~NI VERSI TY OF GEORGIA J~N 3 '57 Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday GEORGIA FORESTRY Editorial Forest Fires And You ( From the Tifton Gazette) In Sweden, a per son caught setting a forest fire goes to ja il not for weeks, but for years. When there is a fire, e verybody turns out to fight it--not just paid foresters, but everybody. In many parts of Georgia, there is a public apathy which is actually costin& millions of dollars in devastating forest fires. In a talk recently in Savannah, G.W.E. Nicholson, executive vice president of the Union Bag and Paper Company, put the blame for forest fires directly on the public. - More than 80 percent of Georgia forest fires are set by incendiaries, lie said. Most of the rest are caused by carelessness. Nat ural causes, such as lightning, are responsible for only about five percent of all forest fires. Georgi a 's forestry products are valued at about one billion dollar s a year . ' That could be doubled or tripled, Mr. Nicholson said, "but not unless you do something about the fires." Northwest Georgia has an excellent record of fire protection and fire fighting. State, county and private organizations work closely to protect our valuable _wpodlands. But, all of the money spent for woodlands p-otection, for conservation and for investment in plants to use wood ca n be wiped out by a carelessly tossed match or by a far mer unthinking! y burning weeds or brush. ~i.mkn -Ad {fame Re~ ~w.i.H. eiUJ.,.u (From The Bowaters Tree Farmer) Quite a fuss has been kicked up by some outdoor writers who claim fcresters and other tree farmers in the South threat en good hunting by removing worthless, scrub hardwoods to let little pines grow. Practical hunters and level-headed sportsmen groups remained calm and realistic, however. They realize how heavily hunters derend on farms and other land owned by individuals and companies. Realizing the burden is on the hunter, they are making p:ogress toward improving landowner-hunter relationships. This is an attitude we applaud and we are sure all tree farmers are proud of the progress which has been made on the matter of improving landowner-sportsmen relationship. It is fortunate the well-meaning but misinformed outdoor writers have not harmed the good relations we all enjoy. Let's hope these seif-appointed "spokesmen for hunters" do not persist In their ettoits to dictate to a 1andowner whether he must grow peas, pasture or pine treesl Forest fires continue to menace both wildlife and forest resources . Let's not waste any energy on pointless arguments when the forest fire p-oblem, important to all groups, war rants continued vigilance. VoL 9 GEORGIA FORESTRY Decemher, 1956 Published Monthly by the GEORGIA FORESTRY COMJ\IISSIO~, Box 11 83 l\lacon, Georgia Guyton DeLoach, Director No. 12 Most outdoor writers are making valuable contributions to the improving _conservation scene by p(o- moting -good hunting .and never po s t their p-operties. Let's encourage those uninformed few writers to get out and get the facts. Member s, Board of Commissioners: J ohn M. McEl r a t h, Cha irman Sam H. Morgan ............ Savannah Oscar S. Garrison .Homer C. M. J ordan, Jr.. H. 0. Cummings . Macon .... .......Alamo .. Donalsonville Georgia F orestry is entered as second class matter at the Post Office u n de r t he Act of n.ugust 24 , 1912. Member of the Georgia Press Associa tion. EDITOR * * * * Jam es C. Turner, Jr. ASSOCIATE EDITORS STAFF ARTIST Bill Kellam, Joe Kovach, Jeanette Jackson .. Dan Voss * * * DISTRICT OFFICES, GEORGIA FORESTRY COJ\11\IISSION: DISTRICT !-Route 2, DI STRICT VI-P. 0. Box 505, Statesboro M ill edgeville DISTRICT li-P. 0. Box 26, DI STRICT VII-Route 1, Camilla Rome DISTRICT 111-P. 0. Box 169, Americus DISTRICT VIII- P. 0. Box 1160, Wa ycross DISTRICT IV-P. 0. Box 333, DISTRICT IX- P. 0. Box 416, Newnan Gainesville DISTRICT V-P. 0. Box 328, McRae DISTRICT X-Route 3, Wash ington The Christmas tree is an important product of Georgia forests. Each year, thousands of the miniature firs find the ir way into Geor g ia homes t o add more glitter to the yule-time atmosphere . Many Georg ia residents take t o the woods each year to perform the traditional rite of retrieving their own tre e . E xperienced woodsmen select and cut wisely; so does the experienced Christma s tre e cutt e r. Respe c t for the r e 1at i v e s of the shortli\'ed s aplings will do much to insure another Merry C hristma s next year. DECEMBER, 1956 Georgia Conservation League Holds Meeting Productive forests mean more merchantable hardwood and pine y 1e ld s and wildlife, Director Guyton DeLoach of the Georgia Forestry Commi ssion told the Georgia Conservation League Convention at Cordele last month. DeLoach was one of the fe at ured speakers at the first annual convention of the group, which included a 1 ar ge and elaborate forest exhibit erected by the Commission management department and the Crisp and Dooly County Forestry Units. The 50-foot wide display consisted of ;:t simulated forest filled with game. Signs explained good forestry practices and emphasized wildlife conservation. Observers reported that it attracted a great deal of attention from the spectators who thronged the convention hall. In his address, DeLoach outlined the Commission's role in Georgia conservation. "Wildlife and woodlands are inseparable," he said. "We in the Commission, as public servants, are proud to do all we can to conserve and encourage both for the eternal pleasure and welfare of our citizens." DeLoach pointed out the vital role forestry plays annually in the state economy. GUYTON DELOACH He listed several areas in which Georgia forestry ranks among the leaders of the nat ion and the South, including pulpwood production, saw timber and allied products. "Our achievements have been great in the brief span of the Commission's existence," he said, ''but we realize only too well that much remains to be done before we can reap the maximum benefits from our woodlands." Control of worthless hardwood is one of the major problems facing s tate timber growers, DeLoach emphasized. ''It is a problem which takes money from the landowner as surely as if a burglar entered the pers on's hom e and took it from his billfold." He stressed that hardwood control does not mean suppressiOn of all hardwoods--only of those tree s which will never mature enough to become merchantable. DeLoach said that the se "weeds" of our fore sts have already choked out over seven million acres of val u- able timberland and are constantly spreading. He said these 1ow qual- ity hardwoods need to be stamped out so that commercially profit- able pines can be grown on this land, which will not s upport hig h-grade hardwood. GOOD FORESTRY IS CONSERVATION DeLoa ch pledged the full re source s of the C ommi ss ion to the betterment of Georg ia ' s fores ts and wildlife. 2 Ill~ tnfjine,e;t BectJ.ffled, IJ)~~ ./J~ e:lloiL'f q'UJ.w.e~t Millions of America ns will deck their halls this Chris tmas with boughs of holly grown by W. M. Van Cise of Albany. VanCise, who is almost 80 years young, is a former design engineer who has become one of the state's most successful tree farmers. From his 3,000-acre tree farm near Albany, he produces thousands of pounds of pecans, tung nuts, pineapple pears and holly boughs. Van Cise also grows corn, cattle and hogs. He has 1,400 acres of pecan trees, 200 acres of tung nut trees, 127 acres of holly trees and 20 acres of pineapple pear trees. Workers started gathering the holly branches late in November a nd finished the job the second week of this month. The branches are packed in Van Cise's own shed, where they ar e dipped into a moistening solution Van Cise developed, are partially dried and are then placed in paraffin-coated boxes for shipping. The holly trees are planted 10 rows 22 by 25 feet. To prevent dwarfing, they are allowed to grow 10 years bef ere their first pruning. Neighbors help with the holly har vest, easing the burden on the Van Cises and providing themselves with off-sea son employment. The holly i s sold to co mmi ssion merchants all over the Eastern Seaboard for decorat ive purpo ses. Mr. a nd Mrs. Van Cise came So uth in 19 19, after he had served as an engineer following his graduation fr om Col umbia University in the early 1900 ' s. He served as manager of a peach and pecan farm, which he soon bough t from his partner s. Van Cise sells none of hi s trees fo r ti mber. He markets on l y the many prod ucts the trees produce. Th e t ung nut s produce valuable wood preserving and high grade paint oils. The oil is an essential war product, incidentally. GEORGIA FORES TR Y (US1C Photo) NEW METHODS IMPROVE TH,fBER MANAGEMENT Naval Stores Producers Use New Methods Naval stores working affords an excellent opportunity to supplement a declining farm income practically all year around, according to John W. Cooper , supervi s or of the Naval Stores Conservation Program. Hundreds of gum farmers and large naval stores producers are getting ready to hang virgin tur}:entine faces with new improved tack-on spiral gutter faces or var n aprons supported with doubleheaded nails. "These methods," Cooper said, "make it pos s ible to mtegrat e g um naval stores with production of saw logs, poles, pulpwood and other wood products without any loss." He said the integrated method of using improved gutters with bark hack and sulphuric acid offers landowners maximum returns from his timber management. Last year, some 67 per cent of all naval stores cuppage was worked by thi8 new method, he added. "In addition to saving raw mat er ial fo r s awmills or pulp plants," Co oper explai n~d~ "the~e ne-11 devices incre as e effiCiency m working a s tand because th~y allow face chipping to be done biweekly rat her than once a week as was necessary under the old method.'' T he naval stores ' supervisor also pointed out that research has shown production of gum is increased on an average of 22 per cent Vv ith the new me t hods. Georgia Timber Growers Pace South In Woodland Development Profiting increasingly each year fr om the advice o f th e Fore s t Ma nagemen t Department of the Georgia Forestry Commission, Georgia timber growers continue to make giant strides in the deve lopment of their woodlands. Georgia Forestry Commission management foresters continue to pace the South in management activities, leading other s tates in the volume of pulpwood marked, in acreage marked for selective cutting and in volume of saw timber marked. In 1955-56, 25,259,000 board feet and 21,970 acres of saw timber and 21,451 cords of pulpwood were mar ked, Management Chief W.H. McComb said. Requests for management help have increased 37 per cent since 1954. In 1955-56, 1,123 private landowners were given assistance. Not only are more persons asking aid, but more are applying the practices recommended by the management de pu tment. Four years ago, only 70 ~r cent of the clients followed management's recommendations, McComb said. Now 90 per cent comply. In fact, requests are now so numerous that a backlog has accumulated, McComb said. This necessitates a waiting period, but their requests are answered as soon as possible and in the order in which they are received. 'The management department is especially pleased," McComb said, !'with the increased number of requests from the les s heavily f aested areas of the stat e. District s three, four, five and s even are asking for more and more visits by field men. "The increased cutting of saw timber has diminished the stock of uncut mature trees, naturally, over the past 17 years by 5.7 billion board feet. Poor stocking of onefourth of our timberlands is an even DEFECTIVE TREE MARKED F CR HARVEST more troublesome at tritional factor in the saw timber supply," he stated. However, this decrease will not be permanent, for reforestation and improved fire protection are increasing steadily the number of small pines. They are up 41 per cent in the same period and already provide more pulpwood and p-omise more saw timber as soon as they mature sufficiently. Another figure reflecting the present preponderance of pulpwoodsize timber is the fact that requests for pulpwood marking exceed those for saw timber. INCREMENT BORER REVEALS AGE "Marketing advice is very valuable to the timber owner," McComb said, ''because it helps him take advantage of the best pulp or saw timber markets avai !able. Lists of timber buyers