Georgia forestry, Vol. 52, no. 3 (Winter 1999)

Georgia
FORESTRY

USPS No. 217120 Winter 1999 No. 3

Vol. 52

Roy E. Barnes, Governor J. Frederick Allen, Director Sharon Dolliver, Chief - Forest Information and Urban & Community Forestry

STAFF Lynn A. Walton, Editor William S. Edwards, Assoc. Editor Julia Baker, Graphic Artist

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 Martha Berry Hwy./Rome, GA 30165 706-295-6021
District Two 3005 Atlanta Hwy./Gainesville, GA 30507
770-531-6043
District Three 1055 E. Whitehall Rd./Athens, GA 30605
706-542-6880
District Four 187 Corinth Rd./Newnan, GA 30263
770-254-7218
District Five 119 Hwy. 49 West/Milledgeville, GA 31061
912-445-5164
District Six 1465 Tignall Rd./Washington, GA 30673
706-678-2015
District Seven 243 U. S. Hwy. 19 N./Americus, GA 31709
912-931-2436
District Eight 2395 U. S. Hwy. 41 N./Tifton, GA 31794
912-386-3617
District Nine 3561 Hwy. 112/Camilla, GA 31730
912-336-5341
District Ten 18899 U. S. Hwy. 301 N./Statesboro, GA 30458
912-681-0490
District Eleven Route 1, Box 67/Helena, GA 31037
912-868-5649
District Twelve 5003 Jacksonville Hwy./Waycross, GA 31503
912-287-4915
Georgia Forestry is published quarterly by the Georgia Forestry Commission, 5645 Riggins Mill Road, Dry Branch, Georgia 31020-9699. Second class postage paid at Macon, GA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Georgia Forestry Commission, 5645 Riggins Mill Road, Dry Branch, Georgia 31020-9699.

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From the Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission, J. Frederick Allen

Georgia Forestry Commission
P. O. Box 819, Macon, Georgia 31202-0819 (912) 751-3500, Fax (912) 751-3465

Roy E. Barnes Governor
J. Frederick Allen Director

Dear Georgia Citizens and Forest Landowners:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed two rule changes related to the Clean Water Act that could eventually require permits for some basic activities such as harvesting and site preparation. The proposed rules affect the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) regulations and the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).
For the past 27 years, traditional forest management activities such as nursery operations; site preparation; reforestation; cultural treatments; thinning; forest road construction; prescribed burning; pest and fire control; and harvesting operations have been classified as a non-point source (NPS) category of pollution and exempt from permitting requirements. Under the proposed rules, if these same activities occur adjacent to an impaired stream they could then be designated as "point source" discharges and, therefore, subject to federal NPDES permitting requirements and public comment.
EPA has determined that only three to nine percent of the nation's rivers and streams are impaired by forestry activities, which is far less than other significant contributors. Georgia, along with other southern states, actively promotes the voluntary use of best management practices (BMPs) to address forestry NPS pollution. Most states' ongoing BMP implementation surveys indicate that silvilculture activities are at 85 percent compliance or higher.
Forest landowners should to be aware of the proposed rule changes and comment accordingly. The proposed rules were published in the August 23 Federal Register (http:// www.epa.gov/OWOW/tmdl/index.html), and the comment period has been extended to January 20, 2000. For more information concerning the proposed rules, contact your local District Forester.
Yours very truly,

J. Frederick Allen Director

Jim L. Gillis, Jr. Chairman, Soperton

C. M. Eunice, Jr. Blackshear

J. G. Fendig Savannah

Larry S. Walker Oglethorpe

An Equal Opportunity Employer

P. W. Bryan Thomasville

ON THE COVER The stillness of winter is typified in this scene of a fallen tree in a North Georgia forest which has been covered with snow. Photo: William Godfrey

Georgia Forestry

Winter 1999

Georgia FORESTRY/Winter 1999

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Table of Contents
4 Ichauway
Longleaf Pine Research on a Big Scale
9 A Logical View of Forestry and the Environment
Sustainable Development is Key to Future

Page 12

12 Privately Owned Fire Tower Well Off the Beaten Path
Maintained for 26 Years on Education Forest
14 Georgia Forestry on My Mind
Statewide Awareness Campaign Launched

15 Fallen Georgia Firefighters Honored
Names Added to Memorial Wall

Page 14

15 Forestry Research on Postage Stamp
Problem Adhesives Examined
16 The Best Kept Secret in Liberty County
Camp Blue Heron Has Unique Qualities

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Winter 1999

23 Book Review The Business of Sustainable Forestry/Strategies
for an Industry in Transition

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ICHAUWAY

Between 60 and 90 million acres of longleaf pine existed when the first Europeans settled the Coastal Plain. From southern Virginia to Florida and west to Texas, longleaf forests were the habitat of plants and animals providing settlers with game and livestock forage.

Longleaf Pine Research on a Big Scale

The settlers valued the longleaf pine for its high quality lumber, so logging increased rapidly as the population grew. The pines were tapped for turpentine, logged, and the lands then cleared for farming.

I chauway is the 29,000-acre outdoor laboratory of the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center. Located in Southwest Georgia, 38 miles southwest of Albany, the Jones facility conducts one of the largest and most intensive longleaf pine research studies in the world.

Approximately 17,000 acres of Ichauway's woodlands are longleaf pine forests. Ichauway was established as a quail hunting reserve in the 1920's by Robert W. Woodruff, who became chairman of CocaCola Company. Unlike the owners of many other quail hunting reserves, Woodruff chose to do very little cutting of trees and leave the massive woodland area in its natural state.
Woodruff recognized the unique natural characteristics of this forestland, and sustained one of the most extensive tracts of longleaf pine in the United States.
Following Woodruff's death, the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation established the research center in Ichauway in 1991. The center was named for Joseph W. Jones, former senior vice president of Coca-Cola Company. A prominent staff was recruited for research and daily management of the site.

Ichauway is currently used as an outdoor laboratory for research, a site for conserving and restoring regional ecosystems, and as an educational demonstration for ecology and natural resource management.
The intensive research focuses on the longleaf pine and related ecosystems. This research is valuable to the forestry community because the benefits of the previously abundant longleaf forests are not what they used to be.
HINDSIGHT What was once one of the most extensive forest ecosystems in North America has almost disappeared. This destruction of an estimated 96 percent of longleaf pine forests has endangered numerous plant and animal species as well as drastically reducing the economic benefits offered by longleaf pines; these benefits include high quality timber products and recreational activities including deer and quail hunting.

Another key factor in the decline of the longleaf pine was frequent failure of early land users and foresters to recognize the need for fire in maintaining and regenerating longleaf forests. Consequently, this highly fire-dependent ecosystem was replaced by other Southern pine species, hardwoods, and agricultural sites.
Currently, only four percent of the longleaf pine forests that grew in the Coastal Plain remain. A longleaf pine forest simply cannot exist without frequent fire. Prescribed fire used to manage quail plantations in South Georgia, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle has conserved much of the remaining longleaf acreage.
The importance of fire in the longleaf ecosystems is indicated by the Jones Center's application of prescribed burning to as much as 15,000 acres per year. Burning objectives include experimental research, understory control, game and non-game habitat management, fuel reduction, and site preparation for regeneration.
SITE PROFILE Ichauway has a subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild, wet winters. Average daily tempera-

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tures range from 52F in winter to 81F in summer. Annual precipitation averages 52 inches with rainfall relatively evenly distributed throughout the year.
Approximately 15 miles of Ichawaynochaway Creek run through the property with the Flint River forming 13.4 miles of the eastern boundary. Disintegration of limestone has resulted in narrow stream channels and shallow, limesink wetlands.

The Ichauway tract is divided into zones accommodating conservation, research, and educational objectives of the Jones Center. Management practices protect native ecosystems including rare animals and plants, while preserving historic landscapes from the Woodruff era. Consequently, Ichauway is a research and conservation area of international significance.

LONGLEAF RESEARCH As interest in longleaf research increases throughout the Southeast, the Jones Center is conducting pioneering research in the area. Ecosystems research is combined with conservation and development of economic opportunities through timber and game management. The Ichauway staff, totaling 103, includes scientists, foresters, research technicians, managers, administrators, maintenance

Ichauway
Land Cover

Georgia, USA

Map courtesy of Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center

Urban/Built Up Agricultural Wildlife Food Plots Shrub/Scrub Deciduous Xeric Hardwood Forest Deciduous Mesic Hardwood Forest Evergreen Hardwood Forest Mixed Evergreen & Deciduous Hardwood Forest Evergreen Coniferous Plantation Longleaf Forest (Natural) Other Pine Forest (Natural) Mixed Pine/Hardwood Forest Open Water Forested Wetlands Non-forested Wetlands Inert/Barren Land
State/County Road County Dirt Road Ichauway Primary Road

0 0

Kilometers

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3

Miles

1

2

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crews, conservation specialists, wildlife experts, and support personnel.
Research activities include forest productivity, soil nutrient use, biodiversity, natural disturbances, regeneration, fire ecology, and stand structure dynamics.
Investigation of ground cover plant composition has identified important herbaceous plants on different soil types and land forms. These findings assist in developing vital guidelines for conservation and restoration of Southeastern longleaf pine forests.
Native legumes naturally fertilize the soil by adding nitrogen and maintaining forest productivity. Some of these include lespedezas, beggarweeds, and partridge peas all important to longleaf forests. There are also many species of plants that replace significant amounts of nitrogen in the soil, but have received very little research attention. The Jones Center, however, is concentrating on research to determine abundance and benefits of legumes. Legumes are also important for wildlife forage.
Studies are also in progress concerning negative impacts of mature trees on growth of new seedlings; competition for light, water, and nutrients can be minimized by spacing trees left in a stand. These studies will provide guidelines to regenerate pine seedlings, while maintaining some mature trees in a stand for biodiversity.
Research on prescribed burning is one of the center's most important projects. Burning of longleaf ecosystems in summer versus winter reveals similar temperature intensities, but greater nitrogen loss with summer fires. Such comparisons of different fire uses determine which

burning conditions are most favorable to longleaf pine seedlings and influence long-term forest productivity.
Understanding relative growth rates and productivity of longleaf pine
Despite past losses, restoration of longleaf pine forests now a p pears feasible.
related to a variety of soils and land forms is essential in defining a future longleaf role in sustainable forest management in the Southern United States.
Despite past losses, restoration of longleaf pine forests now appears feasible. Longleaf pine still occurs over most of its former range, even if it is only in remnant areas. Gradual expansion of these remnants could result in a significant increase of longleaf pine acreage over time. Education, research, and resource management are necessary to accomplish this objective.
One of the most vital factors in restoring the longleaf pine ecosystem is to ensure benefits to society in general and landowners in particular. Lessons engraved in history plainly show that large-scale, long-term conservation projects suffer a high mortality rate if such projects do not provide economic benefits.
There is no need to eliminate or severely restrict harvesting to restore and sustain longleaf pine ecosystems; the basis for this concept is that turn-of-the-century logging ap-

parently had little influence on groundcover diversity. Restrictions on harvest, however, could discourage many landowners and result in loss of longleaf stands on private lands.
WILDLIFE Ichauway wildlife management includes game and non-game. There is also a management program for endangered, threatened, and special concern species including the bald eagle, Eastern indigo snake, redcockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise, wood stork, and Sherman's fox squirrel. Ichauway is the habitat of more than 40 endangered or rare plants and animals. An interesting footnote is that Ichauway has the largest fox squirrel population in the world based on resident density in relation to acreage.
The environment is also ideal for bobwhite quail that thrive in the area. Southern-style hunting of quail and historical land use are still maintained at Ichauway.
White-tailed deer and wild turkey populations are relatively low. In the absence of natural predators, Ichauway has implemented a deer management program to maintain a low population and reduce negative impacts on plant communities.
Diverse non-game species are the result of Ichauway's historical management and vast longleaf forests. Management emphasizes conservation of species diversity in these ecosystems. Nesting boxes are used especially for eastern bluebirds and purple martins.
Track counts, spotlight counts, and observations determine wildlife populations. These counts detect changes in wildlife communities and determine seasonal habitat use.

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ICHAUWAY

Scientist Dr. Bob Mitchell examines longleaf pine seedlings.
Ichauway research site has 17,000 acres in longleaf pine.

Collecting gases from prescribed burns is part of longleaf research study.
Forest Monitoring Technician Mark Melvin evaluates longleaf growth.

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DIRECTOR'S PERSPECTIVE Lindsay R. Boring, Ph.D., who serves as Scientist/Director of the Ichauway operation, sees the progressive research center as a beginning to much bigger things.

"Our work has only begun," Boring said. "Our primary challenges over the next few years include scaling up and modifying our short-term research to long-term ecosystem studies, building from

our few initial outreach efforts to a major educational program, and implementing our long-term conceptual plan for excellence in integrated conservation and research management.

Indigo snake, an endangered species, emerges from gopher tortoise hole. Ichauway is the habitat of more than 40 endangered, threatened, or special concern species.

Camouflaged fox squirrel feeds in longleaf pine stand. Related to acreage and species density, Ichauway study indicates that site has largest fox squirrel population in the world.
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Something you don't see everywhere. Deep in the longleaf pine woods, a dog cemetery with pictures and inscriptions on tombstones. Robert W. Woodruff, who established Ichauway in the 1920s, buried his bird dogs
here.
Georgia Forestry

Winter 1999

A Logical View of Forestry and the Environment

Dr. Patrick Moore
P atrick Moore, with a Ph.D. in ecology and in-spiration un told, used to be a hardcore environmentalist. He still is only now he sees the entire spectrum from a holistic perspective. Moore addressed the Annual Meeting of the GFA (Georgia Forestry Association) at Callaway Gardens and explained his transition from tunnel-vision-radical to sustainable-development-pragmatist. It would probably be accurate to assume that every person who heard his address was positively influenced.
A native of Canada, Moore is a forest ecologist by profession and lifelong environmentalist who was a founding member of Greenpeace that became the world's largest environmental activist organization. He s u s t a i n s a n u n mistakable rapport

with the rainforests of British Columbia. His 1995 book, Pacific Spirit The Forest Reborn, written in clear, non-technical prose, offers a convincing counterpoint to environmentalist groups making negative claims concerning forestry.
Moore recalls it was during his university years that he discovered there was more to life than logic and materialism. "I discovered ecology and realized it was possible to link rational thought with spiritual wonder," Moore said. "Ecology is holistic as in holy, yet rooted in objective science and observation. I decided it was a good idea to save the earth from nuclear war and pollution. I was reborn as a radical environmental activist. Greenpeace began and I began with it."
Following his rebirth, Moore saved whales, protested nuclear dumping, rescued baby seals, halted supertankers, prevented toxic waste discharges, and interfered with drift nets. For Moore, these were exhilarating times of excitement, danger, frustration, and victory.

CONVERSION Moore continued with Greenpeace campaigns for 15 years, then began to experience some creeping new insights. He decided that it was time to switch from confrontation to consensus, time to stop fighting with and start talking to people in charge.
"I became a convert to the idea of sustainable development and the need to consider social and economic issues with my environmental values," Moore said.
At the time, little did Moore realize how his newly adopted approach would bring him into direct conflict with the movement he had helped bring to the world. Looking at things objectively revealed some unsettling realities. "I now find that many environmental groups have drifted into self-serving cliques with narrow vision and rigid ideology," Moore said, "at the same time that business and government are showing signs of elitism, left wingism, and downright eco-fascism."
Moore began to view the once science-based vision of environmentalism to have been abandoned and replaced with extremist rhetoric with the public left holding the bag to figure what is reasonable and what is not.

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NEW MOORE/NEW VIEWS The new Patrick Moore has emerged among other things as Chair of the Forest Practices Committee for the Forest Alliance of British Columbia. He leads the process of developing "Principles of Sustainable Forestry" which have been adopted by the majority of industry. In 1991, Moore founded Green Spirit, a consultancy focusing on environmental policy and public involvement in resource energy sectors.
This year 's annual meet of the Georgia Forestry Association heard some things from Moore that would hardly be expected to come from a founding father of Greenpeace. "My thesis," Moore told the group, "is that the main thrust of much of the environmental movement's policy on forests and forestry is logically inconsistent, and runs counter to more reasonable positions on biodiversity, protection, and climate change."
Moore said that climate change, biodiversity, and forests are the top three environmental issues in the world today with most people focusing on one of the three, although they are inseparably linked. "It's important that these linkages lead us to a logically consistent approach on the use of land, energy, resources, agriculture, and forestry," Moore said.
BIODIVERSITY Moore believes that the most important general ecological fact about forests is that forested ecosystems not oceans, plains, or deserts are home to the majority of all known living species.
When Moore's grandfather settled in the rainforest of Vancouver Island at the turn of the century, he clear-cut everything that could be seen from his

house to the sea. Moore points out that the entire forest has now grown back through natural regeneration. More recently, a 15-year-old clear-cut in the rainforest of northern Vancouver Island, has grown back quickly due to the moist, mild climate.
Moore makes an important point from this: "We can't make a desert out of the rainforest just by cutting trees down."
We cant make a
desert out of the
rainforest just by
cutting trees down.
One of the most common misconceptions about forestry is that it results in loss of biodiversity. "That's certainly easy to do," Moore says. "If we cut down a native forest, replace it with a monoculture of exotic trees planted in rows, and spray pesticides to kill bugs, biodiversity of that landscape will be reduced."
On the other side of the coin, however, is sustainable forestry an entirely different situation that Moore has clarified many times. "But sustainable forestry," he says, "with native tree species and a good understanding of other native species in that forest, can result in an increase in biodiversity across many landscapes. This is because we can plan for a finer mosaic of forest age classes and ecosystem types than would normally occur in the absence of human intervention."
One of the obvious reasons for this is that many species of flowering plants do not grow in the shade. Therefore, a landscape with varying ages of forest

growth tends to have more biodiversity than a landscape with a single age class of forest. It is inevitable that as forests grow back from a clearing, whether the area was cleared by fire or logging, that the plants requiring sunlight die out. Plants that grow in the shade (the same species that were in the original forest) come back again. The cyclical process is defined as "forest ecological succession."
Unfortunately, this process seems to remain unknown to many environmentalists who commonly portray second growth forests as not only lacking in the biodiversity of mature forests, but also lacking in their original beauty. As Moore puts it: "To them, even the spirit of the forest is lacking, evil men have come with chain saws to cut the trees. All manner of metaphors are brought forward about sacrilege, desecration, rape, pillage, and plunder to describe the cutting of trees. This makes excellent headlines, but fortunately, there isn't any truth in it. I know this because I can walk through forests where my grandfather clearcut and logged in the 1930s."
Moore recalls that when his grandfather logged these forests, he did not discuss "biodiversity" because the word did not exist. Neither did he talk about ecology at the breakfast table before he went out in a December rain to cut and drag huge, trees from the seaside, many times taking the soil with them. Despite this so-called "rape and pillage," and without any reforestation or any other intervention, the forest is growing back thick and quick.
"There are raven, deer, wolves, owls, and bears living in that forest today," Moore points out. "The spirit of the forest has returned in 60 short years. The beauty has, too."

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MONOCULTURE BLUES Another unfortunate practice Moore addresses is misuse of the word "monoculture" in application to forestry. Unfortunately, the word has been borrowed from agriculture and applied to forestry as if it had the same meaning. In farming, monoculture means an original ecosystem, usually a forest, has been cleared with debris piled in a heap and set on fire. The soil is then plowed every year and exotic food crops like corn and wheat are planted.
"In forestry, however," Moore emphasizes, "a monoculture is a forest dominated by a single species of tree. Monocultures occur frequently in nature. In my home province of British Columbia, about 30 percent of the original forest would be described as natural monocultures lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, Western hemlock, and some of the spruces."
Moore further emphasizes that a monoculture forest is a fullfunctioning ecosystem. "Shrubs and plants grow beneath the canopy; nobody weeds them out," he said. "Birds, insects, and squirrels live in the canopy above; nobody sprays and kills them. There's nothing unnatural about monoculture forests of this type. And yet, because of the association with wheat fields and farming, it is easy to use the term monoculture in a propagandist way."
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ugly is, too. But the question is: What is it, really? The Sierra club's book, Clearcut: The Tragedy of Industrial Forestry, states that "You don't have to be a professional forester to tell if a forest is mismanaged anymore than you have to be a doctor to tell if a person has ill health. If a forest appears to be

mismanaged, it is mismanaged."
Moore says they are wrong on both counts that in many cases, you do have to be a doctor to tell what a person is infected with, and you do have to be a forester to tell if a forest is healthy. We are led to think that a recently logged area is bad because it is ugly, wasted looking, and dead," Moore says. "There is no question that it is ugly. But what is it, really?"
He goes on to objectively explain it is large lumps of dead wood lying on fertile, forest soil. He stresses that it is not toxic waste or nuclear material and that it is really 100 percent organic. In fact, many types of forests require site disturbance in order to grow back quick and healthy," Moore said. "But, we're told that we should judge clearcuts to be wrong because they look ugly."
The truth is that clearcuts can be virtually teeming with life and fertility. Pretty and ugly do not determine biodiversity.
BOTTOM LINE The bottom line of Moore's interwoven logic concerns deforestation and the potential of forestry renewability.
"Deforestation is not an event that just happens, and then is over," Moore said. "Deforestation is an on-going process of interfering with forest recovery and preventing it from coming back. The commonest form of that interference is what we call agriculture. That's why deforestation has seldom been caused by evil corporate overlords in multinational forestry headquarters. Deforestation is almost always caused by friendly farmers growing our food."
Moore believes that the environmental movement's position on forestry is

currently anti-environmental in the sense that it is counter to policies that would produce biodiversity and reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. "We cannot pretend that there are not six billion people waking up in the world every day with real needs for material, energy, and food," he said. Moore considers the best way to meet these needs is not to reduce wood use and cutting of trees, but to plant more trees, reverse deforestation, and help developing countries create sustainable fuelwood plantations.
"Essentially," Moore says, "the best way to increase the world's forest estate is to take some of the land that's been converted to agriculture and put it back into forest again, densify the urban environment, intensify food production, and make more land available for trees. A world without forests is as unthinkable as a day without wood. It's time that politicians, environmentalists, teachers, and the general public got that balance right because we must get it right if we are to achieve sustainability in the 21st century."

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Privately Owned Fire Tower Well Off
The Beaten Path

This fire tower, located in the interior of Fairwood Stewardship and Education Forest, has been maintained by owner Don Shedd for 26 years. Fairwood Tower was the first Georgia tower listed on National Historic Lookout Register.

F ire towers seem to create an aura of fascination due to their role of protective sentinels of the forest, but Don Shedd has such a fascination with them that he bought an abandoned GFC fire tower and has maintained it on his Walton County woodland property for the past 26 years.
Shedd's tower is not one of the typically located towers that can be seen on a mountaintop or roadside. It is in seclusion, deep in the pine woods of his Fairwood Stewardship and Education Forest. Although located on the highest point of the 54.6-acre forest, it is far from any public road and years of pine growth have created a cloistered surrounding of trees that almost reach the cab of the 80-foot tall structure.
"That's one of the problems back here," Shedd said. "The trees have

done so well back here that I'm going to have to do some selective thinning."
Even in the absence of surrounding pines, the tower could not be seen from area roads and the only route to it is a woods road through Shedd's property. "So, it's not something somebody is just going to come up on and decide to climb," he said. Despite its hidden location, Shedd has the tower posted for liability reasons.
To Shedd and family, the tower remains like an old friend that they visit often. Although they climb it frequently, its solitary location has attracted a number of woodland residents including hundreds of wasps and hornets, nests of flying squirrels, owls and hawks. Buzzards are often attracted to abandoned fire towers, but for some reason known only to buzzards, they do not care for Shedd's tower.

INITIAL INTEREST Shedd first became interested in acquiring a tower in 1973 to use as a teaching tool on his educational forest; the "teaching platform" tower could provide study options at various levels of the forest. Shedd had noticed a GFC fire tower, in the nearby town of Ila, that was apparently no longer in use. He wrote an inquiry letter to James Turner, who was then Georgia Forestry Commission Chief of Forest Protection.
Turner replied that the Ila tower, erected in 1952 by Texas Oil Derrick Builders, was the first tower erected in Madison County and the only fire detection facility in the county for one year. Later, however, the Danielsville tower was erected and towers were located in adjacent counties which made it no longer necessary to man the Ila tower.

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This was all Shedd needed to know. He bought the tower.
MOVING THE TOWER Buying a tower and moving one for reassembly are two different things, but Shedd was ready. He had obtained the original manufacturer's drawings of the tower, which itemized parts for assembly. In addition, he also got plans for adding a platform around the tower cab.
Shedd had the tower disassembled and moved from Madison County to his Walton County education forest--then hired a crane and he and his son, Allan, doubled as ironworkers doing most of the work erecting the structure. "I guess the thing I got most intrigued with when we were putting the tower up," Shedd said, "was that the crane operator asked my son if he used to be an iron worker."
The crane operator had reason to wonder because Shedd and his son climbed all over the structure from top to bottom making connections of the metal beams. Shedd himself, a few years younger at the time, even rode the "headache ball" from the ground to the top of the tower. Although he is now 73, Shedd still climbs the tower with the agility of a teenager.

"We're just showing the first signs of one board needing to be replaced. And that's after 47 years which speaks well for Georgia pine."
EVOLUTION Through the years, the tower served as a valuable educational facet of Shedd's educational forest program. The tower is still used for this purpose to some degree, but Shedd's altered responsibilities have modified the role of the tower. He and his wife Edith, are now primarily involved with duties for the American Red Cross. He serves as a national instructor for Disaster Services, while Edith is Disaster Training Chairman for Georgia. "We've always been involved in some sort of training," Shedd said. "Edith is a retired educator. She specialized for many years in teaching gifted students."
Eventually, Shedd compiled a history of the tower and made application to have the structure listed on the National Historic Lookout Register. The application was approved in 1997

and the Fairwood Fire Tower became the first Georgia tower to be listed on this national register.
In spite of busy schedules, the Shedds still find "tower time." One of their favorite things to do is climb the tower on Fourth of July night and watch fireworks in nearby towns. Turning in different directions, they can see spectacular displays of fireworks in Monroe, Social Circle, and Bostwick.
On clear days, they can see all the way to Stone Mountain. Shed says these are perfect days to climb the tower and watch skydiving, gliders, and hot air balloons. All these activities are popular in the area.
Shedd has noticed that some people get a laugh out of his longterm attachment to the tower, but as he points out: "Not many people have their own fire tower."

In the final analysis, motivation in getting the tower erected apparently prevailed over lack of experience. The result is that the Fairwood Fire Tower is still in good and sturdy condition. "It was a safety belt, hard hat operation," says Shedd. "We couldn't afford to take any chances."

Shedd points out that today the tower still has all it's original parts even the wood. "It's still in pretty good shape, for the most part," he said.

From top of Fairwood tower, owner Don Shedd points out nearby town of Social Circle to GFC Ranger Mark Batchelor. Shedd and family climb tower on Fourth of July night to watch fireworks displays in surrounding towns.

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>

Forestry
Georgia on my Mind
Governor Barnes signs a proclamation designating the week of October 17-23 as National Forest Products Week in Georgia. During this ceremony at the State Capitol, the Georgia Forestry Commission also launched a statewide awareness campaign.

T he Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) is hoping to keep forestry on the minds of Georgians with a statewide awareness campaign. The effort, titled Georgia's FANTASTIC Forests, was launched on October 12 in conjunction with a ceremony held at the State Capitol in Atlanta where Governor Roy Barnes signed a proclamation designating the week of October 17-23 as National Forest Products Week in Georgia.

The public received a preview of an interactive CD-ROM that will be made available to Georgias middle school students via a mobile classroom that will tour the state.
GFC Director Fred Allen said the Georgia's FANTASTIC Forests campaign is a multi-faceted effort designed to "increase statewide public awareness of the importance of forest products in our everyday life." Allen added that the Georgia campaign complements the annual observance of National Forests Products Week by emphasizing thousands of everyday tree products.

Further details on Georgia's FANTASTIC Forests campaign may be obtained by visiting the Georgia Forestry Commission website www.gfc.state.ga.us or calling 1-800-GA-TREES.

Governor Barnes discusses with students the thousands of products that are derived from trees.

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Fallen Georgia Firefighters Honored

Names Added to Memorial Wall

Georgia firefighters, who lost their lives last year in the line of duty, were remembered during a memorial service in September at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia.

A song and march to the Public Safety Officers Memorial Wall, in which the firefighters names have been added, was followed by the placing of wreaths in their honor.

Georgia Forestry Commission Forest Protection Chief Alan Dozier recognizes one of the fallen Georgia firefighters in a memorial service at the GPSTC.

The six men were from various Georgia city, county, and volunteer fire departments.

Forestry Research on Postage Stamp

G eorgia and all other states will benefit from a cooperative project between the Forest Service and Postal Service to create a stamp of tomorrow which uses a benign pressuresensitive adhesive.
The USDA Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) is working with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to ensure that the popular, pressure sensitive adhesive stamps pose no problems to recycling of postal materials. Specifically, FPL is working with USPS, companies recycling fiber for papermaking, pressure

sensitive adhesive suppliers to

USPS, and recycling equipment

suppliers. The research is

evaluating

recycling

performance of new pressure

sensitive adhesive formulations

that will be compatible with

papermaking (recovered)

processing operations.

Currently, most commonly used pressure-sensitive adhesives create major residue removal problems for mills recycling recovered papers; these adhesives can lead to a problem in the industry known as the "stickies," which can result in paper machine malfunctions. This is due to the

problem-causing adhesives attaching to fibers and being dispersed into mill processing waters.

The Forest Products Lab and

Postal Service joint project is

evaluating performance of new

adhesives in plant-scale

recycling

operations.

Acceptable new adhesives

must be easily removed in mill

operations through current

screening and cleaning

methods. In addition, prior to

FPL evaluations, the pressure-

sensitive adhesives must meet

USPS

performance

requirements for postal

applications.

Winter 1999

Georgia Forestry

15

The Best Kept Secret in

SFteowraersdt ship

Liberty County
By Dr. Lonnie E. Varnedoe, Jr. Forest Recreation Consultant

Forest Stewardship. . .management plans for Georgia landowners Timber, Wildlife, Soil & Water Conservation, Recreation, and Aesthetics

This is the main entrance to Camp Blue Heron, known as "the best kept secret in Liberty County." The 278-acre Boy Scout Camp near Riceboro, Georgia is unique because of the following: a family-friendly campsite, an archeological site, a program called COPE (Challenging Outdoors Physical Experience), a 23-acre lake, a conservation trail and boardwalk, a sea kayak adventure trip, and an arboretum.

O ne of the latest tracts of land to be designated as a Forest Steward by the State's Forest Stewardship Program is selfdescribed as Liberty County's best kept secret. Blue Heron Boy Scout Camp of the Coastal Empire Council is a shining star among the networks of youth camps utilized by the Boy Scouts around the state. The Coastal Empire Council of the Boy Scouts of America is made up of eleven counties along the Georgia coast and has its headquarters in Savannah. The camp is located along the coast, between I-95 and the barrier islands that are so prevalent in this section of the state. Riceboro is the nearest city, but

it seems a long way away after traveling the lengthy dirt road leading to the camp. Upon leaving the pavement visitors travel several miles along a dirt (sand) road that resembles a very long and large washboard. The rough ride is well worth the trip. One is rewarded by finding a very unique camp at the end of the road.
The 278-acre camp has most of the elements of other Boy Scout Camps in the state, but it also has many components that are unique to it. The first of these elements is a family camping area that is set-aside just for the families of Boy Scouts who are visiting the camp. The campsite has

its own shower house, latrine, and picnic shelter that allows family members to be close by without intruding on the scouts' activities.
Adjacent to the family camping location is the site of the old Olmstead plantation house that has been turned into an area for the scouts to earn their merit badge in archaeology. The scouts study the site for clues of past activities and use a screen to sift through soil dug from the site of the old home. To date, the campers have found farm implements, old muskets, a few minie balls, and a lot of broken pottery. There are other historical areas on the property that could be

16

Georgia Forestry

Winter 1999

Forest Stewardship. . .management plans for Georgia landowners Timber, Wildlife, Soil & Water Conservation, Recreation, and Aesthetics

explored, but currently the campers are restricted to the old plantation house site.
Another unique area on Camp Blue Heron is the COPE course, which is making quite a name for itself. COPE stands for Challenging Outdoors Physical Experience. The course comprises group initiative games that take place on either a low course (12 feet and under), or the high course activities (about 30 feet high). Some of the activities involve a group challenge while others test individual skills and agility. Participants climb, jump, balance, swing, and find solutions to a variety of activities. Group activities are ideal for emphasizing the patrol method (in the case of scouts) and developing leadership skills for both scouts and non-scouts who use the course. The activities are not designed to be competitive or to be a race against time. The most important goals are leadership, trust, teamwork, selfesteem, problem solving, communication, and decision making. The center of the COPE high course is a seventy-five foot tall climbing tower. All four sides of the tower are used in various phases of training. The north side of the tower has climbing courses with three different levels of difficulty. There is a course for beginners, one for intermediate climbers, and a much more difficult course for advanced climbers. Other sides are used for rappelling from various heights, as the climber becomes more experienced. For safety, all activities on the tower require the climbers to be belayed from the top and supervised by instructors. The overall course is supervised by two certified directors who have attended special training on the COPE program.
The low course has about fifteen

stations that p o s e specific problems to participating groups. While some stations require an individual scout to accomplish certain objectives, most of the situations require teamwork to complete the tasks. These stations present the scouts with a variety of scenarios that they must solve in a given amount of time. The teamwork, problem solving, and trust these campers obtain while participating in these activities will stick with them for many years. Interestingly enough, the tower is

built to withstand the winds of a category four hurricane known to visit the area upon occasion.
The center of water activities at the camp is the 23-acre Lake Bryant. The lake began many years ago as a borrow-pit when the workers building I-95 needed dirt for their roadbed. Now the lake is used for swimming and canoeing. Fishing is also allowed in the lake (which is managed by biologists from the Department of Natural Resources). In fact, many of the Boy Scouts

This climbing tower is just one of the challenges in the increasingly popular COPE course at Camp Blue Heron, which fosters skills in leadership, trust, teamwork, self-esteem, problem solving, communication, and decision making.

Winter 1999

Georgia Forestry

17

Forest Stewardship. . .management plans for Georgia landowners Timber, Wildlife, Soil & Water Conservation, Recreation, and Aesthetics

working on merit badges, the Boy Scouts are installing bird houses along this trail, and constructed an osprey platform at the edge of the marsh in an attempt to attract the magnificent birds that fly up and down the river corridor.

This boardwalk at Camp Blue Heron provides hikers access to low lying areas of the ecology conservation trail that they would not otherwise have. The Boy Scouts are installing bird houses along the trail and building an osprey platform to attract the birds.

attending summer camp can earn their Fishing Merit Badge while fishing in the lake. Furthermore, the view of the lake from the benches strategically placed along the bank is quite beautiful. This is especially true when the azaleas are in bloom in the early spring.
The ecology conservation trail is also a unique area of this camp. The trail extends through a hardwood/pine forest that is the remnant of a pine stand planted

years ago by a timber company who previously owned the property. A variety of hardwoods have grown up among the remaining pine trees to form a true mixed stand of trees. Since the elevation of this site is so low, the land is often flooded several times a year.
Establishing a usable trail through this area required the construction of the boardwalk pictured here. The boardwalk provides hikers access to areas of the tract that they would not otherwise have. While

Another program unique to this camp is the newly developed sea kayak adventure trip. Within the last year, campers have begun taking a three-day or a weekend trip in kayaks designed to travel in salt water. Campers on these trips leave from Camp Blue Heron, travel to Pelican Point, Creighton Island, Sapelo Island, and finally return to Pelican Point. In the future, the campers will carry their kayaks from the boathouse on the camp along a boardwalk across the marsh, to Payne Creek a tributary of the North Newport River. Once the campers reach the river the real adventure begins as the campers undertake their trip to the islands. Currently, the demand for this type of adventure trip is so high that there are not enough kayaks or days to schedule them. The camp ranger, Ken Speir, plans to purchase more kayaks when funds become available.
The establishment of an arboretum on the property is also underway. Currently, more than twenty native trees have been planted in the arboretum as well as trees native to the more northern areas of the state. This resource will be even more valuable to the Boy Scouts when the efforts to install name tags with both common and scientific names are complete.
The camp currently has ten campsites named after Indian tribes. Each campground has its own fire ring and space for an entire scout troop. Although most other scout

18

Georgia Forestry

Winter 1999

Forest Stewardship. . .management plans for Georgia landowners Timber, Wildlife, Soil & Water Conservation, Recreation, and Aesthetics

camps around the state have these types of sites, Camp Blue Heron has done an exceptionally good job of working these campsites into their surrounding environments. There are also firing ranges for shotguns, rifles, and archery that give the campers an opportunity to hone their skills and earn merit badges in these areas.
During the camping season, the camp has a capacity for more than 250 campers, however, this season only runs for four months. This provides a challenge to the administrators of the Coastal Empire Council. What do they do during the other eight months? Presently, groups other than the

Boy Scouts are beginning to discover the uniqueness of this facility. They are beginning to schedule retreats, meetings, and other get-togethers at the camp to build teamwork, problem solving and decision making skills, trusts, and communications among their staffs. These requests are creating quite a demand for the COPE course that is so well suited to meet these challenges. Groups from all around the state are beginning to discover Liberty County's little secret. For the first time, scheduling groups is becoming a chore for the camp's staff. This is not a bad problem, but one that must be addressed. Since these new campers (adults) are not as well

suited for tent camping, different accommodations must be found. To meet these new demands the Boy Scouts are planning to build several new cabins overlooking the lake. Until these new facilities are completed, the adults just now discovering Camp Blue Heron may have to take a number and wait. The secret is out!
If your group wants to explore the uniqueness of Camp Blue Heron, you may contact the camp ranger, Ken Speir at (912) 884-9473. The address in Savannah is Boy Scouts of America, Coastal Empire Council, P.O. Box 60007, Savannah, Georgia, 31420. The telephone number is (912) 9277272.

Maintaining water quality is critical to the continued use of Camp Blue Heron's Lake Bryant for swimming, canoeing, and fishing.

Winter 1999

Georgia Forestry

19

Forest Stewardship Program Recognizes Newest Certified Stewards
This fall five landowners were recognized for their efforts in managing their forest resources following recommendations made for them in their Forest Stewardship Plan. They are:
Jones Cahill of Screven County Camp Blue Heron in Liberty County
Lui Izquierdo of Worth County L. W. Taylor of Bacon County J. C. Douglas of Jenkins County
The addition of these well-managed forestlands brings the total number of Certified Stewards to 130 in Georgia.
If you are a participant in the Forest Stewardship Program and would like to be considered for designation as a Certified Steward contact your Georgia Forestry Commission Forester or Rick Hatten at 1-800-GA TREES.

Wells Receives Lifetime Award

W esley Wells, formerGFC Chief of Forest Protection, received the National Association of State Foresters Lifetime Achievement Award for more than three decades of exceptional performance.

Wesley Wells

Wells, who retired in 1999, be-

gan his Georgia Forestry Com-

mission career in 1966 as a service forester. A wood

utilization specialist, he conducted sawmill-efficiency

studies resulting in large profits for independent own-

ers.

Promoted to Associate Chief of Forest Protection in 1982, Wells became Chief of Forest Protection in 1985 and was quickly recognized as a regional leader. He was appointed to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group and served on the Incident Organization Systems Team. He served as Chair of the Southern Fire

Chiefs Prevention Team and developed fire prevention publications used throughout the South.
Wells also initiated a firefighter fitness program that became the basis for the GFC Fitness Program designed to qualify firefighters. He was Program Manager for Logistics in Support of the 1996 Summer Olympics Law Enforcement Team in charge of more than $10 million in equipment.
A recipient of the Silver Smokey Statue Award for regional fire prevention, Wells is a member of the Society of American Foresters, Georgia Forestry Association, and University of Georgia School of Forest Resources Foundation.

20

Georgia Forestry

Winter 1999

Choosing Your Tree

Christmas Tree Tips
Caring for Your Tree

Recycling Your Tree



Where will you put it? Determine where in your home you will display your tree so that you will know at the tree lot what size and shape you need. Select a tree that is at least one foot shorter than the ceiling height.
What kind do you want? Popular species offered in Georgia at most retail markets and choose-and-cut tree farms: - Virginia Pine - Red Cedar - Leyland Cypress
Is the tree fresh? Test #1 - Gently grasp a branch between your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward you. Very few green needles should come off in your hand if the tree is fresh. Test #2 - Shake or bounce the tree on its stump. You should not see an excessive amount of green needles fall to the ground. (Loss of a few interior brown needles is normal.) Avoid the tree if many needles fall.





























































































Dont dry it out... Wrap the tree with several plastic garbage bags or a large sheet of plastic when you bring it home on top of your car...cold air at 60 mph will dry the tree out and cause early needle drop.
Cut the base, again... Make a fresh, straight cut across the base of the trunk, (about 1/4 up from the original cut) ...this will break the seal of dried sap to allow the tree to take up water.
Warning: Keep it watered Make sure theres always plenty of water in your stand. A tree may absorb a gallon of water in the first 24 hours, and two pints to a gallon of water a day afterwards. Never let your stand go dry (if it does, a sap seal will form on the cut surface of the tree trunk and a new cut should be made.) Note: Research has shown that adding chemicals or other ingredients to the water does not help keep the tree fresh.
Dont put near heat... Position your tree away from heat sources such as fireplaces, radiators, heater vents, and television sets.
Test the lights... Test your light cords and connections before hanging them on the tree to make sure they are in good working condition. Look for cracked insulation or broken sockets, and make sure all of the sockets are filled. Dont forget to unplug the lights when you go to bed or leave home.





























































































Chip it! Christmas trees are biodegradable. The branches and trunk may be removed and chipped to be used as mulch in your garden.
Sink it! Sink your tree into a private fish pond or lake to make excellent refuge and feeding areas for fish.
Serve it! Place your tree in a garden or backyard for use as a winter birdfeeder and shelter. Orange slices, bread, and suet will attract birds and brighten up the winter landscape.
Burn it! Use the main stem to burn in the fireplace after removing branches and needles.

















Which Two Are Exactly Alike?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Unscramble These Letters to Find the Popular Types of Christmas Trees.
1. RNAIGIINPEIV 2. DCRAREED 3. YLDYPRLENACSES
Clue: These trees are listed in the article above.

Answers: 1. Virginia Pine 2. Red Cedar 3. Leyland Cypress

Answer: Trees 3 & 4 are exactly alike.

Winter 1999

Georgia Forestry

21

13l l12

11l

10
l

9l

8
l

7l l6

5l

4l

2l 3l
1
l

14l l15

17 l16 l l l 18 19

21l

l20

23 l

2l2

25

2l4

l

27

l26

l

28
l

To: From:

Connect the dots. You've made a Christmas tree!
Color it GREEN. Give it to someone you love

22

Georgia Forestry

Winter 1999

Book Review
The Business of Sustainable Forestry/Strategies for an Industry in Transition by Michael B. Jenkins and Emily T. Smith. 350 pages: tables, figures, and index. Island Press, Covelo, CA. Hardcover $35. 800/828-1302

T he Business of Sustainable Forestry analyzes 21 case studies of industry leaders conducted by the Sustainable Forestry Working Group, an organization of experts from businesses, universities, and environmental concerns. Motivations of the firms studied are varied, yet each organization made significant progress.
The authors contend that the most successful operations are those that have integrated sustainable forestry concepts into their corporate strategy. Authors Michael Jenkins and Emily Smith are well qualified to evaluate such situations. Jenkins was formerly associate director of the Global Security and Sustainability Program at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and senior forest consultant to the World Bank. Smith, formerly science editor for Business Week magazine, is an author and journalist based in Hastings-on Hudson, New York.
The book details powerful forces influencing transitions in forestry. Factors include: escalating demand for wood faced with an uncertain and decreasing supply, increasing environmental pressures, and growing markets for environmentally certified wood. All these influences are changing the forest product industry's methods of doing business.
This may be the first book to provide a composite of the business of sustainable forestry. It offers management practices, technologies, and techniques plus valuable lessons learned by early practitioners. Influencing factors are described with an overview of new approaches that make sustainable forestry more feasible than ever.
This generation is uncomfortably aware that forests are a natural/renewable resource which need to be sustained. The authors point out, "the face of much of the world's biological diversity may be determined not so much by systems of protected areas, but by how unprotected forests are managed." Case studies of sustainable forestry that are the basis of this book resulted

from new perspectives of business leaders, work by nonprofit organizations, and creative foundation grant making.
In essence, the book defines forestry not so much in terms of producing timber, but as an economic and ecological blend to provide for a society in serious need of such balance. This evaluation encompasses a holistic view of the forest ecosystem including environments, people, wildlife, companies, communities, technologies, strategies, politics, and economics.
The authors refer to forestry as a social process, organized by people to perpetuate desired attributes of a forest with the essential difference between "forestry" and "sustainable forestry" involving complex relations recognized between trees and humans as a vital part of society. Forestry related actions considered acceptable (if considered at all) in a time of abundant supply are an anachronism in a world that has quadrupled human population in the last century as threats to natural resources have become a source of alarm.
As the authors put it: "Forests are increasingly becoming diverse overlays of different systems of social interests that interact uniquely in any one place. The actions that predominate are those that affect the pressures in that context and the opportunities that happen to converge in that place." They point out that forestry has been a marginal and narrowly vested interest segment of the economy, environment, and society for too long.
The study concludes that sustainable forestry is an adaptive learning process dependent on investment, innovation, and institutional reform. In the midst of this complex scenario, one thing is for certain: Sustainable forestry is a must and changes are inevitable.
Forest and natural resource managers, forest product industry managers, and students in schools of business and forestry will find this book to be a valuable guide to an industry in transition.

Winter 1999

Georgia Forestry

23

NATIVE TREES OF GEORGIA

1999 - Bruce Lyndon Cunningham Nacogdoches, TX - USA

HEMLOCK (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.)

DESCRIPTION: Leaves or needles 1/3 to 2/3 inch long, flat, oblong, dark green, and shiny above, whitish below; occurring in a spiral, but appearing to be two-ranked on each side of the twig. Fruit or cone 1/2 to 3/4 inch long, egg-shaped, on slender stalks often l/4 inch long; scales thin and almost as wide as long, light brown in color. Bark deeply divided into narrow ridges covered with thick scales, cinnamon-red to dark gray in color. A tree 60 to 100 feet high with a trunk two to four feet in diameter, conspicuously tapering into a pyramidal head, composed of long, slender, horizontal, or often drooping branches.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS: Leaves flat, oblong, appearing as two ranks and forming a flattened spray; cones 1/2 to 3/4 inches long; pyramidal crown with usually graceful, drooping branches.
WOOD: Light, soft, not strong, brittle, coarse-grained, splinters easily, not durable, light brown tinged with red.
USES: Lumber, outside finish for buildings, pulp; bark formerly a source of tannin.
DISTRIBUTION: Restricted to the mountains where it occurs along streams and on the more fertile slopes.

J. Frederick Allen Director

Periodicals postage paid at Dry Branch, Georgia and additional mailing offices.

Approximate cost of press time and paper only.

COST: $7,293

QTY: 10.8M