GA- f&,60 .Pl f (o v.G'1 /rio..;J. APPLICATION Georgia's Forest Stewardship Program 1-800-GATREES As a forest landowner I believe the right to own land also carries the responsibility for stewardship of the natural resources in my care. It is my intention to implement conservation practices which will enhance wildlife habitat, scenic beauty, timber production, clean water and outdoor recreation while conserving soil, historic and cultural resources and the environment for current and future generations. I would like to participate in Georgia's Forest Stewardship Program and have natural resource professionals prepare a Forest Stewardship Plan for my land. Landowner Signature_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Landowner Information Last Name: First Name: Other Owner's Names: Farm Name (If there is one): Mailing Address: Day Telephone: Night Telephone: Tract Information Primary County: Additional Counties: Tract Location (attach maps if you have them): Total Acres: Estimated Forest Acres: 12/99 IMPORTANT! Complete Reverse Side of Application Each Forest Stewardship Plan is custom wntten to address the individual landowner's specific interests. While each plan includes recommendations to enhance all resources, those most important to the landowner become the focus of the plan. For this reason it is most important that you rank your priorities and interests so that the resource professionals who will write your plan can adequately address your needs. Near-equal emphasis can be placed on all resources if so desired, especially in educational situations. In the following list, please rank the five most important topics you want to consider in your Forest Stewardship Plan using 1 for the most important and 5 for the least important Please record each ranking number only once. If near-equal emphasis on all forest resources is desired, please check the appropriate box. Timber 1 2 3 4 5 Wildlife 1 2 3 4 5 Soil and Water 1 2 3 4 5 Recreation 1 2 3 4 5 Aesthetics 1 2 3 4 5 Near-Equal Emphasis On All Resources I Forest Stewardship Plans can be prepared by any registered forester, wildlife biologist or soil conservationist Some landowners prefer to utilize professionals from government agencies to prepare their plan at no charge, while others prefer to engage consulting professionals to write their plan. Landowners participating in forest industry landowner assistance programs may ask their industry contacts to prepare their plan. Landowners with an existing written plan can have it converted to a Forest Stewardship Plan by the Georgia Forestry Commission. Please answer the following concerning the preparation of your plan: Who is going to write your plan? Contact Person: Company Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Phone: ( ) Fax: ( ) E-mail Address: Please return this application to the nearest Georgia Forestry Commission office or to: Georgia Forestry Commission P. 0. Box 819 Macon, GA 31202-0819 q~ FORESTRY USPS No. 217120 Summer 2001 No. 2 Vol. 54 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 H. G. Thomas New. Louisville James G. Fendig, Savannah Larry S. Walker, Oglethorpe P. W. Bryan, Jr., Thomasville DISTRICT OF.FICES 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 4 78-445-5164 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 356 l Hwy. J12/Camilla, GA 31730 229-522-3580 District Ten 18899 U. S. Hwy. 30 l N./Statesboro, GA 30458 912-681-0490 District Eleven Route l. 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. For subscription additions, changes, or deletions. please contact Kassie Odum: E-mail: kodum@gfc.state.ga.us. Phone: (912) 751-3530, Fax: (9 l 2) 751-3559. Toll-Free: 1-800-GA-TREES, Mail: P.O. Box 819 Macon. GA 31202-0819. 2 Georgia Forestry Commission P. 0. Box 819, Macon, Georgia 31202-0819 (912) 751-3500, Fax (912) 751-3465 Roy E. Harnes Governor .}. Frederick Allen Director Dear Georgia Citizens and Forest Landowners: For nearly 60 years, the message of Smokey Bear, "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires," has echoed across our nation teaching Americans our responsibilities regarding humancaused forest fires and how to prevent them. This message is one of the most recognized messages in the United States. The message has stood the test of time, but with time comes change. In light of the catastrophic wildfires that have occurred throughout the nation for the past several years and potential threat in the upcoming fire season, the National Association of State Foresters, the USDA Forest Service, and the Ad Council developed a new modified message, "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires." The message will still continue to address human-caused .fires. While Smokey's fire prevention message is often seen as targeting children, the new message will be aimed more at people who are certain that they would never cause a wildfire to happen. Through focus groups, one of which was held in Georgia, the Ad Council's research found that while many adults thought they were being careful with fire, they did admit to moments in which they were careless. In Georgia, 47% of our wildfires are caused by debris burning which is generally related to adults, as compared to 5% of our wildfires, which are started by children. The new ad was unveiled at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in April of 2001. The new focus brings home the reality that you and I, as adults, could be responsible for a devastating wildfire when we become careless. Preventing wildfires is everyone's responsibility. As we continue into an abnormal fire season brought about by the extended drought, let's all REMEMBER, Only You Can Prevent Wildfires. If you would like information on fire prevention, contact your local county forestry unit or call us at 1-800-GA-TREES. Sincerely ~~ j. Frederick Allen Director Jim L.Gillis.Jr. Chairman. Soperton H. G. Thomas N~w Louisville J. G. Fcndig Savannah Larry S. Walker Oglethorpe An Equal Opporttmity Employer P. W. Bryan Thomasville ON THE COVER: Scenic long/eatpine standin lchauway- the 29,000 acre outdoor laboratory of the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center. Located 38 miles southwest ofAlbany, the facility conducts one ofthe largestlong/eatpine researchprograms in the world Photo by William Godfrey Georgia Forestry Spring 2001 {ietUtjia FORESTRYI Summer 2001 Page 4 Page 8 Page 12 Page 14 Spring 2001 4 FFA Future Forest Program Designed for New Challenges Oconee County Takes Leadership Role 8 Entrepreneur Colors Wood Mulch Turns Trash to Dollars While Reducing Pollution 12 Brantley County Wins Annual COE Finals ECI Takes Second Place Honors 14 Oconee Forest Park....Old Growth with New Values University Sanctuary Serves 80,000 a Year 17 Announcements Forestry Field Day Governor Barnes Praises Firefighters Former Head of GFC Receives Arbor Day Foundation's Highest Honor 2001 Expo SESAF Meeting Plant Trees 20 Announcing the People's Choice for America's National Tree...... The Oak 21 Add-A-Line Discover Objects Threatened by Fire 22 What is the State Tree of Georgia? The Live Oak 23 SO Years Ago Order Seedlings Now Georgia Forestry 3 Cl) --(,) FFA FUTURE FOREST PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR NEW CHALLENGES Oconee County Takes Leadership Role c: -- A 0 new GFC educational program, titled Future Forest Program, is expected to have an increasingly a:s positive impact on the state forestry community 's expanding involvement in stewardship .Q...) activities. (,) Q) The F uture Forest Program is designed to func- words. sort of spread the wealth around so as not a: tion statewide thr oug h Futur e Farm e r ~ of to c reate a monopoly." Am er ica (FFA) hi g h school forestry and Program Objective selected landowners. Based on reforestation A hi gh school c lass benefits, the program in each of the state's objective is to give three FF/\ Distri cts FFA team me mbers the (North, Central, and opportunity to work South ) will be iden- w ith a landowner in tified as a parti c ip ant the ir county, a GFC for- each year. -.... Q) Ri ck Hatten. GFC State Coordinator for ester, and a wildlife biologist from the Georgi a Departme nt of Natural Resources the progra m , sa id a (DNR). "The program regional winning FFA is specifically designed -- class in the annu a l Forestry Field Days 0 (renamed Fo restry Cl) Caree r Development ---Q) Events as of 200 I competition) will be offe red the opport u- nity to participate. for reforestation and w ildlife h ab itat en hancemen t practices in the county re prese nted by th e selected FFA class," Hatten said. According to program guidelines, cost-share "There are, however, assistance is available some areas where to participating land- schools are very com- ow ners. R ates are petiti ve and the same sim ilar to those used in teams sometimes win other USDA cost share year after year,'' Hatten sa id . " In that Rick llatte11, CFC State Coordinator for the Future Forest Program. e1a111ines longleaf pine .\(/piing that will groll' wirh programs with a $5,000 maximum for case. we are goi ng 10 1/1011scmd.1 of other p111i>1 to become Gt'OIJ~ia s f11111n forests. each landowner par- let the State FFA Di - ticipant. An amount rector ass is t in dete rmining wh ethe r to offer par- totaling ten percent of the to ta l cost-share payment ti cipation to anoth e r deservin g te am. Jn other is paid to the participating sc hool FFA chapter. 4 Georgia Forestry Spring 2001 landowner would be classified and recognized as a major donor to environmental s tewards hip and forestry interests. I think the concept has definite potential." Program Services 3 The Future Fores t Program incorpo- rates a number of acti vities, including the fol low ing stages of deve lopment. Pre- Pl ant ing Inspection: Class wi ll meet with GFC forester to determine .... what type of site prep is needed. T he c lass wi ll help in preparing the site (1) prep and planting plan, with the Onmee County High School FFA Forestry Class developed a promising F11111re Forest Program stewardship plan j(JI" a local la11downe1: (Fm111 le/i) lfrian Ipock. Wesley Boss, Colt Bmrden. .la111es Miller (/andmrner). Mirnli /,y1111 (CFC forester's ass istance. C/l --0 Wildlife E nhancement Practice: C lass wi lI meet on landowner's property ranger). Joseph Smith, Clay Adams. and Antonio Rooks. with DNR s tewardship biologist and "We (G FC) fee l that forest ry education at the high schoo l level is critical to developing the potential of develop a wildlife plan under bio logist's professional gu idance. -(1) forestry in Georgia," Hatte n sa id. "The Futu re For- Site Prep Inspection: C lass wi ll meet on property whe n """ est Progra m will provide s tude nts the opportunity to some site prep or wild Ii re habitat enhancement work le arn about forestry on an o ut-of- the-c lassroom ap- is be ing completed to provide actual experience with plicatio n basis. It will al so offer a degree of prestige work invo lved. and fin anc ial benefit to both the landowner and the FFA faction of the participating school." Tree Planting Inspection: Cla s will again meet on tract GFC fore ters are available . on request. to assist in selection of lan downers; priority wi ll be give n to wi th GFC fo rester to confirm that planting meets established standards. --0 la ndowners p articipating in Georgia's Forest Stew- Performance Check: C lass wi ll have final meeting with :l ards hi p Program - of w hic h the Future Fores t Pro- fo rester o n tract to ensure that a ll plan phases have g ram is a n exte ns ion. La ndow ner select ion is al so been completed to meet requ ire ments . lJ based o n des ire to reforest a t ract ( 10 to 50 acres) (1) (') whi le co mmitting a s mall part o f the tract (1 to 2 acres) to wi ldlife habitat development. After selection has been made, a sign wil l be placed on the landowne r's property identify in g it as a Future For- Paperwork: In accordance with te rms of GFC co ntract developed fo r landowner, the amount to be reimbursed to the landowner w ill be detem1ined. The FFA Foundation wi ll then write a check for that amount --."(1"") Q) 0 est project. and present it to the landowner. :l " Thi s is the first program of its kind, anywhere,' Funding: Geo rg ia's Fores t Stewardship program wi ll Q) Hatten e mphasized. "Georgia is the birthplace and provide all fu nding of cost-shares earned by the land- :l Q. although it's new - barely two years o ld - the pro- owner - and also provide partic ipating FFA classes gram is already attracting atte nti on all over the s tate. with fund s totalin g te n pen::ent of the amount of the ~ There are even some other s tates th at have expressed interest in it." Hatten said the only current limiting factor is the amount of cost-share fund s available to put into the program. cost-shares for the program in their cou nty. The entire Future Forest Program process takes approximately one year - from April to April. (1) (/) -::::r --Q) " But we're considering expanding the program to in- Program Projection clude a voluntary situation that wou ld permit willing Although Hatten orig inated this program and carefully landowners to have classes on the pro perty without re- s truc tured it for success. he rea lizes that fo r s uc h a ceiving cost-share payment; this would si mply be a vol- program to succeed statewide it must have leadership untary gesture of good stewardship,'' Hatten said. "The at the grassroots level. He believes that leadership has Spring 2001 Georgia Forestry 5 e merged with FFA Advisor Sidney Bell and hi s for- ducks) . wild life food plots, and prescribed burning estry students at Oconee County High School. sites. (/) -(,) ..... m... CD ..C...:. c (/) ~ Q) 0 q: ""O C-0 QS c:: "In my opinion, Sidney Bell is one of the best teachers in Georgia," Hatten said. " I believe Sidney's skills and approach to forestry wi 11 serve as a role model for establishing the Future Forest Progra m in thi s state. My goa l is to see every high school in the state, that has a forest ry c lass, become established in the program at the quality level of Sidney Bell's Oconee County High Schoo l group." Oconee County Sidney Be ll is a native of Oconee Cou nty (No rth FFA Region) and has taught at Oconee County High S chool for the pas t 12 years. A graduate of the Uni versity of Georgia, wi th a degree in Agricultural Edu ca ti on, he fee ls that he has fo und hi s " rea l niche" in forestry, which he considers to have a number of basic similarities to agriculture. Future Forest Activity Be ll 's class ha s also developed a promis ing F uture Forest Program segment with Oconee County landowner James Mi lier. "The student ro le was not to ac tu ally establish a forest o n the property, but to d o everything to bring it to the poi nt of establishment," Bell said. "They developed an entire stewardship pl a n on the Miller property, which included identifying native trees and understory vegetation, making evaluatio ns for wi ldlife hab itat, and mak ing recommendations to accomplish management objecti ves ." Be ll said Mi ller's p riorities for management objectives were timber, soil and water, wild life, and recre- Bell is re luctant to call himself a leader in the Future Forest Program, but he says his basic objective is to take the program beyond the cost-share concept and emphasize all qualities of stewardship that relate to the concept. " It is also an idea l occasion for students to apply academic knowledge acquired in the classroom to a real life s ituation," Bell said. "We are also tryi ng to take it beyond timber production - of which reforestation is a critical element - to the e nvironme ntal elements, main taining so ils and wate r quality, managin g w ildli fe habi tat, and good stewards hip in general. . . . ' -~::: --.. "ti Bell 's success and rapport with students are not difficult to detect; his enthusiasm for fo restry seems contagious and the stud e nts re fl ect his know ledge, va lues, and stewardship. A former state champion in the FFA Forestry Field Day Competitions, Bell 's Oconee team has also placed eithe r first o r second in the an nu al reg ional meets for nine out of the past 12 years. Already designated a "Certified Steward" by the Forest Stewardship Program, Oconee County H igh has de ve lo ped a 20 acre demo ns tration fo rest on the school grou nds. The forest incl udes various species in tree s tands, a modified rainwater retentio n pond transformed into a duck pond (com p lete w ith nes tin g w ood Sidney Bell (ri1:ht), Oconee Cou11~v High School FFA Fore.111v Advisor, instructs students Jake Sarnge (cemer) and C111/e11 Bailer m1 timber stand em/11ario11. Be/l'sforestn class has taken a leadership role in the Future Fore.it Program based on empha.1i:.i11g steward.1hip aspects of j(Jresrry. 6 Georgia Forestry Spring 2001 ation - in that orde r. T he clearc ut a rea for reforestation totaled 25 acres. "So the timber recommendations were pretty easy," Be ll said. "Accordi ng to the program, we had to establish lobloll y pine seedlings on s ix-by-ten spacing, with seven hund red a nd twenty -six seedlings per acre. Th at was a given. The thing that was not a given was to develop a plan fo r Miller to manage those pines o n a 30-year rotation ." Consequently, the students applied classroom silvic ulture knowledge to th e M il le r p la n and recommended a thinnin g c ut - when appropriate - based on stand density, basal area, live crow n rati o, and other indicators of timber stand g rowth and health . " For example," Bell said, "they recom me nded that if he wanted to maximize sawtimber production, he shoul d thin so much for this. Or, if he preferred a combination of managing for sawtimber and wil dlife habitat - this is ho w much he should thin. All things cons idered, I th ink the students did an excellent job." Bell's View Sidney Bell considers the Future Forest Program to h ave great poten t ial , p rimari ly beca use he sees Georgia's future in fo restry shi fting more and more to encompass stewardship appli cations . "It's my understanding that this program was Rick Hatten's brain-child, and I think it's a good o ne. I've worked with Rick on a number of projects that I consider progress ive and benefic ial." Be ll says Georgia's rapid population growth makes the need fo r log ical fo rest stewards hip greater than ever. "I look at opportu nities to manage forests for the multi-use concept. Pressures being put o n Georgia land use by escalating urban-wildland interface make decisions on this issue critical to the fut ure of th is state." Havin g grown up in Oconee Co unty, Bell regards pressures of urban-w ildland interface to currently be much more prevale nt in North Georgia and Central Georgia (v ia Atlanta in flu ence) tha n many of the " pine-c ulture, timber-foc used areas" of South Georgia. "I believe w hat is now happen ing in terms of urban-wildland interface in Oconee County to be co mparable to what happened a few years ago in G wi nnett County. In fact, T consider Oconee County to be a microcosm of hat will eventually be happen ing in the e ntire slate. I think it's going to be a little slower to come south of the Fall Line, but it will get there." Bell's forecas t for the fu ture of the state forms his phil osophy of teaching. "The majo rity of students I teach will not become foresters," Bell says. " But some will be landowners, some will be decision makers of sorts, and all of them will be able to vote. And they will be voting on major legislation that will impact land use in the state. So, I want them to have an accurate education on what is involved in natural resource ma nagement." Distortions Accord ing to Be ll , one of the most urgent needs in educati ng students, and the general public, is to correct the distorted and erroneous ideas being spread about fores try manageme nt. Case in po int : the often hysterical reactio ns to the sig ht of a clearc ut. "T he real fo restry now - and in the fu ture - is in land- use pla nning, and clearcutting is a major part of this," Be ll says. "There's a lot of misguided op- 0 positio n to j us t any kind of timber harvesting, but clearc utti ng seems to provoke the most negative re actions ." Bell uses this as an example of how a basic educ a- tio nal ap proach can correct m isconcep tions. "If people really understood what clearc utting timber is," Cl> ..... Bell said, " if they understood that c learcutting c an be a highly effective regeneration/management tool 0 ;:, and is not necessarily an irresponsi bl e act of mass (I) destruction - then a lot of thi ngs woul d change." Cl> ..... " Selecting this one glaring misconception out of many D> others regard ing forestry, Bell compares the clearcut - w ith natural di sturbances and subsequent results. o " Historicall y, natural d isturbances ki ll trees," he ? points o ut, "and it is a part of any forest ecosystem, regardless of whether it comes in the form of a tornado, flood, or w il dfire . W hat is generally misu n- (C'l)> derstood is that these natural distu rbances serve the ...,, same purpose as a clearcut; they set back pl ant sue- : cess ion a nd create a future mosaic of vegeta ti o n - stages . This is one of nature 's ways of prov idi ng for 0 a vari ety of wi ldli fe species. Reforestation and 111- ;:, tell ige nt stewardsh ip can do the same thing." Bell can go on and on, c iti ng such examples in rapidfire succession. His holistic fores try concepts form a perspective that is the basis of the stewardshi p prog ram . Be believes the fut ure of Geo rgia Forestry depends on educating the state's young people and - gene ral pu blic from this holistic perspective. " I thin k our fores try curriculum in Georgia does a (') fa ntastic j o b of teaching the scientific truth of natu- (I) ral resource ma nagement," Bell said. "The current need is to ex pand and s ustain that teaching effort. T he Fu ture Forest Program is an important step in that directio n." \! Spring 2001 Georgia Forestry 7 ENTREPRENEUR COLORS Wooo MuLcH ./11'111 Wt>nl divplays colored 11111/ch pmduced.fim11 wood rended 11' /11\ c111111u111y (!PC;. 'f11e Macon entrepreneur intend.\ IO open up this 1ir11111//\ 1111111whed market in Geor~w. Turns Trash to Dollars While Reducing Pollution A M aco n entrepreneur. Joh n Word, is developing what he believes will become a highly profitable wood-based enterprise with a market that is virtually untouched in Georgia. Wore.l 's company, IPC {Industri al Pallet & Crate, lnc.) produces co lored wood mulch from 100 percent recycled wood. "We provide decorative mulch in every color of the rainbow." Word said, "with the practical benefit bein g th at wood mulch derived from recyc lec.I wood actually puts nitrogen into the soil that helps your plants. This is not the case with mulch derived from gr inding green wood ; it takes nitrogen out of the soil as it dries." Word estimates that more than 90 percent of wood mulch comes from sawmills disposing of green wood scraps. were the only provider in Georgia - that we know of usi ng exclusively recycled wood for making mulch." Ori gin ally in the pallet-making busi ness, IPC started it's co lored mu lch -making operation with the same obj ecti ve as the sawmills wanting to gel rid of scrap wood; IPC wanted to get rid of scraps from pallet making. So, they ground up the scraps, co lored it, packaged it, and sold it wholesal e to lanc.lscapers. mulch brokers, and lanc.l scape products ret ail ers such as nurse ri es and ga rden centers. Business turned out to be so good that Word reduced his pallet making to ten percent and increased production of co lored mulch to 90 percent of the business operation. This alteration, however. was not without problems. Word had to go out and get more pallets to recycle - a lot more. PALLET PROBLEMS Word's solution to the problem was logical and beneficial to all concerned: he offered companies an opportunity to save money (often more than half of what they were already paying) by allowing him to furni sh them with a dumpster and haul away their scrap pallets - i nstead of the company paying to get them hauled to a l andfill. IPC began initiating this offer in Middle Georgia, but a number of companies were reluctant to accept the busi- 8 Georgia Forestry Spring 2001 Although his colored mulch is harmless to children and pets, Word said that most bugs will pack up and move rather than tolerate the iron oxide used in the coloring process. He added, however, that some bugs seem to like uncolored wood mulch. TERMITE CONTROVERSY In spite of the iron oxide working as a basic insect repellent, Word said that somehow a rumor got started regarding wood mulch at- tracting termites. "This thing about wood mulch attracting ter- Super grinder tran.~f'omzs wooden pallets imo colored 111ulcli in 0 11e step. Finished product is wholesaled to landscapers. mulch brokers, and landscape products retailers. mites has been on TV, in the newspapers, and other publications," Word said. "But there's absolutely no truth in it." Word considers ness proposition (even though it would often save the com- this theory to be valid only for the purpose of mislead- panies thousand of dollars a year - or a month). "I guess ing ignorant termites. On a number of occasions, he this was a new idea to them and some of the companies wanted to sell me the scrap pallets, like it was something I could turn around and resel l - like scrap metal," Word has offered to go public - on TV and in print - to refute the termite myth at the sources, but once he presented the facts to them, he said, "they disappeared into the said. "So I had to clarify that the pallets had to go through woodwork, muc h like termites" and refused to print a recycling and production process to make colored his facts or debate him publicly. mulch." Eventually, Word's offer began gaining acceptance. Some companies, especially the larger ones, realized the env ironmental benefits of the situation and offered to pay IPC the same price they were paying to have tons of scrap pallets hauled to the landfill. " In these cases, I didn ' t even have to negotiate," Word said. "These companies were so pleased to be reducing the landfill-pollution problem that they made me an immediate offer." CATCHING ON As the environmental and financial benefits of dealing with IPC caught on, so did the benefits of the product. Word says that colored mulch made from a recycled wood source has many benefits over conventional mulches. "The most obvious advantage is the decorative aspect that can en hance any landscape," he said. "Then there's the longevity factor - since the mulch is made from dry/seasoned wood, the decomposition process is much slower than conventional mulches. It also keeps weed growth down better than most other mulches and the coloring is completely harmless to children and pets." Word also pointed out that colored mulch sustains the various color shades for a full season. "I don't' know any other natural mulch on the market that stays colorful and lively from spring through fall." llemy dwr .11rap- ha11d/er !(tis pallets Ji-om pile to grinder: Capahle rif lifting a cm: the scrap- ha11dfer increases speed mu/ " . . ef/lcie11cv of' ~l~~--. .z : :.: i (h<' "riIIdiII" ,, (> ,~ ..;s;'.;...,....~iii ti;:~~~~ process. lilc ~ _ _.,.,_ Spring 2001 Georgia Forestry 9 /PC ll'. Spring 2001 Georgia Forestry 11 Annual COE Finals ECITakes Second Place Honors Bramley Cou/11\' fint Plaa H'i1111cr T he Bra ntl e y Cou nty High School Ch a pter (advisor/Richard Gil l) of the Future Farmers of America emerged First Place Winner in the 200 I Annual FFA Forestry Career Development Event State Finals held M ay 9 at the Georg ia Forestry Center in Macon. Second P lace honors went to ECl FFA Chapter (advisor/John Allen Bailey). More than 200 students from 19 Georgia High Schools competed in a series of competitive activities that tested forestry skills. Each school 1..ompctmg m the State Finals was a first or second place wmner m the statewide n.:10nal competition. ...\Ian McAllister. consultant forester with the Vocational Agncultural Department. said the wmn ni! team 1s now -;cheduled for national 1..ompet1tion. or A high light chis year's annual con- test was an address to the group by Joel McKie, State FFA President. GFC Director Fred Allen also spoke to the competing teams and advisors preceding award presentations. Competing schools included: Wilcox County, Echols County, Oconee County, Stephens County, Morgan County, Bainbridge, Miller County, Jackson County, Pickens County, Brantley County, Atkin son County, Perry, Harris County, Jefferson County, Evans, Wheeler County, C reekside, and Bowdon . First Pl ace winners in the vari ous competitions included: Jay Ba il ey of ECI. reforestation: Jason Pollard of EC! - Second Place Winn er 12 Georgia Forestry Spring 2001 CDE State Finals Competition Jackson County, timber cru1s1ng for cord volume; Amanda Hamsley of Perry, tree identification; Daniel Barnard of Bainbridge, ocular estimation; Nikki Newberry of Wilcox County, land measurement; Paul Bechtel of Brantley County, tree and forest disorders: Quenton Thornton and Andy Poole of Wheeler County, forest management; Ira Crawford of Brantley County, timber stand improvement; and Brantley County for team activity. Sponsors for this year's annual COE Finals were: The Langdale Company, International Paper Company, SunTrust Bank of Macon, First National Bank and Company of Lou- a isville, and Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Atlanta. Spring 2001 Georgia Forestry 13 OCONEE FOREST PARKHee OLD GROWTH WITH NEW VALUES Unlv@r~lty Sanctu11ry S@rv~ 80~000 /AYoor Dan Williams. Park Manager ofVGA Oconee Forest Park, with labeled American sycamore tree. The spNies i ~ c1111011g Q3 labeled in the Williams "Tree Trail Guide" that leads iisitor,, tluvugh a forest more titan a hundred years old. A s time passes, the University of Georgia's 60-acre Oconee Forest Park is increas ing in values similar to those recognized for New Yo rk C ity's Central Park. Tt has become a year-round fo rest sa nctuary, of sorts, fo r UGA students and other area res idents now surrounded by urban sprawl. Manag ed by the UGA Warne ll S c hool of Fo res t Resources, the refuge atmosphere is enhanced by a canopy of old-growth forest with towering trees mo re than a century old. Located on College S tation Road near the intramural fie lds, the fo rest p reserve also incl udes 15acre Lake He rrick, picnic tables, j ogg ing a nd walking trail s. grassy areas with wildflo we rs, and a man-made beach. Park Manage r Dan Williams desc ribes basic man agement objectives as preserving the forest (with some trees 120 ye ars old), promotin g re se arch and teachin g o p portunities for the faculty, and providing recreati onal opportunities for the un iversity community and general p ubl ic . A 1983 graduate of the uni vers ity's Warnell School o f Forest Resources, Will ia ms has been in his cu rrent pos ition for 16 years. ''One o f the o uts tanding feat ures of Oconee Forest Park is that we're right here on cam pus," he said. "That makes it ideal for o utdoor classrooms on such subjects as fo rest de ndrology and bas ic eco logy and Lake He rri ck has been used as a model for a vari e ty of ecosyste m stud ies .'' TREE TRAIL GUIDE One of the most popular fea tures of the park is Dan Willi a ms' tree g uide. Avai lable to the public in pam phlet form. the ''Tree Trail Guide" include5 a series of 93 labeled trees and shrubs located along park trai ls. The tree trai l route form s an easy-to-follow loop. Blue name tags are attached e ither to trees (at about eight fect) 14 Georgia Forestry Spring 2001 or to an adjacent meta l pole. Tree numbers are marked on the trail map to correspond with locations. "One of the interesting characterislics of an old-growth forest in this part of the country is the large number of big hickory trees:' Williams said, " mainly mockernut hickory and red hickory. but we al so have a large number o f big white oaks, which is another dominant spec ies of the forest." Some of the numerous other spec ies inc luded on the trail include: weeping willow, red mulbe rry, winged e lm , Southern catalpa, yellow poplar, pond cypress, So uthe rn magnolia, and s ilver maple. After a park visitor becomes famili ar with the topography, the map can be used very e ffec tively," Williams said. "The great th ing about this is that dendrolog y pro fessors can have teaching assistants take out stu de nt groups to sec various spec ies without havi ng to searc h for the m. Wi IIiams said the university is fortunate to have preserved this forested oasis in the m idst of increasing urban-wild land interface. The Oconee Forest Park, however, would not h ave been preserved in it 's c urre nt sta te if a few v is io nary professors had not seen the need fo r it. FOREST HISTORY ln I925, members of the UGA Forestry Club built a log cabin in the forest; several stude nts li ved in the attic . T he cabin gradually deteriorated and was tom down in t he 19 50s. Only the granite ch imney re mains on the hill above Lake Herrick. Use and history of forest area goes back many years. During the Depression, the land was used as a "s ide camp" for the Civ ilian Conservati on Corps (CCC). Camp members worked in a tree Visitor ll'afks do!(S acro.1.1 600foot 11'oode11 hridge at Hargremes Memorial sill'. 1\11 estimated 25 pl'rce11t <~/'the park '.1 <1111111al 80,000 l'isitors are "dog-peopfl'." seed li ng nursery located o n the current locati on of Lake Herrick. The area continued to be used fo r various purposes, but was not offic ially established as Oconee Forest P ark until 1982. Park establishment was the vision of severa l UGA professors who began, in the 1920s, trying to set aside the re maining o ld-growth forest for t he university and f uture gene rations of Georgians. Dr. Bi ll M oss, professor of forest recreation , and the late Dean Emeritus Leon Hargreaves, knew that as the univers ity a nd s ur- Spring 2001 Georgia Forestry Placid 11ater.1 of l.ake Herrick h => - - /\\ L, Ii P/\ Lala Lall-nn_La t\ =1il-3nPl-nn:J La-np L, ....ond thin~<; t hot, M n prote.(lf them~ Spring 2001 Georgia Forestry 21 Ask your familyand friends this question and see how many people know the answer! You'll be surprised at the results...keep track of them here: CORRECT ANSWERS INCORRECT ANSWERS Didyou know... Georgia Governor, Roy E. Barnes, chose the Live Oak tree to plant during Arbor Day 2001 to represent his administration. Native American Indians used Live Oak acorns to produce a cooking oil similar to olive oil. The Live Oak Tree is the most widely planted /JiiJd!J.cBpe ~ 1i Early settlers used acorns from the Live Osle tree to make gilt$, fli The city ofLive Oak, Florida was named afterthe .I~~ 22 Georgia Forestry F or over 50 years, the summer has marked the beginning period for ordering tree seedlings from the Georgia Forestry Commission. This year, the anticipated production is over 43 million genetically improved pines, and approximately 2 million quality hardwood seedlings from the Commission's two nurseries (Flint River Nursery in Byromville, GA and Walker Nursery in Reidsville, GA) . From the August1951 issue of Georgia Forestry Magazine To order tree seed li ngs, contact your local GFC county unit, call 1-8 00-GA-TREES, or visit our website at www.gfc.state.ga.us. Spring 2001 Georgia Forestry 23 NATIVE TREES OF GEORGIA American Beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) DESCRIPTION: Leaves deciduous in autumn, 1 to 3 inches wide, oblong or oval, long pointed; margins coarsely toothed; dark green and smooth above, light green and shiny below with hairs along the mid-rib and conspicuous veins. Fruit a shiny, light brown, angular nut, 1 to 2 enclosed in a bur. Bark gray, smooth (often marked with initials). A tree sometimes 80 feet high with a short trunk 3 to 4 in diameter, terminating in a broad, compact, round-topped head. KEY CHARACTERISTICS: Leaves shiny below with conspicuous, parallel veins; bark smooth; winter buds slender, 3/4 to 1 inch long; fruit enclosed in a bur. WOOD: Hard, heavy, strong, tough, difficult to season, not durable in contact with the soil, light brownish red. Georgia beech is often too limby and defective for products. USES: Flooring, furniture, veneer, interior finish, clothes pins, wooden ware, toys, fuel. Makes a beautiful, long-lived tree for lawns. DISTRIBUTION: Restricted to moist soils, usually along streams and found throughout the state . . x J. Frederick Allen Director An Equal Opportunity Emplover and Provider Periodicals postage paid ut Dry Branch. Georg ia a nd additional mailin g o.f.fice s A pproxi malc <.'OSI o f pres~ tim~ and p;:1pcr lll"'lly COST: $ QT Y: 12M