Georgia forest lookout [Aug. 1931]

Volume 1

ATLANTA, GA., AUGUST, 1931

.~umber 8

BIENNIAL REPORT

EX-GOVERNOR DORSEY

OUTSTANDING SCHOOLS

FOREST SERVICE

PIONEER IN FORESTRY

IN FORESTRY WORK

Some Interesting Facts About Progress Made in Forestry in Past Two Years - Department Without a Deficit During its Entire Existence.

First Governor to Advance Forestry

Department in Georgia in Message

to Legislature-Has Seen Hopes

Materialize.

.

Vocational Agricultural Schools Make Splendid Showing i n Second Year's Work in Forestry-Project Proves Popular with Students and

Teachers.

The Third Biennial Report of the State Ex-Governor Hugh M. Dorsey was the Several vo cational schools in the state

Forester was issued in July, reporting first governor of Georgia to have a vision did exceptional work in forestry last year.

activities of the years 1929-30.

of forestry development in Georgia and The following is taken from a report by

Some of the interesting facts brought advocate the development of a forestry the Educational Department of the Geor-

out in the report are the following:

department in his message to the General gia Forest Service to the State Forester

Georgia has the greatest forest acreage Assembly. He has seen his ideas material- and the Vocational Department. The

in the Union, 23,750,000 acres.

ize. It is, therefore, quite fitting that he schools are given in their alphabetical

Georgia forest products exceed $100000,000 annually.

(Cont'd page 2, col. 2)

order. Georgia Industrial College, Barnesville-

Organized forestry in Georgia is now

In spite of the fact that almost none of

directed by a board of which the Governor

the boys attending the school were resi-

is chairman with three other ex-officio

dent at the school, four boys had some

members and five interested citizens.

demonstration plots upon which they did

Board members serve without salary, re-

work, and 64,000 acres of land were in-

ceiving only traveling expenses at an

cluded in the fire survey, all fires occurring

average cost of less than $300 a year.

on the area surrounding the school being

An average of seven of the nine board

reported.

members have attended meetings for ,five

A log cabin was built on the school for-

years.

est by the forestry club and used as a club

All funds-State and F ederal-are spent

house. In front of the cabin, a lookout

under a budget. No deficit has ever occur-

tower was constructed in the top of a

red.

tall pine. Three hundred and fifty lantern

Activitie& are conducted by the Georgia

slid e~ were shown.

Forest Service consisting of a state for-

<;:hambloee High School-Twenty out of

ester, director of education and utilization

twenty-seven forestry students had home

at the Atlanta office; assistant state forest-

projects on which they applied lessons of

ers at Macon and Gainesville; district for-

forestry learned in school. Several pounds

esters at Rome, Columbu s, Albany, Way-

of seed of the different species of pine

cross and Savannah, and an assistant

were collected. The boys seemed to have

director of education of Atlanta.

given a good deal of time to the study of

None .of the eight officers pay a cent

forestry as shown by the examination

of rent, room being given free by Chambers of Commerce for branch offices.
Fire protection, education and reforest-

papers presented. This school ranked first in grades of papers submitted in selecting boys for the summer camp.

ation are the chief activities of the For-

Commerce High School-Work done by

est Service.

the forestry students induced farmers to

Under a plan originating in Georgia,

set out 37,000 seedlings during the spring.

co nsisting of Timber Protective Organiza-

Seed from five species of trees were col-

tions, composed of timber owners, 1,302,-

JUDGE HUGH M. DORSEY,

lected by the students, approximately 500

(Cont'd on page 2, Col. 1)

First Governor to Advocate Forestry in Georgia.

(Co nt'd on page 2, col. 2)

2

GEORGIA FOREST LOOKOUT

GEORGIA FOREST LOOKOUT

Ex-Governor Dorsey-Cont'd

5,000 were grown in the school seedbed. The students made their own forest work-

Published Monthly By

should have a place in the gallery of for- ing tools such as calipers and Biltmore

GEORGIA FOREST SERVICE

estry pioneers in Georgia which this pub- stick in the school workshop. A good for-

State Capitol

Atlanta, Ga. lication is undertaking to set up.

estry exhibit was made at the county fair.

C. A. Whittle, Editor

It is hardly necessary to tell who Ex- Some outstanding work among farmers of

Staff of the Georgia Forest Service

Governor Dorsey is. It was he who launch- that section was carried on. ed during his admiriistration the rural con-

B. M. Lufburrow, State Forester......Atlanta C. A. Whittle, Director of Education and
Utilization .................................... Atlanta Everett B. Stone, Jr., Assistant State

solidation high schools, over one hundred of which now have school forests and are studying the practices of forestry. In fact

In addition to the outstanding work done by the schools mentioned, they carried on routine jobs such as measurements

Forester ................................ Gainesville his administration achieved so much for of trees to make growth :;;tudies, the burn-

H. M. Sebring, Asst. State Forester, .................................................. Macon
C. Bernard Beale, District Forester, .............................................. Waycross

education that prominent leaders in education have named him the "Educational Governor."

ing and thinning of sample plots, reports of fires occurring in their immediate sections.

W. D. Young, District Forester............Rome Governor Dorsey gave impetus to public A summary of the report from the en-

Jack Thurmond, District Forester, ............................................ Savannah
Charles N. Elliott, Assistant Director of

health work in Georgia and to the care of feeble minded children. The Board of

tire group of white engaged in forestry

schools in Georgia work is briefly as

Education .................................... Atlanta Public Welfare to aid feeble minded and follows:

H. D. Story, Jr., District Forester, ................................................ Albany
W. G. Wallace, Dis~rict Forester, ............................................ Columbus
Mrs. Nellie Nix Edwards, Secretary to the

backward children was advocated by him and established under his administration; better marketing facilities for farmers, the "Blue Sky" law for the protection of

98 schools engaged in forestry work. 2,500 boys taking forestry. 249 boys with home projects of one or

State Forester ..............................Atlanta investors; improvement of water ways; more acres on which they applied forestry

Mrs. R. S. Thompson, Secretary to Director of Education and Utilization, Atlanta

mobilization of World War are

state resources for the among his many contri-

principles

learned

at

school.

butions to the State.

3,814 hours were given to forestry by

Biennial Report-Cont'd

the 98 schools.

526 acres are now under intensive fire protection. This plan is approved by the

Outstanding Schools-Cont'd

51 schools collected tree seed. 42 schools established seed beds and

U. S. Forest Service which allots fund1l, square feet of seed bed being planted. grew 19,650 seedlings.

paying a part of the cost.

The school planted 4,600 seedlings. A 56,802 seedlings were planted by stu-

For the two-year period 1929-30 the scholarship fund to send a boy to college dents.

sum of $139,275 was spent in forestry work in Georgia. Of this amount, organized timber owners spent $46,016.66, the

each year has been set up. Some of the
money for this purpose is derived from a large tract of timber manag~d by fonstJy

75 schools put firebreaks forests and sample plots.

around

their

State $26,937.90 and the federal govern classes.

60 schools made thinnings in their for-

ment $39,334.57.

ests.

For every $1.00 contributed by the HollYwood High School-This school 73 schools burned off their fir2 plots,

state treasury, $5.12 was spent by private built a log cabin on the forest plot. A tagged all trees on both plots with metal

and federal agencies.

number of farmers became interested in numbers and made diameter measure:nents

Georgia has 100 school forests at as the school project resulting in some good of all tagged trees to study growth rec-

many rural consolidated schools teaching work being done in that section.

ords on burned and unburned areas.

vocational agriculture where the Georgia Nashville High School- Thirty nine 55 schools sold products from their for-

Forest Service demonstrates reforestation students out of 51 had home projects dur- est area.

and care of forests. Georgia is the first ing the entire year. All of the 51 students 50 schools held adult classes in forestry

state to introduce forestry in rural voca- had home projects some time during the with the landowners of the school com-

tional schools.

school year. The students planted 6,000 munities.

One hundred farm boys from these seedlings. The teacher prepared joe

schools will attend a forestry camp at analysis sheets dealing with each subject 2,619,313 acres of forest land were

Young 15.
The

Harris College Georgia Forest

July 27 to August Service supports a

of forestry and copies of this plan were sent to a number of teachers in surrounding schools. A number of adult night

covered by the fire survey made by vocational boys, and reports made on the approximate number of acres burned off and

state tree nursery where tree seedlings for reforestation are sold at cost.
Two state forest-parks are maintained, one at Indian Springs and the other at Neel Gap.

classes in forestry were held and much interest was shown. The school collected 3 species of tree seed.
Moultrie High School-This school gave 385 hours to forestry. The boys surveyed

the number of fires occurring on this area. 1,602 fires were reported to have burned an area amounting to 175,006 acres. This is estimated to be 6.68 per cent of the total area under observation.
Besides the regular routine jobs men-

According to the United States Forest Service, forest planting by all agencies in the United States amounted last year to 138,970 acres, a gain of 24 per cent over 1929.

their own forest tract, thinning it to the extent of removing 75 cords of wood of undesirable trees. Gallberry bushes were removed so as to have more success with the 1500 seedlings planted in the forest. One large sign and three small signs were

tioned above, several schools did exceptional additional work such as improving their school grounds, assisting in roadside demonstration signs and planting trees along the highways and on school grounds.

At a recent meeting of hardwood in- erected on the forest.

C. A. Whittle and C. N. Elliott, director

terests held in Memphis, Tennessee, strong Union High School, Leslie-This school and assistant director of education ad-

resolutions were passed advocating more has several demonstration areas in which Jressed the teachers attending summer

money for research concerning the proper- to study the growth of longleaf and slash :chool at Piedmont College, Demorest, on

ties and possibilities of utilizing southern pine in that immediate section. The stu- June 30, and the summer school at Spell-

hardwoods.

dents planted 5,500 seedlings of which man University in Atlanta on July 2.

GEORGIA FOREST LOOKOUT

3

........

FORESTRY CAMP OPENS AT YOUNG HARRIS

SIXTH DISTRICT Jack Thurmond, District Forester

unless they can get to unburned wood11. "All of us desire to make the best pre-
visions possible for all our animals. We

1.---------------- Vocational Forestry Camp for Three:

Savannah

would not burn up their food if we knew it, and about the only way to know is to

Weeks-July 27-August 15-Now in Progress-Interesting Program

try it out. Ours is a stock and timber
Treutlen County T. P. 0. Growing growing section. Stock raising and timber
The Treutlen T. P. 0. is gradually grow- growing go hand in hand, and with these

Prepared.

ing in acreage and membership as more enterprises we can compete with the rest

timber men in the county realize the ad- of the country fairly well, for it takes more

The Forestry camp opened at Young vantages and profits to be derived by effort and a greater outlay of capital to

Harris College July 27, for a three weeks growing timber as a crop under intensive keep abreast of economic conditions in

session. Students and teachers arrived fire protection and managemnt.

any other business. The thing we need

from the four corners of the state, and In 1930 this organization numbered most is united effort; we have men in

on Saturday and Sunday (July 25 and 26) three members with a total acreage of every community that can trust each

registered for the camp work. The staff 12,800. Today we have six members rep- other and work together; these should or-

of the Georgia Forest Service are instruc- resenting 27,860 acres or 24 percent of ganize on one thing and stop struggling

tors in the work. The opening exercises the timbered land in Treutlen county, and along single handed. A community work-

were held at 9 o'clock A. M., July 27th, during the last fire season we only had ing together usually get what they go

in the Young Harris College Chapel. Mr. 80 acres burned over.

after while one individual would not even

M. B. Lufburrow, State Forester, made a The actual fire protection work has make an impression. To grow timber re-

short talk to the boys and members of the been carried on with marked success as quires rough woods and the only way to

Georgia Forest Service were introduced. the fire reports show, but in addition to succeed economically is to come together

Mr. M. D. Mobley, assistant state super~ this the 227 miles of fire-break that has in an organization so t}mt we can obtain

visor of vocational education, who is in been constructed, and all other work has State and Federal aid, for we need all the

general charge of the camp, also made a made the outsiders stop and think serious- assistance we can secure.

short talk to the boys.

ly about this business of burning the "The Georgia Forest Service through

Classes in forestry are being held in both woods, and we are unable to estimate the actual experience knows what it takes

class rooms and in the woods. The field educational value of our organization and to get efficient fire protection, and for

trips were made after the students became the work it has done. But we do know that reason this aid can be obtained only

more familiar with the subjects taught in that our people in Treutlen county are through organized effort, so if you want

the class room.

awake to the possibilities of growing good fire protection in Liberty county come in-

The students are enjoying summer camp crops of timber for a profit, and we are to our organization and receive the aid
w. in the highlands of Georgia and seem only sure that our own Treutlen county is far that you are entitled to." By 1. Staf-

to regret that three weeks is the limit this up the line in fire protection work and the ford, Sec.-Treas., Patrolman.

year.

benefits to be derived from such work and

Whatley's Fire Break Costs

we are all proud of the showing of the Treutlen county T. P. 0.

Briar Creek Gets New Members
The Briar Creek T. P. 0., when fi1st

Raising timber as a business proposition

Longleaf Seed Crop Good

organized, went under the name of Pfeiffer

is considered profitable by W. F. Whatley, Longleaf seed crop this year will be T. P. 0. in Screven county has two new

Turpentine operator of McRae. He now, unusually good as the cones are now al- members for thE! next fiscal year. The~'

has approximately 5000 acres of land un- most full grown. It takes from two to are Mr. H. G. Connor and Mr. M. H.

der fire protection, and the land that has three years for longleaf pine to produce Rouse. The acreage of the new members

had three years protection shows an ex- a seed crop and about every five years brings the total up to 13,000 acres.

cellent stand of slash and longleaf pines. we have an extra large crop produced, so

Hr. Whatley uses the solid plowed type of anyone wishing to obtain longleaf seed ~e break, 6 to 8 feet wide, constructed 1 should begin now to make arrangements

FOURTH DISTRICT

With two-mule team and turning plow. New for gathering the cones, and if any infor-

f!.re breaks cost him $6.75 per mile, while mation is needed as to the methods of

replowed ones are much cheaper.

gathering, extraction, cleaning and storage

W. G. Wallace, District Forester Columbus, Ga.

H. M. Sebring. ---

see your nearest representative Georgia Forest Service.

of

the

Taylor County Citizens Interested tn

"Railway Engineers Association spon-

Forestry

aors statement that creosoted wooden tres- Rough Woods Furnish Good Grazing Citizens of Taylor county are waging

tles are more economical than concrete ex-

in Liberty County

an active campaign to eliminate as much as

cept when the cost of the concrete struc- "We have just passed through one of the possible forest fires that annually costs

ture is less than one and one-half times the dryest spells ever known in this section, the county large sums of money both in

eost of the wooden structure. The cost of and since the weather became so dry I actual and potential values. Mr. W. A.

a concrete bridge is usually more than have noticed that the cattle were grazing Lundy, county agent of Taylor, has taken

twice the cost of creosoted bridge of cor- in the unburned woods. Whenever I go an active leadership in this educational

responding strength, durability and prac- out in the woods I invariably find the cat- movement. Among oth!lr active citizens of

tical serviceability."

tle grazing on the rough and are looking the county are Mr. J. S. Green, manager

-Wood Preserving News.

fine this year. I am thoroughly convinced of the Butler Naval Stores Company; Mr. that unburned woods furnish more and F. C. Clements; Mr. W. A. Payne; and Mr.

State Foresters Harry Lee Baker of Flor- better grazing for all kinds of weather T. J. Fountain, one of the master farmers

ida and B. M. Lufburrow of Georgia made and for all stock. Taking the year as a of Georgia.

a trip through Georgia and Florida and whole, in the early spring burned woods The Georgia Forest Service is looking

arranged for the tour of the State For- furnish a little picnic for the cattle but forward to cooperating with the land-

esters who are to meet this fall in Georgia this is over in from three to four weeks owners of Taylor county during the near

and Florida.

and they suffer the balance of the year future in organizing a Timber Protective

4

GEORGIA FOREST LOOKOUT

Organization whereby the landowners will Southern Pine Damaged By Fires

receive financial as well as field assistance Mature trees in virgin pine forests of

from the Georgia Forest Service.

the South, as well as young growth, are

TREE..A.. MONTH

Northernmost Naval ~tores Operation injured and often killed by fires, accord-
ing to E. L. Demmon of the Southern

"Persimmon''

The Butler Naval ex.cellent record .at

Sitsto. redisstCilo~.athioans

mplaad~te

1 1

Forest at New

Experim Orleans,

enLta.,Sbtaytiothn~

maintained Forest Serv-

c~ 'Possum Apple")

this season. Their entire resm supply IS icc of the United States Department .of from longleaf pine. Their rosin has aver- Agriculture.

by

aged about 80 percent water-white grade In the spring of 1927 fires in southern

C. N. Elliott

during this season, and this high average Georgia which followed a 2-month dry

can be .credited to Mr. N. R. White, their period were very destructive to both Perhaps the most-loved as well as the

distiller, who has had long experience in young and old timber, recent check-ups best known forest tree in our state is the

naval stores industry. Taylor is the north- show. In ponds that had entirely dried persimmon. It occurs so commonly in old

ernmost county of western Georgia to out, practically every slash pine and cy- fields and woodlands that few realize how

produce naval stores commercially.

press was killed. On the higher ground , very interesting it is. Like all familiar

nearby, longleaf pine also suffered severe: objects, we see it, know it is there and do

REPORT ON GEORGIA'S

damage, particularly those trees which had not give it a second thought.

HIGHLAND

FORESTS

been turpentined. On longleaf areas that had not been burned for two years pre-

Not words

long ago a small "darky" used the "Possum Apple." For a week I

viously, 56 percent of the turpentined trees wondered what such an apple was and
Bulletin Gives Results of Cooperative were killed, whereas but 32 percent of the when I saw him again I asked about it.

Survey of Forests in Mountains of unturpentined trees succumbed. Fires With a tooth-paste ad smile, he told me

Georgia-Water Power and Recre- readily ignite old turpentine faces, and the that he was "talkin' 'bout 'simmons,"

ation Included.

heat is often sufficient to cause the death which I interpreted to be the persimmon. of the trees. This holds true for most A few facts about the welt-known " 'Pas-

turpentine areas where fire commonly gets sum Apple" may be interesting:
"Forests of Georgia Highlands" is the in after the turpentining operations have subject of a bulletin issued by the Georgia been completed. Forest Service giving the report of a sur-
vey made in the mountains of North Fire Results On Forest Growth Rate

Georgia.

In the annual report of the Appalachian

The bulletin was prepared by Charles Forest Experiment Station with headquar-

R. Hursh and Leonard I. Barrett, of the ters at Asheville, some of the results of

Appalachian Forest Experiment Station, forest fire studies were given as follows:

Asheville, North Carolina. The work on "The results of the study on these plots

which the bulletin reports was carried on to date definitely show the harmful effects

cooperatively by the United States Forest of the annual fires on the reproduction. On

Service, the Georgia Forest Service and the annually burned area most of the

the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Sta- hardwoods and loblolly pines under one

tion, the work being dir.ected by the Ap- inch in diameter at breast height have dis-
palachian Forest Experiment Station at 1appeared except for the hardwo~d sprouts

Asheville. The funds which made the which have sprung up each year. Also

mountain research work possible were ob- many of the small longleaf pines, espe- : tained from the fe~e:~I government large- cially those under 10 feet in height, are'

ly through the activities of Senator Har- 1. showing the effects of the annual defolia- .

ris.

Ition by a great reduction in vigor. No ef- ;

Several illustrations showing forest con- fects of the annual fires are noticeable yet !

PERSIMMON Leaf, one-haa natural size. Twig, three-quarters natural size.

ditions in the mountains appear, one of in the growth of the larger trees.

j 1. Trees belonging to the same family

the most interesting of which is a stand "During 1930 two 1/3-acre permanent' as this tree produce some of the valuable

of second-growth yellow poplar in Sosebee sample plots were established on the Clem- : ebony of commerce and supply a great

Cove in Union county, said to be the finest son College Coastal Experiment Farm near deal of food to some of the oriental conn-

yellow poplar stand in the United States. Summerville, S. C. One of these plots was tries.

The rate of growth of various species, established on an area which has been 2. The fruit of this tree is classed as

their commercial importance and general burned annually for 13 years and the other a berry on account of its pulpy character

considerations in managing these forest on a contiguous area which has remained and the way it is formed. areas are discu~sed, also the importance unburned for the same period. Analyses 3. The wood of this tree is exceeding

of the forested mountains for watershed of the data from these plots show an aver- ly hard and is used in making golfstick

protection are treated.

age reduction of approximately 15 per- heads, shuttles, bobbins, billiard cues, mal-

cent in diameter growth and 25 percent in! lets and for other purposes for which ex-

C. N. Elliott, a~sistant director of edu- height growth of the individual trees, i ceedingly hard wood is required.

cation, spent several days during July which may be attributed to the effects of ' 4. The family to which the persimmon

visiting boys and girls camps teaching tree the annual fires."

belongs, which is the Ebony family, has

identification.

about 250 species. These are found most-

Or. Chas. Herty and Forestry Camp ly in the tropics and sub-tropics. The com-

With July 1 the American Forestry As- "I think the camp is a wonderful idea, mon persimmon is the only species of the

sociation discontinued its southern educa- and I certainly congratulate the Georgia Ebony family native to Georgia.

tiona! project which consisted of a mov- Forest Service on this unique plan for. 5. Opossum8 are exceedingly fond of

ing picture campaign among schools on developing interest in forestry among the I' the fruit of the persimmon, hence the

forest fire prevention.

young people of our state."

name "Possum Apple."