local governments.
Saving trees in development scenarios is not an easy task, but case studies clearly show the end results of more marketable properties justifies the additional means. Benefits are not derived only from financial rewards - but also by environmental enhancement which is well covered in the test. The general populace is obviously becoming more and more environmentally conscious and this can be translated into profits by knowledgable developers.
The bottom line is early planning concerning tree preservation can reward developers and builders with more marketable projects. Anyone involved in this business, or related fringes, should invest $12 in this book.
20I Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996

DEATH CLAIMS VETERAN FORESTER, TWO RANGERS

Death during the summer

claimed a retired Commission for-

ester and two rangers died tragi-

cally.

Forester Craw-

ford Cooper, who

retired in 1991,

was one of the

five foresters

who initiated the

Commission's

Metro Forest Ser-

vice, a project

COOPER

that has grown

into the widely acclaimed statewide

Urban Forestry Program. He died

at his home in Gainesville follow-

ing a brief illness.

Ranger Willard (Boots) Boling III

of the Pulaski County Unit, a stu-

dent pilot who was just days away

from earning his private license,

died when his plane crashed in a

wooded lot in a Hawkinsville sub-

division.

Ranger Jack L. Wagner of the

Bibb County Unit and a resident

of Macon died instantly from a fall.

Cooper, a native of Wilkes

County, grew up in Athens and was

a graduate of the University of

Georgia. He began his 35-year ca-

reer with the Commission at Dixon

State Forest and after several as-

signments around the state, served

his last 10 years as a project for-

ester in the Gainesville District. He

is survived by his wife, Linda, and

three stepdaugh-

ters.

Boling, 23, son

of Mr. and Mrs.

Willard Boling of

Hawkinsville,

had experienced

many hours of

flying as a stu-

BOLING

dent and was on

the verge of at-

taining his private pilot's license

when he went up in a plane July 9

with Jay Stewart, a fellow pilot.

Witnesses said the plane had been

circling and made a "backfiring

sound" before it crashed. Both men

were taken to Taylor Memorial Hos-

pital, where they were pronounced

dead.

Personnel at the forestry unit

said Stewart was believed to have

been at the controls and Boling was

a passenger. Pulaski County

Sheriff Jimmy Lancaster said "an

investigator with the National

Safety Board said it would be prob-

ably six to eight months before de-

termination can be made...ifit was

something wrong with the plane

that caused the crash."

Boling, who came with the Com-

mission in December, 1994, was a

graduate of Hawkinsville High

School and Middle Georgia College.

Wagner, who

came with the

Commission

more than 33

years ago, was

one ofthe first to

volunteer when

the call went out

for Commission

WAGNER

personnel to

help fight the great forest fires in

the Western states. The ranger was

an avid hunter and he worked part

time as a tree surgeon.

Survivors include his wife,

Brenda L. Wagner; sons, Jack, Jr.

and Bobby of Macon; mother,

Frances Williams of Macon; broth-

ers and sisters, Floyd Wagner and

Jane Mimbs, both of Macon, and

Sidney Wagner of Gray; three

grandchildren.

AREA NAMED FOR KURZ

Georgia's newest wildlife management area has been named for Joe Kurz, who retired as chief of game management for the Wildlife Resources Division.
Kurz began his career in 1971 in the Fort Valley Game Management Region and was named chief of game management in 1989,
The Joe Kurz WMA covers 3,600 acres in Meriwether near Gay.

Campers participate in a Project Learning Tree exercise, an activity designed to give them a knowledge of the conditions that are necessary for trees to survive and grow.

ANNUAL FORESTRY YOUTH CAMP COMBINES EDUCATION, RECREATION

It was another entertaining and educational summertime experience for 55 young Georgians as they attended indoor and outdoor classes and participated in recreational activities at the annual Forestry Youth Camp.
The three-day camp, sponsored by the Georgia Division of the Society of American Foresters and held each year at the Future Farmers and Future Homemakers of America Camp near / Covington, gives 12-and-13 year old students an opportunity to learn about forestry, wildlife, ecology, tree identification, and management of natural resources. The instruction is given in a scenic forest setting.
Camp instructors come from the Society of American Foresters membership and other forestryrelated organizations. These individuals are employed by both the public and private sector and

donate time from their jobs to be camp instructors. There is no cost to the campers, as the camp is supported fmancially by forestry businesses and individuals. Campers are housed in cabins with an FFA/FHA counselor.
A camp official said students are expected to give their attention to the instructors as an examination is given on the last day. The top scoring student receives a plaque for the school

and a personal plaque, and all students receive a certificate.
Students from Lizella, Blakely, Arnoldsville, and Homerville achieved the highest scores in competition at the annual Forestry Youth Camp this year.
Thomas Busbee of Lizella, a student at Stratford Academy in Macon, rated top place in the exam and will be presented a plaque at the chapter's meeting in Albany this fall.
Other winners include Katrina Smith of Blakely, a student at Early County Middle School, second place; Katie Bower of Arnoldsville, student at Oglethorpe County Middle School and J. E. Witherspoon of Homerville, ElementaJy/Middle School, who tied for third place. They each received a cash award and a certificate.
Middle school teachers interested in nominating a student for the camp next year should contact the Georgia Forestry Commission by March 1 of 1997 for application information. Only one student is accepted from each school.
Participants, both boys and girls, come from all over Georgia. Nominees should be 12 or 13 years of age and interested in learning about Georgia's forest resources. Most schools recognize selected students by awarding the camp opportunity as a scholarship during the school honors.
While academics are an important part of the Forestry Youth Camp each year, there is plenty of time for recreational activities. The camp has excellent facilities for tennis, ping-pong, basketball, horseback riding, swimming, and other activities. There is also a trip to Stone Mountain Park to view the Laser Light Show.
Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996I 21

APRIL BRINSON IS NEW MISS GEORGIA FORESTRY

April Heather Brinson of Bainbridge, who said she will "attempt to represent our beautiful state with grace, dignity and pride, as well as good ol' Southern charm," is the new Miss Georgia Forestry.
The 18-year-old daughter ofGaiy and Tina Brinson of Columbus was crowned at the recent 56th annual Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant in Waycross. She said her goal is to obtain a doctorate in music at Florida State University and eventually teach at a college or university.
First runner-up in the colorful pageant - staged in the city where the first pageant was held in 1940 - was April Dawn Whitlock, Tifton; second runner-up, Lisa Marie Browning, Tifton; and third runner-up, Malia Shiron Phillips, Colquitt.
Sheran Strickland of Waycross, pageant director, said the Miss Georgia Forestry competition is one of several contests in the annual pageant. Others include Baby Miss, Wee Miss, Little Miss, Petite Miss, Junior Miss, and Teen Miss Georgia Forestry.
April Brinson, was crowned by Kip Corbin, the retiring queen.
Persons interested in entering the competition next year should write to Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant Association, 3887 Scapa Road, Waycross, GA 31503.
22/Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996

IT'S COMPOST SEASON AGAIN

Now that fall is here, it's time to start your annual compost pile. You're in the ideal location to do it because there's no place that takes composting more seriously than Georgia - the first state to adopt an official composting program with a compost bin at the Governor's mansion!
NATURE'S WAY
Composting is nature's way of recycling - nothing could be more natural - yet it's often considered the vital missing link in care and protection of the environment. Earthworms, insects, and microscopic bacteria digest organic matter and transform it into rich humus that feeds the earth back its natural nutrients.
Just about anybody can compost - anybody with leaves, lawn clippings, or kitchen scraps. Almost anything you discard from your refrigerator will work - including coffee grounds, cereal boxes (cutup), fruit and vegetable peelings, and even egg shells.
However, there are some things that should not be used in a compost pile. Do not use: lawn and garden wastes treated with pesti-

cides, cat litter and dog droppings (can spread harmful organisms), bones, meat, oil, grease, plastic, glass, and metal. Meat and bones are organic, but they are not recommended because they attract scavenging animals.
Making a compost pile is simple and easy. Material may be placed in an open pile or container (container preferred). The compost pile should be in a semi-shaded area to prevent excessive drying. The pile should be kept damp, but not wet (beneficial organisms cannot survive in a soggy compost).
TURNING PILE
Turning the pile with a pitch fork or shovel accelerates decomposition. A pile turned once a week will form good compost in about four months.
Compost containers can be homemade or store-bought, it makes no difference as long as you get results. Container types include: barrels, boxes, plastic bins, concrete bins, wire bins, etc. A wire bin is the easiest to . make from scratch and just as effective as the others.

people

1n the news

Chief Ranger EVERETI RHODES

of the Towns-Union County Unit

recently retired after 23 years of

service with the Commission. A

native of Fannin County, he at-

tended Fannin County High

School and Tri-County Tech. He

came with the unit in 1973 as a

patrolman and

was promoted

to the chief

ranger position

in 1977. The re-

tired ranger

served two years in the U. S. Army, with duty in Korea. Rhodes

\k,~

/~i ,._.

I

.

and his wife, RHODES

Betty, have

three married children - Mike,

Marty. and Jill, and a daughter,

Monica, who is a nurse in the U.

S. Navy. They have one grand-

child. The ranger is also remem-

bered as the leader of a country

music band for several years. He

played many benefits for charities

in the area and his band was fea-

tured at several of the

Commission's annual statewide

conferences...JOE YOUNG, a ris-

ing sophomore

at Pickens

County High

School, is the

1996 winner of

the F&W Young

Forester Award

and Scholar-

ship, presented

YOUNG

annually to a Georgia high

school student

who is outstanding in 4-H Club

forestry activities. The student, the

son of Alvin and Hettie Young of

Jasper, is active in the manage-

ment of the family tree farm and

is the State Forestry 4-H

Project winner. He received a

$750 college scholarship from

F&W Forestry Services,

Inc...GEORGE ALEXANDER RAY

ofAtlanta and JENNIFER LORRIE

STALLWORTH of Richmond were

awarded $1,200 scholarships re-

cently from the Georgia Forestry

Association. The scholarship pro-

gram was developed in 1987 by the

Georgia Tree Farm Program. Ray

is a graduate of the Westminster

Schools in Atlanta and will be a

freshman at Dartmouth College

this fall. Stallworth is a graduate

ofDouglas S. Freeman High School

in Richmond and a freshman at

James Madison University...TIM

SAVELLE. a native of Thomas

County and a

graduate of the

University of

Georgia, has as-

sumed new du-

ties as North

Georgia For-

estry Specialist

for the Georgia

Department of

Education. He SAVELLE

succeeds

Malcolm (Chick)

Dillardwho recently retired. Savelle

taught vocational agriculture at

Berrien County High School and

is presently adult agriculture

teacher and state agricultural

education computer specialist,

with offices in Athens. The edu-

cator and his wife, Amy, have three

children, Heather, Anna and

Patrick. The family resides near

Farmington in rural Oconee

County ...

MALCOLM

(CHICK) DILLARD, area forestry teacher for the Georgia

D
a 0
UI I

Department of

Education, has

retired after 31

years ofservice. A native of

DILLARD

Dillard, Chick Dillard is a graduate of the UGA School of Forestry. His primary job responsibility was promoting forestry programs in state high schools and improving curriculums. Coordinating competitive Forestry Field Days in North Georgia was also his responsibility; during 1966-67. Dillard coordinated Field Days statewide. He served in a U. S. Army Artillery Unit in Italy from 1958-59. Dillard also spent a summer working for the U. S. Forest Service in Oregon; he was assigned as the only person to man a lookout site 30 miles from the nearest civilization. Now retired to his hometown ofDillard, he maintains a Christmas tree farm. He has two children and two grandchildren. He and his wife. Charlotte, attend the Dillard United Methodist Church.
WOOD INDUSTRIES UPDATE AVAILABLE
The new 1996 edition ofthe Wood Using Industries and Forest Products Marketing Directory is now available. It updates the previous 1993 edition.
The edition contains listings of approximately 1,600 companies, including both primary and secondary manufacturing industries in Georgia. These companies manufacture products for domestic and export sales all over the world.
Listings include sawmills operating in Georgia. along with veneer, plywood, oriented strandboard, pulpmills. and other mills that utilize roundwood for products. Additionally. secondary wood users such as millwork. dimension plants, furniture, and cabinet makers are listed.
'This listing could not have been produced without the direct involvement of field personnel and Macon staff working together to collect and compile the data," said Tommy Loggins. whose department (FRUMD) produced the new edition.
Free copies ofthe comprehensive directory are available at forestry commission offices.
Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996I 23

IN GEORGIA, TREES GROW
JOBS!
PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT DRY BRANCH GEORGIA AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES
Approximate Cost of Press Time and Paper Only COST: 3606 QTY: BM

I
f
Carts with big wheels - some as high as nine feet - were pulled by mules or oxen to transport logs from the forests of Georgia for many years before mechanized equipment became available. A high-wheeled cart, similar to the one in this 1905 photograph, is on display in the Georgia Forestry Museum at the Forestry Center in Macon.
ON THE COVER - Nature's brilliant autumn gold was found in a stand of maples by Commission Photographer Billy Godfrey.
2I Georgia ForestryI Fali 1996

TIMBERLAND SALES RESEARCH

INDICATES POSITIVE TRENDS

1

!

Market For Consultants Increasin&

By Bill Edwards

A University of Georgia research study reveals a rapidly changing Georgia landowner base--indicating an optimistic outlook for future timber supplies and opportunity for consulting foresters to market their services.
The study, entitled "Changes in Timberland Ownership Characteristics in Georgia," was conducted

primarily by David Newman, an associate professor of forest resources at UGA's Warnell School of Forest Resources. Newman described the project as a "joint effort" involving Valdosta State University, Georgia Southern University, and the Commission.
"The buyer/seller research project was funded as part of

Governor Miller's initiative for technological competitiveness of the pulp and paper sector," Newman said. "We wanted to get a handle on how Georgia's land ownership has been recently changing and the influence this will have on future timber supplies."
The survey recorded motivations, attitudes, and plans of individuals purchasing timberland in Georgia. A common denominator of the research was to determine how new landowners (buyers) differed from the long-term landowners reflecting traditional concepts of timber production.
Questionnaires were mailed to all individuals who purchased land parcels of more than 75 acres in 120 ofGeorgia's 159 counties. 'The 75 acres is a minimal basis from which landowners could be a viable contributor and influence on timber supplies," Newman said. "We did not include metro counties and concentrated on rural counties."
WHO AND WHY
The buyerI seller angle was
Newman's original idea and he de-

Professor David Newman, left, conducted timberland buyer-seller research project to predict influences on timber supplies.

UGA photo/Mandt Wright

Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1996I 3

signed the survey that revealed some unexpected results. "We found that people purchasing timberland in Georgia differ markedly from traditional landowners," Newman said. 'They are wealthier and more educated. However, many were completely unaware of management practices and related laws. This offers some appealing opportunities for forestry consultants."
A total of 1, 162 individuals were included in the survey. Of the 589 surveys that were returned, a total of 475 were completed and included in the analysis for a 41 percent completion rate.
SPECIFICS
New timberland owners are different from the general population. The survey revealed they are generally older and more affluent. Nearly 60 percent are over 55 and approximately half have a net income exceeding $100,000 a year, with over 20 percent having incomes exceeding $120,000 a year. Also, approximately 50 percent are college graduates. "These landowners have evolved into a rarefied segment of the population," Newman said.
The highest individual occupation is farming, followed by those retired. Contrary to some anticipations, most of the new landowners live in rural areas, with only 30 percent living in small or large cities.
Sold tracts covered in the analysis represent 104,000 acres. Average tract size was 220 acres with the largest sale being 2,877 acres.
"But, to me, the most interesting thing about this was the highest individual response for purchasing the land was timber production based on expected increase in timber prices," Newman said. "Over 50 percent of the new owners had their top three choices for land use - timber, farming, and recreation." He added that many new owners regard hunting as an important aspect of the purchase, which is not surprising when the amount of posted
4I Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996

"If there is one thing the survey determined for certain - it is that there is definitely a market out there for the services of a forester."
land is considered. Newman said, however, that the
most surprising result of the survey was that approximately 40 percent of the new timberland purchasers said they did not receive assistance or advice from anyone prior to the sale. Slightly over 20 percent consulted with a forester, 15 percent talked with a realtor, and 10 percent talked with "a friend" about the purchase.
"I gave a presentation related to this study to a group of realtors," Newman said. "They said the reason for this lack of consultation was that buyers did not want to pay a commission. That may well be, but 40 percent talking to nobody just seems unusually high to me. I believe there are other reasons involved."
OTHER REASONS
Newman believes the "other reasons" relate to owners already being aware of potentials when the property was purchased; this situation could be related to 65 percent ofthe purchasers living within 50 miles of the tract.
"However," Newman said, "a large number ofpeople responding to the survey indicated they were concerned about their investment - but were uncertain about where to get reliable information on how to manage their land. Some said they would use a consultant forester or a Commission forester in the fu-

ture - but an equal number said they did not think it was necessary to contact anybody concerning land management. Considering the rapidly changing markets in which forestry operates, this could be cause for concern - and an unusual opportunity for consultants to market their services."
Avital statistic emerging from the survey showed that 70 percent of the new landowners intended to harvest and sell timber within the next ten years. This fmding should reduce some concerns among forestry planners predicting that "suburbanization" of rural lands will drastically reduce timber management activities in the near future.
"One of the main reasons I wanted to do this survey was concern over suburbanization," Newman said. "Urban/rural interface is here to stay, but this study simply does not indicate that it will drastically reduce timber supplies in Georgia. The majority of buyers are purchasing land for timber production and sales. It's like money in the bank to them with the expected increases in timber prices. This, considered with the opportunities available for forestry consultants, offers a basically optimistic view for forestry and the timber industry in general.
"If there is one thing the survey determined for certain - it is that there is definitely a market out there for the services of a forester. But it is a different type of market than we have ever dealt with before."
PROFILE OF ANALYST
There will no doubt be more economic forestry studies by Newman. He considers economics - in many ways - to be a barometer of social trends and diversions.
"Economics is really elegant," he says, "because it illuminates many things."
Newman did not evolve this perspective overnight. In fact, he says his college major offorestry was an accident of sorts. Newman grew up on a small-town sheep farm in

Purchase Assistance of Survey Respondents
50%-

No One Friend Realtor Forester Other
High percentage (40%) of new timberland buyers receiving no assistance prior to purchase offers opportunity to consultant foresters for marketing their services.

Northern California. He enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley with all intentions of majoring in history, but was overwhelmed by 10,000 other students registering for the college of Arts and Sciences with a total university enrollment of 35,000.
One day, he visited Berkeley's small forestry department and discovered they had a Tree of the Month. "I thought that was a pretty cool thing," he said, "and the school had only about 200 students, so I changed to a forestry major."
It was not long, however, until Newman became absorbed in his new major. He was interested in the environmental movement of the times and wanted more science in his curriculum; he had found an intense interest and a refuge from the multitudes teeming in the nearby College of Arts and Sciences.
Newman graduated from Berkeley in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in forestry. Berkeley was winding down from the radicalism of past years, and he wanted to see more of the world and make a difference in it. Newman joined the Peace Corps and spent two years

in Columbia. In spite of the country being in "a state of siege" during his entire stay, he gained valuable research experience working with tree improvement programs from the City of Cali, "a beautiful city with year round springtime."
However, the rural orchard he worked was designated a "Red Zone" (danger zone) by the U. S. Government. There were numerous kidnappings by anti-government guerilla groups and the Colombian drug cartels were just beginning to form. Newman's Columbian Peace Corps group was next to the last that would be sent to that country.
In spite of many negative conditions, Newman began to see much of Columbia's plight as economic repercussions. He also saw the difference a well managed reforestation program could have on the economy. "I came to believe planting trees is a good development option for a country," Newman said. "Millions of acres in the Andes had been denuded for raising cattle and reforestation offered an economic way out."
By the time Newman completed his Peace Corps tour, he had developed a new way of viewing so-

cial changes via economics. He attended Duke University, where he earned master's and doctoral degrees. His dissertation was on forest economics.
Newman joined the faculty of UGA's School of Forest Resources in 1988. "I wanted to come South because I felt the type of forestry being practiced was of more relevance to planning overseas than the forestry practiced in the West," he said.
Although Newman remains interested in foreign affairs and travels extensively to support his forest economics research, he now concentrates on Georgia. His instruction at UGA has developed into a major role in the conservation ecology and sustainable development degree program that is jointly taught with the Institute of Ecology and other departments. He also teaches courses in resource economics, forest policy, and policy issues.
FUTURE SURVEY
Newman is now in the process ofconducting another forestry survey concerning Georgia public opinions on forest industry and forestry in general. The project is being conducted with the Commission, Georgia Forestry Association, and Valdosta State University.
"We need to know what people are thinking about forestry," Newman said, "because this will be manifested in legislation. Forestry is a rural-based industry, but laws are made in the cities and we need to provide a positive flow of information to sustain an accurate understanding of forestry."
Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996I 5

Product-Tree at South Columbia Elementary School is similar to others designed by students in 15 schools emphasizingforestry education. Left to right: Jeff Immel, project managerfor Westinghouse Savannah River Site; Donna Murray, principal; and Cliff Hargrove, Commission districtforester.

PRODUCT-TREE PROGRAM SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOLS

The Columbia County School System has established a new "Product Tree" instructional program designed to teach students the importance of trees in relation to products, environmental influence and responsible forest management.
Fifteen Augusta area elementary schools are now using the program reported by teachers to be highly successful. The program was initiated by Jeff Immel, project manager for Westinghouse Savannah River Site. Other organizations combining efforts to establish the
6I Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996

educational project included the Commission, International Paper (formerly Federal Paper Board), U.S. Forest Service, and USDA Department of Energy.
Immel said the Product Tree is a simple but effective idea with success based on student participation in designing a tree for each school. The Product Tree is a tree trunk erected upright in a highly visible area of the school (such as the library). Grades one through five adopt a notched segment ofthe tree appropriate for display of forest products and descriptive signs.

Students are required to identify various products and tree parts used in production.
Products range from obvious fruits and lumber to candy and soap (containing oil resins from papermaking process), to vitamins and waxes (made from tree bark), to film (containing cellulose), to such relatively new and unusual products as "Pycnogenol" (an antioxidant pine bark extract many times more powerful than vitamins E or C).
'The product list could go on and on," Immel said, "as the students

have found out. This is the basis

and delivered them to schools.

for success of the program - stu-

Media specialists in each school

dent participation and research.

coordinated the student research

They find out a lot of things they

and display of products.

didn't know and this leads to other

Commission District Forester

questions that we want them to ask

Cliff Hargrove, who taught high

to form an accurate perception of

school classes before being em-

forestry."

ployed by the Commission, said the

Mary Beth Spivey, media special-

Product Tree is an "excellent ex-

ist, coordinated the program for

ample ofwhat can be accomplished

South Columbia Elementary

when federal, state, and private

School. 'The students were amazed

organizations work toge:tJier."

at some of the things they learned

Hargrove said the program was

about trees," she said. "The project

directed to elementary school stu-

required that they had to find out

dents because basic attitudes and

for themselves the different prod-

concepts are established during

ucts that came from trees, and

these formative years. "We may go

then prove it to me before it was

1:

placed in a slot. They did all the

into middle schools later," he said, "but right now, the elementary

research and tree decoration them-

grades are where the program is

selves. When they finished, the students felt this tree was theirs .and had a completely different view of forestry and what it's really all about."
Immel said this was the main objective of the program. "We could have just bought plastic trees and hung some wood products on them," he said, "but students would have just regarded them as something else the school had placed in front of them to learn. This way, they learned by doing it themselves."
INCEPTION
When Immel started looking for projects, he had no idea the Product Tree would be one ofthem. The Westinghouse Savannah River Site, in conjunction with Department of Energy (DOE), had created an economic division for examining the

Department. Shortly afterward, he toured the Commission's museum in Macon.
"I immediately felt the Augusta area should have a forestry museum similar to the one at Macon headquarters," Immel said. He then contacted Cathy Black, the Commission's district six urban forester, who was in the process of developing an area CSRA Educational Forestry Center. After determining plans for a future museum, it was decided some type of educational program should be established during the interim.
Consultation with other Commission personnel and organizations resulted in the Project Tree being established on a pilot program basis with intentions of expanding to surrounding counties and other areas of the state within two years.

being concentrated." Hargrove, who has degrees in
education and forestry, said there is an urgent need to educate the younger generation accurately concerning forestry and related environmental issues. "There's so much of this 'You should never cut a tree - no matter what' type of thing being taught to young children," Hargrove said. 'This sort of environmental hysteria may be well meaning, but it hardly offers an accurate image of forestry and the role it serves in managing the environment and providing needs of society.
"The Product Tree program is new and already we are seeing children asking questions and changing formative attitudes when they find out for themselves the influence trees have on our very existence and products - they never connected with trees - that are pro-

transfer and commercialization of DOE technology to area industries.

COMBINED EFFORTS

vided by forests. "When this is combined with the

"One ofthe industries selected was the forest industry," Immel said.
In the process of examining technological approaches to make industry more globally competitive, the subject of education surfaced. After meeting with the U. S. Forest Service on the Savannah River Site, Immel was briefed on Commission activities by Tommy Loggins, chief of the Commission's Forest Products Utilization, Marketing & Development

Plans called for 15 deciduous trees eight to ten inches DBH and eight feet tall. The trees would be limbed flush with the trunk with hollowed slots for product display, approximately 2 inches deep by 6x6 inches.
Signs were provided from a U. S. Forest Service grant. International Paper furnished the trees. The Commission's Columbia County Unit cut display slots in the trees

knowledge that forests are a renewable resource sustainable through beneficial management, there is a beginning of understanding being installed in a generation that will determine our future.
"The bottom line is that an expensive, complicated educational program is not needed to accomplish this. A simple approach with student involvement is often all that is needed - something like the Product Tree."

Georgia ForestryI Fall, 1996I 7

CHANGING TIMES BRING CHANGING FORESTS

By Klaus Steinbeck

Forests have long been a source ofwealth and enjoyment for Georgians. The uses and characteristics of forests, however, have changed with the times. While twothirds of the state is covered by forests today, this has not always been the case. Even though there were clearings of considerable size around Creek and Cherokee Indian settlements, the forest cover was essentially unbroken in pre-colonial times.
Settlers pushed inland and cleared the forest for agriculture
and a logging boom swept through the South in the late 1800's. This deprived most ofthe land ofits tree cover and cotton was king. Large tracts of land reverted back to forests during the Depression of the 1930's. Remnant pines naturally reseeded the abandoned fields, resulting in extensive, vigorously growing stands of pine. Hardwoods also became reestablished in growing numbers. All of this resulted
8 /Georgia Forestry/Fall, 1996

in the forests we know today. Even though General Oglethorpe
and his colonists fully realized the bounty which the forests around them provided when Georgia was founded in 1733, they left only scant descriptions of it. Presumably the forests around Savannah were mostly oflongleafpine and the first houses, churches, and forts were built of pine logs. Furniture, animal pens, implements, and other items also were made of wood.
BARTRAM'S RECORD
William Bartram arrived on the scene 40 years later and travelled extensively through Georgia. He was the first naturalist-botanist to provide an extensive written record ofthe forests throughout our state, visiting in 1773 and again in 1776. Riding along the coast from Savannah to Darien and St. Marys, he saw swamps and river bottomland filled with a great variety ofbroadleaf species, including various oaks, magnolias, bays, and tupelos. The same species are still found there today, except that the trees are smaller.
One of the early products of virgin longleaf and slash pine stands in the Coastal Plain was naval stores, a tar-like substance which was used to caulk the seams of wooden ships and to preserve ropes and rigging. Logs were piled into shallow pits, covered with soil, and set on fire. This heated and charred the logs but prevented them from burning. Oleoresin would ooze out

of the hot logs and accumulate in the bottom of the pit. The resin, turned black by admixed ash and soot, looked like tar. When workers stepped out of the pits after collecting tar, they left black footprints. This is why North Carolina became known as the Tarheel state.
Oleoresin was later collected from living trees. A recess with a cupped bottom was cut near the base ofthe tree to collect resin oozing from a series of slanting cuts made above this box. Eventually W. W. Ashe and a UGA chemist, Dr. Herty, designed a tin gutter system and an earthenware cup to catch the flow of resin. For many years naval stores were a major product
of the forest, but in recent times "turpentining" in the woods has become a minor industry as cheaper substitutes for many ofits uses have been found.

Live oak also provided one of the valuable forest products early in Georgia's history. Nathanael Greene, the Revolutionary War hero, had acquired large tracts on Cumberland Island and on the adjacent mainland in 1783 and attempted to sell live oak timber to the British and French navies. He died before this came to pass, but live oak lumber and knees became important construction materials for sailing ships in the l 790's. The hull of the frigate USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides," is made from Georgia live oak.
In the Piedmont, at the confluence ofthe Broad and Savannah rivers near Elberton, Bartram described a magnificent hardwood forest.
"The ground is perfectly a level green plain, thinly planted by nature with the most stately forest trees .. .! think I can assert that
many of the black oaks measured eight, nine, ten and eleven feet in diameter five feet above the ground."
Large scale logging began in the 1880's in the North Georgia mountains when the railroads had recovered from Sherman and other Civil War damages and began to lay tracks into the more remote areas of the mountains. Indiscriminate logging left eroding hillsides and a fire trap of logging debris behind. This prompted a conservation movement committed to protecting the mountains. In turn, this led to the Weeks Act of 1911 which was designed to protect the headwaters

..P.l. !;,actCti c..1.1i..t..l. y. .e v<~
of navigable streams from deforestation, fire, and erosion. Acquisitions under the Weeks Act were heaviest between 1911 and 1916 when considerable portions of today's Chattahoochee National Forest were purchased.
The peak of the timber cutting in the Piedmont was reached in 1909, when nearly half of the country's total lumber production came from the South. By 1930, heavy removals forced increased taxes on the remaining timber, which in turn caused its rapid liquidation in Georgia. Practically every acre that was not in a swamp or on a steep hillside was under the plow. The rivers ran red with silt and clay and deep gullies were cut into the hillsides. When most or all of the topsoil, estimated to have been about 15 to 25 inches thick, in the Piedmont had eroded, massive farm land abandonment followed.
LANDOWNERS RESETTLED
The Agricultural Adjustment Administration, originally called the Resettlement Administration, began to buy worn out and gullied farms and resettled the owners or sharecroppers on more productive lands during the Depression. These purchases were the beginning of the National Forests in the Piedmont and Coastal Plains. The

lands, which later became the Oconee National Forest and the Piedmont Wildlife Refuge, were acquired in this way.
In 1933, Congress passed the Emergency Conservation Work Act which provided work for unemployed young men in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Most of their work involved fire control, road and trail building, and campground development. But CCC crews also worked to improve timber stands by felling diseased and damaged trees or those of undesirable species.
By the end ofWorld War II, there was practically no virgin forest left in the South. But a new forest had reseeded itselfnaturally from trees in fence rows or other remnants. It was said that "The good Lord and shortleaf pine" kept Georgia from washing into the sea. Pioneering efforts in fire protection and the cessation of indiscriminate burning on millions of acres soon resulted in large areas covered with young, rapidly growing pines.
In the Piedmont and Coastal Plains, a few farmers began experimenting with planting pine as far back as 1892. They dug up seedlings in the wild and planted them, usually with poor results. Passage of the Clarke-McNary Act in 1924 provided federal subsidies for the
establishment ofstate nurseries. In 1929, the forestry school at the University of Georgia established one ofthe first nurseries under this act. It produced loblolly, longleaf, and slash pine seedlings. From this modest beginning, the pine planting program grew to the greatest forest planting effort in history, the
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