GEOR G IA FORESTRY Editorial (From the ~v~ou ltri e nbser ve r) Untold losses have been suffered through forest fires in the Southeast during these two drouthridden years. They are 1 o sse s which cannot be recouped, even through replanting, for it takes ten to twenty years to produce another tree crop. Three groups have been struck direct financial blows by these wild fires which have spread over many section s of the South - and particular! y in south Georgia and north Florida. They are t he owners of the timbered lands, the lumber industry and the pulpwood industry. Their losses have had an effect upon the general economy, for millions o f dollars wh ich normal! y wo. uld. hav. e entered trade channels are missing. More than 150,000 acres of heav- ily timbered land in north Florida and south Georgi a have been swept by raging fires within recent days. Days and nights of firefighting have been required to bring the fires under control-but not before the damage mounted to staggering figures. Fires which des troy forests and other property a re man-created. Carelessness and negligence are the two biggest causes of these wildfires. In one spot a well- \'ol. 8 GEORGIA FORESTRY August, 1955 Published l\lonthly by the GEORGIA FORESTRY COJ\Il\IISSION, State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia Guyton DeLoach, Director No.8 Members, Board of Commissioners: K. S. Varn, Chairman . Sam H. Morgan ........ Savannah --------------- . C. M. Jordan, Jr.. J ohn 1\1. McElrath ..... ____ ... Macon H. 0. Cummings .. Waycross _______ Alamo . Donalsonvi ll e Georgia Forestry is entered as second class matter at the Post Office under the Act of August 24, 1912. Member of the Georgia Press Association. EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITORS _ * * * * Robe~-t . Richard Rutherford, Catherine E. Davis Di smuke * * * * DISTRICT OFFICES, GEORGIA FOREST!{ Y COJ\11\1 ISS ION: DIST RICT I- Route 2, Statesboro DISTRICT VI-P. 0. Box 505, Milledgeville DISTRICT II-P. 0. Box 26, Camilla DISTRICT VII-Route 1, Rome DISTRICT III - P. 0. Box 169, Americus DISTRICT VIII- P. 0. Box 811, Waycross DISTRICT IV-P. 0. Box 333, Newnan lJISTRICT IX-P. 0 . Box 416, Gain es ville DISTRICT V-P. 0. Box 328, l\lcRae DISTRICT X-P. 0 . Box 302, Washington meamng farmer wi 11 at tempt to burn off a small area, only to have the fire get beyond his control and sweep t h rough hundreds of acres of timber . In another, a careless vacationer or travelor drops a cigarette or fails to put out a campfire. The results are the same - a raging inferno which destroys all in its path. As 1ong as the t e r r i t o r y is powder-dry, as i l has been most of the time for two years or more, every individual must consider himself a personal fire marshal. Not only must he be careful himself about fire, but he must be observant and di li gent toward the actions of others. Few would think of passing up a rattlesnake in the road. Then wh y drive past a fire which is threatening to grow into a giant of destructive force? These forest wildfires affect us directly or indirectly in dollars and cent s. This generation cannot hope to benefit from timber and pulpwood production where acreages are burned over. The towering pines and the majestic hardwoods lining Ge o r g i a ' s r u s h i n g mo u n t a i n streams and its quiet lakes and ponds serve as far more than verdant backdrops of scenic beauty. Sportsmen realize that green woodlands are a sign of good fishing, for growing trees form a vast undergronnll root network, prevent soil c>rosion, and keep streams and lakes clear and sparkling. AUGUS T, 1955 2 Tops T h ree Million Cords Beyin (!)pe!J,cdiom 1"' e(UUtt-11 ,q!J,.eaA, Pulpwood Production Georgia' s newly organized Forest Pest Control Conmittees have begun official operation with r egula r report s of local infestations being made to a permanent reporting station at the (orgia Forestry center in Dry Branch. Forrrration of the Lasic coun ty committees wa s made at a recent statewide neeting of the camittee at Abraham ha l dwi n Agricu J tu raJ Co l l ege in Tifton. More than 200 l anc!ovmers , fore s ters, ;mJ iorest indu s try rl o 'L P a g ,. . .') ) 1948 1. 7 71. 000 co.rds 19 !:) 2 ~. 513, 0 00 Co rlls 1!:.154 3, 057, 000 Cords "Th er e's a county wh e r e ~~ Vt.;KY week seems to be Keep Geo r gi a Green week. So dec lared a recent visitor to Ben Hill County, second place winner in th e 1955 Ke ep Geor gia Gre en contest a nd one of Geo rgia' s l eadi ng counties in the fi eld of forest fire prevention and fore s try education. Citizens of this progress ive South Geo r g i a cou n t y l aid the groundwork ea rly las t fall for the ir ac tivities in the annual th e ir act iviti e s in th e a nnu a l Georgia Forestry Associ a tion con t es t; and from then until the contes t' s clos in g date, the schedule was filled with a varie ty of activities ran gin g from weekly film s howin gs to sp e c i al pa rades and flo ats. "In f act," Be n Hill County Range r J. C. Bo wen r e c e ntl y declared, "th e momentum from th e wo rk in th e contest seems to l1ave carried over int o th e p r ese nt da t e . Fo lk s around he r e really see m to be in a 'pr event for est fires ' fram e of mind, and th e close of th e con t es t certainly hasn't meant th e cl ose of that attitude." Range r Bowen's opinion i s soundly sec onded by th e Dr. \',. E. Tuggle , Kee p Green Council head, and by Dr. Tu ggl e' s f e ll ow council officers, Bi lly Snowden, vi c e p r P s i rl P n t ; J a c k !\1 as s e e , Tr easurer, and Al be rt Ge ld e r s , Secretary. FlJTURE FOimST FAitMEP.S LEAB.N '110\\-TO-DO-IT ' - - - Demon stra t io ns helinner. l'.ohl y Couey r ec<:Iveci $30, and hill \~c(;iboney r ectivf'd ~2(). <\nno! Inc erne nt of \!.Inner:-> \\as marJP :c~t the recf'nt st. a !.<' 11 1dc J V '. n,t e tIn 1-; <~ t I. a k c Jackson. lhc :-iPabn:Ir1 Air l . lnt~ rR ilroad tone~t.cs Lire l'r1zvs an nu a ll y. 'll1 e rort!.c;,;t 1s -"l'onsoJed IJy the rail ro .1 d 1 11 coo 1H r a L i on w i t h the SlatP DPpartmPnt of Ed u'ca t ion . The award to King was made h_v !{olJPrl N. Hoskins, SeaboarcJ I n d u s t r i a l Fo r e s t e r a t t h e F' FA ConvPntion at Lake .Jackson in .July. From Tree To Key Prefabri cation - the risin g revolution in home building - is another field of fores t products utilization in which Georgia claims 1 eadership. Sprawling across many a cres on the outskirt s of Thomson in Mc Duffie County is the plant of Knox Corporation which pours forth from its ass emb ly lines the famous Knox Homes and is the South's leading manufacturer of prefabricated dwellings . The Knox operations in east and southeast Georgia represent a complete, highly in tegrated forest industry beginning with the g rowing o f timber and ~ ontinuin g through the harvesting, milling, manufacture and r emanufacture , utilization and marketing of the finished product . Quality control ''from tree to key'' -Knox descrip t ion of its excellence in house manufacture -characte ri zes the entire operation. With 20 , 000 acres of land under its control, the Corporation is insuring i ts future with sound forestry practi ce. Reforestation is a major phase of their forestry program at present and today the Knox's stand among the 1eaders in tree planting in the state. (Cont i nued on Page 7) Left, above, roof trusses are assembled in halves at the Knox factory. This reduce s "weathering in" time at the building site. Left , center, all house components are thoroughly inspected before being shipped. Left, below, .m ent-'i r e home is delivered in a single trailor lo ad. l~ ere Fo r ester Jack Smith, (right), points out features of the "packaging" to Uistrict Forester George Collier, Georgia Forestry Commission. low, Knox's newest home creation, the Macon. Assemo1y 11ne mass production is the keynote of Knox operations. Above, panels take shape in the massive wall department. At left, special stapling machines make possible rapid placing of sheatl1ing . Peter S. Knox, Jr., below left, guides the destinies of the Knox Corporation and Wyck A. Knox, right, heads the 1\nox Lumber Co. Peter Knox is currently president of the Prefabricated Home Manufacturers' Institute. GEORGIA F O RESTRY 7 Forestry Commiss ion Plans Training S chool County Forest Rangers and dis trict office personneJ of t he Georgia Forestry Commission f rom throughout the state will gather Augus t 29 to September 2 at Rock Eagle Camp in Putnam Coun ty f o r what wi 11 be one of the mo st comprehensive training sessions ever attempted by the Commissi on. The training school, first to be held by the Comm ission since the summer of 1953, will str ess basic techniques and feature most recent innovations of all phases of the or ganization's activiti es. "Since our last training school iQ th e s ummer of 19 53 ," Guy ton DeL o a c h , Commi ss io n Dir ec t o r, dec l ar e d, "many n e w men v.ho h ave never received the be n e f i t of large gr oup in s truct ion and trainhave e n te r e d t he o r ganiza tion . These me n , act ing onl y upon the informa tion and ins truction wh ich c ou ld be g iv en by di s trict and department heads i n short vi sits to t he ir counti es and i n district r anger me e tings, have turned in h ighl y admirabl e pe rfo rmances . " Des pite th ese l oca l visits and district r a n ger meetings , " he added , 11 we f eel th at the treme ndous st rides whi c h h a ve been made Juring t he pas t two year s in fore st fire suppr ession and p r eve n~ tion and in f or es t man agemen t and reforestation n e c essitate a -training scho o l a t wh ich th i s i nformation can be imp a r ted. " A lar ge po r tion o f the instruc tion will be de vo ted to maintenance and operation of for es t fire supp r ess ion e quipme nt. Additional tr ai nin g will be g ive n in for e st man agement, infor ma tion and e duc at ion, r e fores ta tion and admi ni s t ration . K nox C orporation: Tree To Key.. (Con t inu ed f r om Pa g r 5) Clint Dav is, Director of the National Coope rative Fores t Fire Pr eve ntion Camp a i gn, has been named Chi e f of the Fores t Se rvi ce ' s Divi sion of Information and Educ ation, Ri c ha rd E. McArdl e , Ch ie f of the Forest Se rvice , has announ ced. ~:r .... As one ri des into Thom son, hundr eds of acres of seed} i ng and sapling size pi ne plantations are seen green and gro wi ng-fut ure timber crops and homes fo r a new generation and those yet unborn. Nestled among the pines ar e sign s which herald the fame of the a-rea with ''This is Thomson - Wh ere the Knox Homes Originate. ' ' Prog ressive forest manageme n t i s being in sti tut ed on an increasi ng n umb e r of acr es of Knox f o re stland, and their search for better met hods of timber production and use i s carried through to the prefab hom e plant where a forester is currently making a study with a vi ew to supplanting t he use of West Co a s t 1umber entire} y with Southern ye llow pine. Th e Knox Lumb e r Company s awmi ll at Sop e r ton, Tr eutl e nCounty, suppli es the Southe rn yell ow pi ue used in the pr e ab hou ses . The mi ll include s a gang saw, slab chippe r , log debark er and plan er . Mr. Wyck A. Kn ox dir ec t s the act ivi t i es o f th e sa wmil l and 1umbe r s a les o f the Compan y. This Mclliffie County 11 empi r e" had its star t back in 1932 when Pete and Wyck Knox-who now g ui de t he dest ini es of t he Knox Corp a r ation, t he Knox Lumber Compan y, a nd a n impressive li st of asso c i at ed bu s in ess e n t e rpri ses-had j u st grad ua ted fr om college . Their fathe r h ad previou s }y oper a t ed a sm all l umbe r en te rpr ise wh ich had b een clos ed down . ( Continued on Page H) Cli nt Davis Mr. Dav i s s uc cee ds Dan a Pa rkins on, who r e t i r e d Jun e 30 aft e r 45 ye ar s with the Se rvi ce. As dir ec tor of the Smokey Be a r Camp a i gn fo r nine ye ars , Mr . Davi s has wo rk ed cl ose l y wi th the s tat e for es t e r s , r e pr esentatives of ot he r gove rnme nt age nc i es , f ares t indus tri es , and o t he r bu s in ess l eade r s throughout t he count ry . A na tive of unactill a , Ga. , he fo r tor me rl y was i of t he Sout n fo r he rn mation d Region, iur.Sec.- For est Se rvi ce. AUGU S T, 1955 8 Rangers In The News ~ulaski County Hanger John l)ickinson, throu gh the c oope r a tion of the Hawkins ville Di s patch and News, r e ce ntly c on ce ived a novel me an s of e rn1 ' h as i zin g t o citizens of hi s coun t y the importan re of us ing the ir automobil e ashtrays . In t he "Le tte r s to the Editor " col urnn in a r e ce nt i ss ue o f th e Lti s patch, fian ge r Lickinson be gan his l e tt e r with thi s thou ghtprovokin g s tatement: "r\ resident of Admore, Ok 1a . , came all the way to [ 'ul askl County to set the woods on fire. Th e name of this person is unknown t o our local law enforcement office r s , so he or she is in 1ittle dan g.e r. It is very unlikely," the letter colltinued, "that this person reads the Hawkinsville ~s patch and News, so this article i s not even directed at him. It is dire c ted at the persons who do read this paper and travel our Pulaski County highways. It could happen to you. " The Ranger explained the Unit learned the horne town of the fir e setter through fitting the ma tch which started the fire with a' mat c hbook from that town. Th~ matchbook and match both were found at the fire's origin. "1l1e automobile ashtray 1s pu t there for a purpose," the Range r to 1d r: i t i zen s in h j s 1e t t e r ; "Use 'it. " INVESTI GATOHS AT PALMETTO STATE SCHOOL--Two members of the G<'orgia Fores try COmmission's investigator staff department were among those attending a recent investigator's school conducted by the Florida Forest Service at Lake City. All phases of forest law enforcement we re studied. The two Georgians are John R. Gore. of Macon, extre me left, Chief Investigator, Georgia Fo r es try commission. and R. 1\1. McCrimmon, of Statesboro, extreme right, District One Invest iga tor, Georgia FOrestry commissi on. Others, all members of the Flo ri da Forest Service Investigato r Division, are, left to right, H. ii1. "hitworth, Lake City; J . P. Schuck, Chief Investigator; J{. H. ~l ufllh Y, Lakeland; How a rd Ro che, Panama City; Bi II navis, Tal lahassee; J. U. Blan d , Ocala; Earnest Eubanks, Lak e City; Bill Gilbert, Panama City , and Ray JJuchurgson, Tallahassee. St e wart C.o uPty Ra n ger II. L. franyan Jr. , t hrough t he cooperati o n of t he St ewart-Rebster J oum a l, u tilized t he pages of that n e ws pap e r in a r ecent issue to cl1ank th e citi zen s of his county fo r r e po r ting t heir control Lurnc:; be fore star tin g the fires. "By d o:irrg t his, " Hanger Rr a nyan d ecl a r e d in his weekly column in the newspaper, you can readily see where the unit would have the control burnings spotted and a wildfire could be determined much faster. This makes it possible for the unit to be on the fire location within a matter of minutes. During the past fire season, a few minutes n~ant the difference between a smal 1 fire and a 1arge one." GE O RGIA FOR ES T RY 9 (Cont i nued from Page 2 ) per cent of all domestic pulpwood rec e i p t s. in all mill s in the United St ates. 3,376; Mcin tos h, 32, 535; Macon, 4,274; Madison, ll ,3 63; Ma ri on, 6, 039; Meriwet he r, 32 , 619; Mill e r, Mitchell, 31 ,56 1; Mon ro e , 36,630 ; Montgomery, 18 , 053;Morgan , 16 , 193 ; ~lurray , 330; Mu scogee , 6 , 05 5. Georgia prod uced 19 pe r cent of the South' s 1954 total. Othe r Ge orgi a counties and the ir 1954 pulpwood production figures are as follows: Newton, 14 , 62 3; Oc onee, 6 , 450; Ogletho r pe, ll ,473 ; P a ul d in g , Peac h, 5 , 894; Pi ck e n s , 4 , 852; Pierce , 27, 033; Pi ke , 5, 288; Polk , (Con ti nued on Pa ge 1 0 ) Atkins on, 38,935;Bacon, 26,038; Baker, 3,398; Baldwin, ll ,229; Banks, 1,054; Barrow, 3 , 393; Bartow, ll, 167; Ben Hi ll , 14,095; Berri e n, 34,382; Bi bb, 5 , 7%; Bleckl e y, 5,489; Brooks, 15 , 695; Br yan , 44,937; Bu ll oc h , 50 , 625; Bur ke , 7,256; Butts, 14,332. Calhoun, 4, 288; Candler, 10, 830; Carroll, 5, 606 ; Catoosa, 39.; Ch at ham, 26, 669; Chattahoochee , 8 , 134; Chattooga, 2, 484; Cherokee , 3, 815; Clarke , 3,277 ; Clay, 563; Cl ayton, 8,423;Cobb,3,lll;Coffee, 73, 660; Colquitt, 17,589; Columbi a , 8,903; Cook, 9 ,980 ; Cowe ta, 18,'782; Cr awford, 18,810 ; Cri s p, 10,102. Dad e , 15 6; Daws on, 20; Decatur, 40, 714; De k a 1 b , 3, 126; Dodge , 40, 909; Dool y, 3, 796; Dougherty , Doug l as , 6 , 665 ; Earl y, 19 , 446; .Eff ingham, 48,3 67; Elbe r t , 22 , 622 ; Emanu e l, 46,259; Evan s, 20 ,0 67 . Fanni n, 8 ,5 92; Fa yette , 3,497; Floyd , 14, 950 ; Forsyth, none; Fran klin, 3 , 308 ; Fulton, 4, 470; Gilmer, 3 , 243; Glascoc k, 2, 809; Glynn, 62 , 590; Gordon, 10,048 ; Grady, 19 , 007 ; Gr ee ne , 29 , 022; Gwinne tt, 6,202. Knox Homes.. ( Co~t i ~ue d f r om ?ag e 7) When the boys returne d home and were seeki ng some oc cup ation t he y fou nd $1 , 000 wo r th of cul l lumber in the ya r d. With t hi s qu estionabl e stoc k and with hear t s full of hope and dete r mi nation , th ey 1 aunc hed a smal l bu il ding supply bu s in es s whic h through th e years has g rown into t he indu s tria l giant whi c h now stands as Knox Corpor ation. The i r fir s t adv enture i nto t he fie l d of pre f ab const ruc t i on C