GEORGIA FORESTRY CJitorial Fire Forecasts Mean Savings Defeat Red Menace Of Wildfire (From tuc Jell l~avis county Ledger) Today there's a saboteur loose i n Jeff Davis County; but this is one Red menace YOU can control. Fire in our Jeff Davis County forests is a saboteur. Each time it strikes, our community loses wood that is needed to keep our nation's defenses strong. More than 6,000 products, many vital to national security, are made from the trees which grow in our forests. Included are aircraft carrier flight decks and railway cross ties; plywood for planes, barracks, and torpedo boats, paper, paperboard box shook and veneers to package food, military and medical supplies, wood pulp to make paper, rayon, plastics, ex- plosives, and chemicals. These are products America loses when fire burns a forest. Wildfire, the Red menace, can strike swiftly and surely at lush, green acres which form the valuable forestlands of our county. Just as a diabolical saboteur can, with a single flick of a match, set off a bomb which could destroy thousands of dollars worth of property, so can thoughtless persons leave acre upbn acre of woodlands charred and blackened. YOU can help stop this red menace by being careful with fire in the woods, by crushing out your cigarets, by dousing campfires, and by controlling brush and trash burning. The forest fire is one Red menace YOU can control. GEORGIA FORESTRY Vol. 5 April, 1952 No. 4 Published Monthly by the GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION, State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia. Guyton DeLoach, Director Members, Board of Commissioners: G. Philip Morgan, Chairman...........................................---Savannah John M. McElrath...........-...........Macon K. S. Varn............................_______Waycross C. M. Jordan, Jr...............................Alamo H. 0. Cummings............Donalsonville Georgia Forestry is entered as second-class matter at the Post Office under the Act of August 24, 1912. Member of the Georgia Press Association. EADSSITOOCRIA...T----E-----E---D----I--T-OR-S_-______-_--_-_--_--_--_-_-_--_-_--_-_-_--_-_--_-_--_-_-_--_-_--_--_-_____________--R---o---b---e--r--t--RR. uEt.heDrfaovrids Betty Andrews DISTRICT OFFICES, GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION: DISTRICT 1-P. 0. Box 268, Statesboro DISTRICT VI-Mayfair Hall, Milledgeville DISTRICT li-P. 0. Box 122, Camilla DISTRICT VII-West Building Rome ' DISTRICT III-P. 0. Box 169, Americus DISTRICT VIII-P. 0. Box 811, Waycross DISTRICT IV-P. 0. Box 333, Newnan DISTRICT IX-P. 0. Box 416, Gainesville DISTRICT X-P. 0. Box 302, Washington (From the Atlanta Journal) A fire forecasting service is in operation in Georgia, and its functions soon will be doubled. At 20 points in the state, and at 20 others to be added, forestry weather stations are checking on temperature, rainfall, wind velocity and the moisture conditions of the forest floor. When these conditions are right, and the signs spell fire, rangers will be alerted, and fire fighting crews will be readied for an emergency. The service was established as a research project of the University of Georgia's Forestry School and the State Forestry Commission. It should mean the saving of many millions of dollars worth of timber resources. Georgia's annual income from processed forest products amounts to more than half a billion dollars. Despite the value of the forests, an estimated million acres are burned annually, mostly through carelessness and lack of protection. The forecasting service, alerting rangers when conditions are favorable for fires is a fine step forward in the protection of a great resource. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Green forests mean clears treams and good fishing! April and the advent of spring turn the outdoorsman once again to the casting rod and fly, creel and net, dancing, swirlin~ rapids and quiet pools as millions of Georgians return to battle with the trout and perch, bass and crappie, and bream and red breast. once again these mill ions will enjoy the great recreational benefits of the state' s25-million acre forest playground. APRIL , 1952 2 Boundary Changes Forestry Commission To Add Fifth District Several hundred of the state ' s forestry leaders and other citizens interested in good forestry are expec ted to gather at Radium Springs near Albany May 15-16. to attend the Georgia Forestry Association's twenty-eighth annual meeting. Among outstanding state forestry exponents invited to address the session is Governor Herman Talmadge, Association President Hugh Dobbs reported this month. Dobbs said that during a luncheon the Governor will present the $1,000 prize to the winning county in the Association's $1,000 Keep Georgia Green contest. ''Forest Protection as an Avenue to Better Management'' will be the meeting theme. Otrer speakers will be Guyton DeLoach, Director, Georgia Forestry Commission; B. M. Lufburrow, Association Executive Secretary; Charles Cannaughton, Regional Forester, Region 8, U. S. Forest Service, and Charles Cannon, of Union Bag and Paper Corporation. One of the Georgia Forestry Canmission' s Cow1cy Foresters will speak on ''Problems of a County Forester,'' and the chairman of a Keep Georgia Forest Green county council will speak on some phase of forest conservation. Dobbs reported inspec tion and j udging of the 71 Georgia countie s which have entered the Assoc i a- tion's $1,000 Keep Georgia Green contest is now under way; and t he winning c ounty will be announced at the annual session. Meanwhile, participating c ounties have submitted s ummaries of work accomplished in their areas . The deadline for these reports to be in the Georgia Forestry Association office in Atlanta was April 17, while the official clos ing date of the contes t wa s April 15. An additional District will be added to the Georgia Forestry Comr11ission's nine existing districts July 1, and several changes will be made in boundaries of current districts, Guyton DeLoach, Commission Director, announced this month. Forestry District boundaries of the State, DeLoach explained, corresponded largely to the pattern used in dividing the state into Congressional districts, with the exception that there had been no District 5. (Congressional District 5, because it consisted of only three counties, Fulton, DeKalb, and Rockdale, would have proved impractical as a forestry district. Each county in this district, therefore, under the current system, was apportioned to one of the adjoining forestry districts.) ''Such a plan,'' DeLoach declared, ''worked well when the number I \ :YIILES S. 1\0 GErl To Hea<.l New F i ft11 District of organized forestry units in our state totalled only 45 - then 85 - and even 105. With 18 new counties slated to enter organized (Co nt inued on Page 10 ) Alrea dy Signed To Begin Protection J~ 1, 1952 IH-.S I GMTION Of' C0RGIA FORES11tY Ol biR i cnt. 3 GEORGIA FORESTRY PlrudUtr; gtaiidkd e~ ''The principal victims of a woods burning are the farmer's valuable t.ree crops, wildlife and soil fertility,'' according to Guyton ~Loach, Director, Georgia Forestry Commission, who this month cautioned landowners torefrain from firing their woods in the mistaken notion that it would rid them of boll weevils and screw worms. ''Intensive experiments,'' De- Loach declared, ''have been carried on in the past few years to determine whether the old-time practice of burning woods for boll weevil, popular back in the days of our great grandfathers, had any value. These tests were carried on with the cooperation of Southern farmers and landowners on their lands - their woods - so that results and conclusions are tried and proven, rather than representing some vague theory found in an obscure book.'' ''These tests,' 'he said, "showed that no matter how hot the flames may be in the deep woods, no matter how much valuable timber is lost in this wasteful effort, very little if anything is accomplished in reducing the number of the boll weevils. Boll weevils are seldom if ever founddeep inside the woods. These insects prefer cotton fields or surrounding areas as their natural habitats. In the winter they are usually found in grass, around gins, rock dams, barns, or terraces, or the underside of fallen leaves in the edge of woods and in other protected places near cotton fields. (Continued on Page 10) Forestry Featured In Vacation Reading Plan Georgia ranks second in the nat ion in the number of private acres planted with forest tree seedlings in 1951, according to the U. S. Forest Service's annual report. The state planted 39,363 acres during the past year. Southern states accounted for 52.6 per cent of the total of 456, 000 acres planted to trees, though there was a drop of 4.2 per cent from the South's 1950 total. The total of 240, 073 acres planted in forests was a decrease of 400,000 acres from the previous year. The situation in the Southern states was representative of the over-all picture for the nation, which revealed a similar decrease in reforestation in all other regHns. The drop in Southern Planting was attributed to the scarcity of seed, making it impossible for the 19 nurseries of the area to produce a sufficient number of seedlings to meet the landowner's demands. There are definite indications that 1952 will be a record year for reforestation since woodland owners have evidenced increasing interest in reactivating idle land. Plans for a vast, statewide vacation reading program, in which the story of forestry will play a leading part, have been announced as a cooperative project by the State Library Service and the Georgia Forestry Conmission. Reading emphasis during the forthcoming summer will be placed on the therre, ' 'Keep Georgia Green.'' The proposed project, the ''Vacation Reading Clubs of Georgia," is to be sponsored by city, county, and regional libraries and devised to encourage and further the reading habits of young people. Librarians will work in close cooperationwith the Georgia Forestry Commission to produce a better understanding of forestry conservation and the importance of fire prevention measures. County Rangers and Foresters will work with the librarians of their areas in effecting the most well-balanced reading program possible. Phases of this program will include furnishing suitable reading material to the libraries, together with related visual aids, supplying bookmarks which carry out the forestry theme, and giving recognition for those completing the reading program. Several developments were noted in the Forest Service survey. Tree planting on private land has shown a noticeable increase since the high mark reforestation year of 1940. During that year 40 per cent of privately owned land was in trees, compared to 79 per cent in 1952. Louisiana led the nation in private . acreage planted in 1951. Many Southern wood-using industries accounted for the large ownership total. Forest industries held 51 per cent of this amount. In plantings of non-industrial land, Georgia ranked third with 9, 071 acres. 4 APRIL , 1952 Green Pines For Greenbacks Lieutenant Governor Griffin To Be Pine Tree Festival Speaker LieutenantGovernorMarvin Griffin has been scheduled as the principal speaker at Emanuel County's seventh annual Pine Tree Festival, to be held in Swainsboro, April 25. Indications are that this year's forestry observance will be the most impressive in the series of increasingly effective presentations, and attendance is expected to exceed 10, 000 persons. Griffin has had a wide background of experience to qualify him as a speaker on forestry. He is a farmer and woodland owner in Decatur County and has always been noted for his interest in forest resources. His address ,..,.._ ..n.A.._....._.__t .. 1951 PINE TREE QUEEN - Last year' s Emanuel county Pine Tree Festival Queen was Fayette Bell who this year will pass her crown along to another I uclcy young lady who will be named to reign at the Pine Tree Pageant, April 25. will follow the colorful parade which will open the day's festivities. Floats will depict the Festival theme, ''Green Pines For Greenbacks - Burned Pines For Setbacks." The theme will emphasize the profits created by the preservation of the state's fares ts and the resultant irreplaceable loss if fire occurs. This theme will be carried out via floats sponsored by businesses, civic organizations, and schools, and Pageant dramatizations depicting the various ways in which the county's forest resources affect the lives of its residents. One of the outstanding phases of the festival preliminary events will be the golf tournament conducted by Herb Green, Pro, Dublin County Club, who was in charge of last year's tournament. One participant in the sporting event, will be Hardeman Jones, Corrmerce, last year's winner. Frank Davis is serving as chairman of the tournament. Part of the day's activities will be a barbecue for the players and the presentation of awards and trophies to the outstanding entrants. Certainly an attention getting phase of the Festiyal fanfare was the planting of a hugh pine tree on the Swainsboro Courthouse square where a ''pine tree sitter' ' was to res ide for a month preceding the April 25 event. Rev. HenryS. Brooks, Pine Tree chairman, and his committee, are making extensive preparations to make this year's festival the greatest of all. Fmanuel County school s tudents are participating in the annual essay contest on the topic, ''The Value of Forest Fire Prevention in Emanuel County." The competition i s be ing s upervi s ed by Miss Essie Hughes , chairman of the committee on es s ays and posters. Announcement of essay winners and poster contest winners will be made following the parade. PI NE TP.EE SITTEr. -.- P.ay Brinson , tlt e Festival 's Piue tre e sitter, waves a cnee rful greetin g from nis eleva ted nome. Climaxing the fes tiva1 entertainmen t will be the Pine Tree Pageant in whi ch Emanuel County sc hool c hildre n unde r the di rec t ion of Mi ss Edith Rus se ll , Atl an ta, will por tray t he importance of c ounty f ares tlands to the ever y d ay l ives of Emanue l citizens. Th e c rownin g o f the ''Pine Tree Queen ' ' wi ll be an outs tanding f ea t ure of t he pagean t. 5 GEORGIA FORESTRY 7hzee?feou e~te4 "?(JIUH Udt4 Three more counties, Fannin, Columbia, and Jefferson will begin operation of County Forestry Units July 1, Guyton DeLoach, Di- ector, Georgia Forestry Commission, announced this month. Hall, Pike, Fulton and Henry Counties earlier had signed agreements with the Corrmission to institute county fares try programs on that date. DeLoach said approximately 11 more counties are scheduled to join these seven before July 1, bringing the total of Georgia counties under organized forest protection at that time to 123. James C. Turner, Tenth District Forester, reported Columbia County's unit personnel will consjst of a county forester and his assistant and two patrolmen. Two tcmermen will be on duty during the fire season. Equipment will include a jeep with fire suppression plow, crawler tractor with fire suppression plcm and a flat bed truck to transport the tractor, mobile and stationary two-way FM radios, and hand tools. Fannin County, according to District Forester 0. C. Burtz will employ a full-time ranger and patrolman and during the fire season an assistant patrolman and towerman-dispatcher will be added to the crew. Because a large portion of the county is under protection of the U.S. Forest Service, Burtz added, equipment will not be as extensive as in counties which must rely 100 per cent on County Forestry Units . Initial equipment plans call for a jeep with fire suppression plcm, fire danger rat1ng station, mobile and stationary two-way FM radios , and hand tools. (Continued on Page 10) Forest Farmers Meet Spotlights Utilization Forest utilization problems, woodland taxation, and federal legislation as applied to timberland owners were among the major topics discussed at the 1952 ses...: sian of the Forest Farmers Assoc- iation in Chattanooga, March 27-28. Principal speaker at the twoday meeting, attended by over 500 members from 15 southern states, was Tom Wallace, Editor Emeritus of the Louisville, Kentucky TIMES and past president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Wallace's interest in forestry was recognized in 1948 when he was presen ted with an honorary membership in the American Forestry Association. The one-time president of the Inter-American Press Association and the Izaak Walton League, Wallace has behind him a notable record of 46 years of service in newspaper work. The major address of the Thursday afternoon session was delivered by Lou Williams, president of the Keep Tennessee Green Association. His address was followed by a panel highlighting the theme of' 'Progress in the Maximum Utilization of Wood Waste.'' Moderator of the utilization panel was State Forester Olarles Flory of South Carolina. Phases of the discussion were ''The Timber CUtlook -Past, Present and Future,'' Frank Heyward, Chief, Pulpwood Branch, Pulp, Paper and Paperboard Division, National Production Authority, ''Utilization Developments and Forest Management," J. Alfred Hall, Director of the U. S. Forest Products Labatory, Madison, Wisconsin, and "What TVA Is Doin~ To Help Achieve Maximum Utihzation of Wood Waste and Hem This Affects Surrounding Landowners,'' Willis M. Baker, Director, Division of Forestry Relations, TVA. Fallowing registration at FFA convention headquarters at the Hotel Patten, Thursday morning, President W. M. Oettmeier opened the program andMayor P.R. Olgi ati officially welcomed the audience to the city of Chattanooga. Conservation Commissioner C. P. Swan issued a welcome on behalf of the State of Tennessee to FFA members and those present from the Association of Southern State Foresters who observed a practice of several years standing in meeting simultaneously with the Southern ForestrY Conference. A banquet was given Friday evening with Vance Miles, FFA membership chairman serving as toastmaster, at which Editor Wallace delivered his address. Entertainment features of the final day's program were music by Harry Rosol! and the presentation of door prizes including a tree planting machine donated by the R. A. Whitfield Manufacturing Company, Atlanta, Georgia. PuUJ.H,eM, PIJ,t.n.t ~eep Q~teen JUue Inmates of the Georgia State Prison at Reidsville dedicated the February issue of their publication, ''The Spokesman,'' to the preservation of Georgia's greatest natural resource - her forests. Editor Fred H. Chester designed the entire format to evolve the theme of ''Keep Georgia Green.'' Boxed slogans were used on many pages to emphasize the necessity of using care with fire in the woods, and the danger to wildfire ofdestructive forest fire flames. Illustrations and poems also stressed the idea of fire prevention. A special fiction feature by R. C. Portmess, staff artist, t.old the story of one farmer whose experiences teach him to utilize the management practices adv<;>cated by his county forester 10 order to protect his holdings and increase the profits from his woodlands. APRIL , 1952 '... ... ~.: .-t.,.. ~~~...._cr ~!~ ... ~"'A,;..:.:/.~~ l :' 8 APRIL, 1952 Foresters And Rangers In The News Speeches by County Rangers and Foresters to civic organizations last month highlighted anew the value of forest protection units to community life as well as stressed individual res pons i hility in preservation of state woodlands. Coffee-Atkinson County Forester James Lanier spoke to the Douglas Kiwanis Club concerning proposed construction of additional fire towers to supplement the area's present two. The Gray Home Demonstration Club was host to Jones County Forester E. T. Carnes, who, in addition to his informative discussion of fire detection and suppression procedures, made suggestions about construction of the Club's prospective roadside park site. The Lions Club of Monroe heard Walton County Forester Joe McGunagle relate the duties and activities of his Forestry Unit. McGunagle also urged public cooperation in bringing fires to the attention of the county fire fighters, particularly on cloudy days when visibility from fire to.ver lookout posts is poor. Terrell County Forester J. C. Bowen addressed the Dawson Rotary Club, and PolkCounty Ranger JamE's C. Carter spoke to the Cedartown Exchange Club. Several of the forestry speakers used related films to illustrate their discussion topics. A flapran t. disregard for the rights of others was displayed recently in the woods near Apalachee, according to a report. by Morgan County Forester Sam Martw. Martin states hunters were seeking to smoke a squnrel out of a white oak tree, but found when they killed the animal that it was onJ y a non-edible flying squir- "'"''r ~ J ...,.,~ t ).. !~ 'J.. .. .. ,. --~J' ~\. : JUST GIVE US A RING - Laurens County Forester Bill Alford, left, and Sixth District Ranger Therman M. Strickland gaze proudly at the new sign which proclaims their headquarters and phone number. Personnel of the unit built the sign using a plywood core to devise the supports. Similar signs are being constructed throughout the Sixth District in an attempt to make persons more aware of the presence of their forestry units and availability in time of need. rel. Negle~ting to put out the fire theyhadstarted, the"sportsmen'' went on their way. The blaze spread rapidly despite the efforts of Harold and Ralph Prior to protect their property. Eight horres 600 yards away were seriously menaced. until the blaze was brought under control by the ~lorgan County Forestry Unit. Morgan County Forester Sam Martin reports that schoolchildren in Bostwick have shnwn a rewarding interest in the importance of Georgia's forests. Recently elementary school pupils at the Bostwick Public School presented a play entitled ''The Gray Ghost'', which illustrated the part young people can play in fares t fire prevention activities. Forester Martin showed a hlm to the Bostwick group which demonstrated the tragedy of needless forest fires. GFORGIA FORESTRY 9 Keep Green New Management Film Newspapers Shows Foresters' Role Increasing More and more newspapers are joining the' 'Keep Green'' edition parade, a survey of Georgia weeklies revealed this month. Newspapers which in recent weeks have issued Keep Georgia Green editions, dedicated to better forest conservation methods in the individual counties and in the state, include the Jeff Davis County Ledger, the Stewart-Webster Journal, the Dawson News, the Winder News, Charlton County Herald, Camden County Tribune, and the Abbeville Chronicle. Printed in green ink to highlight the theme, ''Keep Georgia Green,'' the special editions utilize local photographs and news stories on forestry activities and forest resources to bring the conservation message to the public. "When a Fellow Needs a Forester,'' the Southern Pulpwood Conservation Association's newest educational forestry film produced in cooperation with the Georgia Forestry Commission and other Southern States' Foresters, has just been released. The film tells the story of one small woodland owner and how he solves the numerous problems of management through the cooperative services of a skilled forester. This technicolor mot ion picture, which was filrred chiefly around Forsyth, Georgia, vividly depicts the various phases of' woodland management in action, as farrrer and forester tour a timber stand. Later the action switches to the cutting of the timber and the uses it serves. The movie was produced especial1y to acquaint the 1, 500, 000 small woodland owners in the South with the availability of foresters to help them carry out the most profitable and sensible utilization of their forest acres. According to H. J. Mals berger, S. P. C. A. general manager, ' 'When these owners apply modern practices, their timberlands usually begin bringing larger financial returns and repeated harvests are assured for the future. The number of foreste rs is soaring every year, and usually the services of an industry or public agency forester is available without charge. It's simply good business for more owners to take advantage of this opportunity.'' James H. Spiers, Forester, Cenof Georgia Railroad, rortrays the role of the forester in t he motion picture, which is available for (Co n tinued on Page 10) FOREST FIRE DANGER RESEARCH PROJECT - Professor G. Norman Bishop, Professor of Forest Protection, University School of Forestry, checks with Earl Newsom, Chief Forester, Interstate Paper company, left, and Bibb County Forester J. w. Hanson, center, as he gathers material for the current research study designed to make possible the most efficient utiliza- tion of fire danger ratings. APRIL, 1952 Forestry Commission To Add Fi ftil .Hstrict. . . .. ...... .. ...... . (Continue d Fr om Pa ge 2) forest protection July 1, how- ever, district foresters using thP present Congressiona 1 clistrict boundaries would have too many counties under their jurisdiction to operate efficiently.'' The Director pointed out that under the plan to be invoked July 1, District Foresters will have less total area under their jurisdiction. This change has been made not only with the thought of the 18 new counties to enter organized forest protection July 1, but also with the realization that in several years all Georgia will be under protection. The new district, District 5, will be located in Wheeler County. District 5 will be composed of Houston, Bleckley, Laurens, Pulaski, Wilcox, Turner, Ben Uill, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Telfair, Dodge, Wheeler, Treutlen, Montgomery, and Toombs. Miles S. Koger, Assistant District Forester, District 10, will assume the post of District For- ester, District 5, March 1. He already has been assigned to the new area, however, and is working closely both with protected and unprotected counties in organizing the new headquarters setup. A 1948 Graduate of the Univer- sity of Georgia School of Forestry, Koger is a veteran of World War II, having served with the U.S. Army for three years. He began work with the Commission July 1, 1948 as Decatur County Forester. He also has served as Assistant District Forester in Charge of Management. 1 'The new District Forester,'' said DeLoach, ''enters this new task with a comrrendable record with the Georgia Forestry Commission, and we can assure the citizens of the counties which will compose District 5 that they have at their service a highly-qualified, competent man who will carry out the Commission's policy of full cooperation with farmer, landowner, and all persons connected with our $600 million dollar a year forest products industry.'' The Commission Director pointed out that all but six of the countjes which will compose District 5 are today under protection, with the possibility that additional counties will come under protection July 1. Burning For Boll r,eevils ........ . (Continued from Page 3) The screw worm is definitely a forest insect, but it has been determined that woods burning never destroys them since they live in the pupae stage deep in the earth where fire cannot penetrate, and the adult screwworm simply flies somewhere else when fire invades his dwelling place. DeLoach recommended that landowners ''follow a regular cleanup of their fields, terraces, and fence rONs together with an annual spring cotton poisoning if they w~nt to eradicate these farm pests.'' ' 'In addition to destroying valuable timber resources,'' continued the Commission Director, ''a person who practices woods burning may find himself guilty of violating the Georgia Forest Fire Law. If the fire he has started should spread to a neighbor' s property, whether or not it was his intention that it do so, he is guilty of having conrni tted a misdemeanor and may be prosecuted accordingly.'' New Managernen t Pilm ............ . (Continued from Page 9) show.ingsby farm and civic groups, schools, 4-H clubs, Boy Scouts, FFAchapters and teachers of agriculture, and other organizations. Those wishing to arrange a showing of ''When A FellaH Needs A Forester'' may contact the Southern Pulp.vood Conservation Association at 1506 First National Bank Building, Atlanta, or their District Forester, County Forester or County Ranger. LAW ENFORCE~IENT BEGINS - C. D. Tillman, District Forest Fire Investigator, left, and Morgan COWlty FOrester Sam Martin inspect the site of a recent wildfire started by thoughtless hWltcrs. The uWiters, in setting fire to t11e tree, smol