Georgia forestry, Vol. 50, no. 1 (Spring 1997)

EXTENSIVE MIXED-FOREST RESEARCH FOCUSES ON SITE PREPARATION

A ten-year researc h study by the Un ivers ity of Georgia 's Warnell School of Forestry concludes that expensive site preparation may not be necessary to conve rt degenerated hardwood stands to pine-hardwood mixtures.
The study is based on Georgia and other southern states sharing a history of agricultural abandonment followed by old field succession. Pine stands that developed were ofte n high-graded repeatedly and hardwoods eventually dominated the area. On upland sites, such hardwood stands are generally of low economic value. Owners of these low-grade stands are often unwilling or unable to convert them back to pure pine stands by costly, intensive site preparation methods.
Although the UGA forestry researchers caution that results may apply only to upland sites of average productivity, their data shows that pinehardwood forests are more successful when hardwood stands are first clearcut and pine seedlings planted among remaining hardwood stumps. This approach would appeal to many landowners who want to turn lowgrade hardwood stands into mixed pine-hardwood forests, but are reluctant to use bulldozers and other expensive site preparation methods.
"The search for cheaper methods to

re-establish pines has centered on intensive mechanical or chemical site preparation," said Dr. Klaus Steinbeck of the Warne ll School of Forestry. "This study shows that this is not always necessary."
Among the generally cited benefits of mixed forests are that they are more pleasing for recreation, less susceptible

to disease and insect damage, and support more diverse flora and fauna. "These pine- hardwood mixtu res produce about half the pine basal area of a pure pine plantation," Steinbeck said. " Mixed forests are increasingly ma naged for their intrinsic value, especially where economic return is not the primary objective."
Dr. Klaus Steinbeck, of the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forest Resources, in pinehardwood experimental forest used/or JO-year research study.

JO/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997

I

offers many opportunities for enjoying the great outdoors."
It was also pointed out that the Forest Service manages the forests for healthy populations of fi s h and wildl ife, protects them from fire, insects, and diseases. Erosion problems are monitored and corrected to ensure highest quality. Water and quality lumber is provided from the forests.
The new office is near the Riverbend School and Riverbend Church.

Rachel Schneider, environmental education coordinator (far left), and Erica Mavity.forest analyst (far right) are shown with Smokey Bear greeting youngsters attending U. S. Forest Service open house ofnew headquarters office complex in Gainesville. Nume rous adults and children attended the event featuring demonstrations and tours of the new facility.

GAINESVILLE U. S. FOREST SERVICE NOW IN MORE CONVENIENT OFFICE

A recent open house celebration featured displays to better inform the public of the role of the U. S. Forest Service. Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl were on hand to enterta in the children.
The occasion was to introduce the public to the Forest Service's new Gainesville office on the outskirts of the city. The offi ce, which was in the city for many years, moved into the new building at 1755 C leveland Highway, a si te officials said will increase visibility and provide greater accessibility for customers.
Forest Supervisor George G. Martin said, " We wanted to have this open house to introduce ourselves to our new neighbors and to let our community know a little about what we do. If you've hiked the Appalachian Trail,

rafted down the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River, visited the beautiful twin waterfalls at Anna Ruby Falls, or enjoyed}he view of four states from
Georgia's highest point--Brasstown Bald--then you' ve visited a national forest site. With more than 865,000 acres in Georgia, the Forest Service

MORGAN & VALDOSTA ENVIROTHON WINNERS
A team of Morgan County Hi gh School students was declared the North Georgia regional winner and Valdosta High School came in first for South Georgia in the recent Envirothon, a competition designed to stimulate, rein force, and enhance interest in natural resources and the environment.
The Envirothon tests students' knowledge of soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues. In addition, it encourages cooperative decision making and team building. While each stude nt on an Envirothon team is challenged to contribute his or her personal best, the score that counts at the end of an Envirothon is the team score.
The Envirothon began in Pennsylvania in 1979 and it has been made available to high schools in over half the United States. A limited number of Georgia schools are now participating in the program.
There are five test stations set up to host the different study groups: soils, forestry, aquatic ecology, wildlife, and current environmental issues. The stations are staffed with specialists from different state and federal agencies. As teams visit each station, they are given a brief presentation . Using a hands-on approach and team interaction, the team members complete a test within the 45 minutes allotted for each station.
Georgia Forestry/Spring, 199711 J

THE CHARM OF OLD WOOD
...AND ITS AMAZING ENDURANCE!

By Howard Bennett

H undreds of old wooden structures long ago outlived their usefulness, but refuse to disappear from the Georgia landscape, and there are many romantics who are grateful for their endurance!
There is a certain allurement evoked by the varied textures of old wood mellowed by the seasons. Artists find ancient farm houses and other country buildings nostalgic subjects for their canvasses; preservationists and others appreciate the historic value of the state's fading rural architecture.
FAME TO ARTIST
Some of Georgia's remaining country buildings are so popular that they brought instant fame to artist Butler Brown of Hawkinsville when Rosaline Carter greatly admired his paintings of old farmhouses and bought two to give to her husband.
She presented the gifts to PresidentElect Jimmy Carter on Christmas
.I
momfog, 1977. The painter said, "the media immediately picked up the story and then the whole world knew...I began receiving calls from around the world."
Brown said many of his paintings are "the country places of relatives I've been close to all my life, and others are buildings, mail boxes, and fences that give me a certain feeli ng and I know they are subjects I need to paint."
LANDMARKS FADING
Sadly, many rura l landmarks that endured the years are surrendering to time and the Kudzu vine. Artist Brown said dozens of hi s paintings are of his 12/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997

Old wood is so coveted throughout the state by craftsmen making rustic picture frames that farmers have to be alert to trespassers who would rip siding and other lumber from their buildings.
grandparents' home from several perspectives and he is glad he set his easel up at the farm so many times. "When my grandparents died," he said, "the old house seemed to die with them. It just collapsed!"
Terry Allen, an Athens commercial photographer intrigued w ith o ld wooden structures with peeling paint and fading signs, told of photographing an ag ing barn in Watkinsville numerous times, but now finds it has leaned over into a pile of unsightly rubbish. He and others who capture old wooden buildings on film and in oils and acrylics are aware, of course, of their fleeting opportunity.
"I'm always interested in old buildings that have a special appeal," said Allen, "and when I spot a rustic building along the highway, I want to stop and get the cameras out, but it seems I'm always on assignment and can't spare the time."
The photographer, who had provided a rural scene for the album

of a famous rock group and illustrated calendars with his prints, hopes to eventually find time to compile a book of photographs of rural Georgia's treasures before too many more build ings go the way of the old Watkinsville barn.
P eople who appreciate old wood marvel at the way long years of sun, wind, and rain sculpture the surface ofplanks and tint them with a delicate rust or a dozen shades of grays and browns. In fact, old wood is so coveted throughout the state by craftsmen making rustic picture frames that farmers have to be alert to trespassers who would rip siding and other old lumber from their buildings.
ON THE BACKROADS
Although preservationists lament the loss of old buildings, there are some still standing with plumb walls and straight rafters that are almost as solid as they were when carpenters labored on the structures many decades or even more than a century ago.
Painters and photographers have only to travel the backroads of Georgia to discover interesting wooden sentinels that refuse to become dilapidated heaps of rotted oak, pine, and rusted nails.

Now shuttered and silent, this big two-storyframe building erected in 1911, in the farm communiry ofApalachee in Morgan County, was "school house" to generations of students before large, consolidated county schools closed rural schools. (Fortunately, a couple in the community is now restoring the building.)

A Little service station.for/om and forgotten as it stands along a busy Wilkinson County highway, harks back to the days when customers came in Model-T Fords for gas and oil and a Double Cola for refreshment. The more "modem" gas pumps were installed in the 1940s before the station finally closed.
A well-built barn with a Large hay Loft near Ft. Valley is typical of the many sturdy farm buildings that once dotted the state.

Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997113

Some old wooden buildings are still in use, however, and this lodge hall in lumber City is a good example ofhow a classic structure is well worth preserving. The building, featuring stately Corinthian columns, was recently painted and renovated. Dedicated in 1908, the building continues to serve lodge members of the local F&AM, which was chartered in 1856.
Many small town stores, once the hub ofactivity on Main Street and managed by merchants who knew most customers by name, stand tall and intact, but their businesses were swallowed long ago by modern supermarkets and malls. One of the few remaining wooden water tanks in the state stands in Peach County, and although the metal supports are beginning to deteriorate, the wood tank remains solid.
14/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997

STATE GROWING PINE SEEDLINGS FOR GEORGIA LANDOWNERS FOR 80 YEARS

Seed planting this s pring at the Commission's nurseries marks the 80lh year the state has been growing pine seedlings for Georgia landowners and Johnny Branan, Chiefof Reforestation, estimates the " four billionth tree" will be grown this year!
The first nursery back in 19 L7 was a plot of ground on the University of Georgia campus that is now the site of Stanford Stadium. The fledgling nursery was later moved to a new location and seedlings were produced and distributed to landowners at cost.
By 1931 , however, more landowners became aware of the value of reforestation and seedlings were in short supply. James H . Fowler of Soperton established a private nursery and planted and sold more than a million seedlings.
STATE NURSERIES
Other state nurseries were established to meet the demand and the one at Flowery Branch existed from 1938 to 1953. The seedlings were delivered throughout the state by railroad.
Other state nurseries have been established down through the years in Davisboro, Byron, Albany, Reidsville, Byromville, and other locations; some have been abandoned to provide new nurseries at better sites.

sophisticated planting and harvesting equipment, grading, packaging and shipping procedures, and other innovations reflect the progress that bad been made s in ce those fi rst seedlings were grown "between the hedges" in Athens eight decades ago.
WILDLIFE HABITAT PACT BENEFITS NORTH GEORGIA
Forests in the North Georgia mountains wi ll benefit from a partnership agreement between the National Turkey Federation and the Western Carolinas Region of Champion International. The wildlife habitat management agreement concentrates on promoting wild turkey populations.
Champion International, one of the leaders in forest products, manages approximately 5 mill ion acres of timberland, which includes 475 ,000 acres in Georgia, South Carol ina , Tennessee, and North Carolina.

FLINT RIVER

Today, the long-established Walker Nursery in Reid svi ll e is still in production, but the sprawling Flint River Nursery near Byromville produces the bulk of seedlings. This year, the big nursery will grow more than 35,000,000 seedlings in an effort to meet the demand of Georgia landowners. Last year, all the stock was sold out early and it was impossible to fi ll all orders.
The high quality seed orchards,

Tunberland management, combined with programs ofThe National Turkey Federation, have increased Georgia's wild turkey population from 40,000 in 1959 to a current estimated tota l of more than 325,000 birds.
For information on how you can directly benefit the wild turkey, call NWTF at (803) 637-3106 or contact Jim Newbill , Georgia's Reg ional Director, at (770) 493-6970.

LOOKING
BACK
1870
The great expansion of the railroad into Georgia, which not only created a market itself for crossties, boxcar sills, and other timber products, opened Southern pine markets which have been inaccessible. Now the railroad provided a means of selling timber from the more remote pine resources of the Georgia longleaf-slash and mountain belts.
1880
Georgia lumber industry was no longer tied to the rivers and larger streams that would float log rafts and thus large sawmills of the coastal plains, as well as those in the mountains of North Georgia, began to send out feeder lines into previously untouched territory. The rate of timber cutting was stimulated greatly by the expansion of agriculture into the relatively treeless middle west, which provided an enormous market for southern pine lumber. At the same time, labor problems in the post-war era caused the wholesale abandonment of numerous large land-holdings, particularly in the southern part of the state, where many (perhaps as high as one-halt) of the plantations were on the market at extremely low rates. Large mills purchased a number of these and expanded, being encouraged to "cut and get out."
Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997115

ISSUES

NEWS OF INTEREST TO GEORGIA FOREST LANDOWNERS ANO INDUSTRIES

MAINE DEFEATS CLEARCUTTING BAN. BUT GEORGIA STILL WARY
Georgia's forestry community was joined by forest interests across the nation in breathing a great sigh of relief when voters up in Maine put the skids to a controversial referendum that would ban clearcutting and impose limitations on other traditional forest practices.
Although the defeat of the clear-cut ban came in faraway Maine last November, there is still concern here in the South that the struggle between the state's Green Party and the forest industry is not over.
Despite large infusions of funds from both industry and conservation lobbies, Maine's voters failed to reach a consensus regarding the use of clearcutting in their heavily forested state.
Maine's precedent-setting debate began when the local Green Party succeeded in getting the 51,000 signatures necessary to place an anti-clearcutting measure on the ballot.
The Green's citizen-initiated referendum received widespread public support, but was immediately and vocally opposed by forest industries
The close call for the "Greens" in Maine flashed a green light for similar propositions in other states.
Stepped up efforts at the state and local government level to regulate and restrict timber harvest and management on private lands could also be a fallout from the Maine referendum. And the South, the nation's emerging "wood basket," can hardly expect to escape the attention of the would-be restricters.
LANDOWNERS ARE GIVEN RENEWED INCENTIVES IN CRP PROGRAM
Thanks to the new Farm Bill that passed in 1996, Georgia landowners are finding added flexibility in the Natural Resources Conservation Service and renewed incentive to improve resources on their lands.
Landowners no longer have to wait for a special signup period to apply for certain Conservation Reserve
16/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997

Program (CRP) practices and the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) -- both programs now have continuous sign-ups. The WRP offers permanent easements, 30-year easements, and restoration only cost-share agreements to help landowners restore eligible degraded or altered wetlands.
The CRP protects highly erodable and environmentally sensitive lands with grass, trees, wildlife plantings, and other permanent cover. It also allows landowners or operators who entered into a CRP contract before 1995 to terminate contracts on certain acres after giving written notice, if their contracts have been in effect for at least five years and do not have high environmental value. Farm Service Agency (FSA) anticipates a general CRP sign-up in the spring of 1997.
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) helps landowners improve wildlife habitat on private lands. The program provides cost-sharing and technical assistance to landowners for establishing and improving habitat for upland wildlife, wetland wildlife, endangered species, fisheries, and other wildlife.
Land under WRP, CRP, the Water Bank Program, or other similar programs is not eligible for WHIP, nor is land used for mitigation or land owned by the federal government.
STATE BOARD OF REGISTRATION FOR FORESTERS IS THREATENED
Georgia was the first state to establish a Foresters Registration Board to protect landowners from unqualified persons who would pose as professional foresters. Today, more than 2,000 foresters in Georgia have passed tests and met rigid standatds to become registered on the board which was established in 1951. House Bill 581 in the recent 1997 Georgia General Assembly would have abolished the board, thus allowing any person to declare himself a forester and give advice and provide services to landowners. Although the bill fa iled during the rece nt session of the legislature, professional foresters and forest industry are aware the bill will probably crop up again next year. If so, some stiff opposition is expected to be mounted by legitimate forest interests statewide.

NINTH ANNUAL SAF YOUTH CAMP SCHE.DULED FOR JULY

T he Georgia Division of the Society of American Foresters will sponsor the SAF Forestry Youth Camp July 13-16 for the ninth year, according to Sharon Dolliver, Camp Coordinator.
"The camp, held at the FfA/FHA facility on Lake Jackson and near Covington, is an annual three-day event to help Georgia's youth become more aware of the value of fo rest resources to the state's environment, economy and everyday life," Dolliver said.
The Camp is for 12- and 13-yearold girls and boys from throughout the state who will enter the 7th or 8th grade in the fall of 1997. The Camp is an outdoor/indoor course for energetic, inquisitive students eager to learn about forestry, wildlife, ecology, map skills, recreation, soil and water conservation, tree identification, and the people who manage these vast resources throughout the state of Georgia.
NO COST TO CAMPERS
There is no cost to the campers, as all costs are provided by forestry businesses and individuals. The campers are housed in comfortable cabins on the grounds with FFAIFHA counselors.
Camp instructors come from the Society of American Foresters membership and other forestry-related organizations. Sponsors pointed out the individuals are employed in both the public and private sectors and donate their time away from their regular jobs to contribute to the success ofthe camp.
The camp can accommodate 85 boys and girls on a first application received, first registered basis. Most schools award the camp opportunity as a scholarship during the school's Honors Day.

Only one student per qualifying school will be accepted; however, the nomination of an alternate is recommended in the event the first nominee is unable to attend.
The school must complete an application, ensuring the commitment of the student's parents or guardians to support the attendance of the young camper. The application must be received on or before May 1 by the camp coordinator by phone or FAX (listed below). Acceptance notices and additional camp information will be mailed to the school during the week of May 12 for delivery to the students.
While academics are an important part of the Forestry Youth Camp, 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 usually a trip to Stone Mountain Park to view the Laser Light Show.
Students are expected to give their attention to the instructors as an examination is given on the last day.
The top scoring student wiU receive a plaque for their school and a personal plaque, and all students receive a certificate.
Questions may be directed to either Sharon Dolliver, Bob Lazenby, or Myrt Phillips , at the Georgia Forestry Commission in Macon (phone 912751-3530 or FAX 9f'2-751-3559) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

CREATING A FORESTRY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: THE SCIENCE OF ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT, edited by Kathryn A. Kohn and J erry F. Franklin. 475 pages: tables, figures, photos, color insert, index. Island press, Washington, D. C. Cloth $50, Paperback $30. Phone 202-232-7933.
Forestry is undergoing rapid changes. Increased understanding of ecological systems has transformed the science of forestry from one focused on simplified systems of producing wood to a comprehensive study ofproviding a wide range of ecological goods and services.
Creating a Forestry for the 21st Century draws on expertise of the foremost thinkers in the field of forestry, providing a current synthesis of ecosystem management and implications for forest policy. The contributors offer an authoritative and multi-disciplinary examination of the current state of forestry and its relation to the emergent field of ecosystem management.
Topics examined in this 1997 publication include: new understandings of ecological processes from stand structure and function to disturbance and movement of organisms across landscapes; views on the rationale of clearcutting, wisdom of short rotations, and fire exclusion; traditional tools for expanded objectives offorest landscapes; practical information for managing large landscapes over long periods oftime; and political issues that are critical to implementing successful ecosystem management.
The book features a 16-page center section - a photo essay by Jerry Franklinwith color photos illustrating examples of ecosystem management. Franklin is a professor in ecosystem analysis in the College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington, Co-editor Kathryn Kohn is editor of Balancing on the Brink of Extinction (Island Press, 1990).
A valuable book that could generate many future studies on forestry.
Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997117

Fifteen tre<!s, classified as "Landmark Trees" by the Georgia Landmark and Historic Tree Register influenced preservation of Camilla's Sunset Historical Cemetery. Preservation committee (left to right) included: Morris Kolbie (in vehicle), George Peoples, C.M. Stripling, Vernon Twitty, and Greg Findley.

LANDMARK TREES INFLUENCE PRESERVATION OF CEMETERY

Fifteen Mitchell County trees played a vital role in preserving Camilla's Sunset Historical Cemetery-a project that required three years to complete.
Two oaks and 13 cedar trees were certified by the Georgia Urban Forest Council as "Landmark Trees" because of their unique history, circumstances, and significance to the City of Camilla.
Commiss ion Distri c t Forester Greg Findley s ubmitted the trees for landmark tree certification following a detailed proposal by C. M. Stripling ( 1987-88 National Tree Farmer of the Year), to the City of Camilla, to preserve an historic cemetery in a serious state of deterioration.

Stripling, who was looking for some sort of positive publicity on the cemetery to influence public opinion, contacted Findley and asked if there was any recogn iti on that could be obtained for the old trees shading graves of many of Camilla's pioneer c iti ze ns.
"Some people j ust wanted to cut these trees down and forget the cemetery project," Stripling said. ''The whole project was just sort of on hold until the tree certification was considered."
Findley had Chuck Norvel l, a Commission urban forester, examine and eva lu a t e th e trees. Norvell determined the trees were not dead or

18/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997

dying and recommended only minor pruning on the live oaks. Other than that, Norvell's recommendation was "just leave them alone." After all, some of these trees had survived and maintained a healthy status for a hundred years without human assistance.
NEW PROGRAM
At the time (1994), The Georgia Landmark and Historic Tree Register was only recently established. ''This was a brand new deal," Findley said. "We were the third applicants approved for landmark tree status, and there's no doubt that certification of the trees was a major influence on the cemetery project being accepted."
Stripling recalls that although a lot of people regarded the cemetery preservation positively, they did. not consider it worth an estimated $30,000 to complete the project. "But the tree certification created a new public perception where there had previously been a void," Stripling said.
Following the tree recognition, the City of Camilla provided $12,000 Mr the project. Stripling gave $10,000 and $10,000 dollars in donations were obtained. A cemetery preservation committee was formed. Members included: C. M. Stripling, Councilman Morris Kolbie, Councilman Vernon Twitty, Kenneth Barkhouser, Melvin Jones, Jr., and the late Calista Twitty.
PLASTERER HELPED
Stripling said the committee was fortunate to acquire the services of local resident George Peoples, who expertly repaired crumbling gravesites without damaging roots of the historic trees that towered overhead. A decorative plasterer by trade, Peoples is nationally recognized for his skill

and has done work in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, D. C.
The oldest readable cemetery marker was 1871, but Stripling and other local residents are certain that graves date back earlier with a number of Civil War veterans buried in the area. With the trees established as historic landmark trees, Stripling and others involved in the project hope to have the cemetery placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Trees certified as Landmark Trees in the Sunset Historical Cemetery were 13 Juniperus virginiana (Eastern red cedars) and two Quercus virginiana (live oaks). The Georgia Urban Forest Council requires different criteria for certification of "Landmark Trees" and "Historic Trees."
For a tree or group of trees to be considered an historic tree, one or more of the following criteria must be satisfied: The tree(s) is commonly recognized as an establ ished and familiar feature of the community, or as a significant part of the community's heritage. The tree must have been planted and maintained for educational purposes for more than 75 years. The tree(s) was planted as a memorial to ... an individual, group, event or cause and is confirmed to be more than 75 years old. The tree(s) symbolizes an hi storically significant individual, place, event, or contribution.
The Historic Tree(s) must satisfy at least one of these criteria: The tree(s) is identified with an hi s torically sig nificant individual or group. The tree(s) is located at the site of an hi stori c event and significantly impacts perception of the event. The tree(s) dates to the time of an historic event at the location of the tree. For further information on the Landmark and Hi stori c Tree Program call: 1-800-GA-TREES.

DAVID MCCLAIN ENDS GFC FORESTRY CAREER
Gainesville District Forester David L. McClain, a native of Rabun County and a graduate of the University of Georgia, retired recently to end 32 years of service.
He was praised for his contribution to the Commission and to forestry during his long years of service at a retirement dinner given by Commission personnel and attended by relatives and other friends.
After graduation from Rabun High School , McClain enro lled in the Schoo l of Forestry at the University of Georgia and worked with the U. S. Forest Service as a student, with some of the work in the Cherokee National Forest.
He left school to serve two years in Alaska with the U. S. Army and returned to Athens to complete his education and graduate in 1965. He came with the Commission in July of that year, with an assignment to the Rome District as a staff forester. He was promoted to district forester to head the Gainesville District in 1983.
McClain worked extensively in the biomass and energy programs while in Rome and is remembered for many projects he later initiated while serving as head of the 14cou nty Gain esvill e District.
The retired forester is also remembered as the one who would predict when the autumn leaves would be at their peak in the North Georgia mountains for the benefit of motorists who visited the area for the annu al show.
McClain and his wife, Nancy, have two children, Mark and Debbie, and four grandchildren. They make their home on Mt. Vernon Road in Gainesville.

Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997119

MISS GEORGIA FORESTRY PAGEANT TO BE HELD IN TIFTON
NEW DIRECTOR NAMED

Dianne Dominy o f Tifton, who has been involved in local pageants for the past eight years, has been named director of the 57-year-old statewide Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant.
She succeeds Sheran Strickland of Waycross.
The pageant this year will be held Augu st 1-2 and several special celebrations will be staged in conjunction with the two-day event. It will be the first time the final s have been staged in Tifton.
The new director said the pageant will be held at the Tift Theater for the Performing Arts, a beautifully restored movie theater in the heart ofdowntown Tifton.
Dominy said the Miss Georgia Forestry contestants will be limited to one from each county, while junior contestants will not be Limited.
STRICKLAND PRAISED .~
Strickland, who directed -the statewide pageant in Waycross for the past two years, has worked in local and area pageants for the past 20 years and said, "I love it, my heart is still in it." She has been praised by contestants, parents, and others for her work in conducting the finals and presenting entertaining programs. Her daughter Kecia, who was crowned Miss Georgia Forestry in 1991, has assisted her in the pageants, and another daughter, Mandy, was vocalist for the pageants.
"I just hope we can always have a Miss Georgia Forestry pageant," Strickland said. " I hope we can have it in the same spirit we have experienced down through the years."
FIRST PAGEANT 1940
The first pageant was held in 1940 at the Ware Hotel in Waycross and in 20/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997

later years, it was sponsored by the Georgia Forestry Association and held in conjunction with the organization's annual convention on Jekyll Island.
The association gave up its sponsorship of the popular entertainm e nt hi gh light of its convention in 1991 and the Forestry Commission rescued the annual event and held pageant finals in Macon before it was moved to Waycross and under the direction of Strickland.
WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN POSTER CONTESTS
Winners of the annual Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl poster contests have been determined and will be honored April 4 at the convention of the Garden Club of Georgia, one of the c hief sponsors of the competition.
Mrs. Eli zabeth Denham of Tifton, state contest chairman for the club, said several hundred students from schools across Georgia entered the two contests, which are also sponsored by the Forestry Commission and the U. S. Forest Service.
FIRST PLACE WINNERS
First place winners in the Smokey Bear contest are Bo Buehl er of Midland , first grade; Jackie Morsberger, Lilburn, second grade; Kristen Baker, Doug lasville, third grade; Elliot Rickett, Watkinsville, fou rth grade; Josh DeShong, Columbus, fifth grade; and Catherine Gibbs, Midland, special education.
First place winners in the 1997 Woodsy Owl poster contest are Jordan Daniel , Bi shop, first grade; Tyler Bleeker, Watkinsville, second grade; Eri c Kellough, Watkinsville, third

grade; Jon Fuller, Midland, fourth grade; Tara Lee, Midland, fifth grade; and Catherine Gibbs, Midland, special education.

ANNUAL FFA FORESTRY FIELD DAYS SCHEDULED
Dates and locations for annual statewide FFA (Future Farmers of America) competitive forestry meets have been scheduled for April 1997.
Consultant foresters with the Georgia Vocational Agricultural Department coordinate the statewide meets to promote forestry. A total of eight regional meets will be held for FFA chapte r high school students throughout the state to compete in forestry related events including: forest management, land measurement, standing pulpwood estimation, tree identification, selective marking, ocular estimation, and identification of insects and diseases.

FINALS IN MACON

Regional meets will culminate with

s tate finals to be he ld at the

Commission headquarters in Macon.

Finals bring together the e lite winners

of regional meets.

Schedule for the 1997 meets is: April

17, Blakely and Reidsville; April 22,

Broadhurst and Cordele; April 24,

Rome; April 29, Millen, Athens, and

Adel. State Finals will be held May 7

in Macon.



Publicity for the field days and final

competition is provided by th e

Commission's Information, Education,

and Urban Forestry Department, and

Commission foresters serving as

judges in the contests.

POLLUTED FISH PROBLEM COULD USE SMZ APPROACH

Commission recommended BMPs (Best Management Practices) for Streamside Management Zones are becoming increasingly important as the threat of eating contaminated fi sh creates public concern.
Whether or not it is safe to eat fish from U.S. rivers, lakes, and streams (inc lu ding those in Georgia) is controversial. Health experts and scientists do not agree on long-term health risks ofeating fi sh contaminated in varyi ng degrees by a variety of contaminants; they also can't seem to agree on how to alert anglers about possible risks without causing undue alarm.
One thing, however, is for certain, Forestry BMPs related to Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) are effective in minimizing pollutants and sustaining clean water. SMZs are classified as areas adjacent to flowing or standing water that require more

specific and stringent management considerations to protect water resources. Management practices are recommended for both primary and secondary SMZs. The zones include natural perennial streams and natural lakes, ponds, and other standing water. These zones may be partly or completely in j urisdictional wetlands - and in many instances influence the health of large and diversified fish populations subject to human consumpti on.
GOOD AND BAD NEWS
Dr. Bob Re in ert, a n aquatic toxicologist with the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forest Resources, said the two different systems now used to issue fi s h consumption advisories are so complicated and inconsistent from state to state that it is nearly useless.

He recommends all states adopt a single set of guidelines that could assure anglers that they won't catch anything unwanted from their catch.
"The bad news is that we live in a world contaminated with chemical compounds," Reinert said. ''The good news is that effective fish consumption guidelines can help people minimize exposure."
Lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams are sinks for chemical compounds. Many contaminants in fish are stored in fat tissue and can be trimmed away before cooking. Also, grilling or broiling on a rack allows as much as 50 percent of the fats to drip away. Heavy metals, however, such as cadmium and mercury, are stored in muscle tissue and cannot be removed; this is why easy-to-follow guidelines on pollution and limiting exposure are important to anglers.
Reinert presented findings ofa study
Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997121

titled "A Review of the Basic Principles and Assumptions Used to Issue Fish Consumption Advisories" at the American Fisheries Society Symposium. Reinert and co-authors at Cornell University, Michigan State University, and the Environmental Protection Agency determined that standards for advisories are different, and that only a few states have adopted comprehensive guidelines that will minimize public risks.
Although this situation is unfortunate, it is understandable considering the perspective that, until the 1980s, most states used fish consumption guidelines written years ago by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- guidelines warning consumers about contaminated fish shipped across state lines and sold mainly in grocery stores.
The current risk assessment system recommended by EPA concentrates on sport and subsistence anglers who eat fish from local waters; this group may be at higher risk since they eat more fish than the average person - and the fish eaten often come from the same location.
CONFUSION
Reinert points out that the two systems are based on different criteria and provide contrasting estimates on what is safe for human consumption. The FDA advisories balance economic impacts (of losses to the fishi ng industry) with public health risks, while EPA advisories are based solely on health risks. The confusion is compounded by some states using combinations or variations of the two systems.
During recent years, the number of consumption advisories issued by states has rapidly increased. Reinert said this is primarily due to improved analysis for detecting trace contaminants in water. Only in the last two years, 48 states have issued advisories showing contamination evidence of PCBs, mercury, chlordane,
22/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997

Clean water and sound forestry management are closely related. Although Stream Management Zones are not a cure-all for the contaminated fi sh problem, it is definitely of vital importance to sustaining good water quality...
dioxins, and other toxic substances. Reinert said research capabil ities to detect such substances have increased a millionfold in the past ten years.
CONTROVERSY
Although the new EPA system is effective, it has spawned a number of critics. Some industrial sources say the new advisories are bad for business. Also, EPA's cancer risk assessments have created controversial reactions from some scientists. The assessments in question are based on a 70-year lifetime consumption of fish.
''This issue illustrates the immense complexity of coordinating programs as controversial as health advisories across state lines and agency boundaries," Reinert said.
GEORGIA REACTION
In 1995, Georgia became the first Southeastern state to adopt a version of the new EPA guidelines after Dr. Randy Manning of the state's Environmental Protection Di vision formed a committee to review the situation. The committee developed the current system that calls for regu lar sampling and scanning for 45 chemicals. Only four of the chemicals -- PCBs, mercury, DDT, and chlordane -- are found in Georgia fi sh at levels that restrict consumption.
Based on these findings, the

committee determined a simplified set of guidelines following EPA's recommendations. The guidelines are printed in a small book titled "Guidelines for Eating Fish from Georgia Waters." The publication is available at bait shops, marinas, state wildlife offices, and locations selling fishing licenses. The book explains health risks, and provides information on how to trim and cook fish to reduce contaminants. Also included are lists of consumption guidelines for fish from 26 lakes and 31 rivers in Georgia.
" We hope the information will channel people's concerns into actions that result in stricter water quality regulations," Reinert said.
FORESTRY INFLUENCE
Clean water and sound forestry management are closely related. Although Stream Management Zones are not a cure-all for the contaminated fish problem, it is definitely of vital importance to sustaining good water quality under designated circumstances.
The purpose of an SMZ is to protect the natural water system from adjacent land use activities. Protecting streambank integrity and avoiding water pollution are basic objectives. SMZs are not intended to clean up results of poor upstream, upslope, or adjacent practices. The SMZ does provide a generally undisturbed buffer area so vegetation and the forest floor slow surface flow and filter out sediments before particles reach open water.
The SMZ can also act as a sink for essential elements and nutrients on the surface and sub-surface. Adequately vegetated SMZs provide shade which may regulate water temperature, an important consideration in fish habitat.
For further information on Streamside Management Zones and other forestry Best Management Practices, contact the Commission at: 1-800-GA-TREES.

people
1n the news
GLENN WILLIAMS, a native of Dekalb County who came with the Commission as a patrolman in Irwin County in 1976, was recently named Milledgeville District Ran ger. Williams, who attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College was promoted to chief ranger of the JonesJasper County Unit shortly after coming with the Commission. The district ranger and wife, Cheryl, and children, Ricky, Tommy and Kellan, live in Round Oak and the family is active in the Sunshine United Methodist Cburch...Wtlliams succeeds District Ranger ALTON HESTER, who retired after almost 30 years of service with the Commission. A retirement dinner in his honor was given by district personnel, with relatives and friends attending. The retired ranger and his wife, Sandra, and children, Kim and Mandy, make their home in Eatonton...CAROL LAYTON, who has served in several capacities since coming with the

Williams

L ay ton

Commission in February, 1980, has been named secretary to the Forest Products Utilization, Marketing and Development Department. She was promoted following the retirement of secretary VIRGINIA TYNDALL. Following graduation from high school in Macon, Layton worked two years for the Mental Health and Retardation

Center before assuming the position of secretary of the Seventh District (now a part of District Five). In 1982, she began working in accounting and payroll in the Administration Department, leaving that post for her new position early this year. Layton and her husband, Richard, li ve in Macon and are active in the Church of the Nazarene. They have two sons,

Ricky and Randy, and are expecting a

grandchild this fall...GEORGE (Bo)

DAVIS, who was chief ranger of the

Irwin County Unit, has been promoted

to Tifton District Ranger. Davis, a

native of Abbeville and a graduate of

Wilcox County High School, came

with the Commission in 1974 as

patrolman in the Ben Hill Unit and was

promoted to ranger of the Irwin County

Unit in 1984. As district ranger of the

eleven-county district, Davis assumes

duties in the supervision of fire control

operations, dispatchers, and work in

other areas. Davis is a deacon and

assistant Sunday

School

Brock

Hough

superintendent at Ocilla Baptist Church and a member and former president of the Rotary Club. The new district forester and his wife, Karen, have two daughters...Davis succeeds district ranger HOWARD BROCK, who recently retired after 34 years of faithful service. Brock, a native of Bainbridge, began his career in the Decatur County Unit, and became chief ranger of the Worth County Unit in 1977. He was promoted to district ranger in 1984. The retired ranger and his wife, Dorothy, have four children and three grandchildren ...DON REGISTER, a native of Irwin County, recently retired from the Department of Education after 30 years of service. Although he taught agriculture and was school administrator for several years, he is also remembered for his vocational-agricultural work in forestry by coordinating field days for FFA students throughout Southwest Georgia. Register and his wife, Mary, have three daughters...WAYNE BELFLOWER, nursery coordinator who came with the Commission in 1965 and served in the Bleckley County Unit and three nurseries, recently retired. He left the Commission to serve four years in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, returning in 1981 to an assignment at the Morgan Nursery, where he was responsible for installation of an irrigation system and other projects. Belflower transferred six years later to Walker Nursery and moved to the Flint River Nursery in 1990. The retired coordinator and his wife, Mattie, have four children. They make their home in Cochran...Radio technician FRANK HOUGH, who is in charge of the Commission's statewide radio network, is retiring after 25 years of service. The retiring technician works under the Department ofAdministrative Services, with shops and headquarters at the Commission's state headquarters in Macon. He also is responsible for the maintenance of 1,200 mobile, aircraft and other radios used by state agencies in the Middle Georgia area. Hough and his wife, Frances, have four children.
Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997123

The urban forest includes all trees, vegetation, watersheds, and wildlife in your community. Tree-lined roadways, open green spaces, undeveloped forests, parks, and private and commercial lands are all part of the urban forest.
Urban forestry is the management of all of these urban forest resources. Taking care of these resources benefits the environmental, social, and economic well-being of your community. Professionals such as urban foresters and certified arborists apply principles of forestry and arboriculture to the conservation and cultivation of trees and associated resources.
Citizen volunteers, homeowners, government officials and community organizations work in partnership to develop tree protection ordinances, conduct tree inventories, develop martagement plans, and inspect, prune and replant our urban forests.
The Georgia Urban Forest Council is working to improve urban forestry programs in cities and communities throughout the state. Take this opportunity to get involved. Help us make our cities a better place to live, work, and play. To contact the Council, write:
Georgia Urban Forest Council Post Office Box 961
Macon, Georgia 31202

GEORGIA

FORESTRY

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PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT DRY BRANCH GEORGIA AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES

Approximate Cost of Press lime and Poper Only COST: 3606 QTY: 8M

FORESTRY

VSPS No. 217120
SPRING, 1997 No.I

Vol. SO

STAFF
Howard E. Bennett, Editor WIUlam S. Edwards, Assoc. Editor Jackie N. Mitchell, Graphic Artist
Bob Luenby, Tedmlcal Advisor
Zell Miller, Governor David L. Westmoreland, Director
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Jim L. Gillis, Jr., Chairman, Soperton
C. M. Eunice, Jr., Blackshear J. G. Fendig, Savannah
Larry S. Walker, Oglethorpe P. W. Bryan, Jr., Thomasville
DISTRICT OFFICES
District One 3086 Manha Berry Hwy.NE /Rome. GA
30165
Disttict Two 300S Atlanta Hwy.IGainesville, GA 30507
District Three IOSS E. Whitehall RdJAthens, GA 3060S
District Four 187 Corinth Rd./Newnan, GA 30263
District Five 119 Hwy. 49West /Milledgc,iJle, GA 31061
District Silt 146.S Tignall RdJWashington, GA 30673
District Seven 243 U.S. Hwy. 19 NJAmericus, GA 31709
District Eight 239S U.S. Hwy. 41 Ntnfton. GA 31794
District Nine P. O. Box 345/Camilla. GA 31730
DiSlrict Ten 18899 U.S. Hwy. 301 N.
Swesboro, GA 304S8
District Eleven Route I, Box 67/Hclena, GA 31037
District Twelve 5003 Jacksonville Hwy. N./Waycross, GA
31503
Georgia Forestry is published quarterly by the Georgia Forestry Commission, 5645 Riggins Mill Road, Dry Branch , Georgia 31020. Second class postage paid at Macon, GA POSTMASTER: Send address change to Georgia Forestry Commi ssion, 5645 Riggins Mill Road, Dry Branch, Georgia 31020.
2/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997

A story beginning on page 6 tells ofmore than 140 treeplanters setting a world record. Well, here's another kind oftree planter, the Commission's automatic spade that sinks its big claws around a large tree and comes up with a massive root ball. The tree is then transplanted in a new location. Investigator Lee Burns stops to take a look at the big spade.
ON THE COVER - Three-year-old Brett Leigh Bennett ofAtlanta has apparently
developed an appreciation for trees at an early age. If this young tree-hugger's
gesture is any indication of how her generation will treasure the state's most valuable natural resource, the future offorestry in Georgia is bright indeed! (Photo by Billy Godfrey)

Whitehall House, located at entrance of Whitehall Experimental Forest, is an impressive example of Gothic-Victorian architecture. Renovated only 20 years ago, the house was built in the 1830s by Irish immigrant John White.

HISTORIC WHITEHALL COMPLEMENTS FOREST

T he first thing a newcomer notices when entering the University of Georgia's Whitehall Forest is the Whitehall House - an impressive two story gabled house with a high class haunted quality.
The house, part of the UGA Warnell School of Forest Resources 800-acre research forest, was actually renovated only 20 years ago - not by ghosts, but from private donations from the alumni and other concerned sources.
"Everybody was not in support of preserving the house," said Mac Lentz, who now lives there and manages the Whitehall Experimental Forest.
Lentz did not see it that way. As UGA Director of Lands and Facilities, he manages all university forest lands totaling approximately 127,000 acres,

and has witnessed a number of scenes come and go. "Destroying the White-
Mac LentVUGA Director ofLands and Facilities.

hall House would have been a tragic loss," he said. "It is one of the most impressive examples of GothicVictorian architecture to be found. When a place like this is gone, it is lost forever. But we've been fortunate around here, because Athens has always had active factions when it comes to preserving historic areas."
_ HOUSE IDSTORY
As Lentz emphasizes, the Whitehall House has a lot of history behind it. John White, a native of Ireland, came to Athens in 1837 to manage a cotton mill on the Oconee River. He built the Whitehall House out ofheart pine from three mill houses. John died in 189 1. He and hi s wife, Janet, are

Georgia Forestry/Spring, 199713

buried in Oconee Hills Cemetery. Hi s son, John Ri chards White,
assumed hi s father's interests and became a prominent banker and industrialist. In 1890, John moved the original Whitehall House to the rear of the home site to serve as a schoolhouse for the White children. It was replaced by an imposing brick structure that now occupies the site. The new house was noted for its beautiful fireplace mantles and interior woodwork.
During remodeling in 1917, woodwork and walls were painted. In the restoration process, this paint was removed and wood restored to original condition. Ceiling beams, wainscoting, doorfacings, and stairways can now be appreciated for their oak construction. Restoration revealed the living room finish of bird's eye maple and the black cherry in the dining room. Bedroom mantles are made of different hardwoods including: birch, white oak, walnut, and cherry.
John lived in the house until his death in 1918. Hugh W. White lived there until 1925. The house was then occupied by his brother Robert P. White until it was acqu ired during 1935-36 by Georgia Rehabilitation Corporation, a government sponsored agency designed to retire worn-out farm land. In July of 1936, 1,875 acres of such land was deeded to the University of Georgia; 750 of these acres became the Whitehall Experimenta l Forest.
The house was used as a residence for the experimental forest until 1966, then converted into offices and laboratories for the forestry school. Restoration began with funds derived from insect-killed timber on the

Experimental trees line research site fringing forest road.
experimental forest. In 1978, the forestry school received a grant from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation to restore the house, which was later Hsted on the National Register of Historic Places.
L entz has a master's degree from the UGA School of Forestry in wildJjfe management. He has

worked for the forestry school since 1980 and managed the experimental forest for the past five years. Although his job is based on forestry concepts, a knowledge of wildHfe is also required. For instance, Whitehall Forest personnel are assigned to the deer area to maintain a herd of 50 to 75, while the fisheries lab conducts numerous tours. This is in addition to the various tree projects located throughout the forest.
Lentz emphasizes that the Whitehall Forest is flexible in terms of need. "The role of the forest as a teaching facility has increased tremendously in recent years because enrollment in the forestry school has doubled," he said. ''The general pubHc and educational system is seeking accurate information related to environmental concerns. If forestry does not adopt a leadership role in providing this need, then others will and a deluge of inaccurate information could be established."
To meet this challenge on the information highway, Lentz said the forestry school is developing a satellite oriented computer system that will encompass what he described as a form of "layered research." The GIS (Geographical Information System) will have available information on a variety of forestry related subjects including: soil, trees, water, and projections.
"Ultimately," Lentz said , "we're going to generate a data base that can spit out just about anything you want about forestry and related subjects at the push of a button. And I beHeve, the WhHehall Experimental Forest, and other similar research areas, have essential roles in this information evolution."

4/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997

Whitehall Forest maintains deer herd of50 to 75 animals.

Weathered nesting box indicates Whitehall 's forestry-related wildlife research.

'"~,
Elevated hardwood stand overlooks Oconee River that borders 800 acres of research forest.
Georgia Forestry/Spring, 199715
~l............................................._ ...

GEORGIA NOW HOLDS WORLD RECORD FOR NUMBER OF TREES PLANTED IN ONE DAY

M ore than 146 volunteers from across the state turned out for Georgia Arbor Day to plant more than 14,000 pi ne seedlings and more than double the "Guinness Book of World Records" high.
Guidelines for setting this record require that fewer than 300 treeplanters have their trees in the ground within an eight hour period. Despite adverse weather conditi ons, the Georgia volunteers sailed through the event as if they had been born with dibble-in-hand. Planting teams consisted of two, one person to make a hole with the dibble and another to place the tree and pack soil.
The new world record is particularly impressive when compared with the 219 New Zealand volunteers who set their record in June of 1996 by planting 5.500 trees. The 146 Georgia volunteers planted 14,000 trees in three hours and 45 minutes.
"It was a piece of cake," said Bob Lazenby, chief of the Commission's Information, Education, and Urban Forestry Department. Lazenby served as a volunteer tree planter with such prestigious volunteers as Dr. Arnett Mace, dean of the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry; and Joe Hopkins, president of the Georgia Forestry Association.

The record -breaki ng event was sponsored by the Commission, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the Georgia Forestry Association. Volunteers inc lud ed students, representatives of public and private forestry organizations, and anybody interested in forestry who wanted to make a mark in history by setting a world record.
The Charles Elliott Wildlife Center, 12 miles north of Montice llo, was the site of the tree planting. The 6,500acre wildlife center, previously farmland , was purchased by the state in 1993 as part of Governor Ze ll Miller's preservation 2000 Program. The area is undergoing a reclamation

process to establish a wildlife refuge and timber for the future. Although rain made tree planting more difficult for volunteers, it packed the soil and offered optimum conditions for tree growth. Forestry experts on the scene emphasized that this was not merely a theatrical effort to get a world record, but a serious reforestation project that should produce a bumper crop of healthy trees.
Verification of the tree planting, signed by Monticello Mayor Susan Holmes and State Department of Natural Resources Commi ss ioner Lonice C. Barrett, has been sent to the Gu in ness Book of World Records Office in England. Volunteers wi ll

[ J Best Arbor Day Ever!

Scattered volunteers begin planting trees on 6,500-acre wildlife center. Less than four hours later, 146 volunteers had planted more than 14,000 pines over the windswept area to set a new world record.
6/Georgia Forestry/Spring, 1997

Tree planting volunteers rangedfrom Large to small. ALL will receive certification of new record from "Guinness Book of World Records."

receive certification of the new world record.
Despite enthusiasm related to setting a world record, volunteers maintained the perspective that thi s planting should be basically considered a serious reforestation project. Larry Walker, a private industry forester from Macon County, exemplified this attitude. "I just wanted to do what I could to help," he said. "I stopped one little girl in the field and asked her to visualize what this will look like in 30 years."
Georg ia Arbor Day, whic h celebrates the importance of trees, precedes National Arbor Day in Apri l because Georgia's tree planting season is earlier. Georgia leads thejlation in reforestation by planting an annua l total that equals 650,000 trees a day that's 240 million trees a year.
Forester Steve Chapman of the Commission's Milledgeville District,

team leader of a mixed crew of adults and children, said some had never seen a dibble before, but quickly learned how to use one as the ground had been sub-soiled pnd rains had softened the grou nd.
Chapman's young tree planters were school students from Bleckley County, as well as their parents and other adults. He said volunteers came from "all

around the state" and he met people fro m as fa r away as Fo lkston and Fargo. He termed the special Arbor Day a "very successful event." Forester Fuller Anderson of the Newnan District said, "it seemed for a while that the inclement weather would keep us from planting many trees. Tornadoes coming out of Alabama were in the forecast and the situation was very touchy."
The forester said, "trees were being planted as fast as possible to beat the predicted storms and when they turned out to be modest rains, the planting proceeded at a good pace." He said it was an educational and fun day for students and seemed to be an enjoyable event for the hundreds who participated.
A ceremony was held w hen the planting session ended and a box lunch was provided to the many participants. Planners termed the one-day effort a tremendous success and expressed appreciation for those who came in the rain to make it happen.

Three volunteers team up to make sure this one is planted right. Although a record was the objective, volunteers treated this as a serious reforestation project focused on optimum survival and growth.

Georgia Forestry/Spring, 199717

COMMISSION HOSTS SAFIS MEET
INVENTORY INFLUENCES FORESTRY ECONOMY

Commission headquarters in Macon hosted the 1997 SAFIS (Southern Annual Forest Inventory System) meeting attended by 90 representatives of state and federal agenc ies, univers ities, and industry from 13 states ranging from Virginia to Texas.
David Westmoreland, Commission Director, sa id inventory results influence forestry and forestry related industry investments in the state. Present and futu re investments are dependent on an adequate supply of available wood.
The U. S. Forest Service is responsible for SAFlS and coordinat~~ the study as a collaborative effort of organizations and individuals benefiting from current stati stics covering the entire spectrum of forestry concerns. Purpose of the regional SAFIS meeting is to offer detailed information on uses of the program and improve information gathering techniques.
Basic benefits of SAFIS include economic development, sustainability of natural resources, and determining public policy decis ions in volv ing forestry. With 90 percent of Southern forest land being privately owned and regional population expected to double within 50 years, SAFIS coordinators contend that maintaining current and accurate forestry statistics will help preserve economic stability.
Past surveys have traditionally been conducted on an 8- to 10-year cycle.

Due to annual changes in forest inventory, the survey data becomes less valuable after 3 or 4 years. USFS officials say the SAFIS process will give Georgia an annual update of the forest resources.
State and federal representatives agreed that the success of SAFIS depends on the combined efforts of all involved. Citing Georgia as an

example, Jim Perdue, U. S. Forest Service deputy regional forester of state and private forestry, said, "The contribution of Georgia industry to SAFIS accelerated the process of bringing private, state, and federal dollars into the program. Future relationships such as these will ensure the success of SAFIS."

FORESTRY IN GEORGIA CONTRIBUTES MORE THAN $17 BILLION TO ECONOMY

Forestry in Georgia is now a $ 17.3 bimon industry - approaching a $ 1 billion increase over the previous $ 16.4 billion annual total, according to the latest statistics released by the Commission.
Tommy Loggins, chief of the Commission's Utilization/Marketing/ Development Department said the current 1996 total forestry industry output figure was determined by an annual study. Loggins said the '96 study is a joint project of Dr. Al Montgomery, professor emeritus of stati stics/GeQ~gia State University ; Georgia Department of Industry, Trade, and Tourism; and the Commiss ion.
Loggins ci ted one of the most impressive findings of the study is a $7.9 billion total in value-added production.

"The purpose of the annual study is to track the economic impact of forest resources on Georgia's economy," he said. "The latest figures clearly show a strong economic growth trend."
Loggins also emphasized that Georgia's vast forestlands and reforestation projects offer numerous recreational opportunities as well as providing the environmental benefits of cleaner air and water. "The annual study once again reflects the tremendous impact that forestry has on the economic and environmental wellbeing of the citizens of the State of Georgia," he said. "If Georgia is to retain important benefits, it must sustain the progressive program of forest protection, management, and reforestation that is now being practiced."

8/Georgia Forest1y!Spring, 1997

Landowner Alton White uses portable sawmill to turn forest wastes into valuable lumber.
ONE-MAN SAWMILL

Ask Chief Ranger Fowler of the Commission's Twiggs County Unit where he came across the beautiful octagon-shaped c;edar posts in the porch of his home, and he will tell you, "they came from a junk pile!"
Fowler's salvaged cedar logs were hauled over to Alton White's Whiteway Plantation near the Ocmulgee River where a "One-Man Sawmill" was turning beetle-damaged timber into valua91e lumber. White, who has owned the portable mill for about two years, has found so much dying or fallen pine, oak and poplar on his property and that of his neighbor's that he decided to end the waste.
With the help of his son, Al, the little mill can produce 2,000 board feet of lumber a day. The son attends Macon College at night and works at the mill, his father said. Although advertised in magazines and touted at field days and other demonstrations as a "one man sawmill," White said it is practical to have two or three men operate it.
It's an efficient mill that easily slices through the biggest logs the Whites

drag up to the site with their tractor. Some are butts or culled sections of peeler trees, while others are found laying on the ground or still standing, dying from disease or beetle infestation.
White and his son have cut out several thousand board feet of valuable lumber from salvaged timber for Dr. Charles Duggan of Jeffersonville and somehow made eight-sided cedar posts for Ranger Fowler on equipment designed to cut only straight planks, but the>'. are proudest of a barn with attached sheds they recently built on their property strictly from beetledamaged pines.
Foresters, land managers, and others are aware, ofcourse, of the tremendous amount of wood that could be salvageable across the state, but they know that saving is not feasible in most cases.
Meantime, Alton White sees no end to the volume of wood that needs to be salvaged and he is doing all he can to save it in his corner of Twiggs County.
Georgia Forestry/Spring, 199719