Georgia Forestry Today Mar-Apr 2015

GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY Volume 11, Issue 2 March | April 2015

FORESTRY DEGREE GROWING STUDENTS AT ABAC

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Georgia Forestry Today

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On the Cover:

GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY Printed in the USA PUBLISHER: A4 Inc. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alva Hopkins ahopkins@a4inc.com

EDITORIAL BOARD Wendy Burnett Alva Hopkins Stasia Kelly Sandi Martin Roland Petersen-Frey

PRODUCTION MANAGER Pamela Petersen-Frey p.frey@a4inc.com

“Our enrollment in forestry is up about 16 percent over last year,” Dr. William Moore, Department Head of Forest Resources at ABAC, said. “We have about 106 students now in both Forestry and Forest Technology. Ninety per cent of those students are in the bachelor’s degree program.”

Find out more on page 8.

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GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY is published bi-monthly by A4 Inc., 1154 Lower Birmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115. Recipients include participants of the Forest Stewardship Program and the American Tree Farm System.

Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the publisher, A4 Inc., nor do they accept responsibility for errors of content or omission and, as a matter of policy, neither do they endorse products or advertisements appearing herein. Part of this magazine may be reproduced with the written consent of the publisher. Correspondence regarding changes of address should be directed to A4 Inc. at the address indicated above. Advertising material should be sent to A4 Inc. at the e-mail address: p.frey@a4inc.com. Questions on advertising should be directed to the advertising director at the e-mail address provided above. Editorial material should be sent to A4 Inc. or to Alva Hopkins.

GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY 1154 Lower Birmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115

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Volume 11, Issue 2

March | April 2015

Georgia

FORESTRY TODAY P.08

Forestry Degree Growing Students at ABAC

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Managing Forests for Gopher Tortoises

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Message from the GFC Director

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GFC News

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Champions Among Us: Georgia’s Notable Trees and the People Who Find Them

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The Outdoorsman | Preaching in the Georgia Woods

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State Forestry Association Introduces Timber Theft Reward Program

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Letter to the Editor: Save the Planet ~ Burn a Tree

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Georgia Forestry News

Forestry Calendar

If you have a forestry event you’d like to see on our calendar, March 26 please contact Georgia Forestry Foundation Longleaf Golf Alva Hopkins at Tournament | Hawkinsville, GA ahopkins@a4inc.

Info: Information coming soon. com with the subject line ‘Calendar Event.’ April 2

Approximate date for end of Georgia legislative session

June 2-5 National Conference of Forest Landowners | Hilton Oceanfront Virginia Beach Virginia Beach, VA Info: www.forestlandowners.com

June 22-26 Georgia Teacher Conservation Workshop | Mansfield, Georgia Info: Information coming soon.

July 31 - August 3 2015 GFA Annual Conference & Forestry Expo Westin Jekyll Island Jekyll Island, Georgia Info: Information coming soon.

Georgia Forestry Today

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List of advertisers Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.................................3

HEI...............................................................................................30

American Forest Management ...............................................30

International Forest Company................................................. 6

Beach Timber Company Inc...................................................30

LandMark Spatial Solutions......................................................4

Blanton’s ......................................................................................16

Lanigan & Associates ...............................................................24

Bodenhamer Farms & Nursery...............................................12 Canal Wood LLC......................................................................30 Cantrell Forest Products Inc. ..................................................30 Davis - Garvin ............................................................................24 F4 Tech ........................................................................................14 Farm Credit Associations of Georgia....................................14 Flint Equipment Company.....................................................29

Meeks’ Farms & Nursery ...........................Inside Front Cover Morbark ......................................................................................30 Outdoor Underwriters.............................................................12 Prudential......................................................................................9 Plum Creek ...................................................................................5 Rivers Edge Forest Products....................................................30

Forest Resource Services Inc. ..................................................30

SuperTree Seedlings.....................................................................7

F&W Forestry Service..............................................................24

Weyerhaeuser................................................................................9

Georgia 811 ...............................................................Back Cover

Whitfield Farms & Nursery ....................................................11

Georgia Forestry Commission ...............................................15

Yancey Brothers ............................................Inside Back Cover

Georgia Forestry Today

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gone up, and the number of faculty members has certainly increased in size.”

ABAC is about to add its fifth faculty member to the forestry instruction team. That means Moore has some additional accreditation work to accomplish.

“We’re going to apply for further accreditation through the Society of American Foresters for our bachelor’s degree program,” Moore said. “Our forest technology program has been accredited by the Society of American Foresters for

Georgia Forestry Today

years but we had to reach a certain number of faculty members for our four-year degree. We’ll submit that in April.”

In all its programs, ABAC prides itself on hands-on experiences for its graduates. In forestry, that is definitely the case.

“Most of our laboratory work is held on property that is not too far from campus,” Moore said. “Some of the private landowners around here are very generous when it comes to allowing us to use

their property for our labs. We get huge support from the community.”

ABAC students also have access to the 200-acre J.G. Woodroof Farm, the 95-acre Forest Lakes Golf Club, and the 90-acre Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village, all operated by the college.

Applications are now being accepted for the ABAC fall semester which begins on Aug. 12. v

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for Forests GOPHER TORTOISES

By Dr. Jessica McGuire and John Jensen

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any people believe that Georgia’s state reptile, the gopher tortoise, is plentiful. While this may be the case in some areas, the gopher tortoise is in decline throughout most of Georgia and the rest of its range in the Southeast.

Because of this decline, the gopher tortoise is a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act. However, due to roughly 80 percent of gopher tortoise habitat being privately owned, the fate of this species depends on finding common ground on forest management.

Shedding Light on Burrows

In Georgia, gopher tortoises are most abundant in longleaf pine sandhills and xeric oak hammocks. Tortoises need welldrained, sandy soils for digging their burrows, which range up to ten feet deep and 25-35 feet long. Each burrow has one opening and is usually easy to spot due to the half-moon shape entrance and the mound of sand at the burrow entrance (called the ‘apron’). Depending on the soil type and the habitat qual10

Photo credit: Jessica McGuire, GA DNR

ity, a tortoise may use anywhere from one to ten burrows, which can make estimating tortoise numbers difficult and deceiving.

A landowner might have 20 burrows on their property, but only four to five tortoises!

Due to the number of animals that use their burrows, the gopher tortoise is oen referred to as a ‘keystone species.’ e burrows are not only important to the gopher tortoise, but to many other animals as well. Burrows maintain a fairly constant temperature and humidity year-round, making them the perfect shelter. More than 300 invertebrates (such as crickets, flies, and beetles) and upwards of 60 vertebrates (including the burrowing owl, the federally threatened eastern indigo snake, and the rare gopher frog) make their homes in gopher tortoise burrows. Without the burrows, these species might be in even further decline throughout the state. Even the northern bobwhite quail depends on the tortoise burrow as critical shelter from predators and beneficial fires.

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Tortoise and Timber Practices

During logging operations, precautions to take include: • Mark burrows before the logging crews arrive.

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Mark burrows with flagging tape placed at approximately breast height. Also paint the tree nearest to the burrow. Keep in mind that the tree can still be harvested; the marking is to alert the equipment operator.

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Avoid affecting burrows and nests by keeping heavy machinery out of a ten-foot radius around the burrow. Take particular care to avoid the area just behind the burrow entrance (where it is most prone to collapse) and the apron.

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Choose take-out rows carefully to avoid having to bend around tortoise burrows.

In addition to protecting tortoises and their burrows, you can optimize habitat on your property through the following forest management practices: • Conduct prescribed burns on a two-year rotation, ideally in the growing season.

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Thin forests to maintain at least 60 percent of the ground in direct sunlight (generally 50-60 feet2 of basal area per acre).

This ratio is similar to management recommendations for bobwhite quail.

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Maintain timber stands of various age classes.

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Consider chemical control of exotic grasses and mid-story hardwoods. Such control may be necessary to promote native warm season grasses and an open understory.

Georgia Forestry Today

Gopher tortoises lay three to fieen eggs from May through June in the burrow apron or in a nearby sunny spot. Incubation in Georgia takes 80-100 days, depending on the location. Unfortunately, as with other ground-nesting species, nest predation is very high and few gopher tortoise nests are successful. Common nest predators include raccoons, armadillos, foxes, skunks, and fire ants.

Tortoises that hatch quickly seek refuge in a nearby adult burrow, or dig their own. Young tortoises are extremely vulnerable; it can take more than seven years for their shell to harden.

Managing the Habitat Gopher tortoises are long-lived, slowgrowing reptiles that commonly reach ages of 60 years or more. ey are very loyal to their burrows and rarely move if habitat conditions are suitable. Tortoises leave areas when woody vegetation becomes too dense and shades out the ground. rough our work with this species, we oen find that displaced tortoises move to grassy roadsides and other open areas, such as pastures and power line right-of-ways.

Gopher tortoises rely on a high diversity of groundcover plants, such as grasses and legumes, for food. In order to encourage this buffet, sufficient sunlight needs to reach the ground, and soil disturbance should be minimal. Frequent

Photo credit: Jessica McGuire, GA DNR

fires can help maintain open habitat.

Note: While all pine species can be managed for gopher tortoises, longleaf pines rise to the top due to their resilience, open crowns, and ability to survive burns at a younger age. e good news is that if you have gopher tortoises on your property, it is not too late to help them thrive. rough projects on state lands, we have seen tortoises move back into restored habitat and away from dangerous road-

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Flagged burough near logging equipment. -Photo credit: Jessica McGuire, GA DNR

sides. And there is help available for restoration and management of gopher tortoise habitat on private lands.

Forest landowners can take advantage of numerous conservation incentives and even technical assistance. For example, the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Working Lands for Wildlife program is focused on improving gopher tortoise habitat. Prescribed burning, longleaf pine establishment, and brush man-

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agement are just a few of the beneficial practices available through the program. e U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Wildlife program also provides technical and financial assistance to restore and enhance habitat for migratory birds, fishes, and threatened and endangered species.

Protect Tortoises on Your Property When harvesting timber, we recommend

that the landowner, forester, and contractors work together to avoid damaging tortoise burrows. Timber harvest practices can be modified to protect tortoises and their burrows by clearly marking the burrow entrances with flagging.

While this may sound like a cumbersome task, it isn’t, according to Scott Adams of Adams Forestry Service in Camilla. Adams works with landowners concerned with protecting tortoises.

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e Forestry for Wildlife Partners group

Flagged burrow.

-Photo credit: Jessica McGuire, GA DNR

He said that flagging and avoiding burrows takes “very little extra time and is just something to get used to. It should become common practice and isn’t hard.” Adams did warn that avoiding burrows will likely result in the skidder pulling across rows, scarring a few trees in the process.

Ronnie Baker, who operates a 720 Tigercat for Burgundy Farms Inc. in Bainbridge, is used to avoiding wellmarked tortoise burrows. “It really doesn’t slow me down,” Baker said. “I thought it was going to be a headache, Georgia Forestry Today

but the flagging worked out really well. I was able to get all but maybe one or two marked trees.”

Matt Lambert, site foreman for Burgundy, said that working around the burrows doesn’t undercut production. e take-home: With only a modest amount of additional effort, timber harvests can greatly improve habitat without negatively impacting gopher tortoises and the burrows that provide critical shelter for them and many other animals. v

For more information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/Reports and view or download the brochure “Forest Management Practices that Enhance Habitat for the Gopher Tortoise.”

Dr. Jessica McGuire is a wildlife biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Section. She can be reached at jessica.mcguire @dnr.state.ga.us. John Jensen is a senior wildlife biologist with the Nongame Conservation Section.

Forestry for Wildlife Partners Honored - In February, Gov. Nathan Deal recognized three corporate forest landowners for their stewardship and land management practices benefiting Georgia’s wildlife. CatchMark Timber Trust, Plum Creek, and Georgia Power were honored by Deal as 2014 partners in the Forestry for Wildlife Partnership, a program administered by Georgia DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division.

Forestry for Wildlife Partnership is a voluntary program that promotes sustainable forest and wildlife conservation in corporate forestry practices. The 2014 partners had a positive impact for wildlife on more than one million acres.

“As Forestry for Wildlife partners, CatchMark Timber Trust, Plum Creek, and Georgia Power have gone beyond industry standards to manage the forest lands they own for the benefit of Georgia’s wildlife,” Deal said.

Learn more at www.georgiawildlife.com/FWP. 13

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Georgia Forestry Today

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Georgia Forestry Commission

Robert Farris

Message from the Director Dear GFT Reader,

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hat do a history book, a bathroom scale, a sp e e d om e ter and the Weather Channel have in common? They’re all tools that help us assess our situations, by studying the past, scrutinizing the present, and evaluating what’s up ahead.

Each of us (according to that great research tool, the Internet) makes some 35,000 conscious decisions every day. It’s likely many of yours relate to the forestry industry, so what are the tools you use to make wise choices?

I’m a big fan of experience and the advice of others in assessing situations and trends. I’m also really big on the signposts we’re fortunate to receive regularly in Georgia that help us understand the health of our industry. Researchers and number crunchers supply us with many reports that can be used to quantify the health of Georgia’s forestry business.

One of the annual documents we look forward to analyzing is Georgia Tech’s Innovation Institute Economic Impact of Forestry Report. Each year it provides important barometers of activity that help us make smart decisions for the future.

Here are some highlights of the 2013 report: Georgia Forestry Today

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The forestry industry in 2013 employed 50,110 workers in all industry sectors combined.

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Annual compensation (wages + salaries) was more than $3.1 billion.

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Total revenue generated was more than $16.9 billion.

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Total economic activity supported

by Georgia forestry industry was $28.9 billion.

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Georgia’s forestry industry generated $745.9 million in revenues for the state budget.

From 2012 to 2013, the forestry industry’s output registered an annual growth rate of four percent, which, along with the growth rate for employment, wages, and salaries, is a little slower pace than the previous year, but continues movement in a positive direction. The industry’s increased activity resulted in higher net revenues for the state government, and forestry ranks second (behind food processing) in the state’s top three wages and salaries category.

Another valuable report that can help us evaluate conditions is the 2014 Southern Group of State Foresters’ Economic Importance of Forestry in the Southern Region.

This report, produced by Southern Regional Extension Forestry, calculates forestry’s economic impact in the 13-state Southern region. The latest numbers show that in 2011, forestry and the forest products industry generated $230.6 billion, or over two percent of the U.S. South’s regional economic output. Forest-related economic activity generated almost $5 billion in income in 2011, with 1,075,764 jobs. That’s two percent of all jobs in the South. (Links to both reports are at GaTrees.org.)

Yes, that’s a lot of numbers, and they tend to make some folks’ eyes glaze over. Remember, though, that each statistic, each tick of a tenth measurement and shade on a graph bar represents people; co-workers and colleagues who are capable of achieving great results. The reports are there to be used as gauges, to help us reflect and plan, even ‘think outside the box’ and dream a little, so we all can be satisfied with the work we deliver.

Georgia’s forestry industry remains healthy, sustainable, and growing. By utilizing all the tools we have at our service, we can keep it that way for a long, long time.

Robert Farris GFC Commissioner e 17

GFC News Cost-share funds are now available for the purchase of portable steel and wood bridges that can enhance stream crossing BMPs. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s (GA EPD) Clean Water Act grant is a 60 percent-40 percent federal/in-kind grant, to be used for the construction of the bridges that will be housed, owned, and loaned out by partner companies. To be eligible, a partner company must be a wood receiving yard or mill, or a wood dealer working with multiple loggers. The steel bridge federal cost share maximum is $10,000; wooden bridge maximum is $4,000. Companies will be required to track usage of the bridges, and tracts on which purchased bridges are being used may be visited by GFC to document BMP implementation for use by SFI companies and GA EPD. Full details on this cost-share program are available at GaTrees.org. e The Georgia Forestry Commission has named its District of the Year and North and South Regions of the Year for fiscal 2014. The Coffee-Atkinson Unit took South Region of the Year honors for its many achievements, including fire prevention activities with home risk assessments for 88 homeowners, and 631 miles of plowing and harrowing pre-suppression breaks. The North Region of the Year award went to the Jasper-Jones Unit, where the team was recognized for its 55 prescribed burn assists and the suppression of 67 wildfires averaging 3.5 acres in size. The Flint District earned District of the Year honors for numerous accomplishments, including leading the GFC during FY 2014 in firebreak plowing, firebreak harrowing, and prescribed burning acres, as well as completing several major GFC renovation projects. Representatives from these teams were recognized at the State Capitol in Atlanta by Governor Deal, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. e It’s interesting to read about Georgia's notable trees, growing and flourishing all over the state. That’s why the Georgia Forestry Commission features significant trees in ‘Tree Talk,’ a special feature on GFC’s Web site home page at GaTrees.org. A tree’s height, history or location may make it extraordinary, and we’re always looking for trees to spotlight! If you know of a notable tree, tell us about it by e-mailing skelly@gfc.state.ga.us.

Include some good photos! We’re looking forward to talking about your special tree. e Are you receiving the Georgia Forestry Commission’s e-Update? This newsy communiqué contains all the latest information from GFC’s business units, including Forest Management, Forest Protection, Reforestation, and Utilization, along with messages from GFC Director Robert Farris and a calendar listing of important upcoming events. The GFC e-Update is distributed quarterly directly to your preferred e-mail inbox. If you’re not on our mailing list and would like to be, please contact newsletter@gfc.state.ga.us. e 18

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By Stasia Kelly Bill Lott and Jimmy Mock examine woodpeckers' signatures on the champion Lebanese Cedar at the Thompson Mill Forest and Arboretum.

Champions among Us:

Georgia's Notable trees and the

People Who find them

It is a windy, downright cold February day in Braselton, Georgia.

Anyone who doesn’t have to be outside is not, and those who do have to be outdoors aren't necessarily happy about it. at is, unless you’re a person with a passion, and a great big Southern heart.

Bill Lott and Jimmy Mock are tree champions, and there’s not much that can stop them from sharing their zeal. With careers in forestry and agriculture education respectively, these native Georgians have been friends for decades, and are veritable human Google searches for Georgia’s most notable trees.

They’ve spent many an hour sizing up those trees for the state’s Champion Tree program, managed by the Georgia Forestry Commission.

Trees that are listed as Georgia Champion Trees are the largest known tree of a particular species in the state. eir trunk must be at least nine and a half inches in circumference measured four and a half feet from the ground, with a defined crown of foliage and at least 13 feet in total height.

Georgia Forestry Today

Jimmy Mock is credited with submitting more eligible trees to the Georgia Champion Tree system than anyone else. Bill Lott manages the University of Georgia’s ompson Mill Forest and Arboretum, just off Interstate 85 near Chateau Elan. Together, the gentlemen exhibit the joy of two kids in a candy shop as they serve as tour guides through this 320-acre wonderland of trees.

“Of the 200 tree species native to Georgia, we’ve got all except five growing here,” said Lott, “and we’ve got three federally protected plants as well.”

Details about Georgia's Champion Tree program can be found here: http://www.gatrees.org/forest-management/champion-tree-program/ A list of every Georgia Champion Tree, including photos, can be found here: http://www.gatrees.org/forest-management/champion-tree-program/.

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of ship masts.”

“And the woodpeckers really like it,” notes Lott, as we inspect the symmetrical hole patterns drilled by the birds.

In all, ompson Mill Forest is home to ten Georgia Champion Trees. e arboretum is open to the public and features a number of hiking trails, all of which are ideal for checking out Georgia Champion Trees. Plus, you'll discover a beautiful new place for a picnic—when the weather is warmer than 30 degrees!

This magnificent deodar cedar in Clarke County shares champion status with another tree in Butts County.

As they greet me at the front gate, we marvel at the state champion Apache Pine, situated next to a giant (but not champion), native longleaf pine. Between Mock, the ‘tree seeker’ and Lott, the ‘tree keeper,’ no question is le unanswered for this first-time guest. Facts are shared readily about heights, ages, species, wildlife, and the effects of weather, and each Georgia Champion Tree is highlighted.

Snaking through the property along narrow dirt trails, the commentary flows continuously: black cherries fared worst in 20

the ice storm, and that bluejack oak likes it as much here as it does in sandy southern Georgia. We meander past a co-champion (with Columbus, Georgia) English Oak and the Oglethorpe Oak that took a hit from chestnut blight. We see pond cypress and bald cypress. en we stop to take a closer look at the striking 41-foot state champion Lebanese Cedar. “at’s the tree that Solomon sent workers to build churches,” interjects Mock. “ey’re known for their tall, straight trunks, so they were used for a lot

Champion Trees Documented Throughout Georgia Georgia’s Champion Tree program dates back to the 1950s, when it was known as the ‘Big Tree’ program. It was associated with the American Forests (AF) program, which was responsible for recording the ‘official statistics’ about big trees nationwide. Differences between the two entities’ measurement criteria, along with the staff power needed to identify and document trees, led to today’s design, whereby Georgia maintains Tree Champion records for Georgia, and prospective national champions are submitted and verified by AF. Today, Champion Trees are located in 70 counties around the state, “and I've been to every one of them, except Polk!” said Jimmy Mock.

While Mock rarely takes a road trip without checking on a Champion, most of the rest of us simply share a healthy appreciation for these very special trees.

“We get all different kinds of people who want to take part,” said Scott Griffin, Associate Chief of GFC’s Forest Management Department and former supervisor of the Champion Tree program for GFC. “Some people want to save every tree, others want to conservatively use every tree, and all appreciate a big tree. ere’s no money on the table here, it’s just something that’s interesting to everybody,” Griffin said.

Retired GFC forester Willard Fell’s involvement with Champion Trees began in 1990 and continued aer he le the March | Arpil 2015

Commission. “e program increases the public’s awareness about the value of trees,” said Fell. “I saw a lot of different people get involved, from students and schools, to county and city officials. Trees were recognized in city parks, church yards, and even on Ft. Stewart, where we had very limited access to the state champion slash pine because it was in a firing impact zone,” said Fell.

Champion Trees inspire great pride in their owners, and most have been willing to share access to their trees, no matter where the location.

“I’ve seen how happy landowners are when their tree is admired and documented as a champion,” said Jimmy Mock. “at always pleases me.”

One tree that has provided countless moments of pleasure and many memories is the State Champion live oak in Waycross, Georgia. Estimated at more than 250 years old, the 80-foot-tall tree with a 160 foot crown spread stands regally at the Baptist Village retirement facility.

Mock relishes his personal connection to the Village Centinel.

“My wife’s grandfather was a retired preacher,” said Mock. “After he fell and broke his hip, he moved into Baptist Village for his last four years. He gave a service almost every day under that tree.

We’d go sit under it and listen. I'll never forget that.”

Champion Trees are at the heart of so many memories, for owners, visitors, and documentarians alike. Willard Fell says lots of tree-tracking adventures stand out in his mind.

“I remember years ago when we were documenting a state champion tulip tree in the Cohutta Wilderness,” said Fell. “We had to walk quite a distance to find it. It took us almost four hours to get there!”

Another time, shortly aer the 1996 Summer Olympics, when authorities were searching north Georgia for a man suspected of setting off a bomb in Atlanta, Fell was scouring the woods for the state champion hemlock tree.

Georgia Forestry Today

Forestry Specialist and Georgia Champion Tree Program Manager, Mark McClellan, measures Cecil Stafford's swamp tupelo champ in Long County.

“We came across a strange looking campsite,” he said, “and thought it might belong to the missing bomber. We backed off from that one really fast.”

Long County landowner Cecil Stafford said he’s “probably measured every big tree on my property.” He’s had five Champion Trees recognized on his 160 acres of forestland, including the current swamp tupelo champ, which stands 101 feet tall.

“I’ve always been interested in trees,” said Stafford. “I’ve driven miles and miles

out of my way just to see a state or national champion.”

It’s safe to say that many tree lovers in Georgia understand that compulsion, and they are encouraged to keep an eye out for the giants among us. e process for making tree discoveries ‘official’ is specified on the Georgia Forestry Commission Web site (details on page 19).

Fair warning, however: tree hunting is contagious! In the words of Jimmy Mock, “I don’t smoke and I don’t drink, so I get my fix on Champion Trees!” v 21

The OUTDOORSMAN

By John Trussell

Preaching in the Georgia Woods

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March | April 2015

s outdoorsmen, we often think that the great outdoors is God’s greatest work and his hand is at work all around us. In the early pioneer days of Georgia, there were few comforts of life and just living from day to day was a challenge. Our early ancestors looked to the Bible to draw strength and the few circuit preachers, who went from settlement to settlement to preach, were heartily anticipated to bring hope to the wilderness. In pioneer days, going to church on Sundays was the center of social life, where everyone got to talk with their neighbors and share a great meal under the towering oak trees. This a story about one of those rugged, penniless, and pious preachers who brought religion to the back woods of Georgia in the early 1800s.

Many years ago, I passed a roadside bronze plaque, set off the road along highway 11 in Jasper County, near the Charlie Elliot Wildlife center. I passed it several times over the years before curiosity got the best of me and I had to stop my truck and take a look. The Plaque was attached to a very large granite rock and said, “On this rock in 1803, Lorenzo Dow of Connecticut, famous pioneer evangelist, preached the first gospel sermon in Jasper County.” A quote from him said, “Upon the great journey of life, eternity is the country to which we are all traveling,” Lorenzo Dow, Road to Peace. The Plaque was placed there in 1933 by the DAR chapter of Monticello. My thought was, who was Lorenzo Dow? He was an evangelist, author, mason, and eccentric.

Lorenzo Dow was once one of the most famous people in the United States. His autobiography was the second bestselling book next to the Bible in the early 1800s. Thousands of children were named after him with Lorenzo Dow remaining a popular name until the early 1900s. He became a traveling minister on probation with the Methodist Church at age 21, but was never ordained. During the 38 years of his career, he traveled to England and Ireland two times, to Canada and the West Indies, and around the United States and into rural Georgia 15 to 20 times. Since he was not an ordained minister, he preached in town halls, barns, open fields, and in the Congressional Hall of Representatives.

He was known for appearing at public events announcing that he would preach in the same spot one year from today. He always appeared and was met by an immense crowd. His oratory was known to bring women to tears and men to hysteria as he preached fire and brimstone. It was said that he never used a comb and only had the clothes

A

Known as a righteous man, Seaborn Goodall gave Lorenzo Dow refuge in his house when he visited Jacksonboro, Screven County Georgia in 1820 Georgia Forestry Today

on his back. Tall and bony, he was a charismatic speaker with a harsh raspy voice. He knew instinctively how to appeal to an audience. After speaking, he would often jump into the saddle of his horse and ride away at a gallop. He was known for leaving through windows instead of doors.

There are hundreds of stories about the itinerant preacher who himself became a folklore legend.

One keen observer said of him, “He arrests attention-this gaunt, restless preacher. With his long hair, his flowing beard, his harsh voice, and his wild gesticulation; he was so rude and unkempt as to startle all conservative hearers. Despite his detractors, his hold upon the masses was remarkable. He was not selling anything but free eternal salvation, never took up a collection, and that alone gave him instant notice. No preacher, so well as he, understood the heart of the pioneer. In a day when the ‘jerks,’ falling and rolling on the ground, and dancing still accompanied religious preaching, he still knew how to give to his hearers the wholesome bread of life. Frequently he inspired an awe that was almost superstitious and made numerous converts. Many stories are told of him.

At Montville, Connecticut, a thief had stolen an axe. In the course of a sermon, Dow said that the guilty man was 23

in the congregation and had a feather on his nose. At once the right man was detected by his trying to brush away the feather and quickly drew the attention of the sheriff.

It is very likely that a few of our ancestors heard Dow speak because he traveled widely and drew a crowd wherever he showed up. He often spoke in Savannah, but traveled all over Georgia. However, folks in some towns were not so glad to see him. In the early 1800s, both Irish whiskey and local moonshine flowed freely, and in

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some towns, it was more like the Wild West than congenial southern Georgia. Dueling with pistols to the death was not uncommon, and bar room brawls often involved the gouging of eyes and the removal of ears, fingers or other appendages.

Jacksonboro was that kind of town when Lorenzo Dow wandered into it in Screven County in 1821, according to Clyde Hollingsworth, local historian.

Dow attempted to have a religious service in the town’s small church, but was disrupted by loud rowdies in the street. Besides summoning the people, the ringing of the church bell was the cue for the crowds in the saloons to

get busy. After singing several hymns, Seaborn Goodall, the clerk of court, presented Rev. Dow, and then all heck broke loose. The rowdies outside began to throw pieces of brick and stone into the open windows, shot off pistols in the air, and gave many deepthroated yells. The lights were extinguished in the church, but the roar from the outside continued.

Dow was forced to close the meeting. The congregation, under the leadership of Mr. Goodall, quietly withdrew from the building into the outer darkness and returned to their respective homes. But Dow was not finished. He soon followed the row-

March | Arpil 2015

Lorenzo Dow, famous early Georgia Preacher, stopped in Jasper County Georgia in 1803 and helped to inspire Georgia's first settlers.

dies into one of the saloons and attempted to clean the place out. He really got their attention when he broke open a keg of whiskey! It was said that if he had not been rescued by Seaborn Goodall, Dow would have been hurt, if not killed. Later, Mr. Goodall invited Dow to spend the night at his house and made sure he was well fed.

The next morning, Dow again encountered his tormentors, who pelted him with rotten tomatoes and eggs as he was walking away from the town.

Dow was seized as he passed a saloon, and the rowdies inflicted one last indignity upon him. Dow, who was a partial hunchback, was told that they wanted to straighten his back for him.

He was placed between two wide boards, sandwich-like, and the men sat upon the top board. After this indignity, they let the raging soul go. But he did get in the last word.

As he crossed the bridge over Beaver Dam Creek, he raised his face heavenward and asked God to destroy the wicked town, except for the house

of Seaborn Goodall, who had befriended him. Within a few years, the town slowly began to disappear through floods, fire, and rotting away.

By 1847, Jacksonboro was largely abandoned and the county seat was moved to its current location of Sylvania. By the time approximately 14,500 Union troops camped in Jacksonboro on December 5, 1864, during General Sherman’s infamous March to the Sea, the Goodall House was the only remaining structure. Today the home has

been restored by the Briar Creek Chapter of the DAR, Sylvania, Georgia.

Many religious men blessed early Georgia with their presence, including John and Charles Wesley, Sam Jones, Claiborne Trussell, and Humphrey Posey. Trussell was my great uncle and Posey was my great grandfather, several generations back, and I did not know they ever existed until I was researching this article and also trying to join the SAR. Trussell is listed as an early Georgia pioneer preacher, and Posey helped establish the early Cherokee Indian schools in North Carolina, the school for the deaf and blind in Cave Springs, Georgia, as well as many early churches. Do you have any notables in your past? Most likely you do, and the Sons of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution can help you explore your own story. Go to dar.com or sar.com to get started, and let us give thanks to those early Georgians who brought hope to the piney woods. v

“On the great journey of life, eternity is the country we are all traveling” - Lorenzo Dow Georgia Forestry Today

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State Forestry Association Introduces Timber Theft Reward Program

By Matt Hestad | Director of Communications and Public Relations | Georgia Forestry Association Following the signing of House Bill 790 in 2014, an initiative to strengthen Georgia’s timber theft and timber trespass statutes—the Georgia Forestry Association (GFA) officially reinstated its timber theft reward program in order to provide greater security to member landowners who are concerned about protecting their timber assets. e reward program aims to increase awareness of the new law while offering a $1,000 reward to individuals who provide information that leads to the arrest and conviction of individuals or parties involved in cases of timber the or timber arson on a GFA member’s property. GFA members may purchase timber the reward signs to display on the perimeter of their property.

“We want to increase awareness of the timber security legislation through this program,” GFA President Steve McWilliams said. “ere are very few bad players in the industry, and increased awareness of this legislation should stifle their bad behavior.”

HB 790 contains several features that provide greater protection to landowners in cases of timber the and trespass, namely, expanding the authority of the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) to investigate, issue warrants, and make arrests in timber the cases. Prior to House Bill 790, GFC had this authority only in arson cases.

According to GFC’s law enforcement division, landowners who have complaints about actions affecting their timber should follow three specific steps: • First, attempt to resolve the situation with all parties involved.

• 26

If that fails or if the harvesting par-

ties are unknown, landowners should record all known information including contracts, dates, names, and contact information for other parties involved and anyone who has knowledge of the events.

•

•

Landowner’s exposure to liability may be reduced in the event of an overcut or other unauthorized taking of timber if the landowner takes certain steps (not required) including clearly marking property lines, having a survey conducted or executing a letter of agreement on property line location with the adjoining landowner prior to harvest, a copy of which must be provided to the timber buyer.

•

e new legislation establishes a four-year statute of limitations from the time of the taking of the timber during which a landowner may pursue damages.

Once that information is obtained, the landowner should report the incident to the local Georgia Forestry Commission office.

“As always, communication is key to successful timber transactions,” said GFC Director Robert Farris. “e GFC will continue helping landowners understand timber sale processes and their rights under the law as part of our obligation.

We’re all on the same team, and together we can strengthen forest sustainability by promoting improvements to the systems that support our industry.”

In addition to expanding the authority of the Commission, House Bill 790 has several additional elements that help to ensure the security of timber transactions including: • When timber is harvested without authorization, a landowner now may recover ‘three-times’ the value of the loss versus ‘one time’ the value.

•

the timber seller within 20 days of delivery to the receiving mill.

Scale tickets must be provided to

e GFA Timber e Reward signs are $14 each for aluminum and $8 each for plastic. For more information, call the Association at 478-992-8110. To report an incident of timber the or arson, contact the Georgia Forestry Commission’s Law Enforcement Division by phone at 1-800GA-TREES (428-7337) or by e-mail at enforcement@gfc.state.ga.us. For more information, visit http://www.gatrees.org /forest-fire/wildfire-prevention/lawenforcement/index.cfm.v March | Arpil 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Save the Planet ~ Burn a Tree

By Walter Stephens e media, politicians, and scientists debate the drama of climate change. Some say it’s getting warmer; some say not. Some say glaciers are melting; some say Antarctica is growing. Some say the seas will rise to flood coastal homes and low lying areas.

Some say it’s all man’s fault.

Some say our addiction to fossil fuels is the culprit. ey tell us hydrocarbons, such as oil and natural gas, when consumed by our cars, and coal, when converted to electricity to burn in our light bulbs and air conditioners, spew CO2 into the atmosphere. Some of this CO2 is absorbed into the ocean and some is taken in by plants and converted into trunks and limbs—but a bit is le over to float around the atmosphere and create a heat retaining dome like a well insulated roof.

If this is true, in order for each of us to do his or her part in preventing a new warming era in earth’s geologic calendar, I propose that we return to the ancient practice of using wood. ink about it: oil and natural gas were formed when sea critters died and settled to the floors of lakes or oceans; coal was made when plants died then fell in swamps and bogs. Both organic materials were buried in oxygen free environments where they did not decay but simmered under great pressures and temperatures.

Coal and oil recipes called for cooking times of hundreds of millions of years. ey both remained buried, perhaps on slow boil, until a miner started digging or a roughneck driller poked some holes in the ground. e global warming problem started when the unearthed coal was burned in stoves, factories, and electric power company furnaces, and gas was refined from oil and guzzled by your indecently large automobile.

In human bodies, when fuel or food is taken in, it’s converted into another form: Georgia Forestry Today

something’s extracted and what’s le over goes into the septic tank or outhouse.

With machines, stoves, and power company furnaces, when fossil fuels are burned, energy is created, and CO2 is one of the waste products spewed into the atmosphere.

It seems to me that the environmentally sensitive, global warming worried person should: 1. Drive a smaller car; drive it slower for greater fuel efficiency; drive it less and walk more; 2. Heat and cook, wherein possible, with WOOD instead of gas, electricity, or coal. (In the Northwest, much good work is being done in transitioning from coal to wood fired boilers for heating schools. roughout the nation you oen see lumber mills that use waste wood as an energy source); 3. For generation of electricity, promote use of hydro, nuclear, solar, wind, and WOOD as fuel sources; 4. Avoid plastics and other oil based products;

To summarize: Plants and bacterial organ-

isms from which fossil fuels were made lived millions of years ago. Perhaps some of these life forms breathed in oxygen, combined it with carbon and other elements, and breathed out CO2 which the plants breathed in, used for a while, then exhaled as oxygen. Plants, bacteria, and other life forms, aer death and then a long period of pressurized cooking, became coal and oil deposits.

When a miner unearths a vein of coal or a driller punctures an oil or gas dome, he violates the graves of beings which lived over one hundred million ago. en you and I burn the residue from these corpses and release carbon from prehistoric times into today’s atmosphere.

Use wood. It’s environmentally neutral— carbon and oxygen united and sequestered in the tree during the present era is recycled during the current time. erefore—burn a tree to save the environment—also, at the supermarket, ask for paper instead of plastic.v 27

NEWS Senator David Perdue named Senate Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), chairman of the U.S. Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, recently announced that Senator David Perdue (R-GA) will serve as Chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, and Natural Resources. e subcommittee is responsible for oversight on the EPA’s regulation of pesticides, conservation of natural resources, biotechnology, and forestry. Senator Perdue will also serve on two other Agriculture subcommittees: Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade and Rural Development and Energy.

“I’m proud to represent Georgia’s strong and vibrant agricultural community,” said Senator Perdue. “My goal is to make sure that the EPA doesn’t insidiously

burden our farmers, and that we continue to foster growth and innovation across our largest industry. As chairman of this subcommittee, I’ll work to ensure that Georgia’s agricultural interests are protected and that our homegrown products are promoted around the world.”

“I am pleased to have Senator Perdue on the Committee and I look forward to the business experience and family farm background that he brings to our work on behalf of American agriculture,” Chairman Roberts said. “As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, and Natural Resources, Senator Perdue will provide Georgians with leadership in these areas at a time when issues like pesticides and biotechnology are hotly debated across farm country.”

e Subcommittee’s responsibilities include: • Conservation and protection of natural resources • Regulation of pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act • Forestry e Subcommittee’s jurisdiction includes oversight of management and operations of: • National Resources Conservation Service • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Biotechnology • e Forest Service v

NAFO: Carbon Debt sequel gets a thumbs down Recently the media has reported on release of the sequel to the infamously flawed ‘carbon debt’ argument, asserting that biomass energy contributes to carbon build-up in the atmosphere. The sequel gets a thumbs down by pre-eminent carbon science leaders as did the original version.

Carbon debt proponents argue that a tree or part of a tree removed from the forest for biomass energy releases carbon into the air as a ‘debt’ that can only be repaid when that carbon is recaptured by growing a new tree in the same spot to replace the wood used for energy.

This view conveniently overlooks that modern forest management exists in 28

a continuous cycle that has no real beginning or end. Arbitrarily picking a starting point as the beginning simply manipulates that cycle—one could just as easily argue that the wood used for energy is only returning carbon to the atmosphere that was recently removed by a growing tree. The truth is that both arguments are neither entirely right nor entirely wrong in a continuous cycle.

Perhaps that is why leading experts are quickly giving the carbon debt sequel a thumbs down.

Scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory—considered by many to be the pre-eminent authority on bioenergy lifecycle analysis—have stated that as-

sessing the carbon implications of using biomass for energy must “adopt a comprehensive basis for estimates of GHG implications,” and that the carbon debt proponents “bluntly denied a role that bioenergy may play in the future for sustainable environmental development and energy supply.”

Likewise, the highly credible Energy and Environment Study Institute (EESI) responded to the carbon debt sequel by pointing out that it is “based on a false assumption,” and that it “lacks a basic understanding of the complexities of agricultural and working forest land use [and] emerging research on the carbon cycle in working lands.” v March | Arpil 2015

GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Georgia Forestry Today

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GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES

BeaCH tiMBer CoMPaNY iNC. 128 Beach Timber Road Alma, Ga 31510 Office: (912) 632-2800 Gary Strickland We Buy Wood!

Owner Foresters webuywood@accessatc.net Available www.BeachTimber.com

FOREST RESOURCE SERVICES INC. Specializing in Land and

Buyers of Land and Timber in Georgia and the South Canal Wood LLC 601 North Belair Square, Suite 21 Evans, Georgia 30809 Phone: (800) 833-8178 E-mail: dollars4trees@canalwood.com

Timber Management & Sales

BOBBY D. BROWN Registered Forester GA Number: 2164 Licensed Realtor GA Number: 165520 20364 GA Hwy #3 Thomasville, GA 31792

(229) 221-3016 brown@ftrealty.com

Helping Grow Your Future LAMAR CANTRELL

CANTRELL FOREST PRODUCTS INC.

We buy all types of timber.

In Woods Chipping cantrellforest@earthlink.net 1433 Galilee Church Road Jefferson, GA 30549 Office: (706) 367-4813 Mobile: (706) 498-6243 Home: (706) 367-1521

30

www.hippenterprises.com Todd Hipp

(803) 924-0978

todd@hippenterprises.com

Eric Hipp

(803) 924-4131

eric@hippenterprises.com-

Chad Hipp

(803) 924-5940

chad@hippenterprises.com March | Arpil 2015

GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Georgia Forestry Today

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Georgia Forestry Today