georgia forestry today nov-dec 2012
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Is it time to buy your own hunting land? Just about every sportsman dreams that he could own a small piece of land in the country to hunt and fish on, enjoy the outdoors, and perhaps recoup some money on timber or other land income sources. But finding affordable and desirable land can be a daunting task. This issue will help you with the process of finding and buying land.TRANSCRIPT
FORESTRY TODAYGeorgia
Volume 8, Issue 6
November | December 2012
A B I M O N T H L Y M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E F O R E S T R Y C O M M U N I T Y O F G E O R G I A
IS IT TIME TO BUY YOUR
OWN HUNTING LAND?See story on page 8
4 November | December 2012
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY is published bi-monthly by A4 Inc., 1154 LowerBirmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115. Recipients include participants of theForest Stewardship Program and the American Tree Farm System.
Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the publisher, A4Inc., nor do they accept responsibility for errors of content or omission and, as a matterof policy, neither do they endorse products or advertisements appearing herein. Partof this magazine may be reproduced with the written consent of the publisher. Corre-spondence regarding changes of address should be directed to A4 Inc. at the addressindicated above. Advertising material should be sent to A4 Inc. at the e-mail address:[email protected]. Questions on advertising should be directed to the advertising di-rector at the e-mail address provided above. Editorial material should be sent to A4Inc. or to Alva Hopkins.
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY1154 Lower Birmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115
On the Cover:
Just about every sportsman dreamsthat he could own a small piece ofland in the country to hunt and fishon, but finding affordable and desir-able land can be a daunting task. See story on page 8.
C A N T R E L L F O R E S T
P R O D U C T S I N C .We buy all types of timber.
Bio-fuel producer
[email protected] Galilee Church RoadJefferson, GA 30549
Office: (706) 367-4813 Mobile: (706) 498-6243Home: (706) 367-1521
LAMARCANTRELL
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAYPrinted in the USA
PUBLISHER:A4 Inc.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEFAlva Hopkins
PRODUCTION MANAGERPamela [email protected]
EDITORIAL BOARDWendy BurnettAlva HopkinsJesse JohnsonStasia Kelly
Sandi MartinRoland Petersen-Frey
Brian StoneSteve McWilliams
5Georgia Forestry Today
FORESTRY TODAYGeorgia
Volume 8, Issue 6 November | December 2012
P.08 Is it Time to Buy Your Own
Hunting Land?
P.11 Message from the Georgia
Forestry Commission Director
P.12 GFC News
P.13 State Forestry Commission
Sees Value of Georgia Grown Logo
P.15 DNR’s Timber Management
Helping Wildlife, Habitat on WMAs
P.18 The Evergreen Award
The Georgia Forestry Commission
P.19 Logger of the Year
Boyce Rutherford
P.20 Georgia Tree Farmer of the Year
John Bembry
P.21 2012 GFA Wise Owl Award
John Mixon
P.22 Georgia Tree Farm Program Awards
Two Scholarships
P.23 In the Path of the Storm
P.25 GFT News
P.28 Remembering Carolyn Warnell Bryan
November 27Meeting the Challenges for ForestLandownersAthens, Georgia
November 28Energy Solutions for the SoutheastTion, Georgia
December 25Merry Christmas!
February 6-7, 2013GFA Winter Board Meeting, LegislativeReception, and Forestry Day at the CapitolAtlanta, Georgia
Forestry CalendarIf you have a forestry event you’d liketo see on our calendar, please contactAlva Hopkins at [email protected] the subject line ‘Calendar Event.’
7Georgia Forestry Today
LiST oF AdVeRTiSeRSAbraham Baldwin Agricultural College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 LandMark Spatial Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
American Forest Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Lanigan & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Arborgen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Meeks’ Farms & Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover
Beach Timber Company Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 M & H Pinestraw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Blanton’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 MorBark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Canal Wood LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Outdoor Underwriters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Cantrell Forest Products Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Plum Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Davis - Garvin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Prudential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
F2M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Quality Equipment & Parts Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Farm Credit Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Rayonier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Flint Equipment Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Rivers Edge Forest Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Forest Resource Consultants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Smith, Gambrell & Russell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Forest Resource Services Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Timber Mart-South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Forestar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 UPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover
F&W Forestry Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Weyerhaeuser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Gillis Brothers Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Vulcan on Board Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
HEI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Yancey Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover
International Forest Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
ust about every sportsmandreams that he could owna small piece of land in thecountry to hunt and fishon, enjoy the outdoors,and perhaps recoup somemoney on timber or otherland income sources. But
finding affordable and desirable land canbe a daunting task, just ask Will Rogers.
Everyone is familiar with the famousline from Will Rogers about owning landthat goes, “put your money in land, be-cause they aren’t making any more of it.”Makes you just want to go out and buysome land, doesn’t it? But Rogers was arealist who saw both the upsides anddownsides of land ownership. Less fa-mous, but just as relevant in today’s fi-nancial market, is another Rogers’ quotethat goes like this. “I argue with [my]wife over what little pieces of real estateinvestments we should try to pay on andhold, and which to let go back. We al-ways said, ‘Put money in land, and youcan always walk on it.’ We did, but nobuyers would walk on it with us.” Thus,it can be surmised that he also felt thatland was an investment that should pro-duce returns, have stable intrinsic worth,have a good resale value, and potentiallybe worth more than was paid for it. Soas always, buyer beware! This is still thechallenge of buying land today. Butwhere do you start the process of findingand buying land?
PerHaPs tHe fIrst tHIngto decIde is if you can really handlethe financial commitment and tax liabil-ity that comes with land ownership. Justfifty acres at $2,000 per acre adds upquickly to an investment of one hun-dred thousand dollars, not includingclosing costs. So look closely at your fi-
nances, then sit down and have a serioustalk with your personal financial plan-ner. Manageable monthly payments arecertainly a possibility and maybe timbercan be cut, or perhaps a portion of theland can later be sub-divided and soldto help finance the deal. Although it istempting to try to get some otherfriends or relatives to go in with you topurchase some land, it is generally notwise to do so because other people havedifferent goals and objectives that canstrain friendships.
Without a doubt, you can cast a verylarge net by cruising the internet, andthere are hundreds of Web sites, such aslandcrawler.com, mmvlandsales.com,and landsofgeorgia.com. Normally, youcan phone the listed number or send ane-mail to get additional information.Once you have narrowed down the landpossibilities, go to googleearth.com andlook at the property from the sky view,which will reveal many details about thelay of the land and adjacent properties.Lakes, stream, and roads are all very ap-parent, but check the date of the lastview, as things often change over time.But make no mistake about it, there isno substitute for walking the land in per-son, says Bernie Lowery, one of the own-ers of Pronghorn DevelopmentCompany.
Bernie says that buying land for theinvestor or recreational owner is a veryimportant decision, and a long, personalvisit to the property will answer manyquestions. A visit will let you view the layof the land, the types of trees and vegeta-tion present, whether a stream is flowingor dry, and determine access problems, ifany. Walk the land with a good map andGPS and try to determine the propertylines, if possible, but make sure you are
properly prepared and take plenty ofdrinking water and a cell phone for emer-gencies. After you walk the property, drivearound the general area to determine ad-jacent land uses and try to determine ifany potential problems exist. Bernie saysthat finding the right piece of propertycan be a long and winding road, and youjust have to look at a lot of land some-times to see what you really like.
A visit to the local tax commissioneror tax assessor's office is well advised asyou can get plat maps of the land and ad-jacent properties and get the addresses oflisted owners. Also, take a look at the taxcommissioner’s list of recent sales in the
8 November | December 2012
Is It tIme to Buy your own HuntIng Land?
J
9Georgia Forestry Today
what happens if one partner loses his job and can’t make payments or decides he
wants to cut timber and you don't? What if one partner passes away? Who might take over or in-
herit his share? Clearly, joint ownership can lead to problems. But finance and interest costs have
never been lower and with banks paying less than one percent in interest on checking, CDs, and
other accounts, buying land can be a wise, long term investment. After you have decided to make
the financial commitment to buy land, the actual search for the right piece of land can begin.
If looking for hunting land, you want to start looking at tracts that have good deer and other
wildlife populations in areas where most of the land is in large, stable acreage blocks. The local
Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources office, can often give you additional
insights if you give the local game management biologist a phone call and want to discuss a spe-
cific land location. If national forest or state land is close by, this can be a positive factor as these
usually have good game populations and are unlikely to be resold. Accessibility is a prime consid-
eration and land that is a far distance from your home can severely limit the ability to visit the
property on a frequent basis. With high gas prices, land close to home is always better.
Once you have narrowed down the general area where you want to purchase land, then start
checking for land for sale ads in the newspapers, on the internet, and even check road side signs.
for example,
By John Trussell
area to determine average sale prices andfair market value so you can determineif the asking price is fair and what youmight be willing to offer for the land.Some of this information may be avail-able online, but it varies widely bycounty, so Google the appropriatecounty office to see what you can find.The real estate rep or owner will be ableto answer most of your questions, so beprepared to ask many from a list.
Some of the questions might in-clude: Why is the land for sale, and howlong has it been on the market? Is therea current timber cruise by a registeredforester available, and if so, what is thetimber value now? Is the land being soldwith or without timber? Are all mineralrights included in the sale? Does theproperty have deeded access and is accessshared with any other property owners?Does the land have any easements whichcould present future problems? What isthe county zoning of the property andadjacent properties? Are there any defectsor detrimental factors of the land known
to the seller? More specifically, are thereany industrial, environmental, political,or social issues that are pending and closeby that could diminish the land's value,such as a land fill soon to go in nearby?Does the owner have a surveyed map ofthe property? If so, is it an exact copy ofthe map on file with the county tax com-missioner? If you plan on building ahome on the property, will the land passa perk test? Are utilities (electricity, gas,cable) available on the land? If not,where is the closest power line, and howmuch would it cost to run a line to theproperty? Once you get these questionsunder your hat, here are a few morepoints to consider.
It is always wise to have your attor-ney take a look at the deed on file in theSuperior Court’s clerk’s office to deter-mine if the seller does have legal author-ity to sell the land. It could be tied up inan estate, have a lien against the prop-erty as collateral on an outstanding loan,or have some other problem. It can't betransferred to the new owner until the
title is free and clear. Are there anycovenants listed in the deed on the prop-erty, and if so, would they present a bur-den to the new owner? Also make surethe property tax is currently paid and upto date. Another matter in regard totaxes is to see if there is any type of con-servation use taxation being utilized onthe property. If not, making the properapplication can save the new ownersome money on future taxes, so a talkwith the tax assessor might be in order.If you decide to buy the property, pre-determine who pays the closing costs sothere won’t be any surprises. Usually,splitting these costs is the fair way to go.This covers a lot of ground, but buyingland is first a business and financial de-cision. But once you have bought yourdream land tract and pull a bass out ofyour own pond or watch a nice buckpaw a scrape under one of your own oaktrees, you'll know the satisfaction ofowning your own land! v
10 November | December 2012
he ongoing economic reces-sion has carried us to a no-table intersection of everincreasing concerns andquestions about the sustain-ability of jobs, our environ-
ment, and our forests. What’s importantabout our situation here in Georgia is that,unlike many states, even some of our neigh-bors in the South, trees figure significantlyinto solutions. These facts have been reinforcedthrough Governor Deal’s leadership and hisrecent executive order promoting forestry re-lated jobs and our 24.8 million acres of sus-tainably managed, renewable forests.Georgia’s forestry industry is currently in-jecting $23.6 billion into the state economyand $448,000 into state taxes. Some108,000 jobs are connected to forestry inGeorgia. Those are powerful stats, so clearlya lot of things are going right. The key willbe to keep them going that way. Holding the keys are private landownersand the forest industry, who through manybumps and bruises have continued to supplyour economic and environmental needs.Forestry Inventory Analysis figures showGeorgia's 24.8 million acres of forested landhas remained relatively stable over the pastfive decades. The majority of it, 91 percent,is privately owned. These landowners are di-rectly responsible for helping produce 38percent more timber volume annually thanis being harvested. That's a pretty impressivefigure when considering the issue of, and re-curring questions about, sustainability. In 2010, in conjunction with a variety
of partners, GFC produced a detailed reportabout the sustainability of Georgia's forests.Last year's UGA/Warnell study credited ourforests with providing $37 billion in ecosys-tem services to the state. The proof is foundin black and white. Georgia’s forests arebeing sustainably managed to meet the nu-merous environmental and economic needsof our state. Looking ahead, the statisticsconfirm Georgia’s forests are capable of pro-viding even greater economic and environ-mental benefits. Georgia’s abundant forests exist in largepart due to historically strong forest productsmarkets. You’ve heard that old saying, “Staywith the one that ‘brung’ you to the dance.”It’s a strategy we should be remembering now.
It means providing our forest landowners withrobust markets to keep their forests workingfor Georgia. It means supporting tactics thatsustain and further grow the benefits as wellas the trees. Failure to stay this course can onlylead landowners to consider conversions toland uses that are a lot less ‘green.’ As you’ll read in this issue, the GeorgiaForestry Commission is partnering with the
Georgia Department of Agriculture in its‘Georgia Grown’ campaign so that one of ourgreatest renewable resources is brought to theattention of Georgians. We all need to redou-ble our efforts to promote Georgia grownand Georgia produced forest products. Findout more about this effort at GaTrees.org,and please join us as we raise awareness aboutour abundance of trees and the many bene-fits they provide, right here at home.
Sincerely,
Robert Farris v
11Georgia Forestry Today
Message from the Director
Dear GFT Reader,
Robert Farris
georgia forestry commission
T
12 November | December 2012
As planting season continues across the state, the Georgia
Forestry Commission’s Reforestation department has released
news about next year’s planting stock. Test data analysis by the NorthCarolina State University Tree Improvement Cooperative ranks threeGeorgia Forestry Commission loblolly clones among the four fasted grow-ing clones in the entire Atlantic Coastal Plain provenance. ese threeclones were developed independently as part of the GFC’s rust-resistantloblolly breeding program. Currently, these clones are the exclusive property of the Georgia Forestry Commission. Seed from theseoutstanding families is being collected this fall and will be sown in the nursery next spring. Seedlings will be available at the FlintRiver Nursery during the 2013-14 planting season. e
GFC News
Georgia Forestry Commission Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator Susan
Granbery has been recognized by the National Association of State Foresters with its
2012 achievement award for communications. Granbery was named winner of the honor forher successful efforts to expand ‘e American Grove,’ an online urban and community forestry com-munity. e Grove uses social media to bring together tree and nature enthusiasts and encourages treeplanting and urban tree canopy protection within large metro areas and small communities. Granberyspearheaded creation of the Web site in 2009, and drove its expansion in 2010 to all 50 states, Wash-ington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. e Grove now has more than 2800 members.rough her leadership, a board of directors has been formed and policies are being developed for con-tinual site management and sponsorships for site maintenance and future development. Visitwww.americangrove.org. e
devon dartnell has been named the Georgia Forestry Commission director of Field op-
erations. Dartnell was selected for the position following the November retirement of Rick Hatten,who had been with the agency for 25 years. Dartnell has a degree in electrical engineering from GeorgiaTech and a business degree from the University of Denver. He worked all over the world in the oil busi-ness before joining GFC ten years ago. He has served as a ranger 1, chief ranger, and a member of theUtilization and Marketing Department, where he was instrumental in the development of Georgia'sbiofuels industry. Dartnell most recently worked with GFC’s efforts to maximize efficiency and cus-tomer service. In his new position he will oversee land acquisition, facilities and properties management,implementation of GFC programs and policies through supervision of personnel in six districts, andhelp plan and implement the GFC budget. e
ne of the newest partners in the Department ofAgriculture's Georgia Grown program—theGeorgia Forestry Commission—demon-strates how the revitalized marketing cam-paign is helping showcase forest products
growth and manufacturing as part of Georgia'snumber one industry—agriculture.
Under the leadership of State Agriculture CommissionerGary W. Black, the Georgia Grown program rolled out in early2012 with a revitalized mission and new logo. More than 350Georgia agribusinesses, large and small, quickly signed onto the
membership-based program. “When I joined the Department of Agriculture, I wanted
us to build the foundation for a statewide program that promotesfarmers and agribusinesses,” said Black. “Most of our GeorgiaGrown members are small businesses with great agriculturalproducts looking to reach new customers. However, we are alsonow seeing larger businesses and organizations like the ForestryCommission join the program because they see the value of start-ing a genuine conversation about both the production and sup-ply side of agriculture and how we can work together to reachcommon goals.”
State Forestry CommissionSees Value of Georgia Grown Logo Partnership will Raise Awareness about Sustainability of Georgia Forests
13Georgia Forestry Today
The volume of timber grown in Georgia is 38 percent greater now than it was in the 1930s.
e Georgia Forestry Commission, which promotes sus-tainable forest product manufacturing, appreciates the value ofthe Georgia Grown label in marketing. Forestry products makeup nearly $500 million of Georgia’s $12 billion farm gate valueannually. Of Georgia’s nearly 25 million acres of forestland, 24.4million acres of timberland is available for commercial use—more than any other state in the nation.
“Georgia Grown is an exciting new marketing tool that willbring our sustainable forests and forest products to the attentionof people seeking locally produced goods,” said Robert Farris,Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission. “Georgia is a na-tional forestry leader, and our Georgia Grown partnership willraise awareness about our abundance of trees and the many ben-efits they provide, right here at home.”
As consumers’ desire to ‘buy local’ becomes an increasinglyimportant trend in the marketplace, Georgia Grown is the keyto raising awareness about businesses that are not obviouslylinked to agriculture and sustainability. e easily recognizableGeorgia Grown logo shows consumers that when they selectGeorgia Grown, they are supporting sustainability and jobs inGeorgia. According to Farris, the forest industry provides an av-erage of $448 million in state tax revenues each year, and morethan 108,000 Georgians have forestry related jobs, making itGeorgia’s second largest manufacturing employer.
“e goal is to improve the profitability of Georgia’s agricul-tural and forestry sectors by building brand integrity and findinginnovative ways to expand the agricultural industry here in Geor-gia, in the U.S. and overseas,” Black explained. “Recognition ofthe quality and reliability of Georgia-based products and servicescontinues to grow in both domestic and international markets.”
On a global level, the Georgia Ports Authority plays a par-ticularly important role in helping expand markets for GeorgiaGrown members such as timber growers. In a new agreementsigned in June between Georgia’s Agriculture and Economic De-velopment departments, agribusinesses including forestry willbenefit. e interagency partnership offers streamlined exportassistance and provides a platform for increased efficiency in theassistance that state government provides for agriculture.
“By working together and sharing resources, we can boostbusiness visibility and opportunities abroad for Georgia’s biggestindustry,” said Chris Cumminsky, commissioner for the GeorgiaDepartment of Economic Development. “Georgia agriculture isincreasingly becoming a larger player in international trade, and
many of our commodities are top in the nation for overseas ex-ports.”
“Pulp and paper products are already one of Georgia’s topexport commodities,” said Nathan McClure, Chief Forester ofUtilization for the Georgia Forestry Commission. “We expectthe Georgia Grown effort to boost global competitiveness of ourother wood products, such as lumber, wood panels, and woodpellets.”
On a statewide level, the revamped Georgia Grown programis generating enthusiasm about its marketing activities and eco-nomic opportunities. e first Georgia Grown Symposium,“Growing Your Business through Georgia Grown” on Nov. 8-9in Macon, will assist farmers and other agribusinesses in definingand increasing their operations. e symposium will offer work-shops on sourcing, finance, food safety, insurance/legal, distri-bution, and regulatory issues.
e revitalized Georgia Grown program also is bringingmembers and consumers together to forge new relationships.e Department of Agriculture has hosted three Georgia GrownFarmers Showcases that have attracted more than 7,500 people,with more planned around the state before the end of the year.Fans of country star Luke Bryan, son of a south Georgia farmer,will see the Georgia Grown logo on marketing materials for hisFarm Tour this fall.
Georgia Grown members can expect to see continued op-portunities for networking and partnerships with other mem-bers as well as additional tools and resources to help businessesgrow.
“e Georgia Forestry Commission is dedicated to the pro-tection and conservation of our state’s rich forest resources,” saidRobert Farris. "Partnerships forged through the Georgia Growneffort will certainly add value to our agency and will benefitGeorgians today and in the future.”
“We at the Georgia Department of Agriculture are commit-ted to helping our agribusinesses achieve success, no matter howbig or small, with this economic development program,” Blacksaid. “It’s through the support of our valued members, such asthe Georgia Forestry Commission, that this will be possible, andI could not be more excited and optimistic about the future ofthe agriculture industry in our state.”
Support Georgia Grown on social media by ‘liking’ the Geor-gia Grown fan page or follow on Twitter @GrownInGeorgia. v
14 November | December 2012
15Georgia Forestry Today
Whether it’s the soundsof a cut-down machine andskidders or the sights of a refor-ested pine stand, blue timber-marking paint on trees andareas where underbrush hasbeen removed to promote na-tive vegetation, all are becomingmore common on Georgia’swildlife management areas.
In 1980, the Georgia Department ofNatural Resources created the ForestManagement Unit to help reach wildlifehabitat goals through timber manage-ment. e Forest Management Unit'sobjective is to improve wildlife habitat,natural species diversity, and rare speciesmanagement on state-owned lands man-aged by DNR by using proven silvicul-tural practices. ese practices includeprovisions for establishing and regener-ating forest stands, managing for healthytrees of desirable species, and harvestingtimber to benefit wildlife habitat, whilerealizing the economic benefit of thetimber resource.
DNR strives to meet the needs ofGeorgia's hunters and other outdoor en-thusiasts through habitat diversity. Habi-tat diversity is obtained by creatingmultiple age classes of forests across thelandscape. e presence of multiple ageclasses helps increase the number ofwildlife species found on WMAs. Silvi-cultural activities must be implementedto diversify habitat, and maintain ahealthy forest.
Timber management activities onWMAs are implemented only aer anexhaustive review process. Each activityis described in a Timber Management
Proposal. Proposals must be reviewed bythe region supervisor and section chiefof the DNR Wildlife Resources Divi-sion's Game Management Section, aswell as the agency's Nongame Conserva-tion Section and DNR's Historic Preser-vation Division.
Once the review process is com-pleted and the proposal approved, it’sthe Forest Management Unit’s responsi-bility to take what is written and apply iton the ground.
A proposal may involve a large areasuch as first-thinning 900 acres ofplanted loblolly pine at Paulding Forest
DNR’s TimberManagement
By Matt Payne
Helping Wildlife,Habitat on WMAs
-
WMA. Or a proposal may cover some-thing as small as removing ten acres ofundesirable hardwoods at Silver LakeWMA. Over the past three years, timbermanagement activities have impacted ap-proximately 12,235 acres on WMAsthroughout the state.
No matter the scale of the proposal,the intent is to enhance wildlife habitat. Timber harvests also generate revenue.at revenue is vital to DNR’s ability toconduct habitat improvements onWMAs. Tractors, seed for food plots anddove fields, road upgrades, timber inven-tory data, site prep, and reforestation aresome of the items paid for with timberrevenue. Because of it, activities benefit-ing habitat can be done on more acresthan if DNR had to rely only on fundsappropriated by the state Legislature.
Revenue generation is not the driv-ing force in harvesting a stand of timber,but it is a useful tool to increase thenumber of acres of wildlife habitat thatDNR can improve.
ere are numerous examples of thepositive impacts of timber managementon WMAs. One is the restoration of go-pher tortoise habitat at TownsendWMA in McIntosh County. A densestand of sand pines was clearcut, and thearea is being replanted in longleaf pines.e increased sunlight hitting the forestfloor will increase the amount of vegeta-tion available for gopher tortoises andother wildlife to feed on. Prescribed firewill also be used to help manage thestand, now that fire-tolerant longleafpines are present.
Another example is the first-thin-ning of 900 acres of planted loblolly pineat Paulding Forest WMA in PauldingCounty. e thinning will stimulate thegrowth of plants that deer use forbrowse, while also increasing the amountof so mast for wild turkeys. Prescribedfire will also be reintroduced in thesestands.
It’s no secret that hunters heavily useareas on WMAs where the timber hasbeen thinned or a prescribed burn hasbeen conducted, due to the improvedhabitat available for the species they’rehunting.
DNR and the Georgia ForestryCommission work closely on timbermanagement activities. GFC advertisesthe timber sale to prospective buyers. Allcompanies that want to purchase timberfrom DNR must be Master Timber Har-vester-certified. GFC and DNR jointlyconduct bid openings and work togetherto make sure the timber buyer meets allrequirements necessary to conduct atimber harvest on DNR lands. Aer atimber sale is completed, GFC inspectsthe sale area to ensure that the loggingcontractor follows all Best ManagementPractices for forestry.
e cooperative effort betweenDNR and GFC is a great example ofagencies working together to more effi-ciently complete a task.
e Georgia Department of NaturalResources takes pride in its proactive ap-proach to forest management onWMAs. Based on sound scientific andbiological principles, this managementenhances and increases the habitatneeded to support the rich abundance ofwildlife species found in Georgia.
e next time you are on a WMAand hear a feller buncher harvestingtrees, or see a recently planted stand oflongleaf pines, or notice that a thicket ofunproductive, unwanted ground coverhas been removed, know that DNR for-est management is helping enhance yourexperience as an outdoor enthusiast.
Matt Payne is program manager ofthe Georgia DNR Forest ManagementUnit. v
16 November | December 2012
A Model of Wildlife Conservation
Wildlife management at Georgia DNR
reflects the North American Model of
Wildlife Conservation, the world’s
most successful conservation model.
No other continent has conserved
as many species of native wildlife
as North America. And while
some other countries struggle to
conserve the wildlife they have
left, our continent enjoys great
abundance and diversity of
wildlife.
This is due, in large part, to
forward thinking by early conser-
vationists who saw the need to
conserve wildlife and their habi-
tats. Their efforts were the source
of the North American Model of
Wildlife Conservation, which
strives to sustain wildlife species
and habitats through sound sci-
ence and active management.
Learn more at www.georgiaw-
ildlife.com/Hunting/NorthAmeri-
canModel .
17Georgia Forestry Today
18 November | December 2012
[ The evergreen AwArd ]
he Evergreen Award ispresented to an organiza-tion that has contributedsignificantly to theforestry community inways that are supportive
of Georgia Forestry Association’s (GFA)own mission.
is year’s recipient, the GeorgiaForestry Commission (GFC), proves itsvalue to the state’s forests, forest landown-ers, and forest based businesses and iswidely recognized as one of the most out-standing forestry agencies in the nation.
“The Commission’s efforts in fight-ing the rash of wildfires in the state overthe past several years is nothing less thatheroic, and the agency was instrumentalin making sure that forestry’s interestswere well represented during the statewater planning initiative which was amajor contribution that is not wellknown by most in the forestry commu-nity,” noted GFA President SteveMcWilliams in the presentation of theaward at the Association’s annual confer-ence in Savannah on July 8.
More recently, the Commission’s ex-traordinary effort to tell the positive storyof Georgia’s forests during the statewideshowing of the movie, e Lorax, was fur-ther proof that the GFC will go to bat forGeorgia forestry wherever there is a need.
e Lorax movie, which is adaptedfrom a Dr. Seuss book that tells the storyof a world without trees, could have putthe Georgia forestry community in an in-teresting position as the movie discour-ages harvesting trees.
However, the entire group of GFCprofessionals teamed with GFA and or-ganized a statewide seedling giveaway atthe premier of the movie. e logisticaland promotional efforts of the Commis-sion prior to the movie release generatedtons of community and media interest onthe days leading up to the showing onMarch 2.
At the premier of the movie, 174GFC employees at 45 theatres across thestate promoted sustainable forestry by giv-ing away a seedling to each parent andchild who walked the theatre.
“Our goal for this project was to ed-ucate mainstream audiences about Geor-gia’s abundant, healthy forests and all thebenefits they provide,” GFC DirectorRobert Farris said. “Not only did we havepersonal interactions with people at themovie theatres, but we reached tens ofthousands more in media exposure sur-rounding the main event.”
is creative and timely initiative bythe Commission reminded Georgia’s citi-zens that the use of paper and other prod-ucts derived from trees providesthousands of Georgia jobs and promotesthe planting, health, and sustainable man-agement of forests which in turn lead tocleaner water and air, abundant wildlife,and beautiful landscapes.
e Commission’s great attention topublic awareness and ability to plan suchan effective event has undoubtedly pro-moted Georgia’s forests and communi-cated a healthy sustainable message aboutforestry that will stick with many childrenfor years to come. v
TTHE GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION
By Matt Hestad | Georgia Forestry Association
19Georgia Forestry Today
BOYCE RUTHERFORD
[ LOgger OF The YeAr ]
his year, Georgia ForestryAssociation has the honorof recognizing BoyceRutherford of RutherfordTimber Harvest-ing, LLC as the
2012 GFA Logger of the Year.Rutherford is not only a credit tohis profession, but he is also a per-son who consistently demonstratesthe qualities of an exceptional log-ger and a strong advocate of the As-sociation and the Georgia forestrycommunity.
e Logger of the Year nomi-nees are judged on the basis of theirability to be compliant with all ap-plicable laws, practice safety andloss control programs, establish andmaintain equipment security prac-tices, and practice sound business manage-ment. Also, participation in the MasterTimber Harvester Program is a key factor.
Rutherford’s operation did not justmeet the criteria for the logger of the year;it exceeded all criteria and is a true exam-
ple of an extraordinary logging contractor.His reputation stems from many of thequalities that most landowners want froma professional harvesting operation.
Since the establishment of Ruther-ford Timber Harvesting in 1998, Ruther-ford has maintained the best managementpractices set forth by the state. He con-ducts and documents regular safety meet-ings and at all times has safety equipment
for everyone on the site. Rutherford hasmaintained a high rating with his insur-ance company because he has no claims orcitations from any state or local agency.
Also, his operation is a certifiedDrug-Free Work Place by the StateBoard of Worker’s Compensation.
Rutherford has cut timber sincehe was old enough to be on a pieceof machinery. In 1998, he tookover his family business, and in2008, he went out on his own buy-ing stumpage as well as cutting forvarious timber companies.
Rutherford has also been dedi-cated to the Georgia forestry com-munity through his involvement inthe Association’s Teacher Conser-vation Workshop in 2005 and2008, and his sponsorship and in-
volvement in the Georgia Forestry Foun-dation. He is also a member of theSoutheastern Wood Producers Associa-tion and was named Georgia-Pacific Log-ger of the Year in 2000. v
TBy Matt Hestad | Georgia Forestry Association
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20 November | December 2012
JOHN BEMBRY
[ geOrgIA Tree FArMer OF The YeAr ]
awkinsville, home of the2012 Georgia Farmer ofthe Year, Barry Martin, re-cently added another shin-ing star to its communitywith the 2012 Tree Farmer
of the Year, Dr. John Bembry. Every year, the Georgia Tree Farm
Program, an affiliate of the American TreeFarm System, honors one exceptional treefarmer. is year, Dr. Bembry was recog-nized for establishing Bembry Mill TreeFarm as the prime example of sustainableforestry which consistently promotessound land ethics through its pristine con-dition.
Dr. Bembry has been a veterinariansince 1977 when he graduated from theUniversity of Georgia. However, he has al-ways had a passion for the forest and hehas continually shown honor and respectfor those who established the land beforehim by utilizing sound forestry practiceswith conservation and environmental sus-tainability in mind.
“Dr. Bembry, the epitome of a goodsteward, cherishes the privilege he hasbeen given to 'tend the Good Lord's earth,and all who know him offer without reser-vation the accolade, ‘well done,’” BillSimpson, chairman of the Georgia TreeFarm Program, said.
e 2,100 acre Bembry Mill TreeFarm has been a Certified Tree Farm since1985 and is currently owned jointly by Dr.Bembry and his sister Amy Finleyson. eland has been in his family for over 100years and was recognized as a 1994 Geor-gia Centennial Farm.
e farm contains quite a variety oftrees from an ancient Loblolly stand nearthe Mill Pond, to the beautiful matureslash and mixed natural pine and hard-wood forests, to cypress planted along oneof several pond edges and even green ashwhich Dr. Bembry recently established.
Dr. Bembry’s dedication to steward-ship is evident in his preservation of reliclongleaf stands and his establishment oflongleaf in several field to forest conversionsin the past several years. However, he is alsoa huge proponent of harvesting timber. Hisknowledge of trees and timber marketscontribute greatly to the viability of hisfarm as a working, commercial tree farm.
“As we rode around the Tree Farm, itbecame quite obvious that Dr. Bembry isunashamedly prejudiced,” Simpson said.“Not in the conventional sense of theword, but in regard to his trees. e lon-gleaf is his passion.”
ere are also several instances wherethe farm represents an increasingly relevantfamily forest through the actions of Dr. Be-mbry to preserve his family’s heritage andfurther educate visitors about the impor-tance of sound forestry practices.
From the signs scattered across hisproperty to identify trees and shrubs, to thewood-mizer mill that saws dead and dyingtrees into lumber for use around the farmand his extensive effort to prevent erosionthrough water-bars and grass water-ways, itis evident that Dr. Bembry tirelessly pro-motes forest stewardship and demonstratesa strong passion for his land.v
HBy Matt Hestad | Georgia Forestry Association
Todd Hipp (803) 924-0978 [email protected] Hipp (803) 924-4131 [email protected] Hipp (803) 924-5940 [email protected]
Helping Grow Your Future
www.hippenterprises.com
21Georgia Forestry Today
t the 2012 GeorgiaForestry Association(GFA) Annual Confer-ence in Savannah, formerState Forester JohnMixon was given the
Wise Owl Award for years of continuousservice and dedication to the forestry in-dustry in Georgia.
Since 1980, GFA has given the WiseOwl Award to an individual who hasmade countless outstanding contributionsto the forestry community. It recognizesnot only forestry advocacy, but also an un-common passion to improve the industryfor all landowners and forestry relatedbusinesses.
Mixon has been a dedicated memberof GFA since 1961, and he has more than50 years of contributions to the forestrycommunity in Georgia. He has been acontinuous promoter and champion offorestry, forest products, and the forestryprofession through his leadership.
From 1983-1995, Mixon served asthe Director of the Georgia ForestryCommission and he also served as the69th President of the National Associa-tion of State Foresters (NASF) in 1991.During that time, Mixon was influentialwith several programs that helped makethe forestry industry better in Georgiaand the United States as a whole.
In an address to the 101st Congressin 1990 to recognize Mixon as the Presi-dent of NASF, former Georgia U.S. Sena-tor Wyche Fowler gave tribute to hisdedication to sustain the heritage of theforestry community.
"I want to take this opportunity topraise John Mixon for his strong commit-ment to the forest industry. His work anddevotion has helped to make timber theNo. 1 industry in the state of Georgia. Hehas created jobs and economic opportu-nities for many Georgians in his career. At
the same time, he has been a noted leaderin the protection and preservation of ournatural resources," Senator Fowler said. While working for the Commission,Mixon was very influential in the estab-lishment of programs such as the UrbanForestry Program, the Conservation Re-serve Program, the Flint River Nursery,the Howard E. Bennett Forestry Museum,and the 1992 Prescribed Burning Act.Also, in 1986 Mixon's reforestation cam-paign set a world record in the forestrycommunity by planting more than650,000 trees in one year.
During the period of his leadership,the U.S. Forest Service recognized theCommission numerous times for its out-standing efforts in wildfire prevention andsuppression, urban and communityforestry, reforestation, and forest manage-ment programs. Also, the Commissionprogressed in public relations under hisleadership with instrumental brochures,feature films, and radio and televisionprograms being produced.
Mixon accelerated wood energy pos-sibilities by conducting several demonstra-tions at public facilities such as schools,prisons, and hospitals to show how wood
materials could replace more expensivefuels. As a result of his effort, wood-firedsystems have been installed across the statein recent years. Mixon also promoted theuse of wood in county road bridges and es-tablished a federal grant program throughthe Commission to provide money to con-struct such bridges.
He has continued his wood promo-tion efforts today by serving as the Chairof the Forestry Commodity Committeefor the Georgia Farm Bureau and GFA'sWood Promotion Task Force. In these po-sitions he provides the necessary leader-ship to have Georgia timber products usedin the construction of schools and hopesto eventually convince the Georgia De-partment of Transportation to use treatedwood in the construction of highwaysound barriers.
Mixon was also recognized as a na-tional leader in conservation and the careof trees by the National Arbor Day Foun-dation and he was inducted into theGeorgia Foresters Hall of Fame in 1997.
Mixon currently serves as a memberof the Georgia State Board of Registrationfor Foresters and as a Director Emeritusof GFA. v
AJOHN MIXON
[ 2012 gFA wIse OwL AwArd ]
By Matt Hestad | Georgia Forestry Association
22 November | December 2012
he Georgia Tree FarmProgram awards collegescholarships annuallyto the legal dependentsof Georgia members ofthe American Tree
Farm System. Candidates must submit anapplication, school transcripts, and anessay on what the Tree Farm programmeans to them. From applications re-ceived in 2012, the Tree Farm ScholarshipCommittee selected the following the re-cipients for $1,500 scholarships:Jana Sim-mons, of Cairo, Georgia, will be attendingGeorgia Southern University this fall andplans to study biology and political sci-ence. Jana is the daughter of Doug and Jan(Stapleton) Simmons, and she writes: “Ican see in my mind’s eye, my great grand-father planting pine trees by hand with adibble. I can hear the words of my grand-mother saying , ‘Hold on to the land andcherish and protect it as it’s about the onlything God isn’t making more of,’ I have lis-tened carefully to my ancestors as I knowthat someday it will be my lot to take careof the family tree farms.” e StapletonTree Farms have been in the Tree Farmprogram since 1961.
Anna Johnson, of Hazlehurst, Geor-gia, will be attending Georgia College andState University this fall and plans onstudying nursing. She writes: “My parentstaught me that the Lord provided our nat-ural resources for the good of mankind
and that it is up to man to manage and usethese gis wisely. It is a gi that I havebeen taught not to take lightly. AlthoughI did not know the term ‘sustainableforestry’ back then, I did understand thatforestry is a renewable resource. My dadalways told me that if we take care of theforest, it would take care of us.”
Anna is the daughter of Stephen andPhyllis Johnson and their Rocky BranchTree Farm has been in the program since2001.
e 2013 scholarship applicationswill be available in January of 2013 or atwww.GATreeFarm.org or call 478-992-8110 or e-mail Carla Rapp at [email protected]. v
Georgia Tree Farm Program Awards Two Scholarships
T
Anna Johnson
Jana Simmons
23Georgia Forestry Today
ntil early July, KevinFouts thought theworst of his summerwas over. Earlier inthe season, while inTennessee sampling
salamanders for a Warnell project, the 27-year-old graduate student had slipped anddislocated his shoulder, chipping bones inthe process. He chalked it up to bad luck,and continued on with his project nearthe Abrams Creek campground in theSmoky Mountains. But what happenedlater “really put my injury in perspective,”Fouts said. In early July, unusually hightemperatures helped create a freak stormin the park that ended in injuries anddeath. And Fouts was caught in the mid-dle of the chaos that ensued.
“I was just lucky to be alive,” Foutssaid months aerward. But at the time, hesaid, the storm and its aermath were
heart-stopping. Fouts and a National ParkService seasonal worker were returning tothe Abrams Creek ranger station whenthe storm started churning. Fouts, whowas driving, spotted a tree about to comedown. “So I slammed on the brakes andsaid, ‘I think that tree is about to fall,’”Fouts recalled. “Right when I said it, itdid. It snapped and fell 12 feet in front ofthe truck.” So Fouts put the truck in re-verse and floored it, just as more treesstarted to come down in front of them.He and Danielle Crocker ultimatelypulled into an open field where they couldlisten to their park radios in relative safety.e reports were frightening. Trees werecoming down all over, blocking roads andfalling onto cars. en they heard thatpeople were trapped under a tree in anearby creek. “Danielle and I looked ateach other and said, ‘we can’t just sit in thetruck anymore. We have to go help them.’”
So they headed back and found the roadblocked by trees. Emergency workerscouldn’t get by, so they ran ahead on foot,coming up on the crisis: seven people—afamily of five and two women—had triedto get far away from the falling trees bywading into the creek. But they didn'tmove far enough out, and a massive treetoppled over on them. When Fouts ran
up, one woman was being given CPR onthe creek bank, a child had already beenpulled out from under the water, but a
man was still trapped underneath. Foutsran back and brought back paramedics onfoot, and they set to work freeing thetrapped man, using a child-sized ra tominimize damage to what turned out tobe broken vertebrae in his back. Unfortu-nately, the woman on the bank had beendeclared dead. Fouts helped move herbody out of the way of rescue workers,then helped paramedics retrieve equip-ment, opened up the ranger station for thesurvivors, and helped carry people out ofthe campsite to the ambulance that stillcouldn’t get through the blocked roads.
In the days following the storm, sim-ilar accounts from different parts of thepark trickled out, as others told of howsuddenly the storm brought danger. Heflashed back to when the trees were com-ing down in front of his truck, he said, andhow if he hadn’t moved it, he and Daniellelikely would have been badly injured. Butit pales in comparison to what the otherssuffered, he said, and he was amazed athow the family—grandparents, a daugh-ter, son, and granddaughter—ralliedaround the child, despite how the otherssuffered more serious injuries. It was asobering day, Fouts said. “I felt really badfor that family.” v
Tempest in the MountainsBy Sandi Martin | Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
“So I slammed on the brakes and said, ‘I think that tree is about to fall,’”Fouts recalled. “Right when I said it, it did. It snapped and fell 12 feet infront of the truck.”
U
25Georgia Forestry Today
n September 18, GovernorNathan Deal announced that
General Biofuels Georgia, LLCwill construct a wood pellet man-
ufacturing plant in Sandersville, investing $60million and creating 35 jobs.
“We are committed to making Georgiathe No. 1 place in the nation in which to dobusiness and a central plank in our strategy isto boost the manufacturing sector,” said Deal."Our state is uniquely equipped to help man-ufacturers compete globally and efficientlymeet the needs of their customers. So, I am es-pecially glad to welcome General Biofuels toGeorgia.”
e plant will manufacture industrial-grade wood pellets for sale to a major Euro-pean utility under a long-term contract.Capacity of the plant will be approximately440,000 tons per year. Start of production isscheduled for the first quarter of 2014.
“Sandersville is an ideal setting for ourpellet production facility. e timber re-sources are abundant, the workforce is capableand motivated, and the transportation systemfrom Sandersville to the Port of Savannah willbe tremendously advantageous. We look for-ward to joining the Washington county busi-ness community,” said founder and chairmanfor General Biofuels, Ruby Sahiwal.
“Renewable feedstock will come fromGeorgia timberlands and local lumber pro-ducers. Pellets from the plant will be loadedinto railcars for transport by the SandersvilleRailroad and Norfolk Southern Railway tothe Port of Savannah for intermediate storageand trans-load to ocean-going ships.
“We are very excited to have General Bio-fuels join the Washington county businesscommunity and for the Sandersville Railroadto provide long-term rail transportation serv-ices,” said Executive Director of the Develop-ment Authority of Washington county,Charles Lee. “is project offers manufactur-ing jobs to the Washington county region andwill provide long-term, stable employment inthe timber harvesting, manufacturing, trans-portation sectors, and increase exportsthrough the Port of Savannah.”
Project manager for the Georgia Depart-ment of Economic Development was RenéeRosenheck. e Georgia Center of Innova-tion for Energy also played a significant rolein the location by introducing the company toGeorgia as an attractive biomass industry des-tination. Co-director Jill Stuckey connectedGeneral Biofuels with the Georgia ForestryCommission, Georgia Department of Eco-nomic Development, and other state re-sources. e company also participated in theCenter’s One Stop Shop to present its project.
“General Biofuels’ location to Sander-sville is great news for central Georgia,” saidGeorgia Department of Economic Develop-ment Commissioner Chris Cummiskey. “ebiofuels industry in Georgia is growing byleaps and bounds. We have more commercialtimberland than any other state in the country,as well as the workforce and the logistics in-frastructure needed to move the productquickly and efficiently to market.”
Energy is one of the six industries identi-fied for growth in Georgia. Georgia’s entrepre-neur-friendly policies, reduced taxes on
bioscience energy companies, and expeditedenvironmental permits for biofuel plants areamong a few reasons why the state is rankedthird in the United States for its future in al-ternative energy production. e state is No.1 in the nation for commercial timberland,with ten million acres of agricultural land and24.7 million acres of forest land. Georgia alsohas an established ‘brain trust’ of university re-search and development in bioenergy, withworld-renowned programs at the Universityof Georgia, the Georgia Institute of Technol-ogy, and the Herty Advanced Materials De-velopment Center, a $150-million-dollarnonprofit research center focused on biomasscommercialization. v
General Biofuels Georgiato locate in Sandersville,
investing $60 million
O
26 November | December 2012
Bob Slocum, the voice of North Carolina’sforest products industry for 24 years, diedOctober 16 in Raleigh at age 62.
During his tenure, the NC Forestry As-sociation grew to nearly 4,000 members, oneof the largest such groups in the country.Slocum lobbied the NC legislature andserved on commissions and task forces, de-fending his industry and private propertyrights—and frequently irritating environ-
mental advocates.Among his top achievements the asso-
ciation lists is 2005’s ‘Right to PracticeForestry’ legislation, which limited local gov-ernments' control of forestry operationsdone under forest management plans or onproperty taxed as timberland. He also over-saw development of the association’s ProLog-ger training program and forestry educationprograms for public schools.
Prior to joining the state association,Slocum served as a vice president for forestrypolicy and research of the American ForestCouncil in Washington D.C. The NorthCarolina State University graduate and Caryresident started his career in Virginia.
A career forester, he graduated fromNorth Carolina State University with aforestry management degree. He’s survivedby his wife, Linda, and three adult sons. v
Forestry Community Loses a Strong Voice
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)has opened its fifth public comment periodof LEED V.4, which will conclude on De-cember 10, 2012. The Sustainable ForestryInitiative’s (SFI) initial review of the newdraft language shows the forest certificationlanguage has not changed from Draft 4. Thecredit language continues to read, “Newwood products must be Forest StewardshipCouncil (FSC) certified or USGBC-ap-proved equivalent.”
According to SFI, USGBC is failing tograsp this opportunity to be a leader. It can
choose to encourage well managed forests, ornot. It can choose to recognize all credibleforest certifications or it can continue to ex-clude some certification standards to thedetriment of healthy forests, viable commu-nities, thriving markets, and future genera-tions. If there are no markets for productsfrom well-managed forests, landowners maychoose to sell their forests for other uses.That is not good for forests, communities,and has negative implications for air andwater quality.
SFI encouraged USGBC to recognize
that the decisions it makes and the actions ittakes today will impact the future of forests,livelihoods, and collective global well being.USGBC’s leaders and board members are en-couraged to put language out to vote thatrecognizes the role of certified wood prod-ucts and understand that excluding SFI,CSA, and ATFS results in the discriminationagainst two-thirds of the certified forests inthe U.S. and Canada.
For more information, visit www.sfipro-gram.org/LEED/ v
Fih Public Comment Period on LEED Opens
Preparing the Next GenerationOn a cool, fall afternoon, brothers Ross andAdam Ferrell are working to prepare land fortree planting in Charlton county. The re-cently acquired property had been cut overand left barren and unproductive for severalyears. Preparation will include chopping andbedding, and possible chemical treatments inthe future. Once planted, the next genera-tion of trees will be established.
But what about the next generation offorest landowners?
Ross and Adam are both married, andas most families, try to make plans for the fu-ture. They envision having a return fromtimber on this land in the future. But theyalso look forward to hunting and recreationalactivities as well in the more near term. Theyare optimistic that the investment being ap-
plied to this property now will pay dividendsin the future.
On this particular day, 14-month-oldJackson got to get out on the land and ex-plore. Not unlike most young boys, he en-joyed exploring everything, getting dirty andseeing the equipment in action. These are hisfirst steps toward his education aboutforestry and land management.
Adam, his wife April, and son Jacksonlive in Pierce county. Ferrell is an attorney inBlackshear, and April teaches elementaryschool in Patterson. Ross and his wife Car-men live in Charlton county. Ross works inthe timber industry and is also the owner ofRF Industries. Carmen is employed byCoastal Home Care in Brunswick. v
e Georgia Forestry Association (GFA)and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative(SFI) are sponsoring a Habitat for Hu-manity House Project in Macon, Georgia.To help raise money for that project,members of GFA’s Emerging Leadersgroup held a raffle for a one-day hunt onAultman Forest.
Aultman Forest is a 34,000 acre plan-tation located in southwest Georgia’sWorth county. Worth county was votedGeorgia’s best county for producing largewhite-tailed deer the last three years by
Georgia Outdoor News. During the2011/2012 hunting season, four deerscoring over 160 Boone & Crockett werekilled at Aultman Farms.
e tickets sold for $10 a piece, andthe group managed to raise $2,655, sur-passing their goal of at least $2,500 for theHabitat project. e drawing was held onOctober 17, and the winner of the one-day hunt was Troy Harris, Chief Operat-ing Officer with Wells Timberland. Harrisserves on the Executive Committee forthe Forest Landowners Association andthe Board of Directors for GFA. v
27Georgia Forestry Today
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Emerging Leaders Raise Money for Habitat for Humanity
L-R: Christy Abel; James Norris, Graphic Packaging; Benjamin Addison, HancockTimber; Jesse Johnson, Southern Land Exchange; Mike Harrel, Stuckey Timberland;
and Brian Stone, Forest Resource Consultants
28 November | December 2012
ne of Warnell’s mostgenerous supportersdied recently. Car-olyn Warnell Bryandied on Sunday, Oc-tober 21, 2012. She
was 97. e Warnell School is named aerMrs. Bryan’s father, Daniel B. Warnell,and she and her late sister Dorothy had along history of support for the school, in-cluding donating the land for what is nowthe Dorothy Warnell Research, Educationand Demonstration Forest in EffinghamCounty in 1998. e Mary Kahrs WarnellForest Education Center was establishedwithin the forest later and named for Car-olyn’s mother. Mrs. Bryan was one of theforemost Cooperative Extension HomeEconomists serving in this role for morethan 25 years, during which time she pos-itively impacted so many lives. She wasalso a very generous donor to the WarnellSchool and 4-H Foundation.
“Carolyn Warnell Bryan was one ofthe most gracious, charming, astute, com-mitted and generous people I haveknown,” said Arnett Mace, former dean ofthe Warnell School. “Sitting in her homeconversing over a cup of coffee was amemorable experience for I was impressedwith her accomplishments during her ca-reer, including her passion for 4-H and as-tuteness. e University of Georgia andthe Warnell School of Forestry and Natu-ral Resources have lost an outstanding re-tired employee and major supporter.”
Born on Feb. 23, 1915, in Groveland,Mrs. Bryan graduated from BryanCounty High School before attending theUniversity of Georgia, where she gradu-ated with a degree in home economics in1937. Mrs. Bryan and her family re-mained committed to UGA. In 1977,
Mrs. Bryan became a member of the Pres-ident’s Club of the University of Georgia.In 1988, Mrs. Bryan was named an hon-orary alumnus of the Warnell School forher longtime support. Her family’s legacy
began with her father, who served in theGeorgia House and Senate in the 1930s.One of Daniel Warnell's greatest contri-butions was a gi of pine trees to a univer-sity researcher, Dr. Charles Herty, for anexperiment on whether pine could beused in the manufacturing of paper pulp.Herty’s findings led to the rise of a paperindustry based on Southern yellow pinesand, in-turn, resulted in a need for moreeducated forest resource professionals.
In honor of their parents’ interest ineducation and investments in natural re-sources in Georgia, Carolyn and her latesister Dorothy made many contributionsto the Warnell School. eir combinedgis were so significant that in 1991 theschool was officially dedicated and re-named the Daniel B. Warnell School ofForest Resources (which was then
changed to add “and Natural Resources”).Aer Dorothy’s death in 1996, Carolynestablished the Dorothy Warnell Re-search, Education and DemonstrationForest in Effingham County. Today, theMary Kahrs Warnell Forest EducationCenter boasts of a state-of-the-art indoorclassroom, a large outdoor deck, forest ex-hibits, and hiking trails. e research for-est is home to some of Georgia’s mostincredible unique habitats. e centerprovides programs about forest ecosys-tems and sustainable forest management,and focuses on educational programmingfor schoolchildren.
“Mrs. Bryan was adamant that thegis be named for her father, mother andsister,” said Mace. “is is a testament ofher giving and naming for those she lovedso dearly and not for herself. Carolyn, Imiss you and cannot thank you enoughfor the major impact you have made onmy life and the lives of so many throughyour teachings and generous contributionof time and resources. All of us who hadthe opportunity to know you have be-come better people by our associationwith you. God Bless and rest in peace mydear friend.” v
Remembering Carolyn Warnell Bryan
The Warnell School is named after Mrs. Bryan’s father, Daniel B. Warnell, and her family has a long history of support for the school.
O
29Georgia Forestry Today
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES
30 November | December 2012
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES
BOBBY D. BROWNRegistered Forester GA Number: 2164Licensed Realtor GA Number: 165520
20364 GA Hwy #3 Thomasville, GA 31792(229) 227-1919 [email protected]
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in Georgia and the South
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601 North Belair Square, Suite 21
Evans, Georgia 30809
Phone: (800) 833-8178
E-mail: [email protected]
BEACH TIMBER COMPANY INC.128 Beach Timber Road
Alma, Ga 31510Office: (912) 632-2800
Gary Strickland Foresters Owner Available
We Buy [email protected]
