2005 annual report

Honorable Sonny Perdue, Governor
Kenneth C. Stewart, Jr., Director
GEORGIA FORESTRY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Jim L. Gillis, Jr., Chairman Victor Beadles
Wesley Langdale H. G. Thomas New
Robert Pollard Fred Warnell H.G. Yeomans

The number-one goal of Forest Protection is to protect Georgia's 24 million acres of forest resources from the devastation of wildfires. This protection influences many factors including public safety, economy of the forest industry, guarantee of forest environmental amenities such as clean air and clean water, and last - but not least - provision of forestland for public enjoyment.
Forest Protection deploys a diverse approach through early wildfire detection and coordinated, forceful fire suppression responses. Fire prevention is emphasized statewide, but there is also a focused fire prevention program in the 32 top wildfireoccurrence counties. Presuppression firebreaks are installed at a nominal fee for landowners desiring permanent protection from encroaching wildfires; and professional burning assistance is provided for those needing help with outdoor burning.
Georgia law requires permits for outdoor burning. Forest Protection is responsible for administering permit authorization.
WILDFIRE ACTIVITY
Fiscal Year 2005 was a statistically low wildfire year with Georgia experiencing 4,972 wildfires that burned 15,676 acres with an average size fire of 3.15 acres. The month of March had a total of 1,096 fires, more fire activities than any other month. Escaped debris fires continue to be the number one source of wildfires with 51% of the total. Woods arson or incendiary causes rank second for 18% of the wildfires.
Forest rangers report an estimated $30,030,067 in damage to structures, improvements, motorized, crops and livestock due to wildfires in 2005. A total of 348 homes and outbuildings, with an estimated value of $2,077.949, were lost or damaged. In addition, 888 homes/outbuildings valued at $45,213,523 were threatened - but saved - by fire suppression activities.
Fire departments participating in the Rural Fire Defense program report responses to 4,380 forest and open-land fires that burned a total of 8,212 acres.
COUNTY AND DISTRICT OFFICE OPERATIONS
The strength of the Georgia Forestry Commission Forest Protection program is the focused operations of 10 district offices and 131 county units. Response to wildfires, issuing burn permits, presuppession firebreak plowing, professional

burning assistance, fire prevention programs, training, records and reports, surveys, local community assistance (all aspects of Forest Protection) depend on this network of offices and employees for services provided statewide.
Firebreak plowing is the most popular landowner service provided by Forest Protection. During 2005, forest rangers serviced 7,411 requests, installing an estimated 34,723 miles of presuppression firebreaks. Due to increasing demand for this valuable service, there was a monthly average of 633 requests pending for firebreak plowing during 2005.
On Line Permits, which began in 2004, allows homeowners to receive permits (via the Internet) for burning small piles of yard debris. The Georgia Forestry Commission highly promotes the use of the Internet to obtain permits to help alleviate more than 250,000 telephone requests for such burning. During fiscal year 2005, 12,760 Georgians received permits on line.
There were 279,551 burning permits issued in Georgia during 2005. Approximately 5,953 requests were denied due to fire danger or smoke management concerns
FIRE PREVENTION
Fire prevention in Georgia is currently being funded with National Fire Plan funding. A Statewide Grant is written which funds basic Smokey Bear material for school programs. This grant also covers fairs and festival programs, sports programs, fire prevention signs, displays, brochures and news advertisements. Examples are fire prevention programs at the Georgia Mountain Fair, Moultrie Sunbelt Expo and Georgia State Fair at Perry. There are also fire prevention sports programs with The University of Georgia, Augusta Lynx Hockey Team and Augusta Green Jackets Baseball Team.
The GFC also utilizes a fire prevention grant which covers the top 32 counties in Georgia having the most wildfires. These counties each have an average of more than 90 wildfires per year. The emphasis in these counties is targeting a fire prevention campaign at the adult audience causing the wildfires which is mainly debris burners. Escaped debris burns cause 51% of all wildfires in Georgia. The grant allows these counties to purchase fire prevention advertising in the form of billboards, news articles and ads and fire prevention literature for programs aimed at the adult audience.

FIRE WEATHER FORECASTING
Wildfire behavior is determined by the forest fuels, surrounding topography, and on weather conditions such as wind and relative humidity. Daily readiness for fire suppression is usually expressed in terms of fire weather and fire danger. Georgia uses a sophisticated National Fire Danger Rating System where weather data is measured and interpolated into levels of readiness understood by forest rangers and fire cooperators. The fire danger ratings, with fire weather forecasting, are produced by the Forest Protection meteorologist daily and posted on the web at www.gatrees.org.
Valuable tools and information are available on the fire weather website for forest managers intending to conduct prescribed burning. These tools include weather maps, rainfall maps, drought maps, point-forecast system, and prescribed fire climatology system.
In 2005, the LEADS computer system at the weather office was upgraded. This upgrade will make the products of the weather office more reliable for years to come. At the same time, the weather office continues to participate in the Georgia Mesonet project.
AIR OPERATIONS
Forest Protection operates 23 single engine air patrol airplanes and four fire suppression helicopters. Air patrol provides added fire detection during periods of moderate to high fire danger; also provided is support to rangers who need direction to wildfires or information the pilot can provide from above the fire scene. Air patrol was responsible for the initial detection of 445 wildfires in Fiscal Year 2005. Suppression support, advice to forest rangers from aircraft, was provided on 601 wildfires. An additional 29,548 permitted burns were checked for safety by Forest Protection aircraft.
TYPE II INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM
During the hurricane season, the GFC Type II Team was assigned to Port Charlotte, during Hurricane Charlie, Lakeland, FL, for Hurricane Francis and then to Pensacola, FL during Hurricane Ivan.
There are approximately 60 members on the team at the present time with future plans to integrate other agencies into team membership to build a multi-agency all hazards team for Georgia.

Often misunderstood by the general public, this age-old forest management practice requires support and promotion in today's increasingly urbanized Georgia environment. Forest Protection supports this practice with a Georgia Prescribed Fire Manager certification program. The program guarantees a basic level of knowledge and experience for those who practice prescribed burning. In 2005, there were five certification sessions conducted certifying a total of 134 prescribed burn managers. Since inception of the certification program in 1993, 2,378 practitioners have been certified. In addition to the certification classes, the Prescribed Fire Manager has held three other educational workshops for professional land managers and landowners on the importance of prescribed fire and the proper use of it.
Although prescribed burning is used for forest management statewide, there is a keen interest in this practice in southwest Georgia. Bobwhite quail management and perpetuation of the longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem (as well as proliferation of Forest Stewardship in this region) encourages efforts to continue the use of fire in the forest. The Southwest Georgia Prescribed Fire Council (SWGAPFC) was formed to promote continued use of prescribed burning in the region. The SWGAPFC has the full support of the Georgia Forestry Commission and for the second year the two have been successful in having the Governor sign a proclamation declaring the first full week in February as Prescribed Fire Awareness Week in Georgia.
Forest Protection coordinates an interagency prescribed burning team. The team selects and burns special forested sites that may be difficult to burn or sites that may compliment other planned prescribed burning. In 2005, the team accomplished a total of 4 prescribed burns on 1,100 acres.
FABRICATION SHOP
During the 2005 Fiscal Year, the Fabrication Shop equipped seven new tractors for fire service, including fabricating both v-blades and brush guards. In addition to eighty-one other tractors repaired for blade, hitch, and brush guard problems, the shop fabricated five new harrows for the field and repaired sixty-six other harrows damaged; reworked & repaired thirtythree fire plows and built two new plows; repaired forty-four trucks and transports for the Fleet Program.
The Fabrication Shop manufactured sixteen large Mobile Water Tanks and five smaller 150 gallon Quick Response Tanks for the Rural Fire Defense Program.

PRESCRIBED FIRE
Prescribed Fire continues to be the best, most cost efficient forest management tool for wildlife management, protection of the forest from wildfires, restoration of fire dependent forest ecosystems, forest regeneration, and eradication of certain unwanted plant species According to permits issued, there were 955,329 acres treated with prescribed fire in 2005 by 20,855 practitioners.

There were 92 projects completed by the Paint Shop in support of the Fabrication Shop, the Rural Fire Defense and Fleet Programs.
The shop also helped with hundreds of steel requisitions and other miscellaneous projects, totaling over 244 for the fiscal year of 2005.

RURAL FIRE DEFENSE AND FIREWISE PROGRAM OPERATIONS
RFD lease equipment provided for rural fire departments during FY05 totaled 19 units with the most requested type being the Front Mounted Pumpers. In addition, eight Type 6 wildland fire engines were produced for internal use by GFC county units. Another 13 work orders for repairs of pumping equipment for internal GFC customers were processed. Nine work orders were processed for repairs of RFD equipment such as vehicles, pumps, tanks, and plumbing.
Volunteer Fire Assistance funds managed by RFD were dispersed as 50/50 grants to 38 Government entities to purchase structural fire gear, hoses, nozzles and other items needed to make fire trucks operational. Additional uses of VFA funds were grants to the Georgia Fire Academy to provide basic firefighter training for rural fire departments and to support 2 regional training sessions.
Through the GFC "Helping Hands" program, 361 items of wildland firefighter clothing were provided to fire departments, forest industry cooperators, and other state agencies involved with prescribed and wildland fires.
Four quarterly meetings were held with the Rural Fire Defense Advisory Council, a group comprised of Georgia Fire officials, Cooperators, and insurance representatives. GFC has provided facilitation and logistical support of the council's activities for 15 years.
Forest Protection has adopted the national Firewise and Firewise Communities USA program that helps communities and individual homeowners share responsibility for protecting their homes and businesses from wildfire (www.firewise.org). Communities are offered free Firewise evaluations and an opportunity to become a Firewise USA Community. Individual homeowners are offered wildfire risk assessments. In 2005, the communities of Randall Creek in Muscogee County and Kinderlou in Lowndes County became nationally recognized in Firewise Communities USA.
The Firewise traveling exhibit used to display concepts of defensible space, Firewise landscaping, and fire resistant building materials, traveled throughout Georgia in 2005. The trailer was set up at 24 events and an estimated 250,000 people were exposed to Firewise information.

Forestry-related technical information and assistance is provided to Georgia's private forest landowners by the Forest Management Department to enhance their woodlands for economical, social, and environmental benefits.
RURAL FORESTRY ASSISTANCE
Rural forestry assistance promotes healthy, vigorous forests that provide a renewable and dependable source of forest products for the state's economy. Approximately 5,894 forest landowners in Georgia received GFC forest management information during FY2005 addressing recommendations on 464,822 acres.
FOREST STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM (FSP)
The Stewardship Program completed its 14th year with a cumulative enrollment of 5,910 landowners covering 1,426,755 acres in Georgia. The cornerstone of the Forest Stewardship Program is the Forest Stewardship Plan developed for each landowner in the program. These plans evaluate the landowner's timber, wildlife, soil, water, scenic, and recreational resources making specific recommendations on how these resources can be best managed. A total of 147 plans covering 38,177 acres were written in FY2005 by GFC Foresters. The unique cooperation between the public and private sectors has continued and strengthened this year as consulting and industry foresters provided 226 plans on 56,414 acres for their clients.
The Program also recognizes landowners demonstrating commitment to forest stewardship with by doing an outstanding management of their property. The state total of those receiving this honor has risen to 220 certified stewards for a total of 186,988 acres.
Forest Stewardship Program Accomplishments - 2005: n 24 landowners planted 1,463 acres of longleaf pine under
the Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program (A partnership with USFWS, GFC, and the Longleaf Alliance) n Maintained the "Virtual Forest" website to show landowners how different forest stands should be managed n Held a GROWS (Georgia Recognizes Our Woodland Stewards) Landowners Field day in Taliaferro County, Georgia. n Provided assistance to the GA Envirothon and Regional FFA Field Days.

n Strengthened a partnership with the N.W.T.F. by developing several Stewardship Field days, a seed subsidy program, and the creation of a promotional video on stewardship.
n Through the seed subsidy program alone, stewardship cost shared over 24,000 pounds of seed creating over 550 acres of habitat improvement on Georgia forest land.
n Created a consulting foresters short course along with DNR and UGA to enhance plan writer skills for consultants and other plan writers.
COST SHARE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS
GFC is the technical agency responsible for determining specifications necessary for landowners to install a range of forest practices under three different cost share incentive programs administered by the Farm Services Agency (FSA). An additional program, introduced in 1992, is administered by GFC with assistance from FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Department of Natural Resources, and U. S. Forest Service.
The incentive programs include:
Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP) FLEP was created within the 2002 Farm Bill. FLEP is a cost-share program providing incentives to landowners for implementing multiple use practices on their forestland. The GFC provided technical assistance to 178 landowners preparing plans for cost-share assistance. Cost-share assistance through FLEP was provided on 2,011 acres. To qualify for cost-share landowners are required to have a Forest Management Plan meeting basic requirements of a Forest Stewardship Plan.
FLEP funding is also used to provide educational programs, throughout the state, to assist landowners in helping them to make wise decisions in their forest management endeavors.
Stewardship Incentive Program (SIP) - This federal program is the companion to FSP. It promotes multiple resource management practices as identified in a Landowner Forest Stewardship Plan. Seven practices are available under SIP. GFC serviced 37 SIP requests on 662 acres. SIP was replaced in the 2002 Farm Bill by the Forest Land Enhancement Program.
Forestry Incentive Program (FIP) - The purpose of FIP is optimum production of wood fiber products. Since its inception

in 1975, FIP has been responsible for tree planting on 440,988 Georgia acres. Cost-share assistance was provided on 606 acres of reforestation.
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) - The Conservation Reserve Program, primarily created to provide soil erosion protection and crop base reduction, was expanded to improve wildlife habitat. GFC foresters provided technical assistance in preparing 280 tree planting plans covering 10,463 acres. Assistance was provided on 659 performance inspections for practice completion covering 8,000 acres.
REGENERATION
Georgia planted 203,117 acres artificially regenerated with hardwood and pine seedlings during the 2004-2005 planting season. This included 118,181 acres on private lands, 82,513 acres on forest industry lands, and 2,423 acres on government lands. Georgia has led the South in tree planting for the past 20 years GFC still maintains its list of recommended site preparation, tree planting, and herbicide vendors for landowners seeking those services. This listing can be found at the GFC website www.gatrees.org.
FOREST HEALTH
GFC foresters incorporated insect and/or disease advice on 1,454 management plans involving 79,602 acres for the year. Statewide, forest health training was provided to Foresters, Nurserymen (& regulatory), and other resource managers nine times involving most of the program areas listed in this report. Forest Health was represented at eight field days involving 1,500+ landowners.
Special Issues of interest:
Pitch Canker Outbreak: Widespread damage of slash
pine plantations in six counties in the Waycross Valdosta area was detected and surveyed. There was already pitch canker present in the region last summer (2004) when the four hurricanes passed through the area, and a minor problem turned into a severe problem in the region. Based upon an aerial survey and ground verification, it is estimated that damage is in excess of $100 million in direct mortality and future stem quality losses (see appendix). Detailed information was given to GFC employees who publicized the problem and handled field visits.
Flooding was noted in the Folkston area (Charlton County)
in late summer 2005 due to excessive early summer rains. This was the biggest concentrated area, but reports from other areas of the state indicate that isolated flood mortality is a problem in many areas of the state.
Forest Health foresters carried out the pine beetle
pheromone-trapping program 22 counties were trapped in 2005 by the GFC.
Aerial surveys of damage from hurricanes, and two
tornadoes occurred and landowners contacted. Detailed information on storm damage was distributed to GFC foresters.

Widespread Red Bay mortality has been detected in six
coastal counties in the Savannah area (and several barrier islands). This mortality has almost completely removed this species in areas closest to Savannah and the situation has advanced at an alarming rate. Two new developments with this situation are cause for greater concern:
The Ophiostoma species fungus (Dr. Timothy
Harrington at Iowa State University is attempting to identify the species) has been identified as the causal agent for the mortality (Fraedrich, 2005).
The discovery of Sassafras as another host (Fraedrich,
2005). Red Bay is found within the coastal plain region of the gulf and Atlantic states while Sassafras is found throughout most of the eastern U.S. Other hosts are possible but haven't been detected.
A forest health tour was given to a group of state foresters
(June 2005) in conjunction with the National Association of State Forester's meeting in Chattanooga. Forest health stops included southern pine beetle and Georgia's cost share program, sudden oak death, mountain longleaf forest at Berry College (as a resistant SPB species), and the hemlock woolly adelgid.
FOREST WATER QUALITY
The Commission has an contract with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division (GAEPD) to coordinate the state's forestry water quality program. The major responsibilities include Best Management Practices (BMP) education in an effort to minimize erosion and sedimentation from all silvicultural practices; complaint investigation and remediation; and BMP monitoring.
During the year, 116 BMP talks were given to over 3,291 people. Five of the talks were presented to 169 new loggers and foresters participating in the American Forest and Paper Association sponsored Sustainable Forestry Initiative's Master Timber Harvesters' Program (MTH). Participants are able to interact with various experts speaking on the sustainable forest initiative, silviculture, wildlife habitat, endangered species, wetlands, water quality, harvest planning, business management, OSHA rules, workers' compensation, and safety management.
In order to deliver wood to SFI participating mills, MTH participants are required to complete 12 hours of continuing logger education classes every two years. Four of the hours must be environmental and two of those have to be BMP field trip related. The GFC provided 63 BMP talks concentrating on proper forest road and stream crossing construction and maintenance at continuing logger education classes during the year. The GFC presented BMP talks at six forest industry workshops and five forest landowner workshops. The GFC maintains a list of MTH timber buyers on its web site and a link to the UGA MTH list of all participants. The BMP manual is also on the web site.

The department received 88 documented water quality complaints related to forestry practices. Approximately 180 site visits were made by the GFC district water quality foresters to investigate and mediate those complaints. Forty-five complaints have been resolved, twelve have been turned over to the regulatory authorities and fifteen remain pending.

monitoring of active forestry operations instead of the permit, harvest plan, performance bond, and review process. Once the plan is developed, it must be submitted to the USEPA and put out for public comment. Afterward the plan must be approved by the federal court and if approved becomes a part of the federal consent order.

GFC district water quality foresters made approximately 101 BMP pre-harvest advice site visits.
Sample timber sale contracts and invitations to bid, which include specific BMP language, are available at all GFC offices.
In an effort to determine if our educational efforts are effective, the GFC conducted the fifth statewide BMP implementation survey. Data was collected on 412 randomly selected sites to measure BMP implementation rates during the period. The sites had to experience forestry activities within the past two years, preferably within the last six months. By ownership, 69% of the sites were on non-industrial private forest (NIPF) lands, 26% on forest industry land, and 5% on public land. Sites cover all geographic regions of the state. Statewide BMP implementation was 89.8%. A more detailed report will be made available February 2006 showing implementation and compliance rates by landownership category for each physiographic region and specific forest practice. This report will also be available on the GFC web site.

Starting January 2003, the GFC began conducting a statewide BMP Assurance Monitoring Project targeting 63 sediment impaired TMDL watersheds identified by GAEPD as needing sediment reductions. Active sites are identified by air, on the ground observations, county records, and by requests. Logger, timber buyer, landowner, and receiving mills information is identified. With landowner permission, GFC personnel conduct an initial BMP audit to provide any needed advice to prevent problems. A final examination is conducted once the operation is completed.
During FY 2005, there were 403 examinations made of which 311 involved timber harvesting operations and 92 involved site preparation or timber management operations. Comparing the results from the initial and the final exams for timber harvesting indicate that a 6% increase in BMP implementation was achieved in the final inspection. The number of water quality risks identified dropped from 115 to 11 or 90%. This clearly demonstrates a pro-active approach of providing "reasonable assurance" that BMPs are being implemented and that water quality is being protected through the services of the GFC.

The GFC monitored 377 pre-suppression and wildfire firebreaks for BMPs during the year. Results indicate that more BMP water bars are needed to reduce erosion impacts.
In its 2004 biennial report, the GAEPD identified 800+ water quality impaired stream segments in the state and is under a federal court consent order that requires well over 1,100 Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for various pollutants to be developed by 2004 to improve conditions in these streams. It has been estimated that the fish communities (biota) in 266 of these segments are impaired due to nonpoint sources of pollution, which includes silvicultural operations.
The GAEPD has contracted with many of the Regional Development Councils to write TMDL Implementation Plans to meet the TMDLs requirements and is expecting the GFC to assist in the development of the forestry component for those plans. According to the federal requirements and proposals, there has to be "reasonable assurance" that BMPs will be implemented in order to meet the TMDL requirements. This could involve permits, written silvicultural plans, plan reviews, performance bonds, or BMP monitoring of every forestry operation within the watershed of a listed stream for a period of five years or until the stream is evaluated again during the next GAEPD River Basin monitoring cycle and at that time is either deleted from or kept on the list for another five years.

The GFC has been involved in the State River Basin Planning effort. The plans include FIA (Forest Inventory and Analysis) data, BMP implementation rates, and conservation and protection plans for implementation measures. During the year, the Tennessee River Basin Plan was completed. Now, plans have been completed on all the 14 major river basins.
The GFC Water Quality Program was reviewed by the USFS and the Southern Group of State Foresters. Comments from the review indicated that the GFC program is certainly one of the region's strongest and most effective programs.
STATE LANDS ASSISTANCE
Many state agencies request GFC assistance each year in coordinating timber sales from their lands. GFC is charged by law to handle such sales, which involve timber cruising to determine wood volumes, timber marking, advertising, sending out bid invitations, conducting bid openings, negotiating terms, and awarding contracts to successful bidders.
In FY2005, there were 39 timber sales on other state agency lands which involved 236,402 tons of pine pulpwood, 17,899 tons of hardwood pulpwood, 16,079 tons of pine chip-n-saw, 38,966 tons of pine sawtimber, 2,852 tons of hardwood sawtimber - all with a total value of $ 4.108 million to the state.

The GFC developed a forestry action template with the endorsement of the GFA Environmental Committee. In the plan, the GFC proposed to conduct monthly BMP assurance

STATE FOREST LAND MANAGEMENT
GFC owns or manages several properties in the state. These lands incorporate forest stewardship (multiple resource) management, including forest products, wildlife, recreation, soil and water conservation, aesthetics, historical, and cultural resources. Forest Stewardship Plans on these lands detail various activities benefiting the state and general public economically, socially, and environmentally. The properties include:

distributed in FY2005. The recreational trail program, a cooperative effort of Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division and the Georgia Forestry Commission, provided 28 miles of horse and bicycle trails for public use. In addition to the many hunters and fishermen using the Forest, an estimated 5,265 persons used the horse and bike trail network during FY2005. The entire trail system (27 miles) was checked and cleared as needed thirteen times during the year. Two sections of the trail system (.8 miles) were re-graded and enhanced using GFC dozier.

Dixon Memorial State Forest The largest of GFC holding (35,708 acres), the Dixon Memorial State Forest is located near Waycross, Georgia. It is a bio-diverse forest including approximately 15,000 acres of the Okefenokee Swamp. Dixon has been managed by the GFC since 1938. Accomplishments for FY2005 include one total harvest timber sale involving five planted pine stands totaling 217.65 acres and 42 years of age. Volumes and values of wood in the timber sale were as follows: 8,154.8 cords of pine timber (including pulpwood, chip-n-saw and poles) for an estimated total of $640,331.95. Timber stand improvement thinnings were conducted on 10 stands of planted pines totaling 476.71 acres. These thinnings totaled 11,971.05 tons of pine timber and generated approximately $131,870.45. Other accomplishments include 208.25 acres of site preparation and tree planting, 79.5 miles of firebreak maintenance, 67.41 miles of road and ditch maintenance, and over 585.09 acres of prescribe burns. Revenues received through the sale of various forest products at Dixon totaled $774,552.40. Expenses amounted to $154,048.72 resulting in approximately $620,503.68 in net revenues.

Educational programs given to organizations: One natural resource education program was given with a total of 60 students and two teachers attending.
One formal program covering Dawson Forest history and management was conducted at Black Mills Elementary School for interested participles (est.185 adults attending) involved with the Etowah Scenic River committee. A supplemental field trip was organized by the committee and one pre-trip program was conducted prior to the trip.
Various training programs were conducted on Dawson Forest during the period. These programs included two (2) hand-line construction/wildfire training course with GFC and US Forest Service & GFC and GA Dept of Corrections (3 instructors and 15 trainees) personnel (20 trainees and 3 instructors), a prescribe burn training with GFC and Volunteer Firemen (26 trainees and 4 instructors), Wildlife Suppression tractor training (14 trainees and 2 instructors), Prescribe burn/handline training (Forest Manager and seven (7) Forsyth Co. Fireman).

The Herty Building at Dixon Memorial State Forest hosted over 1,175 persons attending a total of 30 meetings: including Logger Workshops, Natural Resources Meetings, educational training programs by the Department of Transportation, and the GFC.
Dawson Forest - Dawson Forest, a 10,130-acre forest located in Dawson County, is owned by the City of Atlanta and managed by GFC. Forest management activities for FY2005 included 38 acres of site preparation to control unwanted vegetation and tree planting on 38. Seedling survival surveys were performed on seven forest stands for a total of 81 acres. Prescribed burning was performed on three forest stands totaling 78 acres. Maintenance and construction of access facilities included: 15.3 miles of road grading, applying gravel (745 tons) to 5.0 miles of roads, installation of 36 signs, installation of one gate, and mowing of 18.1 miles of roadsides. Entire road system (28 miles) was traveled and cleared of downed trees five times for 140 miles. Herbicides applied as spot treatments were applied to five areas covering seven acres for the control of Kudzu and Autumn Olive. Three road culvert projects using 100 ft of pipe were completed during FY 2005.
The Dawson Forest and staff were host to three organized trail rides and one adventure club event for a total of 338 persons attending. Over 750 pieces of literature were

Paulding Forest The 10,000-acre Paulding Forest in Paulding County is also owned by the City of Atlanta, but managed by GFC. Forest management activities for FY2005 include the completion of two operator select thinning projects. An additional 63 acres were added to the already completed timber contracts completed by the previous Forest Manager. Timber harvest amounts associated with the selection harvest contracts totaled 6185 tons of pine pulpwood, 1235 tons C-NS and 378 tons of pine sawtimber; 11 inspections made of the harvest operations. No Additonal timber sales were completed during the period. BMPs were applied to harvest areas and roads accessing these areas by GFC personnel following timber harvests. They involved harrowing and seeding of 7.3 acres total of bare soil, including nine log decks and over 5.5 miles of timber haul road. Forest regeneration activities included eight acres of site preparation for tree planting. Seedling survival surveys were performed on 38.2 acres.
Other related activities included: Meeting with Georgia Transmission Corporation (GTC) following their request/ approval to install a utility line across Paulding Forest to discuss options for cool season plantings to address erosion problems. Twenty two (22) timber stands totaling approximately 614 acres were evaluated for management needs

GEORGIA'S FOREST INVENTORY/ FIA
The Forest Inventory and Analysis Program in Georgia has accomplished the measurement and/or re-measurement of 1,261 forested and non-forested plots and 485 intensification plots (land use identification plots used to help improve the accuracy of forest land acreage estimates) in FY 2005 with a 96.22% average for all of Georgia's plots that were check cruised in FY 2005. These plots were collected by seven certified crews strategically located across the state. Of the 1,261 plots, 43 were Phase 3 or Forest Health Monitoring Plots, which require a greater collection of data involving forest health criteria. The remainder of the 1,261 plots was regular Phase 2 plots in Cycle 4, Panel 6 and Cycle 9, Panel 2.
Georgia's Cycle 4, Panel 6 collection was completed around the end of October 2004. Collection of the Cycle 4, Panel 6 began March, 2004. Cycle 9, Panel 2 (Georgia's first panel in the new cycle) was started in late November 2004 after a several week long delay waiting on the new Cycle/Panel boxes to arrive. Anticipated completion date of Cycle 9, Panel 2 is October, 2005. This puts Georgia ahead of schedule by two weeks to one month, which depends on whose start date for Cycle 9 is used.

GEORGIA FORESTS FOREVER PROGRAM
Education and outreach efforts reached over 65,000 people in Fiscal Year 2005.
The Georgia Forests Forever mobile classroom provided instruction to 21,687 students at 73 schools during the 2004 2005 school year.
EDUCATIONAL FORESTS
The Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) Educational Forests reached 15, 383 people while the Georgia Forests Forever program reached 14, 866, and GFC events and exhibits reached 88,992.
A new Georgia Forestry Commission website was designed and developed during Fiscal Year 2005 and given a new address www.gatrees.org to correlate with GFC's toll free number 1-800-GA-TREES.
The Georgia Forestry Commission partnered with the Georgia Forestry Association, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division, and members of the forestry and wildlife community for the first annual Teacher Conservation Workshop, Exploring Forestry and Wildlife in Georgia. The focus of the workshop was on providing opportunities for teachers, grades 5-12, to experience various forestry operations and wildlife management areas that they would not normally be able to visit while exploring various conservation topics related to forestry and wildlife. Teachers were certified in Project Learning Tree (PLT) and Project WILD, and received professional learning units.
URBAN & COMMUNITY FORESTRY
The Sustainable Community Forestry program (SCFP) was launched in 2005. The program seeks to minimize the loss of trees while maximizing their benefits and provides communities with resources to increase awareness related to benefits of a healthy and sustainable forest. The SCFP Council was formed to provide leadership and direction for the program. In 2005, Urban & Community Forestry and UrbanRural Interface educational opportunities for foresters, citizens, and partners were offered through the SCFP.

To encourage citizen involvement in building long-term and sustainable community urban forestry programs, the Financial Assistance Program provided federal cost-share funding for 27 community-based projects. The 2005 Program Focus was again the Five-Year Plan for Georgia's Urban & Community Forest; total of $391,832 was allocated. Recipients matched this with $238,180 in cash, and $423,165 in-kind services and contributions. Three grant workshops were held in Decatur, Marietta and Macon.
GFC continued to promote the Georgia Model Urban Forest Book and continued to promote www.modelurbanforest.org specifically to landscape architects and planners. The project provides Georgia's citizens and local officials with an interactive, virtual tour and links to the book.
The statewide Arbor Day Ceremony was conducted by GFC in Atlanta in celebration of the statewide Arbor Day theme, Healthy Trees, Healthy Cities, Healthy People. One maple tree was planted on the Capitol lawn by Governor Sonny Purdue and Ken Stewart. The Mayors of Georgia's new Tree City USA communities and the National Arbor Day Foundation Poster Contest winner were recognized. Fifth grade student, Raul Delgado of Wilson Elementary School in Fort Benning, received the State Arbor Day Poster Contest Award. 36 communities posted Arbor Day events on the Georgia Forestry Commission Arbor Day website pages; 110 media articles resulted.
An Arbor Day Seedling Program for Legislators was launched for the first time in Georgia. A packet was mailed to each legislator which included media tools and a self-addressed, stamped postcard that asked them to simply identify a deserving non-profit organization in their district to which the GFC would donate 25 seedlings on their behalf. Nineteen legislators participated in the program.
Tim Womick presented the Trail of Trees program in the Atlanta area for city and county public schools, Autry Mill Nature Center and the Latin American Association. Womick engages students at a level unlike other speakers; his message has impact due to his unique presentation of mixing rhythm, fastpaced dialogue, and interaction with students. Teachers and 2,220 students left this program with at least one memorable fact about trees - and benefits they previously did not know. They also were presented with the big picture of processes within trees and the vital role of trees in the environment.

The Tree Ordinance Development Guidebook was distributed to help communities with revision or development of a tree ordinance. The Guidebook is available to download from the GFC website.
The cities of Gordon, Ivey, Norcross, Pelham, and Woodbine received first-time Tree City USA certifications for outstanding accomplishments. Ninety-nine communities received recertification, for a total of 104 Tree City USA's in Georgia. Eleven cities received the Tree City USA Growth Award and were recognized for programs demonstrating environmental improvement and higher levels of tree care.
GFC worked with the Georgia Urban Forest Council (GUFC) to host several educational programs across the state and an annual conference and awards program in November. In addition, the GUFC hired a full-time Executive Director and acquired office space in Decatur, Georgia.
GFC foresters provided technical assistance for Georgia communities with tree ordinance development, project management, cultural practices, educational activities, and partnership development.
FOREST PRODUCTS UTILIZATION, MARKETING, AND DEVELOPMENT
Forest Products Utilization, Marketing and Development (FPUM&D) provides technical assistance to the forest products community. This service ensures that Georgia's forest industry remains a viable competitor in the global marketplace while contributing to the state's economic well being. Without healthy markets, owners of Georgia's 24 million acres of commercial forest have few economic incentives to manage their forests. Wise utilization of the state's forest resource base -- as an economic engine -- is a high priority. Rural development activities relate to quality of life issues as well as creating and sustaining jobs; this emphasis is vital to the state's overall effort to maintain a sustainable economy and healthy forests.
The Commission's Forest Products Utilization, Marketing, and Development Program was formally expanded from one to three staff members in August, 2004. An action plan with a proposed timeline was developed for the program that included: marketing forest resources to traditional product industries, developing the carbon sequestration registry, supporting the development of new forest products, facilitate the State Forester's Marketing Task Force, and developing marketing tools. It was also determined that the Utilization staff should monitor the status of the Georgia forest products industry.
SURVEYS AND STUDIES
A survey of primary forest product manufacturers was completed with collected information compiled into the Commission's Forest Products Marketing directory database and published on the Commission's website. This directory

continues to be in heavy demand with over 1800 downloads per month and requests originating throughout the United States and foreign countries. Information for the directory was collected from 198 forest industry firms engaged in primary processing of Georgia's forest resources, with 139 of these being interviewed on site by the Utilization staff. Information on several hundred secondary processors was also collected in cooperation with Georgia Institute of Technology Advanced Wood Products Lab.
Survey data was also provided to the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station staff to determine timber resource drain. "Georgia's Timber Industry An Assessment of Timber Product Output and Use, 2003" was published on the web as part of a coordinated effort with the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station.
As part of an ongoing economic development activity, the department again contracted with Georgia Tech's Economic Development Institute to perform an analysis of the "Economic Benefits of the Forestry Industry in Georgia: 2003". According to the report, forestry has a $20.2 billion annual impact on Georgia's economy and provides direct employment to over 65,000 Georgians. Despite the large impact, the study indicated a disturbing decline in the industry.
The University of Georgia Warnell School of Forest Resources was commissioned by the Georgia Forestry Commission to perform an Analysis of Wood Supply Sustainability at all County Locations in Georgia. Dr. Chris Cieszewski and Shangbin Liu performed this analysis using 2003 Forest Inventory and Analysis data and other available data. The final report is pending publication, but specific data from the analysis is currently being utilized in performing feasibility studies by forest industry firms in the State.
MARKETING, TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND OTHER ASSISTANCE
Marketing of Georgia's forest products included: making 13 presentations to an audience of 522 persons, providing detailed information to 135 separate persons/companies, distributing 1241 printed literature items, and many additional personal contacts during 63 meetings that involved economic development, new product development, and carbon sequestration.
An information brochure was designed and printed, an exhibit was developed and displayed at one trade show, a general forest products marketing PowerPoint presentation was developed, a news article was written, and design of a new website was begun.
Technical information requests serviced by the department included a broad range of information, statistics, and other services provided in the area of wood products and usage. Areas of assistance included lumber drying, pine straw, international trade, biomass energy, equipment selection, and sources of wood supply for various manufactured articles and specialty forest products.

Specific activities included the preparation of eleven separate reports. Ten of these described the estimated forest resource availability in specific locations. These reports were given to companies that were interested in expanding or establishing new mills in Georgia and included 3 proposed oriented-strand board mills, 3 biomass-based mills, and 4 other = miscellaneous mills. The Commission Utilization staff met with eight companies to provide this and other information regarding proposed new forest product manufacturing activity. One additional report focused on the statewide availability of forest biomass for energy. It was presented to four separate groups.
Department of Economic Development project managers were assisted during the year with forestry expertise in answering forest product trade leads and resource - related questions. The Commission continued to develop working relationships with local economic developers to attract industry.
The department continues to be active as an advisor to Georgia Tech's Advanced Wood Products Laboratory and a member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association. Additionally the department represents the Commission as a member of the Energy and the Environment Committee hosted by the State Energy Office. The Department also participates in the Georgia Industrial and Technological Partnership and the newly formed Southern Alliance for Utilization of Biomass Resources (SAUBR).