Spring 2013 by Alabama Forestry Association

Alabama

FORESTS IN THIS ISSUE:

Charley Tarver: Pioneer in the Formation of TIMOs County Road Ordinances Revisited A Shorter Season for Red Snapper? Mid-Winter Meeting Highlights

Spring 2013

SAFETY TIP No. 34

ANOTHER GROUNDBREAKING TIP FROM THE POWER COMPANY. By Mike Barnes Alabama Power Lineman

Here are a few very important things you should know about underground power lines and how to work safely around them.

Color codes for marking underground utility lines White

Proposed excavation

Pink

Temporary survey markings

Red

Electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables

Yellow

Gas, oil, steam, petroleum or gaseous materials

Orange

Communications, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit

More and more power lines are being buried underground. This poses a considerable threat for both construction workers and do-it-yourself homeowners. Even if you’re undertaking a seemingly harmless job, such as digging a hole for a new fence, the risks are still there. You’ve probably heard the “Call before you dig” mantra many times. But take it to heart. Nothing good happens when a shovel plunges into a live power line. The number to call is easy to remember: just dial 811. You call, preferably at least 48 hours in advance of your project, and the

Blue

Purple

Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines

Green

Sewers and drain lines

representative will notify all the appropriate utilities. Pretty easy. Soon after your call, various technicians will come out and

Potable water

put colored spray paint in the places where they have lines. I’ve included a chart here so you can tell which one is which. Please take this simple step before you start digging. It’s easy. And it’s free. You’ll save yourself a lot of headaches – and maybe even your life.

Call before you dig. For more electrical safety tips, visit AlabamaPower.com/safety.

Dial: 811

Contents Alabama Forestry Association, Inc. CHRIS ISAACSON, Executive Vice President OFFICERS BARRETT B. MCCALL, Mobile, Chairman FRED L. STIMPSON, Mobile, President JOE TWARDY, PINE HILL, Secretary JEFFREY P. LEDBETTER, Andalusia, President-elect ROBERT P. SHARP, Mobile, Treasurer DISTRICT DIRECTORS Black Belt District WENDELL LINDSEY, Demopolis Capital District CLARK SAHLIE, Montgomery Delta District GRAY SKIPPER, Fulton Longleaf District ALAN JAYE, Monroeville Mountain District MARK LOWE, Eastaboga Piedmont District MARK TUGGLE, Alexander City Valley District STEPHAN TOMLINSON, Tuscumbia Vulcan District TIM THORNHILL, Hanceville Warrior District S. INGE BEEKER, Tuscaloosa Wiregrass District EARL KETCHUM, JR., Clayton ALABAMA LOGGERS COUNCIL CHRIS POTTS, LaFayette FORESTFUND STEEN TRAYLOR, Selma AT LARGE DIRECTORS DOUG BOWLING, Millbrook ERIC COOPER, Mobile RICK COZINE, Columbus, Georgia PAT HOLLEY, Columbus, Mississippi JIM KING, Tuscaloosa MASON MCGOWIN, JR., Chapman JOE W. MCNEEL, Montrose DAVID A. SCHILLE, Pennington JAMES P. SHEPARD, Auburn BEN SMITH, Phenix City ALABAMA FORESTS EDITOR SAM DUVALL Alabama Forests (USPS #025-358) is an official publication of the Alabama Forestry Association, 555 Alabama Street, Montgomery, AL 36104-4359 and is published five times a year. The AFA reserves the exclusive right to accept or reject advertising or editorial material submitted for publication. Advertising rates quoted upon request. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Alabama Forestry Association, 555 Alabama St., Montgomery, AL 36104-4395.

Alabama

FORESTS Communicating news and information of, about, and for the Alabama forestry community.

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FEATURES Charley Tarver: A Pioneer of the TIMO Industry

County Logging Permits and State Law

As the Red Snapper Get Bigger, the Season Length Gets Shorter

AFA Mid-Winter Meeting Highlights

Especially for our tree farmers/landowners: Green Horizons

DEPARTMENTS From the Executive Vice President

Contributors

Deanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Notebook

Forestry News & Views

Products & Services

Wildlife & Outdoors

ADVERTISERS

Index to Advertisers

Above photo One of the great things about turkey hunting is that you get to see some beautiful sunrises as in this photo by Reid Duvall.

On the cover SFI-01273

In addition to the trees, forests are also filled with beautiful creatures. This pileated woodpecker is a good example.

Come explore our web site! alaforestry.org

Photo by Tes Randle Jolly

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From Executive Vice President

Momentum:

Impressed? Don’t be. I have just recited the only thing I can remember from my high school physics class. So what does this have to do with forestry? Not much when it comes to growing trees, but it has everything to do with the forces that drive the markets that create the demand for those trees and drive the prices for those products. Over the last several years, those of us who are a part of the forest products industry have been looking for the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel signaling the end to one of the worst slumps our industry has experienced. The wood products sector has suffered the most due to a precipitous drop in building, especially of new homes. Beginning in 2011, some economists pointed to signs that they said signaled the housing market had bottomed out and was on its way up. Like a thirsty traveler seeing a distant desert oasis, the predictions offered a faint hope of relief but most remained discouraged by the distance left to travel AND lingering doubt it might yet be a mirage. Fast forward to today. Not only have we closed the distance, but there are more and more signs that relief is at hand. Consider the following signs as reported by Industry Intelligence Inc. at www. industryintel.com:

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“A quantity expressing the motion of a system equal to the product of the vector sum of the products of mass and velocity of each particle in the system”

● “US building permits rise 1.8% in January from December, 35.2% year-overyear to seasonally adjusted annual rate of 925,000; housing starts fall 8.5% from December, rise 23.6% from a year ago to seasonally adjusted annual rate of 890,000: Commerce Dept.” (US Department of Commerce 2/20/13) ● “Sales of new US singlefamily homes in January up 15.6% from December 2012, rose 28.9% from year ago to seasonally adjusted annual rate of 437,000; median sales price of new homes was US$226,400” (US Department of Commerce 2/26/13) ● “US sales of previously occupied homes rise 0.4% in January from December, 9.1% year-over-year to seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.92 million; falling inventory creating seller’s market in much of country: NAR” (National Association of Realtors 2/21/13) ● “S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices post solid yearly gains in December, with national composite rising 7.3%, 10- and 20-city composites gaining 5.9%, 6.8%, respectively; 19 of 20 MSAs record positive yearly growth” (PR Newswire 2/26/13) ● “US home prices up 6.2% in January from previous

year, with improvements in all 30 of nation’s largest metro areas; on monthly basis, prices rose 0.7% from December 2012, marking 15th consecutive month of increases: Zillow” (PR Newswire 2/22/13) ● “US luxury housing market likely to surge in 2013, driven by increase in number of affluent women,

Chris Isaacson

There are more and more signs that relief is at hand. growth of ultra-luxury consumers who buy homes worth US$10M+, says Coldwell Banker” (PRWeb 2/22/13) So, let’s summarize: Building permits up CHECK Housing starts up CHECK Home sales up CHECK Home prices up CHECK Luxury home market up CHECK Home inventory down CHECK So, are we there yet? Not quite. In fact, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernake sounded a cautionary note in a mid-November speech signaling a continuation of the Fed’s easy money policy. “The housing sector is far from being out of the woods.” (Must have been talking to a forestry crowd!)

Now back to my dissertation on physics. While there remains some uncertainty in the US economic recovery in general and the housing markets in particular, the indicators certainly show there is momentum building and, as my eleventh grade physics teacher Mrs. Jones taught us, the larger the object and the faster it is moving, the more likely it will be to continue on its projected path…even if some forces temporarily work against that motion. Here’s to hoping the laws of physics apply to markets for forest products! ▲

Contributors Ray Clifton Ray Clifton joined the Alabama Forestry Association staff in 2011 after 22 year in private industrial forestry. Beginning his career at Union Camp Corporation, Ray worked in both land management and wood procurement. He later worked as a timber buyer and logging supervisor with W.J. Sorrell Lumber and Pulpwood and Auburn Timberlands, Inc. He has spent the last several years as a rural land Broker and private forestry consultant. Ray holds a BS in forest management from Auburn University and an MS in forestry from Louisiana State University. Ray is originally from Sylacauga, but currently resides in Opelika with his wife, Becky. He has two adult sons, John and Kyle.

Keith Gauldin Keith Gauldin graduated from Auburn University in 1992 with a wildlife science degree. Keith has worked for the Alabama Department of Conservation for 12 years managing the W. L. Holland and Mobile-Tensaw Delta WMAs in District V and serves as the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s large carnivore coordinator.

Andrew Nix Andrew Nix has been a registered forester for the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources since 1996, managing timber and wildlife habitat on state wildlife management areas. He began his career in forestry with the Gulf States Paper Corporation in west Alabama and later worked with the Alabama Forestry Commission in central Alabama. Andrew holds a BS in forest engineering from Auburn University. He is originally

from Hokes Bluff, but now resides with his wife, Ericha, in Titus. He and his wife enjoy hunting, fishing, and most other outdoor recreation together with their three dogs.

David Rainer David Rainer is a public information manager/outdoor writer with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. He is currently the first vice president of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association. Prior to his work at Conservation, David was outdoors editor of the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register newspaper. He currently publishes a weekly column that is posted at outdooralabama.com and is distributed to outdoors-related media throughout Alabama and nation. David also writes feature articles for Outdoor Alabama magazine.

Daowei Zhang Daowei Zhang is an alumnus and George Peake Jr. professor of forest economics and policy in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University. His research and teaching cover the economic and policy aspects of forest resource management. He is an author or co-author of 5 books, 6 book chapters, and 75 refereed journal articles. He served on the board of directors of the Pinchot Institute for Conservation and is the recipient of Award in Forest Science by Society of American Foresters in 2009. Recently, he and a group of faculty at Auburn University started an Auburn University Initiative for International Trade and Investment, which is intended to promote exports from Alabama and bring investment in the state.

Twenty-seven middle and high school teams from across the state compete at the forestry station in the Science Olympiad at Huntington College on March 16.

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Get your license to educate Alabama.

The Alabama Forests Forever license plate offers everyone the opportunity to contribute to forestry education. Your purchase of this tag: • Helps fund educational forestry materials and workshops for teachers, including grants for forestry education. • Promotes the importance of forestry to Alabama and its economy. • Is a tax-deductible, charitable contribution which costs only $50 more than a general tag.

334-844-1004 www.forestry.auburn.edu

334-240-9300 www.forestry.state.al.us

334-265-8733 www.alaforestry.org

Dean’s Notebook

Overlooked Economic Giant

Recently Governor Bentley held a press conference to highlight a recent report conducted by the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service on the economic impacts of agriculture and forestry. Agriculture and forestry had a $70 billion economic impact in Alabama in 2010, the year with the most recent data. The leading sector was timber production and processing at $21.4 billion, followed by $15 billion in poultry and eggs, and $0.6 billion in soybeans, corn, and wheat. The ranking for number of jobs was the same, with the top three being in timber production and processing 122,020, 86,237 in poultry and eggs, and 10,703 in soybeans, corn, and wheat. The study was funded by the Alabama Agribusiness Council, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Alabama Agriculture Experiment Station, Alabama Farmers Federation, and other businesses and organizations. To access a copy of the 36-page report, see https://store.aces.edu/Item Detail.aspx?ProductID=17695 Two of our faculty, Dr. Wayde Morse and Dr. Larry Teeter, were on the committee that oversaw the project. They noted that the IMPLAN model used to create the report under-represented the economic impacts of nature-based A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

tourism such as hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing. Consequently, economic data from a 2006 US Fish and Wildlife Service report were included in an appendix. Those data show that total “sales” of nature based tourism was $2.1 billion, had $3.6 billion in economic impact, and employed 42,319. Had these data been included, the top three ranking sectors would have been timber production and processing as No. 1 and nature based tourism as No. 3 in terms of both economic impacts and number of jobs. Auburn University recently featured a story on its main Web page about this report and headline was “Overlooked Economic Giant.” Based on the data, the giant appears to spend a lot of time in the woods. The dedication of the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation Learning Center will be held at 2:00 PM, Wednesday, April 10 at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center near Andalusia. We have planned a brief ceremony that will be attended by Auburn University’s Provost, Dr. Timothy Boosinger, the Board of the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation and the school’s Advisory Council. The event is open to the public and you are most welcome to attend the ceremony. You will have an

opportunity to walk-through the new building and attend a reception immediately following. For more information, contact Heather Crozier (334) 844-2791 or vannhea@ auburn.edu. The school is hosting the Southern Forestry Conclave March 15-16 on the campus of Auburn University (Ag Heritage Park Red Pavilion). These technical and physical contests

By Dean Jim Shepard

Agriculture and forestry had a $70 billion economic impact in Alabama began in 1958 at the University of Georgia and Auburn has hosted conclaves in 1960, 1969, 1988, and 2001. Fifteen universities and approximately 250 contestants will participate this year. In conjunction with the conclave, Stihl Timbersports will hold its Collegiate Timbersports Championship Southern Qualifier and a professional event on March 15. The Outdoor Channel will televise the events from April 4 through April 10. As a reminder, our first annual Spring Fling and Outdoor Expo is April 5 and 6. This event will be a fundraiser for the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and is being hosted by legendary Coach Pat

Dye at Coach Dye’s Crooked Oaks Hunting Preserve and Quail Hollow Gardens near Notasulga. Proceeds from the event will be used for scholarships and fellowships. For more information, please contact Heather Crozier at (334) 844-2791 or vannhea@auburn.edu. As always, I would really enjoy hearing from you about how our school may better serve the needs of the forestry profession. I can be reached at (334) 844-1004 or jshepard@auburn.edu. ▲

CHARLEY TARVER: A Pioneer of the TIMO Industry By Daowei Zhang, Auburn University

When Charley Tarver was getting his degree in forestry from Auburn University in August 1968, the country was in the middle of the Vietnam War. In his last semester, Charley, who was born and raised in Washington County, Ala., got a notice from the draft board of Washington County for a physical exam, as he was about to be drafted. This was before the lottery; so every young man in the country was eligible to be drafted. Had he not been in college, Charley would have been drafted several years earlier. As he had established residence in Auburn, Charley requested to be transferred to the Lee Country (where Auburn is located) Draft Board so that he did not have to travel while studying at Auburn University. His request was approved, and he was drafted a few weeks later. Not interested in serving as a foot soldier, Charley talked to Navy and Air Force recruiters about the possibility of becoming a pilot. He was accepted by both. But Charley decided to go to the Air Force where he was scheduled to be enlisted on January 3, 1969. Charley worked in the 4 months between his graduation and enlistment, first as a common laborer and surveyor for a building company that was building the Haley Center on Auburn University campus, and then as a teacher at Smiths Station Middle School in Lee County. Charley went to an Air Force officer training school for 12 weeks and became a second lieutenant. He then went to Air Force pilot training for 53 weeks, got his wings, and was assigned to work for the U.S. Strategic Air Command (U.S. Nuclear Strike Force) and to fly the KC-135-refueling tanker all over the world in training and in combat. In Vietnam, his primary mission was to

Charley Tarver in a longleaf pine stand. Charley was a pioneer in the concept of TEMOs, new kinds of forestry companies that own and manage land for investors in land and timber. 8

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refuel fighter jets before and after their bombing strikes. Charley was a captain and flew a tanker in the last Air Force combat mission in Vietnam in August 1973. He resigned from the Air Force when the war ended in April 1974.

Forestry Jobs Few and Far Between in ’74 In 1974 the country was in a recession. As forestry jobs were hard to come by, Charley went to Atlanta looking to fly for Delta, but Delta was not hiring. One day, Charley was told he should consider working for a bank. It turned out that some banks like to hire former military officers because they are well-trained and disciplined. Charley took a position at the C&S Bank (Citizens and Southern National Bank) in Atlanta. He worked and received training in evenings and on week-ends and by going to seminar schools. One of his friends, Jim Montgomery, was then working for the Southern Forest Institute, a branch of American Forest Institute. The American Forest Institute was a promoter of forestry and the forest industry and, in 1992, became part of the current American Forest and Paper Association (AFPA), a forest and forest industry association in Washington, DC. American Forest Institute had been promoting the Tree Farm Program, which was similar to a certification system that we know of today. With the support of the forest industry and governments, many farmers and other landowners—collectively called non-industrial private landowners—planted trees on their lands and registered their forests in the Tree Farm Program. But they knew little about the value of their forests, forest management, and timber markets. On the other hand, forest industry firms that supported the Tree Farm Program were betting that increasing supply would keep the market

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prices of timber down in the future. Most banks had a trust division. Some of the trustees had timber and forest lands, but did not do much with them. As with many forest owners they did not know how and when to sell timber and how to manage forests. Jim Montgomery, as a promoter of forestry and the Tree Farm Program, called all the major banks in Atlanta on his own and asked them to consider hiring a forester to manage their forests. The First National Bank of Atlanta (FNBA) agreed and wanted a forester who knew the banking business and its culture. Jim Montgomery immediately thought of Charley Tarver.

Charley Gets a Forestry Job… at a Bank FNBA called and offered a job to Charley. Charley accepted and started to work in its Trust Division of the Real Estate Department in fall 1979. In early 1980 the manager of the Investment Department at FNBA requested a meeting with the staff in the Real Estate Department. The Investment Department’s portfolio then only consisted of stocks and bonds, and its performance had been miserable for 2-3 years. Apparently, the manager was looking for new investment products such as real estate for his clients, many of whom were institutional investors. The conventional vehicles for investing in real estate were offices and residential buildings, shopping malls, and other rental properties. After discussion, FNBA decided not to get into these types of real estate for two reasons: they did not have the expertise, and others (especially insurance companies) had been doing them for a while. During the discussion, Charley said that we could invest in timberland. Nobody had then heard of investment in timberland for institutional investors. It

was such a crazy idea. Everybody, including Charley, laughed when he said it. Nobody but Charley was serious. Charley dug into it. He studied and tried to find historical data on timberland investment. He had to compile his own data and make his own assumptions. Yet, the more he studied, the more interesting it became to him. He came to the conclusion that timberland had the desirable attributes in terms of returns and risk and could be a new investment vehicle. The manager of the Investment Division liked Charley’s idea and decided to give it a try. This decision was based on two things: the attributes of timberland investment were attractive, based on Charley’s analysis, and nobody else was doing it. FNBA then started to market timberland investment as a new product to its clients in 1981. To say that nobody else was doing it was technically not true. Charley made some inquiries and found that Travelers Realty Investment Company, the subsidiary of Travelers Insurance Group, was doing a bit of it, at the urging of a person named Charlie Raper.

Charlie Raper, Another TIMO Pioneer Charlie Raper was another pioneer or even the pioneer of TIMO (timberland investment management organizations that manage timberland for institutional investors). His contribution to the TIMO industry should be told in another essay. In a nutshell, Charlie Raper had a forestry degree, an MBA, and a JD. He worked for Travelers between 1958 and 1988, and rose through the ranks to retire as second vice president in charge of real estate research and development. He then became the George Peake Professor at Auburn University. [When I joined the forestry faculty at Auburn University in 1994, Charlie Raper was one of my colleagues. Unfortunately,

C h a r l i e Ta r v e r Charlie died in March 2000. A few years later, when I thought about documenting the historical development of the TIMO industry, I regretted very deeply not doing an oral history with him]. While working for Travelers, Charlie Raper noted that farmers with timberland were less likely to default on loans than other farmers. This led him to think that forestry and agricultural crops are complementary and that forestry investment is a low risk investment with reasonable and stable returns. He convinced Travelers to set up a separate “T Account” (as one of its general investment accounts) that focused exclusively on investment in timberland. Charley Tarver also found that Canal Industry and Hancock Insurance Company (through its subsidiary, Hancock Timber Group) had some investment in timberland. None of these investments were large, nor were they well publicized. Thus, in the early 1980s, TIMOs barely existed. The few firms doing it then did not actively market it and had a small scale. So, in 1981, Charley Tarver set up two timberland accounts in FNBA—one was for tax-exempt institutional investors and one for individuals—and started to market them. The one for institutional investors was the nation’s first pooled timberland investment fund for pension plans. After about 4 years, it had about $24 million in assets. The other account had about $4 million. Collectively, FNBA managed 26,000 acres of timberlands for its clients in 1984. This, by today’s standard, was very small.

New Boss Thinks TIMO Concept “Crazy” In 1983, FNBA was about to be acquired by Wachovia Bank. The manager of the Trust Division who supported Charley Tarver’s endeavor, lost his job. The new manager thought that timberland investment was crazy. He instructed Charley to just manage what the bank had and not to market the products to any new clients. 10

By then, Charley was really into it. He was convinced timberland investment would work for institutional investors as well as some wealthy individuals. Because of uncertainty about the future of FNBA and lack of support from his boss, Charley and the person who helped him market the product at FNBA, David Graham, planned to leave FNBA. They waited for 6 months and then left in January 1984. They also brought Kate Robie, whom Charley hired at the bank. The acquisition of First Atlanta by Wachovia occurred in 1985, and Wachovia started its TIMO business with clients that Charley Tarver and others had recruited at FNBA and became a TIMO in the following decades. Charley and others did not try to bring any clients of FNBA with them. They were not sure if any clients would go with them and did not want to be sued. Three of them formed a firm called Wagner Southern Forest Investment, Inc. (hereafter referred to as Wagner Southern). The name Wagner came from Wagner Woodland, Inc. (hereafter referred to as Wagner), which was a forest consulting firm and investment advisor based in New Hampshire. Wagner is a partner of Wagner Southern. Wagner Southern was the southern arm of Wagner. Wagner Southern was a registered investment advisor offering timberland investment management services to institutional investors and wealthy timberland investors. Charley and his partner were faced with a daunting task. The main challenges were the lack of a track record and of wellaccepted valuation methods for timberland assets. Few, if any, institutional investors had heard about timberland investment. Because of lack of historical records, Charley and others had to use historical timber prices, timber growth rates, and agricultural land prices as an approximation of forest land prices. They had to present their analysis hypothetically— what the returns would have been, had they bought a well-diversified portfolio of

timberlands across the U.S. South in the 1950s and ’60s.

“Two Charlies” Preach the Gospel of Timber It was about this time that the two “Charlies” (Charley Tarver and Charlie Raper) went around preaching what they called the “gospel of timber.” Even though they were convinced that they had reasonable assumptions, the best available data, and sensitivity analyses, it was a hard sale. In these years, there was a lot of timberland and very little capital committed. The situation would reverse later. Today, there is a lot of financial capital competing for a limited amount of investmentgrade timberland in the country. Wagner Southern then was backed financially by a United Kingdom firm named Booker McConnell, PLC. The relationship was initiated by George Hambrecht of Syrus Associates, a consultant for investment advisory firms in New York. Mr. Hambrecht first introduced Charley Tarver to a member of the Rockefeller family who had an agribusiness firm called International Basic Economy Company (IBEC, which focused on the production of commodities such as poultry and sugar) and who was interested in starting a forestry consulting business. This Rockefeller person introduced Booker McConnell, PLC to Hank Swan of Wagner. As all four parties shared similar interests, they agreed to set up Wagner Southern as a new business venture. Booker McConnell agreed to finance the operating budget of Wagner Southern for a number of years, which was about $250,000 annually, covering the salary of 3 employees, travel expenses, and office rentals. In return, Booker McConnell would recover its investment with interest when the venture succeeded or exercise an option for controlling interest of Wagner Southern. On December 19, 1985, Charley Tarver got a phone call from Hank Swan who carried a message from Booker McConnell

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that it would not provide any financial support to Wagner Southern after December 31, 1985. Apparently, after 2 years of trial, Booker McConnell did not believe that the timberland investment business was going to work and decided simply to walk away. Charley and his partners, had, in effect, lost their jobs a few days before Christmas in 1985. Things did not look good at the moment.

After Two Years After 2 years of promoting their new business to numerous potential clients, Charley and his partners were convinced that they were on the verge of having a successful venture. After Booker McConnell withdrew its support, Charley (Wagner Southern) and Hank Swan (Wagner) met and agreed they would continue to try to make their business succeed. However, they could not agree on which side should have a controlling interest of the firm and decided to split.

FIA Formed in 1986 So, on May 9, 1986, Forest Investment Associates Inc. (FIA) was formed by Charley Tarver and other principals of

Wagner Southern, namely David Graham and Kate Robie. FIA went back to George Hambrecht who introduced FIA to Roger Brown at Harris Associates, Inc. in Chicago. Harris Associates was known for its Acorn Fund which brought good returns to its investors. In the end, Harris Associates agreed to put up $300,000 to FIA and become a limited partner. Harris Associates would first recover its investment when FIA is profitable and then have 25% of the shares of FIA. Hambrecht would have 5%, and the remaining 70% belongs to the three general partners of FIA. A few months after that, FIA gained its first separate account of $15 million from an institutional investor, GTE Company. In 1987, FIA secured another commitment of $10 million from the trust account of a wealthy family. After FIA took off, Charley worked with other TIMOs, especially Hancock Timber Group and Prutimber to create an NCREIF Timberland Index, which tracks records of returns on timberland owned by institutional investors and managed by TIMOs (see figure). When Charley Tarver retired in 2008, FIA managed some $3 billion of timber-

land for institutional investors. In a short period of 25 years, TIMOs have grown to be a successful business. Now, U.S.-based TIMOs manage some 20 million plus acres of timberland that is worth more than $32 billion. TIMOs also manage timberlands in other countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, New Zealand, and Uruguay. Charley Tarver is a pioneer who has made significant contributions to the TIMO industry. He is one of the best in the forestry profession. Charley is smart, works hard, and knows what he is doing. He possesses the unique attributes of technical know-how, sound mind, passion, vision, determination, and style. When things were tough, Charley stuck it out. On several occasions, like when he had to start his career in the military, or when he could not find a forestry job or fly for Delta, or when he lost his job days before the 1985 Christmas, he made it work. In all cases, he did not lose his perspective and determination and was able to turn bad things into good. He is a winner. In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tough economic environment, the forestry profession needs a few more Charley Tarvers. â&#x2013;˛

Current market values and acres of timberland included in the NCREIF-Timberland Index: 1987-2012

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ALC UPDATE:

County Logging Permits and State Law By Ray Clifton

Increasing government regulation is a continual challenge for any business in America. The forest industry is not immune, even though we are one of the few truly “green” renewable resource industries. Each year federal regulations increase to the point we have become almost numb to them. Many business owners simply comply with whatever comes down from Washington, believing that such rules are a necessary cost of doing business in the modern world.

A condemned bridge near Boligee (Greene County) illustrates the challenge many counties face with crumbling infrastructure.

While we are almost conditioned to expect Federal regulations, we can be caught off-guard when the regulators are state and local politicians. This is especially true when it happens in our own back yard. We are less likely to accept these government intrusions when the regulators have faces we know and recognize. This issue has come to the forefront recently with the passage of Alabama Act 2012-257, The Logging Notice Act. Many in the forestry community have been misinformed about the intent of the new law and the part the Alabama Forestry Association (AFA) played in its passage. It is our desire to explain how we arrived at a point where one of Alabama’s most important industries began to be singledout for regulation by some counties, and to further suggest how you can become

involved in local government decisions that directly affect your life and business.

County Logging Permits Logging ordinances or permits began to appear in Alabama counties as early as 1991. These were typically the result of a county commission’s reaction to isolated occurrences of road damage resulting from logging or other activity in winter weather. When pressed for a reason for the need of county-wide regulation, most commissioners and engineers cited “unspecified road damage caused by unknown loggers”—in other words, roads were sometimes damaged, but the county could not determine who was to blame. AFA initially assisted our members in opposing regulations in these counties on a county-by-county basis, usually by A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

proactively engaging county engineers and commissioners to address their concerns and mitigate potential problems. The number of counties enacting logging permits accelerated in 2010, leading to a patchwork of regulations across the state. Twenty-three counties enacted or discussed enacting ordinances, and many of these regulations included burdensome requirements such as cash bonds and county-specified haul routes. In one extreme case, AFA was compelled to file a lawsuit against a county that effectively blocked a landowner from gaining access to his property for timber harvest. It became apparent to AFA leadership that this issue could not be effectively managed on a county-by-county basis. Extensive discussion with the AFA Executive Committee, Board of Directors, and a special working group of members led to the conclusion that the best solution to the escalation of these regulations was a statewide solution via the Alabama Legislature. Since we could not stop the counties from passing ordinances that singledout our industry, our best option was to limit the requirements these ordinances could contain.

Legislative Efforts Legislation was originally introduced in the 2011 Regular Session that limited

counties with logging permits to a uniform notice requirement. The bill was simple, straightforward, and crafted to address the complaint that “unknown loggers” were responsible for damage to county roads. It allowed counties to require notice of logging activity, but prevented them from requiring cash bonds, specifying haul routes, or limiting access to private property. The bill repealed all existing county logging permits that exceeded these simple requirements. The 2011 legislation was vehemently opposed by the Association of County Commissions of Alabama (ACCA), which led to contentious legislative committee meetings in both the House and Senate. At the request of several Legislators, AFA withdrew the 2011 bill and agreed to work proactively with the ACCA to craft legislation that would be mutually acceptable. These negotiations reached an impasse when the ACCA insisted that the legislation authorize a permit system, in which, among other things, the county engineer possessed broad authority to approve or deny access points to private property, dictate haul routes, and shut down harvesting operations for a myriad of arbitrary reasons. AFA re-introduced revised legislation in the 2012 Legislative Session that kept the notice provision intact, but allowed coun-

Coosa County bridge with damaged guard rail. AFA has been one of the leading voices in the call for rural bridge replacement.

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ties to require limited additional information regarding timber owners and contractors, along with a reasonable time period for engineers to receive and review the notice form.

The State Law Act 2012-257 (The Logging Notice Act) was passed by the Alabama Legislature in the 2012 Session. The new law allowed counties to require that timber owners give prior notice of their intent to utilize county roads for timber harvesting operations that would access a county right-ofway and subsequently utilize county roads. The intent of the law was to minimize potential conflict between county road departments and loggers by communicating access points and potential truck routes. The goal was a working partnership between engineers and loggers— aimed at preventing or minimizing potential damage to roads. This seemed to be a better solution than an after-the-fact conflict over roads that were already in poor condition due to lack of funding. Initially there were two broad misconceptions concerning the state law. First and foremost, the new law is not mandatory—counties are not required to pass an ordinance. Rather the law was specifically targeted at those counties which believed they had a problem with road

A county bridge that is both weight-restricted and functionally obsolete. Such examples challenge county budgets and present problems to loggers and landowners on our “farm to market” road system. 13

Logging Permits

A typical “patch job” by rural counties with low road department funding presents a challenge for timber transport.

This map shows the extent of the move to adopt the “model ordinance” and the counties that have since changed their minds and the ordinance.

A poorly maintained county dirt road with a low-weight bridge.

damages from “unidentified loggers.” Second, the law changed nothing with respect to liability for road damage. Counties have always had the authority to sue for compensation if public property is damaged or destroyed. The new law simply allowed those counties to more easily identify the possible offenders. The Logging Notice Act is very specific regarding the information a county may require if they choose to adopt a notice ordinance. Counties may collect information such as: name and contact information of the timber owner (“timber owner” is not necessarily the landowner); name and contact information of the logging contractor (if not the same as the timber owner); location and acreage of the timber to be harvested; and the routes along county roads that will be utilized in transporting the timber to the state highway. It also sets time requirement guidelines for filing of the notice (two days for an existing access point or four days for a new access point). Most importantly, Act 2012-257 clearly states that “nothing else can be required” by counties. The key provision of the new state law was that it repealed those parts of existing county ordinances that were in conflict with the state statute (notably, bonds and specified routes). A few counties had existing ordinances that were essentially notice ordinances with provisions that

were very close to the language of the new law. In these counties the local ordinances required only minor “tweaking” to comply with the new law.

Reaction from the ACCA A controversy developed as a result of the new law. Under the guise of county “unity” and uniformity, the ACCA developed a “Model Logging Ordinance” (Model) which goes beyond the limitations set by the state law. The Model essentially turned the notice provision (who is logging, and where) into a permit (who is requesting the county’s permission to log on private property) by adding requirements not in the state law or by implying that the county had powers to impose further regulations and restrictions not given under the state law. Unfortunately, this Model was distributed by the ACCA to all 67 county commissions with the stated endorsement of the AFA (even though we had never seen it) and with instructions to pass a resolution adopting it by December, 2012. AFA first learned of the existence of the Model when it was enacted by Madison County in September of 2012. Efforts to resolve the conflict through negotiation with the ACCA led to two additional revisions of the model; both contained slight improvements, but still exceeded the scope and intent of the state law. A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

Neither was presented to AFA for discussion before being sent directly to the county commissions for consideration. At that point, it became clear that AFA would be forced to address the issue through our membership at the county level.

County Activity A number of counties quickly passed resolutions adopting the Model. These included Madison, Cleburne, Colbert, Mobile, Winston, Cullman, Blount, Etowah, Russell, Marengo, Greene, Autauga, Elmore, Coosa, Macon, Barbour, Perry, and Sumter (see Figure “A”). As AFA members became aware of the conflict between the state law and the ACCA model, many began to mobilize and meet with their county commissioners. It quickly became apparent that many commissioners had not read the state law —they had simply passed a resolution based on the recommendation of the ACCA. More than a few were surprised to learn that so many of their voting constituents were strongly opposed to the provisions within the Model. Many were equally surprised at forestry’s economic importance to their counties employment and tax base (see www.bamaloggers.org/ countyissues). Active participation in county commission meetings by foresters, loggers, and landowners resulted in the subse-

quent repeal of the Model in Madison, Marengo, Barbour, and Mobile counties. A grassroots movement of AFA members that included telephone calls, emails, letters, and attendance at commission meetings resulted in preventing passage (or consideration) of the Model in other counties across the state. A large number of county commissions recognize the economic importance of forestry to their communities and citizens. These never considered the ACCA model because they were aware of the harmful impact it would have on timber buyers, loggers, and landowners. Others simply stated “we don’t have a problem with loggers, so we don’t need an ordinance.”

The Future of Logging Ordinances and Act 2012-257 While the widespread adoption of the Model becomes less likely with each passing month, AFA members are cautioned to remain vigilant concerning the activities of their county commissions. We believe many counties are waiting for the controversy to subside before proceeding with consideration of the Model. It is noteworthy that all of the counties that originally passed the Model did so without public discussion or input. In the 14 counties that are still operating under the provisions of the Model, AFA will continue to encourage the

A Blount County road. Commercial vehicle traffic (farm, timber, and mining) have led to road degradation that is often blamed on logging, alone.

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forestry community to work proactively with county commissioners to repeal the ACCA Model and replace it (if necessary) with a resolution that complies with the state law. AFA members must realize that this controversy is now essentially a local issue. We stand ready to assist our members in any county on any issue that affects their private property rights and the ability to conduct their lives and businesses with as little government intrusion as possible. However, it is your voice as a voting citizen that ultimately influences the actions of a county commission. In any discussion with county commissioners, it is important to emphasize that we are not enemies. Forestry (landowners, loggers, and mills) must have a good road and bridge infrastructure to move our products to market—one that is in our best interest to maintain. Similarly, county governments (especially in rural counties) rely on the tax dollars generated by forestry. It is a partnership that should not be disrupted by contention. We will continue to work on this matter to ensure that the interests of the forestry community are safeguarded. And, of course, we will keep you informed at every step in the process. For more information on this issue, please visit www.alaforestry.org. ▲

A Cullman County road before timber harvest. Many loggers are faced with the potential of being blamed for county roads that have suffered years of neglect.

As the Red Snapper Get Bigger, the Season Length Gets Shorter By David Rainer

Photos by David Rainer

Whether Gulf Coast anglers get the proposed 27-day red snapper season, the shortest in history, remains to be seen. It could get a little better, but it also could get a whole lot worse. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) currently projects anglers, who are increasingly catching bigger and bigger snapper, will reach their recreational quota of 4.145 million pounds in less than a month. The two factors that could increase or decrease the number of days anglers can catch snapper are a new red snapper stock assessment that is expected in April or May and a decision by several Gulf States on whether to comply with the federal regulations in their state waters. State waters extend 9 miles from the coasts in Texas and Florida, while Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana have a 3-mile boundary. Louisiana has petitioned the courts to extend its boundary to more than 10 miles (3 marine leagues), but the courts have rebuffed the effort at this point. During the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting held recently in Mobile, the compliance issue was at the forefront of the council’s business. Texas has not amended its rules for state waters to coincide with federal regulations for years. Now, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has voted to open its state waters from March 24 through September for weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) only with a daily bag limit of three fish with a minimum length of 16 inches. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) proposed a 44-day recreational season for state waters from June 1 through July 14. The FWC will make a final decision on the red snapper season at its April meeting.

Another big snapper brought in! The average size of red snapper caught by anglers in the Gulf of Mexico has doubled recently, which has caused the annual quota of 4.1 million pounds to be reached in fewer days. The National Marine Fisheries Service projects a 27-day season for 2013, starting June 1. Other factors may determine whether the season is shorter or days can be added later in the year.

Emergency Rule for States in Rebellion Dr. Roy Crabtree, NMFS’s Southeast Regional Administrator, realized the repercussions of the rebellion and introduced a motion for an emergency rule to deal with states in noncompliance. Those states would have reduced fishing days in federal waters offshore of the respective states. The first vote failed, but Crabtree continued his argument during a closed council session. Subsequently, the original motion was reconsidered and passed by a 9-7 margin despite rigorous opposition from Texas and Louisiana. Chris Blankenship, Alabama Marine

Resources Director, said had the emergency rule not passed it could have had devastating effects on the Alabama snapper season. “Having some consequences for those states in noncompliance is good for the fishermen in Alabama,” Blankenship said. “With Texas having a full season for years, all that factors into the quota, and that has cost Alabama fishermen days in the past.” Blankenship said noncompliance by Louisiana would hurt, but if Florida’s decision for a 44-day season in state waters stands, the federal red snapper season potentially could be cut in half. A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

“Had the council not added the consequences for noncompliance and Florida decides to have their season outside the federal season, we could be looking at a 12- or 13-day season for Alabama fishermen,” he said. “Since they passed the emergency rule, it will limit the number of days for red snapper season in federal waters adjacent to Florida. We’re hopeful it won’t affect the season off Alabama. “States are posturing to do what’s best for them, and then states like us are trying to protect our fishermen and protect our access.” Dr. Bob Shipp, who sits on the Gulf council, said noncompliance by Florida would have a much greater effect on the snapper season than noncompliance by Louisiana or Texas.

A Noncompliant Florida Could Devastate Alabama Snapper Fishing “If Florida goes noncompliant, it’s a different ball game,” Shipp said. “It’s entirely possible that Florida, in state waters with a long season and liberal bag limit, could catch the entire quota. There wouldn’t be a fishery Gulf-wide. Then the whole system would collapse, I think.” Shipp admits it’s frustrating to see such a short snapper season proposed, but he was uncomfortable with a proposed longer season with a reduced bag limit. “We do have plenty of fish, but the way the rules are and the way the MagnusonStevens Act is written, we’re suffering,” said Shipp, who recently announced his plans to retire from his position as head of Marine Sciences at the University of South Alabama (USA). “I wavered on the issue of a longer season with a one-fish bag limit. But we heard from a lot of people who said it just would not be worth the time or expense to go out and catch one fish. “We hate to have a shortened 20-day season. On the other hand, we are going to get a new stock assessment. Everybody is anticipating that it’s going to be positive and the quotas will be raised. Although the numbers won’t be available in time to lengthen this season, if the numbers come A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

in really good, we might be able to reopen the season later in the year. It all depends on the stock assessment. Everybody is keeping their fingers crossed.” Blankenship said the updated stock assessment may offer a bit of relief but it likely won’t be an accurate appraisal of the red snapper population. “During the June council meeting, they may be able to add more days, depending on what Louisiana does, what Florida does and what the stock assessment shows,” Blankenship said. “I’m optimistic that the stock assessment is going to be better, but I’m not optimistic that it’s going to be right. I still think we’ve got a long way to go for National Marine Fisheries Service to get a true picture. Through his numerous research trips into the Gulf, Shipp is convinced the projections by the NMFS computer models do not reflect the actual status of red snapper, considering the number of artificial reefs and oil and gas structures that provide essential fish habitat.

Alabama Has Built more Habitat than Other States “I’m totally convinced that we’re not in a rebuilding phase,” he said. “We’ve gone far beyond rebuilding, far beyond historical levels, but that’s because we’ve created so much habitat. The way the law reads, we have to build the stock to whatever capacity we have in the Gulf. But that’s one of the other problems. Off Alabama, we have about 17,000 artificial structures. Off Texas or southwest Florida, they don’t have that habitat. That’s why, if we were able to manage by state, we would have a much longer season, and we wouldn’t do harm to our stock at all. But the way the law reads, the Gulf must be managed pretty much as a single unit.” Amendment 39 that the council discussed would be an effort at regional management of the fish stocks, but Shipp doesn’t see that as a viable answer. “The regional management we talked about still suffers from the one major flaw, which is the overall quota would still be

set by the feds,” he said. “The only way regional management is going to make a difference is if the states are allowed to set their individual quota. If we could get jurisdiction out to 20 fathoms (120 feet), for example, I think that would solve most of our problems. Snapper are found out to 100 fathoms, so 80 fathoms of habitat and fish stocks would be protected. The other part of that is the states have a far better record historically of managing stocks than the federal government.”

A Generation of Future Fishermen Could Be Lost to Overregulation! Marcus Kennedy, an avid recreational fisherman from Mobile, may have summarized it best when he said a complete generation of future fishermen is on the verge of being lost due to overregulation. “Red snapper are the bread and butter of our near-shore saltwater fishing experience,” Kennedy said. “In our area they are plentiful, relatively close to shore, big, easy to catch, great to eat, and provide significant motivation for kids to get in a boat and go fish. “I have the experience, equipment, time, money, and expertise to target other species year round, but a great majority of fishermen are not like me. If they can’t hop in a 20-foot boat, go 10 miles out and depend on catching (and keeping) a reasonable mess of red snapper, they are not going. …We must have at least six months of access to red snapper here to have any hope for the future,” Kennedy added. ▲

More and bigger snapper are being caught each year in Alabama waters. The state is benefitting from an aggressive artificial reef program that included dumping old M-60 army tanks and other large objects into gulf waters off the Alabama coast. 17

SAVINGS

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NEWS & VIEWS

From My Neck of the Woodsâ&#x20AC;Ś A

recent trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania provided me with an opportunity to get some of the most up-to-date information on the national level issues affecting the Tree Farm family. These issues ranged from forest certification to national level policy issues and the important Washington Fly-ins. The Tree Farm program may have started 70 years ago as strictly a program to recognize landowners who manage their property for wood, water, recreation and wildlife. However, today it is more than a simple recognition program. It has evolved into a nationally recognized and internationally endorsed certification program of sustainable wood products. With the changing times we live in, the ever important personal desires to know where our food comes from or to know that our wood products come from a certified source are a driving force behind a lot of local and national policies. Once again the ATFS is revisiting the

idea of what to do to make the Tree Farm program more self sufficient and a more member-owned program. Several ideas were discussed that may give landowners or state committees a choice when it comes to certification. Opting in or out of the certification part of the American Tree Farm program is one option. If a state wants to opt out of the certification side of the Tree Farm program, then all the land in the state that is not in an independently managed group would stay in the program but not be recognized as a certified Tree Farm. They would still be part of the Tree Farm program just not the international recognized and endorsed certified program. Several states that were present at the leadership conference expressed concern about this option and did not feel that this was the way to go. However, this is still up for debate and I do imagine that this will be more finely tuned before the official policy is passed by the American Forest Foundation board of directors.

It was also mentioned that the American Tree Farm program needs to do a better job of branding the Tree Farm concept and that the Tree Farm logo needs to be more recognizable and more present in the marketplace. Again with this trip, I have learned that the Alabama Tree Farm Committee is blessed to have an active and working partnering relationship with the Alabama Forestry Association and most of all to have a program coordinator like Chris Erwin. Chris is a strong supporter of the state tree farm committee and is a wealth of knowledge on everything Tree Farm. As spring draws closer and we find the need to do a little spring cleaning around the farm, remember to think safety and practice what you think. Until next time, I am, Paul E. Hudgins, R.F. â&#x2013;˛ By Paul Hudgins Alabama Tree Farm Chairman

Alabama Tree Farm Committee State Chairman Paul Hudgins (334) 376-9114 State Coordinator Chris Erwin (334) 481-2133 Black Belt District Bart Adams (334) 410-0608 Capital District Rick Oates (334) 613-4305 Delta District Paul Hudgins (334) 376-9114 Longleaf District Mike Older (334) 222-0379 Mountain District Todd Langston (256) 434-4712

Piedmont District Jim Morris (256) 357-0177 Valley District Karen Boyd (256) 637-7223 Vulcan District Jason Dockery (256) 734-0573 Warrior District Tim Browning (205) 367-8232 Wiregrass District Heather Wierzbicki (334) 855-5394

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Northern Vice Chairman Tim Browning (205) 367-8232 Southern Vice Chairman Heather Wierzbicki At Large Directors: Don East (256) 396-2694 Lamar & Felicia Dewberry (256) 396-0555 Salem & Dianne Saloom (251) 867-6464 Allen Varner (334) 240-9308

Bruce Eason (334) 864-9357 Tom Carignan (334) 361-7677 Carolyn Stubbs (334) 821-0374 Tim Albritton (334) 887-4560 Charles Simon (334) 222-1125 Chris Isaacson (334) 265-8733 Jim Solvason (334) 372-3360 Doug Link (251) 564-6281 19

T r e e F a r m ’s G r e e n H o r i z o n s

Events Update April 18—Managing Woodlands and Wildlife in Challenging Times, Saloom Properties, Evergreen Pre-register at 251-578-2762 July 25-27, 2013—National Tree Farmer Convention Minneapolis, Minnesota

Register today for the 20th Anniversary National Tree Farmer Convention. The event this year will have something for everyone: educational sessions on topics affecting your Tree Farm, a youth program for the next generation of Tree Farmers, a field day visit to a local certified Tree Farm, and even some Minnesota-themed optional tours hosted by the Minnesota Tree Farm Committee.

Talk About a

Hot Seat!

ne of my forest consulting clients and earlier landowner assistance program clients, Mr. William “Bill” Ellis whose Tree Farm was about two miles south of Castleberry, Alabama, brought me this bundle of oak splinters one day that had been a stool. He had gathered them from the inside of a deer shooting house that had been struck by lightning. You can see the results. Alabama Tree Farmer of the Year in 1982, the late Bobby Bearden of Chilton County, also had a shooting house hit by lightning and it burned to the ground. Here in the South with such vast fluctuations in the weather, we can have thunderstorms during the hunting season. We sometimes hear of “snow thunder” as well. When you hear the distant rumble, it’s time to bail out. Don’t get the “hot seat.”

MANAGEMENT PLAN WORKSHOPS: Preparing and Updating Your Management Plan Pre-register at 334-481-2133 June 19—Andalusia July 17—Monroeville August 21—Wetumpka September 11—Moundville October 16—Decatur

Another safety tip to consider The aforementioned Tree Farmer Bobby Bearden also believed in this. When out in the woods, wear a hunter orange hat—yearround. I do. There are several reasons for doing this. Some deer hunters—some that don’t care where or when they hunt, may hunt year-round. Some of these may take so called “sound shots.” Enough said. Some of us older codgers may end up with physical problems while deep in the woods. Search teams on the ground or in the air may spot the orange hat and help find us. You can also get lightweight blaze orange or yellow vests as well. It may be worth it for you or your survivors. As Bill O’Reilly would say, those are my talking points for today. ▲ By Doug Link At Large Director

Steven Katovich, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

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The Value of

Tree Farm T

here is a lot of talk lately regarding the value of Tree Farm certification. I hear different opinions, good and bad, from different perspectives, landowners, landowners associations, consulting foresters, paper mill and sawmill managers. It is not surprising to hear this kind of talk when money is tight and business is bad. People are looking for savings as well as services that set them apart from competitors. When I’m recruiting landowners to join the American Tree Farm System, the first question I field is “what value does Tree Farm bring to me?” There are many reasons to join Tree Farm, education, recognition, community, and so on. But the conversation inevitably ends up with, “will I get paid more for my wood?” I have about a five minute reply that has been rehearsed over one thousand times. I’m thinking about putting it to music to make it a little more entertaining. But some landowners want an easy answer, yes or no and I want to give them an easy answer. This is where I begin to remember the Rules of Professional Conduct of an Alabama Registered Forester and the Code of Ethics of the Society of American Foresters. And somewhere in both of those documents you will see words like “honest, accurate and complete information.” So my answer to landowners has to be “it depends.” The laws of supply and demand apply. As a landowner you have to do the research to find out where you fit on that supply curve and where your markets rest on the demand curve. You have a number of avenues to discover the answers to these questions including your county forestry planning committee. At these meetings you will meet your neighboring landowners and discover whether or not they are members of the American Tree Farm System. These organizations bring in guest speakers and include field trips to mills in your area. Learn what products your local mills make and who are their big customers. Many of them have on display the packaging products at the mill such as Coca-Cola packaging or Charmin toilet paper. Look for a certified forest label on the product, ask who the mill’s sustainability manager is and get to know him. By knowing your markets you will know what the customer demands from the mill. It is the customer not the mill that is driving certification.

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A fifty-year Tree Farm proudly displays its well-earned sign. Photo courtesy Will Ford

What I believe you will discover is that in some areas there may be no immediate economic incentives to join Tree Farm, not taking into account the knowledge gained by participating. However, in some areas you may receive some type of economic incentive to participate. These incentives can be in many forms such as an increased number of bids on your timber, being on a preferred list that benefits you when mills have quotas and wood gets cut off, and yes, even price premiums. I have seen press releases from mills that name Tree Farm as a preferred supplier. I also have seen commitments from mills that they will source certain percentages from certified forests. There is one rule we should all obey in hard economic times. Listen to the customer. If you don’t provide the services expected from the customer, your competitor will. ▲

By Chris Erwin Alabama Tree Farm State Coordinator

T r e e F a r m ’s G r e e n H o r i z o n s

2013 Alabama Natural Resources Council Awards Banquet a Big Success By Doug Link

was held in conjunction with a day-long Tree Farm Advocacy workshop at the Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. The evening began with an education symposium and speakers covering topics including cost-share, white tailed deer predation, and outdoor photography. Following the symposium was a reception and wonderful banquet. The first awards presented were to the three outstanding forestry planning committees representing the north, central, and south regions of Alabama.

n February 8 the 2013 Natural Resources Council Annual Awards Banquet was held at the Dixon Hotel and Conference Center in Auburn. These awards are presented to those individuals and groups achieving goals and recognition during 2012 in the forestry and natural resources arena. Last year’s gathering filled the allowed banquet space and required enlarging the banquet hall this year to accommodate the crowd of 150 attendees. These included Tree Farmers, Treasure Forest landowners, and forestry- and natural resource-related personnel. This event

1 1 Allen Varner of the Alabama Forestry Commission presented the awards. The north region winner was Winston County. This county winner, like the winners of the other two regions, had their accomplishments presented to the attendees. Eighteen members of the committee meet monthly throughout the year on this very active committee. The list was long and they were very deserving of this special honor as were all of this year’s winners. Representatives of the committee received the award from Allen Varner.

2 be justly proud of their accomplishments. Work done by this committee, just as that done by committee’s statewide, benefits everyone from school children to seniors within the local county. Each activity makes impacts on sound multiple-use forest management and educates the public about the great natural resources available to all of us here in Alabama. 3

2 The central region winner was Coosa County. This 13member group meets on a monthly basis and their accomplishments were no less great than the others. All members are very dedicated to the task of providing an excellent forestry program benefitting their local county through education, outreach, and boots-on-the-ground examples. 3 The south region winner, with 22 active members is the Butler County Committee. They meet monthly and should

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Tree Farm Awards 4 Past chairman of the Alabama Tree Farm Committee, Doug Link, is presented the Alabama Tree Farm Leadership Award by incoming Chair Paul Hudgins of the Alabama Forestry Committee, following 14 years of Linkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership as the chairman of the committee. He joins Don East and Dr. Salem Saloom as the third recipient of the award. For his past leadership in bringing the Alabama program to its leading position today, the award in the future will be presented as the Doug Link Leadership Award and will be displayed with the others on a permanent plaque in the Alabama Forestry Foundation building in Montgomery. 5 The Alabama Tree Farm Inspector of the Year Award was presented to Tim Browning of the Alabama Forestry Commission by Tree Farm Chairman Paul Hudgins. Tim serves as the north area vice-chair and Warrior District chair as well. He gives the forestry community an advocacy boost by serving as a county commissioner. He assists Tree Farm in fund-raising events and other supporting efforts as well as having the leading number of certification inspections for the year.

7 new tree farms into the Alabama program. Bruce was recently voted from at large district director to Piedmont District director replacing Jim Morris who is stepping down after serving for more than 30 years on the committee. Tom Carignan of Carignan Forestry Consultants also won the Bronze Hard Hat Award but could not be present to receive it.

been a certified Tree Farm for nearly 50 years. It is very beautiful with a diverse forest and many geologic features. Legally divided by the family in the past, John Boutwell actively manages this tree farm for both families and has done an excellent job. They are Alabamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 36th Tree Farm Family of the Year.

7 Alabama Tree Farm Family of the Year for 2012 is Peggy Autrey and her brother John Boutwell and his wife, Ann. This joint ownership of nearly 2,000 acres is located in Butler County on Cedar Creek and is known as Cedar Creek Plantation. This long-time family-owned farm has

6 A Tree Farm Bronze Hard Hat Award was won by Bruce Eason of BNE Forest Management Services for certifying 25

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T r e e F a r m ’s G r e e n H o r i z o n s

W. Kelley Moseley Awards 8 The W. Kelley Moseley Award is perhaps the most significant and respected award for environmental achievement in Alabama. The first winner for this year from Chambers County is Mr. William “Bill” Frazer of Lafayette, nominated by Mr. Bobby Jennings, a former Helene Moseley and Alabama Tree Farmer of the Year Award winner. Mr. Frazer’s impacts on forestry in east Alabama is well known by the forestry community state wide. Alabama is much greener by the millions of trees established by Bill during his career. 9 Our next W. Kelley Moseley winner is Mr. Tommy Lawler of Camden in Wilcox

County. Mr. Lawler was nominated by John Ollison, regional extension agent for the Black Belt region. Tommy Lawler has spent most of his life in the timber business, served on the Alabama Tree Farm Committee, and his forestry and natural resources educational and outreach activities are outstanding. This includes a large environmental classroom built on his property with marked nature trails and other education activities. Tommy is a natural environmentalist. He’s been there, done that.

Helene Moseley Treasure Forest Award Winners 10 James, Joyce, and Bradley Barker are our north region Helene Moseley Winners. Jim Shepard, Dean of the Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences makes the presentation. 11 Chip and Louise Taylor are the Central Region Winners from Hale County. They stand beside the signed and number Moseley print presented to each Helene Moseley, W Kelley Moseley winner, and the nominators for each award. 12 The south region winner was the Magnolia Branch Wildlife Preserve owned and managed by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Escambia County, Alabama. They like all award winners are doing an excellent job of forestry and wildlife management activities on their property. ▲

All photos are courtesy of Kelvin Daniels of the Alabama Forestry Commission.

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A CONTINUING SERIES

What It Means to Be a Tree Farmer

eing an owner of a certified Tree Farm carries a number of requirements that you agree to when you join the program. Many forest landowners meet the requirements without ever thinking about it, like following all laws and regulations. But there are some requirements to Tree Farm certification that do take a bit of thought and effort. One such requirement is that forest

owners should make practical efforts to prevent, eradicate, or otherwise control invasive species. With Alabama having a port city in Mobile, we have our fair share of exotic invasive species, including kudzu, privet, cogongrass, and on and on. Exotic invasive species are a creeping, quiet threat to the forests that we all grew up romping through and cherish today. They don’t attract as much attention from the public as wildfires, insects, and disease but they are just as deadly and more difficult and costly to recover. Last year, I abandoned using the Montgomery Public Schools Arboretum for teaching tree identification when I realized there were more nonnatives than natives. It completely

transforms an area to something more similar to Southeast Asia. I recently attended the first meeting of the Feral Hog Council at the Alabama Wildlife Federation in Millbrook and there seems to be an increasing interest in the leadership ranks of the forestry and agricultural communities to slow the spread and damage of these animals. In 1988, wild pigs were found primarily in southwest Alabama compared to pockets all over the state today. Females can have two litters of six piglets each in one year! Wild pigs will consume and damage crops, seed and seedlings, and their rooting and wallowing will compact soils and affect the site productivity. Damages are estimated to be $1.5 billion in the U.S. Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System recently published A

Photo by Fred Greetham, Bugwood.org

By Chris Erwin

Landowner’s Guide for Wild Pig Management, Practical Methods for Wild Pig Control. This is a well-written and illustrated publication that gives background, biology, control methods, and diagrams for traps. Stop by your county extension office and ask for a copy of this publication. Or if you can’t find a copy locally, send me an email at cerwin@alaforestry.org with your name and mailing address and I will get a copy to you. ▲

Signs of Sustainability promoting sustainable forestry since 1949

Look for these signs of sustainability in the woods & on your products. A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

Connecting Kids to Nature

Activity 1: The Shape of Things Chinese Tangram Tangrram am Puzzle

www.plt.org

AFA Mid-Winter Meeting 2013 AFA members had a great mid-winter time in Destin, including great programs, visiting with friends, a chilly round of golf, and capped off with a “Fran-a-thon” honoring Fran Whitaker’s service to the association.

3 4

AFA said thanks to Fran for 23 years of faithful service. 1 As part of the Saturday night program to honor Fran Whitaker for her 23 years of dedicated service to the AFA, EVP Chris Isaacson presents Fran with a special gift, after giving her a flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol. 2 Senator Bryan Taylor, RPrattville, presented Fran with congratulatory House and Senate Resolutions on her retirement from AFA. 3 AFA Treasurer Bob Sharp presented Fran with a message of congratulations from Gov. Robert Bentley at her Saturday night fete. 4 AFA President Fred Stimpson did a good job presiding at the Mid-Winter meeting and kept the program moving along at a brisk pace. 5 Mark Byal and his beautiful wife Tamara at the Saturday reception. 6 Janet Ison talks about her favorite program, Log a Load for Kids.

< The camera spied a wedding on the beach on Saturday. The bride must have been freezing because it felt like it was 30 below on the beach.

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Mid-Winter Memories

1 Braving what turned out to be arctic winds on the Links Golf Course, were teammates Chris Potts, Leonard Robinson, Eugene Hollis, and Jarrod Wadsworth. 2 Doug Bowling, Jimmy Lovinggood, Monte Simpson, and Jimmy Nicholson showed their stuff as they endured super cold winds during their golf round on Saturday. 3 Jimmy Lovinggood had to dig this one out of the sand at Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s golf outing at the Links Course at Sandestin.

Heather Crozier of Auburn University and AFA Regional Coordinator Mae Stimpson enjoyed each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s company at the AFA reception on Saturday night.

State Forester Linda Casey talked about her agency at Saturday session.

Joe Twardy, Ben Knight, Jr. and Ben Smith catch up on the latest news at AFA reception. State Senator Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, talked about the state budgets at program session. Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh talked about the 2013 Regular Session.

Attending Saturday reception were, left to right, Chris Potts, Stan Sharp, Robert Monk of Alabama Ag Credit and AFA Accountant Adam Easley.

Jack Chappell talks to Max and Francis Judy of Jasper, Alabama at his Meeks Farm and Nursery display.

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1 Angela Till, senior tax analyst with the state of Alabama, discussed Alabama tax incentives available to forestry in her program session Friday afternoon. 2 Ken Muehlenfeld provided some good statistics on the forest products industry at his program session. 3 Cassandra Odom, who represents Children’s and Women’s Hospital of Mobile, spoke of the way her hospital has benefited from Log a Load for Kids. 4 Deb Schneider, director of the CHIPS Center at Children’s Hospital, made everybody understand why Log a Load is an important program for Alabama Children. 5 Emily Hornak, who oversees the outreach effort at Children’s Hospital, thanked AFA members for their support through the Log a Load for Kids program.

Senator Bryan Taylor, RPrattville, his wife Jessica and their beautiful children, son Samuel (left) and daughter Fair.

Power South’s Horace Horn and his wife, Linda, enjoyed themselves at AFA reception. U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, (second from right) is surrounded by AFAers Bob Sharp, left, Dell Hill, Barrett McCall and John Rice, after the senator gave the keynote address to open the Saturday program session. Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey introduced Saturday morning keynote speaker U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions. Kay also presented Fran with a certificate of appreciation at her retirement fete on Saturday night. Celebrating passage of the Alabama Education Accountability Act of 2013, Alabama Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh raises Kay’s hand in victory. Way to go guys!

AFC staffer Tom Conway talks to Alan Jaye at reception Saturday night. Although it was a cool weekend, the beach at Mid-Winter was still beautiful in this shot on Sunday morning.

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Forestry News & Views

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Ag Credit, a rural lending cooperative serving southern Alabama, recently declared a record $5.6 million cash patronage to its customers. This amount was based on the co-op’s strong 2012 financial results and was approved by the Alabama Ag Credit Board of Directors. Net income for Alabama Ag Credit grew 15 percent to a record level of $15.1 million. Outstanding loan volume climbed to $695 million. These strong financial results allowed the Board of Directors to distribute the all-cash patronage payout to our borrowers. This patronage distribution is based on the amount of business a borrower does with the co-op and lowers the borrowers’ net cost of borrowing by 0.85%. With this year’s payment, Alabama Ag Credit has returned approximately $49.1 million in cash to our borrowers since 1996. As a cooperative, Alabama Ag Credit is owned by its borrowers/stockholders. When the co-op performs well, it shares its earnings with the stockholders. “This is a significant financial return to our borrowers,” said W. Thomas Dozier III, chairman of the co-op’s member-elected board of directors. “This patronage program is evidence that the cooperative system works and demonstrates our commitment to meeting the mission of enhancing the quality of life for the people of rural Alabama.” A part of the nationwide Farm Credit System, Alabama Ag Credit provides financing for farms, timber and forestry operations, agribusinesses, recreational land and rural homes in 40 counties in southern Alabama. The financing co-op has offices in Demopolis, Dothan, Enterprise, Loxley, Montgomery, Opelika, Selma and Tuscaloosa. ▲

Backing Alabama-China Connections By Emmett Burnett “We love you George,” the Chinese visitor said to his American host, hugging his neck before boarding a plane for home. George Landegger beamed; his Alabama China Partnership Symposium was successful. Sixty Chinese industry leaders met in Monroeville to discuss business in The George Landegger Heart of Dixie, coordinated by a man born in Europe, raised in New York, but with a heart in Dixie. The 60 Chinese entrepreneurs met recently with Alabama counterparts in the city of 7,000 to share ideas, network, and learn from each other. It was organized by Landegger and the Alabama China Partnership. His goal was to show China Alabama and vice versa. It worked. Monroeville was so impressed, its weekly newspaper, The Monroe Journal, published in Chinese that week. Few locals could read it, but overseas guests appreciated the gesture. “We are the largest consumer nation on earth. We need them,” Landegger says. “And they need us. The Chinese government recognizes it must be closer to and know its customers. They do not understand our EPA regulations, U.S. labor policies, or tax laws. Meetings like this one in Monroeville are a good start to learning about us.” But what blew them away was Alabama-Auburn football. In 2011, Landegger, who doesn’t speak Chinese, escorted a delegation of people who do. They attended the Iron Bowl. As thousands sang the National Anthem, a Chinese lady turned to her American host and said, “I look forward to the day my people sing the Chinese national anthem with such reverence.” Emmett Burnett is a freelance writer for Business Alabama. He lives in Satsuma. ▲

Photo courtesy of Georgetown University

Alabama Ag Credit Declares Record Patronage to Stockholders

Random Lengths Reports on Lumber Production, US vs. Canada U.S. lumber output through December up 8.1% vs. 2011 total U.S. softwood lumber production in 2012 totaled 28.652 billion board feet, up 8.1% from the 2011 total, according to the Western Wood Products Association’s monthly Lumber Track. Production in the West totaled 12.859 billion feet, up 10.7% from 2011. Southern production was 14.279 billion feet, up 6.0%. Production in other regions was 1.514 billion feet, up 7.1%. Nationwide, production in December totaled 2.109 billion feet, down 9.2% from November but 7.8% higher than the December 2011 figure. 3/4/2013

Canadian lumber output up 5% in 2012 Canadian lumber production finished 2012 at 23.2 billion board feet, a 5% increase from a year earlier. The third consecutive annual increase put production at its highest level since 2008. December output of 1.6 bbf was 20% behind November levels, but still 4% ahead of December 2011. British Columbia, up 2% for the year to 12.3 bbf, accounted for 53% of the Canadian total. Production in Quebec gained 11% year-over-year, to 4.8 bbf, and production in Alberta gained 7% year-over-year, to 3.4 bbf. 3/1/2013 ▲ 30

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National Outstanding Logger & John Deere Donate Gator for 25th Anniversary of Log a Load ROCKVILLE, Md.— National Outstanding Loggers, Flint Equipment, and John Deere Donate Gator to Support 25th Anniversary Year. National Outstanding Loggers T.W. Byrd’s Sons, Flint Equipment, and John Deere have donated a John Deere RSX850i Gator Utility Vehicle to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Log A Load For Kids® program. Raffle tickets for the gator will be sold throughout the year to raise funds to support the CMN Children’s Hospitals. “My family has been in the logging business for over 50 years,” says Paul Byrd. “As our business has grown and our roots in the community have deepened, my brothers, sister, and I have tried to give back in many ways. The Log a Load program is one powerful way that we and loggers all around the country come together to make a difference in the lives of others.” “As a result of the generosity of loggers and others like the Byrd family, Log A Load For Kids® raises over $1.6 million each year to help injured and sick children at Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Children’s Hospitals,” states National Log A Load For Kids® Chair Rich Palermo. “With the generous donation of a RSX850i Gator, every state Log a Load program will be eligible to receive raffle tickets. All of the donations raised through this raffle will stay in the state where they are contributed.” “At John Deere, we are honored to join with Flint Equipment to celebrate the commitment of the Byrd family to their community,” says Dave Althaus, manager of events and promotions for John Deere’s Construction & Forestry Division. “As National Sponsor of the 25th Anniversary of Log a Load, John Deere hopes to raise awareness of the many ways loggers help sustain and protect our communities.” Contact: Richard Lewis 301-452-4202. ▲

Potlatch Names President & Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Board SPOKANE, Wash.—Potlatch Corporation (Nasdaq:PCH) announced recently that Eric J. Cremers, 49, has been named president and chief operating officer, and elected to its board of directors, effective March 1. Cremers will be responsible for leading the company’s business operations, including timberland management, wood manufacturing and sales, real estate, and human resources. He will continue to serve as chief financial officer and lead investor relations activities while a search for a successor is conducted. “Since joining Potlatch, Eric has been the driving force behind restructuring the company. His strong background in business strategy and finance, coupled with his understanding of all three of our businesses uniquely qualify him to add value to our board and lead the day-to-day operations of the company,” said Mike Covey, chairman and chief executive officer. Cremers joined Potlatch in 2007 as vice president and chief financial officer and was promoted in 2012 to executive vice president and chief financial officer. Prior to joining Potlatch, Cremers worked for Albertsons, where he served as senior vice president, corporate strategy and business development. He also worked in investment banking for Piper Jaffray and for The Pillsbury Company. Cremers earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School.

About Potlatch

International Forest Company

Top Quality Container Seedlings

Celebrating 30 Years of Container Seedling Production Longleaf, Loblolly, Slash, & Shortleaf Performance Rated Survival Enhanced

Moultrie, Georgia 800-633-4506 www.interforestry.com

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Potlatch is a real estate investment trust (REIT) with approximately 1.43 million acres of timberland in Arkansas, Idaho, and Minnesota. Potlatch, a verified forest practices leader, is committed to providing superior returns to stockholders through long-term stewardship of its forest resources. The company also conducts a land sales and development business and operates wood products manufacturing facilities through its taxable REIT subsidiary. For more information about the company, visit our website at www.potlatchcorp.com. ▲

Products & Services Kenworth Celebrates 90th Anniversary in 2013 Excellent Heritage Features Quality, Innovation, and Technology KIRKLAND, Wash., Feb. 13, 2013—Kenworth Truck Company is celebrating its milestone 90th anniversary during 2013. With an excellent heritage of quality, innovation and technology, Kenworth has provided thousands of customers with The World’s Best® trucks over the decades. It all began in 1923 when Harry W. Kent and Edgar K. Worthington incorporated the Gersix Motor Company as “Kenworth.” The company name was formed from a combination of letters from the founders’ last names. That first year, the small Seattle truck manufacturer produced 78 six-cylinder, gasoline-powered trucks. Since then, Kenworth has produced more than 900,000 trucks. Kenworth’s success and staying power in a competitive business can be traced back to a philosophy established early in the firm’s history. The goal was to build the right Kenworth truck for each customer’s application to get the job done… and build that truck to last. That philosophy, which continues to be true to this day, resulted in Kenworth establishing a solid reputation for its quality, innovative and durable trucks that are driven by state-of-the-art technology. Kenworth was the first truck manufacturer to install diesel engines as standard equipment in 1933 and sold the first sleeper cab in 1936. The Kenworth T600A transformed the industry as the first truly aerodynamic class 8 truck in 1985. A year later, the Kenworth T800 was introduced and is widely recognized for serving productively in applications such as dump

truck, mixer, logger, and extreme heavy haul. The milestone 250,000th T800 was produced and celebrated last year. At the 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show, Kenworth significantly pushed aerodynamics ahead again with the introduction of the all-new Kenworth T680, the company’s most aerodynamic truck in its history. “Over the past 90 years, Kenworth has played an essential role in the development of trucks that are more fuel efficient, productive and economical to operate,” said Gary Moore, Kenworth’s general manager and PACCAR vice president. “It’s the foundation that began when Harry Kent and Edgar Worthington incorporated the Gersix Motor Company as ‘Kenworth’ in 1923, and delivering trucks that provide exceptional performance continues today.

“Kenworth takes great pride in our history of achievement and excellence. As we go forward, Kenworth’s core values of quality, innovation and technology will remain steadfast as we provide customers with The World’s Best trucks,” said Moore. In 2013, Kenworth expects to bring its latest industry-leading innovations to the Mid-America Trucking Show. Throughout the year, Kenworth will also host many customer events to commemorate the company’s 90th anniversary milestone and showcase our exciting new trucks. Stay tuned for more announcements. Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth’s Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com. Kenworth is a PACCAR company. ▲

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Kenworth and PACCAR Financial Offer Class 8 Extended Warranty Program KIRKLAND, Wash., Jan. 23, 2013—Kenworth Truck Company and PACCAR Financial are offering an Extended Warranty Program for U.S. customers who purchase new Kenworth Class 8 factory trucks financed through PACCAR Financial. Under the program, which is good through March 31, 2014, Kenworth customers may receive a 3-year/300,000-mile basic vehicle extended warranty by choosing PACCAR Financial to finance purchases of new Kenworth Class 8 trucks with a standard highway warranty. “This cooperative Kenworth and PACCAR Financial program provides qualifying Class 8 customers with an additional two years and 200,000 miles of warranty coverage valued at $3,200,” said Preston Feight, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “This is an

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excellent program that offers The World’s Best® trucks from Kenworth and competitive financing packages and services from PACCAR Financial.” The program is part of the outstanding heavy duty truck support offered by the Kenworth dealer network. Kenworth’s constant commitment to superior satisfaction is demonstrated by Kenworth receiving the “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Heavy Duty Truck Dealer Service, Two Years in a Row,” according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011-2012 Heavy Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction StudiesSM. The offer is available on Kenworth trucks ordered between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2013, and financed through PACCAR Financial no later than March 31, 2014. There is a maximum quantity of 20 units per customer. Contact your local Ken-

worth dealer (www.kenworth.com) or nearest PACCAR Financial office (www.paccarfinancial.com) for program terms and conditions. Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth is an industry leader in providing fuel-saving technology solutions that help increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. The company’s dedication to the green fleet includes aerodynamic trucks, compressed and liquefied natural gas trucks, and medium duty dieselelectric hybrids. Kenworth is the only truck manufacturer to receive the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Excellence award in recognition of its environmentally friendly products. Kenworth’s Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com. Kenworth. A PACCAR Company. ▲

Wildlife & Outdoors

Invasive Plants of Alabama Like many other states, Alabama’s woodlands and waterways have been under siege for years by an unforgiving enemy that has an endless battalion of ominous allies. If that statement makes you concerned, it should. There are more than 50 species of invasive plants that have been documented in Alabama, some of which have the potential to forever change Alabama’s landscapes. Only in recent years have the significant negative impacts been recognized by those outside the scientific field. A nonnative plant is one that has most likely been introduced by humans, either deliberately or accidentally, and is a species living outside its native range. An invasive is an introduced nonnative that becomes a pest in its new location and is likely to cause economic or environmental damages. Introductions have occurred through things such as erosion control plantings, ornamental propagations, and by seeds and plants on shipping containers. In many cases, once established, invasives become very difficult to extirpate and are typically associated with a high cost, both financially and ecologically. Examples of some invasive plants include kudzu, Chinese privet, cogongrass, multiflora rose and tallowtree. The proliferation of nonnative invasive plants can have serious repercussions if left uncontrolled. They can negatively impact forest and agriculture production, resulting in significant economic losses; be poisonous to livestock; limit access to areas on land and water; and displace

Cogongrass photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

By Keith Gauldin, Wildlife Biologist, Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries

native plants resulting in decreased native floral and faunal diversity. In fact, nonnative species are considered a responsible factor in the decline of many threatened and endangered species by altering habitats, second only to habitat loss. While some nonnatives perform poorly in their new environment, others can establish themselves very quickly and propagate. Many of these new environments are free of inhibiting factors that were present in their native area such as pathogens, predators, parasites and other plant competitors. These factors, which kept their numbers in check, are now not present to limit their spread. Without any natural inhibitors, these plants are able to propagate and disperse to unmanageable levels at times. In order to control the spread of nonnative invasives, it is up to landowners and

land managers to take the reins and make proactive efforts. There are many sources of information concerning the identification and recommended control practices of harmful invasives including the Internet, agencies such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Alabama Forestry Commission, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and universities. Private citizens can also assist by joining proactive groups such as the Alabama Invasive Plant Council to become better educated about invasive plants and to disseminate this information to others. For more information on invasive plants in Alabama, contact W. Keith Gauldin at 30571 Five Rivers Blvd., Spanish Fort, Alabama 36527; 251-626-5474 or keith.gauldin@dcnr.alabama.gov. ▲

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management, and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR visit www.outdooralabama.com.

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Tungoil Tree Is Invasive Species in Alabama By Andrew Nix, Forester, Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries

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Photo courtesy of Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

The tungoil tree is a non-native invasive plant species that is of growing concern to land managers in Alabama. It is found in the Lower Coastal Plain and southern parts of the Middle Coastal Plain regions of Alabama according to the Alabama Invasive Plant Council (see map on page three of this publication: www.se-eppc.org/alabama/2007plantlist.pdf). Tungoil trees are found in localized and scattered populations in managed forests, natural areas, and parks. Like all invasive species, the tungoil tree has the capability of altering native habitats to the detriment of wildlife. The tungoil tree was reportedly first introduced to America in 1905 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture from Hankow, China. Tung oil has been used for centuries in China for waterproofing multiple items. Tung oil in the United States was primarily used in paint, varnish, linoleum, and printer’s ink. The United States was the main importer of Chinese tung oil and during the late 1920s and early 1930s exceeded 12 million gallons annually. During the 1920s and into the 1930s, several thousand acres of tungoil plantations were planted in some Gulf Coast states. Several tung oil mills were built to press the oil from the tung seed. Concerns about product security and the militarization of tung oil supplies prior to World War II led to price supports from the federal government that expanded the industry to more of the Gulf Coast. Late spring freezes in the 1950s and 1960s, competition from South American sources, and several major hurricanes along the Gulf Coast in the 1960s were all factors that led to the demise of the tung oil industry. Most producers cleared what tungoil trees were on their land and moved into other, more profitable agricultural products. This rapidly-growing invasive tree forms dense stands and can produce viable seeds in as little as three years. These seeds are distributed by animals and water courses. Tungoil tree readily colonizes areas through stump sprouts. Tungoil has no known pests and the leaves and seeds are known to be poisonous. It is recommended that landowners remove this species from their property. Control methods of tungoil tree and other invasive plants can be found in “A Management Guide for Invasive Plants in Southern Forests,” which is available in PDF format at www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/36915. ▲

Index to Advertisers AGRICULTURAL LENDING

Alabama Farm Credit Systems ▲ AlabamaFarmCredit.com (North Alabama), AlabamaAgCredit.com (South Alabama) ...................4, Inside back cover CERTIFICATION

SFI/Tree Farm ▲ alaforestry.org/sfi .......................................................................25

Project Learning Tree ▲ plt.org.............................................................................26 FORESTRY EQUIPMENT

LandMark Spatial Solutions, LLC ▲ landmarkspatialsolutions.com ........................33 INSURANCE

Forest Fund ▲ alaforestry.org ...............................................................................18

CONSULTANTS—FORESTRY

LANDOWNERS (COMPANIES, INDIVIDUALS & TRUSTS)

F&W Forestry Services ▲ fwforestry.com .......................................Inside back cover Larson & McGowin ▲ larsonmcgowin.com ...........................................................36 McKinley & Lanier Forest Resources, Inc. ▲ mlforestresources.com ....Inside back cover Walter Dennis & Associates, Inc. ..............................................................................36

The Westervelt Company ▲ westervelt.com..........................................................33

FOREST PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS

International Forest Company ▲ interforestry.com ...............................................31 SuperTree Seedlings ▲ supertreeseedlings.com .....................................................2

Cooper/T.Smith ▲ coopertsmith.com.......................................................Back Cover Jasper Lumber Company ▲ jasperlumber.com .......................................................36 The Westervelt Company ▲ westervelt.com..........................................................33 FORESTRY EDUCATION

LOGGING CONTRACTORS

Mid-Star Timber Harvesting, Inc. ▲ midstartimber.com..................Inside back cover SEEDLINGS

UTILITIES

Alabama 811 ▲ al811.com ............................................................Inside back cover Southern Company ▲ alabamapowercompany.com ......................Inside Front Cover

Alabama Forests Forever Foundation ▲ alaforestry.org...........................................6

Walter Dennis & Associates, Inc. Environment, Forestry & Wildlife Consultants • Forest Management Plans • Timber Appraisals and Sales • Wildlife Management Plans • Wetlands Determinations • Environmental Assessments (Base Line, Phase 1) • Recreation Land Assessment • Hunt Lease Administration • Endangered Species Surveys • Conservation Programs

Over five decades and millions of acres of experience www.larsonmcgowin.com Main Office: Mobile, Alabama / 251.438.4581

Telephone: 601-446-5972 Fax: 601-445-0052 • Cell: 601-807-2168 P.O. Box 983 • Grand Bay, AL 36541

JASPER L U M B E R

C O M PA N Y

Southern Wood Chips, Inc B&T Shavings, Inc “Tradi

and service—ever tional quality y day”

PO Box 1425 • Jasper, AL 35502 www.jasperlumber.com Phone: (205) 384-9088 / Fax: (205) 384-0000 36

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SFI – 00111

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Frank Mozingo Linc: 185*338 Home: 251-843-5485 Cell: 334-456-2743 frank@midstartimber.com

Henry Lovette Linc: 185*201 Home: 205-673-2247 Cell: 334-456-2274

Justin Bonner Linc: 1*27565*20 Cell: 334-247-2427 justin@midstartimber.com

251-843-5407 midstartimber.com

TT.R. .R. CLARK LaFayette, AL 334.864.9542

McKinley & Lanier Forest Resources, Inc.

507 Energy Center Blvd. Suite 303 Northport, Alabama 35473 Phone: 1 (800) 247-0041 • Fax: (205) 344-6950 www.mckinleyandlanierforestresources.com

Land & Timber Management Services Forest Management • Timber Sales • Land & Timber Appraisals Forest Inventories • Harvest Scheduling • GIS and GIS Mapping Real Estate Sales • Estate Division

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