2015 summer

Alabama

FORESTS IN THIS ISSUE

Timber Titan Bobby Dixon Logger Tyler Slay Senator Jeff Sessions Ala AG Credit / Ala Farm Credit

Summer 2015

Contents Alabama Forestry Association, Inc. Chris Isaacson, Executive Vice President OFFICERS Fred T. Stimpson, Mobile, Chairman Ben Smith, Phenix City, President Stephan Tomlinson, Secretary Gray Skipper, Fulton, President-Elect Vaughn Stough, Mountain Brook, Treasurer

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Alabama

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

DISTRICT DIRECTORS BLACK BELT DISTRICT Doug Bowling, Millbrook CAPITAL DISTRICT Clark Sahlie, Montgomery DELTA DISTRICT Frank Mozingo, Toxey LONGLEAF DISTRICT Tripp Winters, Chapman MOUNTAIN DISTRICT Todd Langston, Stevenson PIEDMONT DISTRICT Chris Langley, Camp Hill VALLEY DISTRICT Dewayne Oakley, Florence VULCAN DISTRICT Trae Bonner, Childersburg WARRIOR DISTRICT Gee Allgood, McShan WIREGRASS DISTRICT Mike Dixon, Eufaula ALABAMA LOGGERS COUNCIL Chris Potts, LaFayette

Alice Blake (left) and Emily Hornak (center) with State Log a Load for Kids Chair Janet Ison at the Wiregrass Golf event at the Troy Country Club on June 22.

FORESTFUND Winston Bryant, Heflin AT LARGE DIRECTORS Paul Lohman, Prattville Hank Bauer, Perdue Hill Al Bracewell, Jasper Pat Holley, Millport Jim King, Jr., Tuscaloosa Mena McGowin Morgan, Point Clear Joe W. McNeel III, Montrose Virginia Macpherson, Fulton Lenn Morris, Jasper Tom Bradley III, Mobile ALABAMA FORESTS EDITOR Sam Duvall GREEN HORIZONS EDITOR Leigh Peters 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.

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

Timber Titan Bobby Dixon

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From the Executive Vice President

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Logger Tyler Slay

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Dean’s Notebook

Senator Jeff Sessions

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News & Views

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Alabama AG Credit & Alabama Farm Credit

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Wildlife & Outdoors

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TCW Workshop

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ADVERTISERS Index to Advertisers

Green Horizons

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ABOUT THE COVER Cat skidder for Slay Forest Enterprises pulls another load out of the woods.

Come explore our web site! alaforestry.org

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Especially for our tree farmers/landowners:

From Executive Vice President

There’s Other Science, Besides the Rocket Kind

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ave you ever heard the phrase, “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist”?

Apparently, the federal government hasn’t, or at least they think that we haven’t.

An August 5th headline from a USDA press release reported: “Rising Firefighting Costs Raises Alarms.” The release warns that wildfire suppression costs are overwhelming the Forest Service’s budget.

“For the first time in its 110year history, the Forest Service …is spending more than 50 percent of its budget to suppress the nation’s wildfires.”

Over the next decade suppression costs will consume more than two-thirds of the budget.

According to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, “Climate change and other factors are causing the cost of fighting fires to rise every year.” Chief among those “other factors” are heavier fuel loads due to decreased harvesting and millions of acres of dead and dying timber from outbreaks of mountain pine beetles in poorly managed forests. In other words, USFS’s management (or lack thereof) has left forests across the West susceptible to insect and disease, which has increased fuel loading, with the predictable outcome of more intense fires and greater costs to control them.

The solution according to Secretary Vilsack is to treat “catastrophic wildfire, not like a routine expense, but as a

“natural disaster.” Thus, the Secretary wants a blank check to suppress fires because they are “natural disasters” while asking Congress to continue funding the very management that created the conditions that led to skyrocketing suppression costs.

In the Forest Service’s defense, the genesis of this sorry state of affairs can be found in policy enacted by Congress.

The National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and other legislation have opened the door to litigation by environmental groups who exploit citizen suit provisions to shut down harvesting and forest management. The result is overstocked, insect-infested forests that burn with greater intensity.

Rather than asking for a blank check, Secretary Vilsack should call a spade a spade and demand that Congress provide greater flexibility for professionals to manage—including harvest—the forests to return them to good health. The condition of federal forests today is a direct result of the policy enacted by Congress and the management resulting from that policy. Increased intensity of fires and higher suppression costs are a predictable result! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that.

Catastrophic wildfires and efforts to suppress them are primarily a western U.S. issue.

But it provides a cautionary

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tale for us. Consider the following: In 2010, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) filed a petition with the US Fish & Wildlife Service to force them to proceed immediately with the process of listing 757 species (404 in the South including the black pinesnake). In a settlement agreement USFS agreed to complete the process by 2018. (This was a “closed-door” settlement without any input from outside parties.) In a similar closed-door settlement with Wild Earth Guardians in 2011, the Service agreed to list an additional 250 species.

To put this in context, from 1973 to 2011, there were 1,317 species in the U.S. listed as threatened or endangered.

These two settlements alone will result in a 75% increase in listed species. Further, from 1994 through 2006 citizen lawsuits yielded petitions to list an average of 20 species per year. From 2007 to 2011, however, USFWS was petitioned to list an average of 250 species per year…nearly as many as had been listed during the previous 30 years. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see a trend here.

Looking at a map of the South overlaid with the distribution of listed and soon-to-be listed species, there is virtually no acre left untouched. This poses a number of potential problems for landowners as well as companies that manage land or harvest timber, including: ● Restrictions on forest

Chris Isaacson

management/land use. ● Decrease in investment value. ● Exposure to penalties for “taking” species (includes modifying the habitat). ● Added cost of ownership/ management due to restrictions.

Federal forest managers have conceded the forests to environmental groups in the West and are suffering predictable consequences. The battle has shifted to the South and the ESA is one of the weapons being employed.

At the risk of sounding melodramatic, private property is under assault and the rights that we enjoy as owners as well as the jobs and industry supported by that property is at risk. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where we’re headed. ▲ 3

Dean’s Notebook

Moving the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Forward!

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he School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences is the flagship program for forestry, wildlife, and natural resources in Alabama. The school is also the backbone to the $22 billion forest and wildlife industry, a significant component of Alabama’s economic and employment fabric! With world class faculty, state of art of labs, field sites, and other infrastructure combined with unwavering support from alumni, friends, and stakeholders, the school aspires to become a “go-to place” for forestry, wildlife, and natural resources in the U.S. Southeast and beyond.

The timing to move the school forward could not be better. Nationally and globally there is growing support for a “working forests” approach to resource management. The reality of “use of wood is good” is on a robust rebound. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that wood-based bioenergy systems have potential to improve rural economies and the environment. Of course factors such as declining state/ federal budgets and growing competition to advance our teaching and research programs will pose challenges, but we are confident of developing strategies that build on our strengths, forge new partnerships,

and that align well with university priorities and clientele needs. As part of this strategy, I would like to share a few selected initiatives that we are considering: ● Exploring avenues to address wild pig damages: Wild pig damage to habitats and crops is raising a lot of concern among private landowners, state/federal agencies, and academic institutions such as Auburn University. It is estimated that wild pigs cause more than $1.5 billion/year in agriculture damages in the U.S. and over $50 million/year in Alabama. The school has globally recognized experts in this field and will seek to create interdisciplinary partnerships with the College of Veterinary Medicine, Alabama Cooperative Extension, state/ federal government agencies, and the private sector, to develop a Center for Wild Pig Research and Extension to address the problem. ● Initiating an undergraduate program in geospatial and informatics: Management of forests, wildlife, and natural resources have grown increasingly reliant on computerbased information science which includes geographic information, remote sensing, statistical analysis, data base management, knowledge integration, and decision making.

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We believe that a program in geospatial and informatics area will nicely complement our existing programs and will allow us to expand our undergraduate platform. By working with other colleges and senior leadership at Auburn University, we hope to initiate an undergraduate major in this area. ● Expanding forest bioproducts innovation: Innovations in building materials and technologies, biobased chemicals and manufacturing, and marketing bioproducts is growing leaps and bounds. For example, CrossLaminated Timber (CLT), described as “plywood on steroids” by vice president of technology transfer at the American Wood Council, is getting a lot of attention from multi-story residential and commercial construction companies. Commonly considered the core of the “wood basket of the world,” Alabama, with its range of forest bioproducts industries, has a goal of a 10% increase in employment and economic impact from the agriculture and forestry industries by 2020. We hope to initiate a conversation among the Alabama government, private industry, and Auburn University to explore avenues to

Dean Janaki Alavalapati Auburn University

…a “go-to place” for forestry, wildlife, and natural resources in the U.S. Southeast and beyond. advance forest bioproducts innovation. ● Intensifying communication and marketing efforts: “If I only had two dollars left I would spend one dollar on PR.” This quote from Bill Gates may be familiar to many of you. Communication and marketing of our programs to our campus and off-campus stakeholders is vital to shape their perceptions and garner their support. Going forward we would like to intensify our marketing efforts. More specifically, we hope to publish a news magazine three times a year to share school’s accomplishments and initiatives with our alumni, friends, and stakeholders. ▲ 5

Timber Titan of Alabama’s Forest Industry EDITOR’S NOTE: In Greek Mythology Titans were a race of immortal giants of incredible strength. Today, “titans of industry” refers to individuals who made an incredible impact on the development of a particular industry. This article chronicles the life of Forestry Titan Bobby Dixon.

Robert Mack “Bobby” Dixon

Timber Titan from Head to Toe

By Sam Duvall

Bobby, participating in an AFA forestry tour in the Pacific Northwest.

Bobby Dixon’s career choice was embedded in his DNA. Bobby got it honestly!

Bobby’s father, Mack, left the family farm in Dale County after graduating from high school at Ariton and moved to Dothan. While in Dothan, Mack worked for the Chamber of Commerce and attended business school. The following year, Mack married his high school sweetheart, Janie Dickert, in Brundidge, and moved to Clayton to start M.C. Dixon Company.

He started the business with the help of his father, James Dixon, who operated a farm sawmill, his older brother, Don, who was established in Clayton, and Janie’s older brother, Charles Dickert, who was well established in Brundidge. Janie’s father was a successful lumberman, over the years, with operations in several locations throughout southeast Alabama, including Clayton,

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where Mack set up his business.

Mack’s first sawmill was a portable Frick circular mill brought from the family farm in Dale County by wagon train.

The mill, along with labor, tractors, a steam engine and mules were set up on a track of timber in the Mulberry Orchard Com munity between Clayton and Eufaula. He also purchased a new Ford Model A roadster complete with rumble seat for $600.

Things Were Tough in the Beginning It was tough getting started and operating a business during the Great Depression, but the Dixon brothers and Mack’s brother-in-law made it through the bad times without having to shut the business down.

“To tell you what kind of family this is,” Bobby said, “in the middle of the Great Depression, Uncle Don’s creditors forced

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him into bankruptcy. Uncle Don was relieved of his debts in the bankruptcy.

However, when his business recovered, he repaid all of his creditors in full.”

Mack and Don operated separate sawmill operations, under the names, M. C. Dixon and Donald A. Dixon, and shipped to their respective customers through a friend’s plant in Eufaula. When the friend’s business found itself in financial difficulty in 1935, the two brothers purchased the plant that consisted of a planer mill, steam boilers, dry kiln, rail facilities, commissary, and a small retail lumber outlet. They named the new business Dixon Brothers Lumber Company, and it continued in operation until his brother’s untimely death in the 1950s.

According to prior agreements, Mack’s M.C. Dixon Lumber Company purchased all of the assets of the partnership.

3 Here is little Bobby Dixon with his father Mack Dixon, namesake of the family timber company.

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Bobby served as a military policeman in Germany during the Cold War. Here he sits atop an armored car behind a Browning .50 caliber machine gun as a bus load of curious Germans drive by.

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Back then, about all you could do around here was build a mill that would make 40,000 board feet of lumber in an eight-hour shift. If you could do that, you were sitting on top of the world.

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Bobby was so impressed when he found this large oak tree on some recently purchased land, that he put on a suit and came back to have his picture taken with the huge tree.

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T i m b e r T i t a n o f A l a b a m a ’s F o r e s t I n d u s t r y : B o b D i x o n

The Dixon family, front row, left to right, Mack Dixon, Bobby Dixon, Copeland Dixon, Mary Clayton Dixon, Mary Dixon, Fontaine Dixon, Hamilton Dixon, middle row, L to R, Janie King, James Dixon, IV, back row, L to R, David Dixon, Caroline Calton, William King, William King, Jr., Eric Fenichel, Lori Dixon, Preston Dixon, Clay Dixon, Cally Dixon, Bob Dixon, Rita Dixon and James Dixon.

Bobby and Mary while still courting.

Bob Dixon, Jr., center, participates in a business roundtable in June with Presidential Candidate, Senator Marco Rubio (foreground).

Good corporate citizens, the Dixons sponsor local little league baseball.

“The lumber company has remained in Eufaula to this date,” said Bobby whose son, Bob Dixon, Jr., is the fourth generation of the Dixon family in the sawmill business.

Robert Mack Dixon, known to everyone as Bobby, was born in 1932 and worked most of his adult life at the Eufaula mill until his retirement in 2002.

At that time, Bobby was in business with his brother, Michael. Bob Dixon, Jr., purchased the business from his father and uncle in 2002 and has been the owner since.

“I am so pleased for Bob to continue 8

this tradition, and have enjoyed seeing him successful,” Bobby said, smiling, as he looked across the table at his son. “A lot of sawdust has been made by this family over the years.”

I Want You to Learn How to Run a Business “I was born in Clayton, where my father had his mill. We moved to Eufaula before I started school. I graduated from Eufaula High School in 1950 and enrolled in Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University).”

When asked about his major, Bobby

laughed and said, “My degree is in business administration. I started out in forestry, that’s what I wanted to do. But, after 1 year, my father, who never went to college, said, ‘Oh, we can hire a forester. I want you to learn how to run a business.’

Of course, my degree didn’t teach me how to run a business. I would have been much better off with a forestry degree.”

Bobby worked summers in the business when he was in school but his father was protective and would not let him work inside the mill. “He was afraid I would get hurt. My first cousin, Billy (Uncle Don’s son), and I rigged up an army surplus sixby-six truck. We fitted a trailer to it and we hauled lumber between the portable mills out in the countryside to the planer in Eufaula during summer vacations. He and I had to load and then unload it by hand—no forklifts at that time. If you made two loads a day, you were doing pretty good! It was hard work, but a wonderful experience.”

Bobby met his future wife, Mary, who A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

was from Clayton, while they were both in college. “She graduated from Clayton High School. We were introduced by Mary’s cousin and dated for about two years before we got married. She went to St. Mary’s Junior College, in Raleigh, N.C., before transferring to the University of Alabama,” Bobby recalled.

“After graduating from Auburn, I served as an enlisted man in the U.S. Army of Occupation in Germany. This was in the middle of the Cold War, and we were being called to the field on a continuing basis to prepare for an invasion from the east by Russia, which happily never came. Mary joined me in Germany, where our oldest child was born. We lived there 19 months. The time we spent there was a good educational experience.”

Bobby continued, “When I returned from the military service in late 1956, virtually all of the lumber in southeast Alabama was made with portable mills. My father was still using the same portable mill that he started with in 1928, also, several contract mills, and a small stationary mill on site, to which we added a second head rig, edger, debarker, and chipper.

“We had plans to build a larger mill with a band headrig, a resaw and edger to produce 40,000 MBF per day on a 1-shift basis. About that time, in 1968, my father died and our plans to build a new mill were put on hold for a couple of years,” Bobby said. Bobby and his brother, Michael, had already been running the mill as their father’s health slowly deteriorated. “In 1970-71 we built a new mill on site that, with many improvements is still in use today,” Bob, Jr. added. “As with all successful lumbermen, the Dixon’s try to keep up with the latest technology and anything that enhances productivity,” Bob, Jr. stated, “the mill, as currently configured, can produce 60 million board feet of lumber a year.”

What about the Future?

As things stand, there is a question as to whether there will be a fifth generation of Dixons producing lumber in Eufaula.

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Observations on the Wood Business by Bobby ON PRODUCTIVITY: “I think the biggest step in making the business efficient was moving from the use of portable sawmills to a fixed location, with debarking-chipping so that you don’t have to have a steam engine or a diesel engine to run the mill.”

ON PRODUCTIVITY II: “When I started, all of the mills in this part of Alabama ran only 1 shift. A lot of times, the machines would breakdown and it was difficult to run 1 shift. Going to multiple shifts definitely boosted production.”

ON THE FUTURE OF SAWMILLING: “I think there will be fewer lumber producers. The most efficient producers will be the ones Stacks of prime lumber ready to ship from who survive. We have a much better M.C. Dixon Lumber Company. raw material base now than when I started. During World War II, the timber base was over cut to support the war effort. But, we’ve got a much better raw material now than we’ve ever had in my lifetime. The timber base has grown and is not being over cut by using proper forestry practices.”

ON THE FUTURE OF SAWMILLING II: “To survive, you’ve got to be efficient and change. Our mill has changed the type of product that we produce. You have to be competitive and produce a product that the market demands.”

IMPEDIMENTS TO DOING BUSINESS: Both Bobby and Bob, Jr. agreed that major impediments to doing business are governmental regulations. As Bobby sees it, “there are no limits on what the government can impose on the industry: all the way from forest ownership, logging through the finished product.”

When asked about his four children continuing the tradition, Bob, Jr. said, “It’s too early to tell. The consolidation in the industry is happening right now, so I don’t know if a little ole company like ours will still be around. Consolidation has really ramped up its tempo in the last few years.

A case in point would be the purchase by the forestry giant Canfor of British Columbia of Scotch Gulf Lumber, a company created by the merger of Scotch Lumber

of Fulton and Gulf Lumber of Mobile, a company owned by three powerful Alabama sawmill families, the Harrigans and O’Melias of Scotch Lumber, and the Stimpsons of Gulf Lumber.”

Commenting on his son’s statement, Bobby added, “We have outlasted most of our lumber friends. The family businesses are going pretty fast. The Canadians have almost bought everything down here, with just us and a few more left.”

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Timber Titan

Bobby and Mary Dixon attending an Auburn football game.

The Dixon family has been sawing lumber for almost 90 years on 1 side of the family and for over 100 years on the other side. Unless M.C. Dixon Lumber Company is bought by a bigger operator, the Dixon family tradition will likely continue on into the future.

FINAL WORD: Bobby and Mary continue to reside in Eufaula. They have 5 children, Mary Clayton (Eric Fenichel), Janie Dickert (William King), Bob Jr. (Cally Pounds), Preston Copeland (Lori Adkisson) and James Franklin (Rita Hullett), 3 granddaughters and 6 grandsons, which includes 2 sets of twins.

Bobby believes that in order to be a successful citizen, we should give back to our industry, communities and country. He has been active in many organizations during his lifetime, some of which are listed below: • Chairman, Commerce South bank (successor to Eufaula Bank & Trust Company) • President, Alabama Forestry Association • President, Southeast Lumber Manufacturing Association • Chairman, Alabama Forestry Council • Chairman, Eufaula Heritage Association • President, Eufaula Chamber of Commerce • President, Eufaula Rotary Club • Chairman, The Lakeside School • Chairman, Barbour County Hospital Association • Ruling Elder, Presbyterian Church (USA) • President, Barbour County Auburn Club • Member, Advisory Board of the School of Arts and Sciences, University of Alabama • Member of Auburn University Samford Society • Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow • United States Power Squadron

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Bob, Jr. is well on his way to following his father’s footsteps. ▲ 10

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Logging Professional Profile We believe loggers should be celebrated for the part they play in the wood fiber supply chain of keeping wood flowing to the mills.

LaFayette Logger

Tyler Slay started young…and still is.

When LaFayette Logger Tyler Slay was a mere 15-years-old, he bought some used equipment and started working in the woods. Today, a robust 21-year-old, Tyler owns a successful professional logging operation, Slay Forest Enterprises, LLC, and loves his chosen profession.

By Sam Duvall

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Tyler Slay proudly stands by his new Western Star truck.

“When I was 15, I bought a 210-B Prentice Loader and a 440 John Deere cable skidder. My granddaddy gave me all of the hardwood I wanted on his fence line and I cut that up for firewood. My daddy got the loan and I co-signed with him,” he recalls, adding with a shrug, “I paid $6,000 for both of them, so it’s not like it was a big thing.”

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L o g g i n g P r o f e s s i o n a l To d d F u l l e r

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Pictured here left to right, are project forester Phil Tarver, Slay Forest Enterprises loader operator Jamie Treadwell, cutter operator Jody Brown, skidder operator George Abney, Deckhand Gage Ogle, truck driver Buck Steeley and Tyler Slay.

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John Deere loader pulls logs through delimber before loading.

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Boomer Burton, 74, has worked for Tyler Slay, 21, as a driver for about two years. But part of the reason Tyler hired him was because before working for Slay Forestry Enterprises, Bommer worked for over 20 years straight for a single company.

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Although there are probably a lot of 15-year-olds who would see co-signing a $6,000 loan to get into the wood business as a ‘big thing,’ Tyler Slay marches to the sound of his own drum.

“I got those (machines) and they both ran great. I ended up selling both of them for more than I paid for them. But while I had them, I also bought a flatbed truck that had a dump body on it that I used for firewood in the wintertime. In the summertime, I would go behind some of these bigger loggers and get their waste stuff,” Slay said. “I hauled load after load, after load of random-length pulpwood to West Point Georgia to the Baseline wood yard.

“Anything that was a hardwood that made good firewood, I kept that and we split it and made real money in the wintertime. I did that when I was 16 and up till I was 17, and then I went into logging full time,” he added with a grin. In fact, Tyler left his high school graduation practice to sign the note on a then-new 2012 Cat 525C Skidder that he still uses.

After he bought that Cat skidder, Tyler graduated from Chambers Academy. He then started Southern Union State Community College. “But I didn’t stick with it. I had too much stuff going on in the woods. I was hoping to go for a forestry degree. But I really didn’t see where it would benefit me.

“I think that, even if I wasn’t logging, I’m smart enough that I can handle myself to do just about anything. If I need to go back to school, I think I very well could,” he added.

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owns a new John Deere 843-K Cutter and a brand new 437-D John Deere Loader, four trucks and six Pitt trailers. He uses a contract trucker to back him up. To help keep loads heavy enough to make good money, but light enough to satisfy the State Trooper weight crews, Tyler uses Maxi Load platform scales in the woods.

First Generation Logger There are plenty of stories of family logging companies that span multiple

Tyler Slay Bucks the “Aging Logger” Trend The face of logging has changed dramatically over the years with fewer young practitioners and many older loggers either leaving the profession or retiring. It’s gratifying to see that there are enthusiastic young professionals like Tyler Slay who buck that trend.

From his modest teenage beginnings, Tyler Slay has morphed into a fulltime logger running mostly new equipment with a crew of six dedicated employees all of whom are older, in some cases two or three times older, than he is.

Asked if being the youngest member of his own crew made management more difficult, Tyler said, “It took some time to get the right people. I’m good at working through problems.”

The Cat Skidder which Tyler left his high school graduation practice to buy, pulls logs across portable bridge on the way to the log deck.

generations and give some continuity to what can be a very tough way to make a living.

But Tyler Slay picked up his affinity for logging simply by living in a rural area and observing other loggers plying their trade.

Asked why he chose logging, Tyler said, “It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do. I love the equipment, being outside and the people that you meet doing this.

“I’m the first logger in my family. My family has always been involved in farming. My granddaddy was an apple farmer.

He’s done a little bit of all kinds of farming, but apples were their main crop. They ran an apple farm near White Plains for 30 years,” Tyler said, noting that his father John Slay, “is a farrier, he shoes horses.

That’s what he’s done all of his life and he stays extremely busy with that.”

As any logger could tell you, it obviously took a lot of hard work and money to go from the $6,000 set up that 15-yearold Tyler used to harvest and sell firewood, to the totally professional, modern logging operation he now oversees.

“The first three years were really tough,” he acknowledged. “I finally got with Plum Creek and that really helped put me over the hump. It steadied things and made it more consistent because with Plum Creek we cut a more consistent type of wood than you could otherwise.”

Tyler now cuts exclusively for Plum Creek, in a growing trend of big landowning companies signing up dependable loggers to ensure continuity and quality logging operations on their lands.

Through his journey from teenage 13

Lo g g i n g Pr o fe s s i o n a l Ty l e r S l ay There are so many variables. The biggest problem is getting the money to do it.

There are not many banks that are going to work with young people, or even older people, to get into logging,” he said.

On a personal note, Tyler is not married, but when asked if he was thinking about starting his own family, he simply smiled and responded, “Maybe.”

What about the Future?

Although thinking about the future might seem like something a 21-year-old would not do much of, Tyler Slay has actually given a good deal of thought to where he wants to be 10 or 20 years from now. “I want to continue logging and hopefully do well enough to expand the company,” he said.

Tyler has also given some thought to setting up a professional wood yard dedicated to producing firewood, something he is familiar with from his teen years.

“If I can figure out how I’m actually going to get rid of (sell) enough firewood to

make it profitable, I’d like to do it. When I was 16, I had a contract with McDonald Oil Company in the winter to supply bundles of firewood to their stores around Lagrange and Columbus, Georgia. When I quit doing firewood, there were more orders coming in than what I could fill,” he said.

“I could get about all of the hardwood I would need. If I have a wood yard, I’m going to have scales, a scale house, a loader operator and a knuckle boom loader. That’s a little thing I’ve got working in the back of my mind,” he said, smiling. “But until I get a contract, I’m not going to get into it.”

Throughout his life, Tyler Slay has demonstrated a level of maturity and steadfastness toward a very difficult line of work that is exceptional for someone his age. But if logging in particular and forestry in general is to continue to thrive, the industry needs all of the Tyler Slays it can find! ▲

Slay deckhand Gage Ogle cleans vines and debris from another load of Slay Forest Enterprises logs. newbie, to professional logger, Tyler Slay’s family has always had his back. His father John helped him by co-signing for the equipment he needed while still in his teens, and later on when he decided that logging was going to be his career. And his mother Rhonda helps with the paperwork.

“She does all of the book work and runs around on Fridays delivering paychecks. She is pretty much the backbone of the business and helps keep everything going,” Tyler said of his mother’s involvement. “My family helped me with most of it. I’m finally just now getting to the point that they’ll let me do some things on my own without my family having to be a cosigner.”

Asked about the difficulties of getting into a profession that requires hard work and a substantial financial investment, Tyler said it is the latter that is the highest hurdle to jump.

“It’s more stressful than it is hard work.

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A stout surplus military truck is used to pull loads out of the woods, saving the best trucks for hauling on the paved roads. Here, Tyler waits for loader operator Jamie Treadwell to complete loading, so he can help trim away vines and excess foliage with a pole saw.

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A Profile in Public Service EDITOR’S NOTE: This regular feature profiles an individual engaged in the political arena. U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions has grown, from his role as state Attorney General, into one of the most powerful members of the U.S. Senate.

Jeff Sessions from Outstanding Prosecutor to a Power in the U.S. Senate Jefferson Beauregard “Jeff” Sessions III is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. First elected in 1996, he was recently re-elected to his fourth term with over 97% of the vote.

Senator Sessions was born in Selma on December 24, 1946 and grew up in nearby Hybart, the son of a country store owner. Growing up in the country, Sessions was instilled with the core values of honesty, hard work, belief in God and parental respect that define his public service today.

After attending school in nearby Camden, Sessions worked his way through Huntington College in Montgomery and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1969. From there he moved on and obtained his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1973.

After law school, Jeff served in the United States Army Reserve from 1973 to 1986, ultimately obtaining the rank of captain. His legal career began in Russellville with the Guin, Boldin & Porch law firm before moving to Mobile where he served a two-year appointment as the Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama from 1975 until 1977.

President Reagan Picks Jeff for U.S. Attorney

By Tom Saunders A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

He then returned to private practice with the Mobile firm Stockman Bedsole for four years. In 1981, Sessions was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and confirmed by the United

States Senate to serve as the United States Attorney for Alabama’s Southern District, a position he held for 12 years until 1993.

He then returned to private practice with the firm now named Stockman, Bedsole & Sessions. In 1994, Sessions defeated incumbent Democrat Jimmy Evans to become the state’s first Republican Attorney General. He was Attorney General until 1997, when he became United States Senator Jeff Sessions, after successfully entering the race for that office in 1996.

His election to Attorney General, coupled with Fob James election as a Republican governor the same year, were the early signals that Alabama was becoming a two-party state. Jimmy Evans had gained notoriety by prosecuting Governor Guy Hunt, the first elected Republican governor since reconstruction, for misuse of campaign funds and many thought Republicans would have a tough time in the 1994 elections.

Sessions was reluctant to enter the Attorney General’s race, but it turned out to be a savvy move that helped project him into one of the most powerful political voices for conservatives in the country.

Sessions Reluctantly Runs for Alabama AG Republicans were desperate to get someone of note to run against Evans.

As the story goes, the few Republicans 15

Profile in Public Ser vice: Jeff Sessions

At some point during the conference call, Jeff Sessions’s name was brought up. The group came to the collective conclusion that he would make a great attorney general.…

The rest is history. in the Alabama legislature, frustrated with Evans’s heavy handed tactics, gathered late one night to discuss possible candidates for the race.

A conference call evolved that included Representatives Mark Gaines, Tony Petelos, Johnny Curry, and Allen Sanderson along with the Republican Caucus Executive Director (at the time, now Birmingham Representative) Jack Williams. At some point during the call, Jeff Sessions’s name was brought up. The group came to the collective conclusion that he would make a great attorney general.

Despite the lateness of the hour, Jack Williams, who, according to Gaines, “has no inherent social inhibitions about disturbing anyone late at night,” brought Sessions in on the call.

Gaines would later describe it this way: “I can only imagine what was going on in Sessions’s head at the time as I don’t believe he had ever met any of us face to face, but he was familiar with most of us.

He initially made it clear right off the bat that he was not interested in running for attorney general and that he enjoyed his law practice and that he had done his stint of 16

on the Senate Budget Committee and has worked tirelessly to restrain the growth of federal spending. Here he was able to include a key provision in the public service, etc. We spent a few minutes telling him why he needed to run and then he proceeded to talk to us for over an hour about the AG’s office and politics generally.

“When the call concluded, we all stayed on the line to discuss it further. Most of us thought ‘well we need a Plan B.’ Jack Williams, however, made the comment, ‘No, he is going to run. He just spoke to us for over an hour about the job.’ ” According to Gaines, “the rest is history. I don’t know if Sessions had already considered the idea or not. Nor do I know for sure that we were the ones that ultimately convinced him to run. One thing is for certain, he remembers that late night call!”

Sessions Is One of the Most Powerful U.S. Senators In the Senate, Sessions serves as the ranking member

2001 tax cut bill to make interest earned on tuition savings and prepaid tuition plans tax free providing a boost to the 50,000 Alabama children and families participating in the Alabama Prepaid College Tuition Plan (PACT).

As a senior member of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, Sessions has been an advocate for confirming judges that follow the law and do not legislate from the bench. His position on the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship has led to him becoming a national voice on

immigration issues.

He also serves on the Armed Services Committee that has jurisdiction over the Department of Defense. He serves as the ranking member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee responsible for nuclear and strategic forces, intelligence programs, space programs and ballistic missile defense. His work on this committee led him to author the Honoring Every Requirement of Exemplary Service (HEROES) act which was signed into law in May 2005. This legislation increased the payment received by families of fallen combat soldiers from $12,000 to $100,000 and also increased the maximum servicemen’s life insurance benefit from $250,000 to $400,000.

Sessions and his wife, Mary Blackshear Sessions, originally from Gadsden, Alabama, have three children, Mary Abigail Reinhardt, Ruth Sessions Walk, and Sam. They have seven granddaughters and two grandsons. They reside in Mobile and attend the United Methodist Church. ▲

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Associate Member Spotlight ASSOCIATE MEMBER SPOTLIGHT highlights associate members who are invaluable to AFA. Through their dues and sponsorships, associate members fund AFA’s grassroots activities, including regional receptions and outreach to our members, prospective new members and other interested parties. Please learn more about our associate members and support them so they will continue to be an integral part of our association.

Alabama Ag Credit & Alabama Farm Credit

Helping Timberland Owners

By Tom Saunders

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he Alabama Forestry Association and its members have been blessed over the years to have a strong partnership with lenders that provide the opportunity for individuals and companies to expand their timberland holdings and production facilities.

Alabama Ag Credit and Alabama Farm Credit exist to assist in providing capital for timber investments, but an in-depth look at how they got to where they are today is a fascinating history lesson that highlights the important role the two lenders have played in positioning the Alabama timber industry to be the leader it is today.

The concept of reliable credit for the nation’s farmers dates back to 1732, when the first cooperative credit system was organized in New London, Connecticut. Government intervention to meet this need, however, particularly for longterm credit to purchase land, only started in the early 19th century. It was then that most of the free land available in the West under the Homestead Act of 1862 was claimed, and farm-

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ers needed long-term credit to purchase land.

Theodore Roosevelt Got the Ball Rolling ● 1908. Starting in 1908 in the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt, the Country Life Commission and congressional committees studied the problems facing rural families, who constituted the majority of households in America at that time. The commission recommended development of more cooperatives and a cooperative credit system for farmers.

Follow-on actions included: ● 1912 and 1913. Presidents William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson sent commissions to Europe to study cooperative land-mortgage banks, rural credit unions, and other institutions that promoted agriculture and rural development. The Wilson Commission recommended a system of agricultural banks for longterm, or land-mortgage credit, and short-term credit to meet recurring needs. ● 1916. Congress responded with the Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916 establishing a Fed-

eral Land Bank (FLB) in each of 12 districts across the country, and hundreds of National Farm Loan Associations (NFLAs) to serve as agents for the FLBs. These were the first components of the Farm Credit System (FCS). The FLBs through agent associations provided long-term credit to farmers to develop and expand farms. Part of each farmer’s loan bought stock in the association, making individual farmers the owners of the association. This concept of land banks came from Germany’s successful, century-old landschaft system. ● 1923. What the 1916 Act lacked was a provision for short-term loans. Increased mechanization in agriculture post-World War I created cost pressures, and competition from Europe in the 1920s spurred a need for short-term credit. Congress responded with the Agricultural Credits Act of 1923, creating 12 Federal Intermediate Credit Banks (FICBs), one in each district created by the 1916 Act. The FICBs did not lend directly to individuals but served as banks of discount to agricultural cooperatives, commercial 17

Associate Member Profile

Farmer-borrowers now had a voice at the national level.

banks, and other lending institutions. However, commercial banks would not participate in great numbers and so the FICBs did not significantly improve the flow of short-term credit to farmers. ● 1933. As the U.S. roared into the 1920s, the nation became mired in the Great Depression. Prices for farm commodities fell all through the 1920s as the wartime need for those commodities ended.

Farmers, unable to pay their expenses and loan payments, walked away from their farms, leaving the FLBs with numerous defaults. By 1933, nearly one-half of the NFLA’s were failing, and farm foreclosures

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were common. Congress stepped in with two new laws.

The Emergency Farm Mortgage Act attempted to save the farms of individuals delinquent on their loans by extending repayment schedules and offering emergency financing. The Farm Credit Act completed the establishment of the Farm Credit System by creating two new types of institutions to expand the lending authorities of the FCS so it could now provide credit for all types of agricultural activities. As a result, the FCS consisted of 12 FLBs for long-term agricultural real estate loans through FLB associations, 12 FICBs for short and intermediate-term credit to local Production Credit Associations (PCAs) and other lending institutions serving agricultural producers; 12 Banks for Cooperatives (BCs) to provide credit for farmers’ cooperatives and a Central Bank for Cooperatives to participate with the district BCs in loans that exceeded their lending capacities.

An executive order by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 placed all existing agricultural credit organizations under a new agency, the Farm Credit Administration (FCA).

FCA was independent until 1939, when it became part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but became an independent agency again under the Farm Credit Act of 1953. This Act created a Federal Farm Credit Board with 13 members (1 from each of the 12 farm credit districts and 1 appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture) to develop policy for FCA. Farmer-borrowers

now had a voice at the national level. ● 1934-1942. FCA was pivotal in the federal credit union movement, when in 1934 it was given responsibility for chartering, examining, and supervising all federal credit unions. Before this oversight was handed to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1942, FCA had chartered and examined annually more than 4,000 credit unions. ● 1968-1971. All government capital to the FCS was repaid by 1968, making FCS institutions wholly owned by farmerborrowers. After FCA determined that its authorities and those of the FCS needed to be expanded to meet evolving credit needs of farmers and rural communities, the Farm Credit Act of 1971, the outcome of recommendations of a commission established by the Federal Farm Credit Board, gave banks and associations more flexibility in lending to production agriculture, and authorized lending to commercial fishermen and rural homeowners. ● 1980. The law was amended in 1980 to encourage lending to young, beginning, and small farmers. The institutions of the FCS grew in the 1970s and ’80s when loan volume topped $80 billion. The boom years of the 1970s saw farmers borrow heavily to expand operations to meet great demand for U.S. agricultural exports, particularly to the Soviet Union, where drought had caused severe grain shortages. Double-

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digit inflation raised prices on farm products, boosting the value of farmland. The boom ended in 1979 with currency tightening by the Federal Reserve Board to rein in inflation. In early and mid-1980s, interest rates soared and foreign demand for U.S. agricultural products fell as the other countries expanded their agricultural sectors. High inflation led to unfavorable monetary exchange rates, making U.S. products more expensive. A debt crisis in several lessdeveloped countries further constrained imports of U.S. products. ● 1985-1986. The dramatic shift in macroeconomic policies occurred after U.S. farmers geared up to meet demand of the 1970s. Now, dried-up demand created huge surpluses, lower prices, and lower incomes to repay loans. By 1985, 200,000300,000 farmers were facing financial ruin, and farmland values dropped drastically. For 1985 and 1986, FCS institutions reported net losses of $2.7 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively, the largest in history for any U.S. financial institution. As it became apparent the financial viability of the FCS was at risk, Congress again stepped in.

Restructured in 1985 The 1985 Act restructured FCA to give it increased oversight, regulatory, and enforcement powers. It also provided a presidentially appointed threemember board, with one member serving as chairman and chief executive officer of FCA. FCA was required to examine each lending institution at least annually and use its new enforcement authority to instill sound banking practices on troubled institutions and correct regulatory violations.

Enforcement powers include formal agreements, cease-anddesist orders, civil money penalties, and suspension of officers and directors.

The 1985 Act also set up the Farm Credit System Capital Corporation to assist financially weak FCS institutions and their borrowers. However, it soon became apparent the capital corporation was not equipped to deal with the monumental problems facing many FCS borrowers and that direct federal assistance was needed. ● 1987. The Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 authorized up to $4 billion in federal assistance to troubled institutions, including $2.8 billion in treasury-guaranteed 15-year

Ben Gore is president and CEO of Alabama Farm Credit, located in Cullman and serving the northern part of Alabama. He has been with the association since February 1976, and has been the president/ceo since January 2009. He is a graduate of Auburn University with a BS in business with an emphasis in accounting. Mr. Gore grew up on a part-time cattle farm in North Alabama.

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bonds. A new FCS Financial Assistance Corporation was formed to issue the bonds, and an FCS assistance board was set up to manage the program.

The Act also created the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation (FCSIC) for timely payment of interest and principal on system-wide and consolidated bonds and other FCS bank obligations.

Farmer Mac Created ● 1996. The Act also created the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) to establish a secondary market for agricultural real estate and rural home mortgages. The Farm Credit System Reform Act of 1996 gave Farmer Mac authority to purchase and pool loans and issue mortgagebacked securities with guaranteed payment of principal and interest, rather than just guarantee such securities issued by other retail lenders.

The financial assistance by the government and FCA’s new policies and enforcement authority helped the FCS recover from the crisis of the 1980s, regain sound practices, and become more efficient.

A stronger economy in the 1990s-2000s further stabilized the FCS as farm prices and incomes rose. For the past

several years, the FCS’s share of the agricultural debt market has been increasing and now accounts for about 40.7% of farm business debt. ● 2005. All government financial assistance was repaid, with interest, by 2005. FCA itself does not receive any government appropriations; rather, FCA operations are funded through assessments.Today, the FCS is structured into three Farm Credit Banks (FCBs), seventy-six ACAs and two FLCAs, each of which receives loan funds from the Farm Credit Bank with which it is affiliated. There is also one Agricultural Credit Bank (CoBank), which has the authority of an FCB to provide loan funds to twenty-six ACAs and one FLCA and the authority of a BC, in that it lends to agricultural and aquatic cooperatives and rural utilities. The CoBank also finances U.S. agricultural exports and imports and provides international banking services for farmerowned cooperatives.

Alabama Ag Credit and Alabama Farm Credit are both Agricultural Credit Associations (ACAs) affiliated with the Farm Credit Bank of Texas (one of the three FCBs). ▲

Doug Thiessen is the president and CEO of Alabama Ag Credit which is located in Montgomery. Mr. Thiessen is a graduate of the LSU Graduate School of Banking and has a BS in agricultural economics from Texas Tech University and an executive MBA from Troy University. He joined the association in 2007. Alabama Ag Credit currently has 3,854 stockholders that hold over $773 million in loans.

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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

Jeremiah Russell Linc: 185*173 Home: 251-289-3082 Cell: 601-416-4889

251-843-5407 midstartimber.com 20

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NEWS & VIEWS

Still proud to be a forester…

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eflecting back on my short life and career, I can’t say every decision was the best ever made, but I am glad that God has blessed me with a wonderful family and successful career. As I decided on this edition’s article, I wanted to get personal with many of you and share.

I grew up in rural Lamar County as a boy, with many big dreams and aspirations. My father was an inspiration and my best friend. He always had these little sayings and life lessons that he shared, even though I thought I already knew all that stuff. I figured out later, he was a genius and I would be much farther ahead in life, had I listened and applied his teachings more. One of those “life lessons,” he had learned through previous jobs and experiences was to do something with your life career wise, that makes you happy. He always said, “Son, don’t get up and dread going to work.” He was a millwright at a local sawmill and enjoyed fixing stuff. My grandfather was a logger, a “mule logger,” so I guess you can say sawdust was already in my blood.

I thought I wanted to do something different and chose physical therapy as

a career path. That didn’t last long before I realized that, this just isn’t for me. I changed majors and enrolled in forestry school at Mississippi State University.

I have been a forester for 18 years, so yes, there’s still a lot to learn. I enjoy getting up and going to work every day. I am just sculpting the clay, a beautiful creation that God has blessed us with. We have hardwood and softwood trees, an abundance of wildlife, fertile soils, and clean air. One look at Alabama's great seal also shows clean water everywhere in the state.

Tree Farming and forestry all begin with one common factor, a love for the land.

Through Alabama’s Tree Farm Program, I have had the privilege of meeting landowners that share the same love.

Most are very enthusiastic about what they are doing and many times offer to share their experiences and accomplishments. Tree Farmers are willing to share advice and encourage those interested in following behind them. Even though I am asked many times for professional advice, I take every chance to ask questions and learn from these “old pros.” Most of the landowners I work with are not foresters

Alabama Tree Farm Committee Black Belt District Bart Adams (334) 410-0608 Capital District Walter Cartwright (334)-240-9324 Delta District Benji Elmore (251) 275-3283 Longleaf District Mike Older (334) 222-0379 Mountain District Todd Langston (256) 434-4712

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and have no formal education in natural resources, but they have the man hours and sweat equity to show what they have learned. I have learned predator control methods, where they like to hunt, how to successfully regenerate bottomland hardwood stands, road building, eradication of invasive species, and aesthetics all the way down to growing beautiful roses. How can one not love doing this job every day?

Thank you to all who have helped make this state and Tree Farm Program what it is today. For those of you reading my column for the first time, please consider this a formal invitation to join one of the largest families of Tree Farmers in the nation. I promise that you will learn everything from how certification benefits you, to what your fellow landowners are doing, to how to increase opportunities for recreation and enjoyment on your property.

Until next time, share your passions and what you love doing every day with those around you.

By Tim Browning, RF #1874 Alabama Tree Farm Chairman

State Chairman Tim Browning (205) 367-8232

Piedmont District Amy Gaddy 256-447-1006 Valley District Johnnie Everitt (256) 383-4376 Vulcan District Jason Dockery (256) 734-0573 Warrior District Tim Browning (205) 367-8232 Wiregrass District Heather Wierzbicki (334) 855-5394

Vice Chairman Lamar Dewberry (256) 396-2485 Financial Committee Chair Heather Wierzbicki (334) 855-5394 Awards & Recognition Chairs Paul Hudgins (334) 376-9114 Dr. Robert Parker (334) 399-1086

Board Development Chair Tom Carignan (334) 361-7677 Outreach & Education Chair Allen Varner (334)-240-9308 Certification Chair Mike Older (334) 222-0379 At Large Directors Tim Albritton (334) 887-4560

John Boutwell (334) 365-9221 Don East (256) 396-2694 Chris Isaacson (334) 265-8733 Doug Link (251) 564-6281 Salem & Dianne Saloom (251) 867-6464 Charles Simon (334) 222-1125 Jim Solvason (334) 372-3360 Carolyn Stubbs (334) 821-0374 21

2015 Southern A Regional Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year

By Paul Hudgins

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labama’s 2012 Tree Farmers of the Year are now the 2015 Southern Regional Tree Farmers of the Year and I hope that by the time this article goes to print and you are reading it, they will have been crowned the 2015 National Tree Farmers of the Year. But until then, the Cedar Creek Plantation Tree Farm is truly family land, and has been for nearly 100 years.

John and his sister Peggy’s grandfather, O.L. “Boss” Boutwell, purchased the original 39 acres of the ‘home place’ in 1917 when their father was not even 2 years old. There was a house on the property when it was purchased, and the family continued to live there until 1963. From 1917 through 1951 “Boss” purchased six additional tracts of land bringing total acreage to about 1,750 acres. “Boss” and his son were cattlemen and farmers— timber and wildlife were secondary. A perimeter fence encompassed the whole place (about 20 miles total), and a cow-calf operation was the main farm enterprise.

Corn and hay was grown to support the

cattle operation and some cotton was grown as a cash crop.

John’s father worked for the Soil Conservation Service and was interested in other benefits of the land—timber, wildlife and water. In 1961, their property was inducted into the Tree Farm Program.

John attended Auburn University and graduated with BS and MS degrees in agricultural economics in 1973 and 1975. He has enjoyed a long career as the farmer and land manager of 5,000 acres of family land.

John and Peggy’s grandparents and parents passed away. The cows were sold, and timber became the primary crop of the land. All this happened over several years, with much planning and preparation. John and his wife Ann purchased 3 adjacent tracts which brought the total acreage of the Tree Farm program to approximately 1,867 acres.

Timber management is not without risks and challenges. The Boutwells have lived through two devastating events on their property. In the early 1990s, they experienced a terrible pine beetle epiA L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

demic. Then, in 2004, the 90+ mph winds of Hurricane Ivan destroyed or damaged much of their mature timber. In both instances, the land was replanted. Beetledamaged wood was sawed into lumber and repurposed into a beautiful cabin that is the family recreational centerpiece of the property. Over 1,000 acres were salvaged, and 140 acres were so severely damaged they had to be cleared and replanted after Ivan.

From 2002, John began a commercial hunting operation on the property and wildlife habitat became an important management objective. In 2012, John ceased commercial hunting, and the property was leased to two individuals for hunting and recreation. This move freed him to devote more time to the upkeep of the property and for timber development.

Today, John oversees all of the management activities on the entire property including timber sales, reforestation, timber improvement practices, road maintenance, wildlife plantings and much more.

Other than plantation planting, occasional mechanical site prep and helicopter spraying, all management activities are performed by John and his family. His two sons, daughter, wife Ann and sister Peggy are active participants in decision making and carrying out the work. Six grandchildren spend considerable time with John, and are learning invaluable lessons in land ethics, sustainable forest and wildlife management and enjoying themselves without electronic devices.

Family use of the Tree Farm centers at the cabin which John and his family built in 2002 from beetle damaged trees. Cedar Creek and many other streams on the land are also focal points. The family spends many weekends at Cedar Creek Plantation, and especially enjoys celebrating family Christmas at the cabin every year.

John and his sons enjoy deer, quail, and turkey hunting. The grandchildren just enjoy being there and playing in the water.

It’s a perfect place to get away—no power lines, no TV, and no phone service. Their friends ask them when they are coming out to civilization, and they respond “We

are in civilization. Where are you?”

Time at the property also means time for work. The family plants orchards and wild flowers, and cleans up the area around the cabin. If orchard trees are planted, the grand kids’ job is to spit in the hole so the trees will grow!

Peggy’s family enjoys camping out on the land and riding ATV’s over the many trails. Peggy stays in the cabin!

Wildlife is plentiful and varied on this land, because much effort is expended to make them feel welcome. About 75 acres of wildlife openings are devoted to winter and summer food plots. Winter plots are planted in small grains, clovers and brassicas, while summer plots contain corn, milo or soybeans. Eleven hard mast bearing orchards provide food in the fall and

winter, and a soft mast orchard of apple and pear trees bear fruit in late summer.

Supplemental protein feed is provided for the deer herd in mid-summer.

Delayed spring cutting in the hay fields permits hen turkeys to successfully nest, and no cutting in August protects newly born fawns. Open fields of native grass, low density longleaf plantings, and liberal controlled burns provide good habitat for quail. Mature hardwoods are a favorite of squirrels, and briar patches are plentiful

Their friends ask them when they are coming out to civilization, and they respond “We are in civilization.

Where are you?”

The Boutwell family enjoys celebrating Christmas at Cedar Creek.

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Green Horizons for rabbits.

Non-game species aren’t overlooked.

Hollow trees are used by bats, and houses are provided for blue birds and wrens.

Plentiful dead snags are available for woodpeckers. Bobcats, foxes and otters are occasionally seen. Black bears were sighted near the property in 2014. John has even had two sightings of what he believes is a family of jagurundi.

The other non-game species is the resident cabin deer herd. Twelve to 24 does and fawns feel safe around the cabin and visit each afternoon during the winter for a snack of shelled corn. They also enjoy azaleas and anything grown in the summer garden.

As complex as the history is, this land has a bright future. Because of the family’s love of and commitment to this land, and their desire for the land to remain intact for future generations, the ownership of John and Ann’s land has been placed in a family partnership and is being transferred to their three children.

Ann and John are confident the land is in good hands. Their son Andrew has degrees in forestry and business management and can handle the business decisions. Their son Thomas is qualified to operate and service all the machinery needed to maintain the farm, and can handle the wildlife management decisions. Their daughter Katie, an ordained Methodist minister, will pray for her brothers and put the fear of God in them if needed!

As Tree Farm landowners, John and Ann, Peggy, and their families are shining examples of what it means to be good stewards of the land. ▲

Wildlife is plentiful and varied on this land, because much effort is expended to make them feel welcome.

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State’s Voice, State’s Choice Alabama Chooses the Certified Pathway

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merican Tree Farm System understands the benefit of collaborative dialogue and that one size does not fit all. While third-party certification is a driving force in some states, in others it is not. State Tree Farm Committees want the flexibility to respond to the cultures, partnerships and landscapes in their states. The State’s Voice, State’s Choice process was offered as a means to engage State Tree Farm Programs to choose, either to maintain their third-party certified status (the Certified Pathway) or forgo third-party certified status to focus on recognition and outreach (the Recognition Pathway).

The Alabama Tree Farm Program has chosen the Certified Pathway to maintain their third-party audited status. Under this pathway, all Certified Tree Farmers in the Alabama Program are covered by AFF’s centrally held regional certificates. As a part of the certificate, each State Program undergoes assessment in accordance with accreditation rules, approximately every 4 years.

How does all of this benefit Tree Farmers in Alabama? Fiber that originates in thirdparty certified Tree Farms may be recognized and sold as “certified” in the global market place under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) or Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) labels. In addition to market recognition, this certificate offers additional validation and assurance of good stewardship, credibility, and objective feedback.

To be a Certified Pathway participant in 2015, State Programs must complete several prerequisites. After 2015, Certified State Programs will have annual benchmarks for maintaining the integrity of their certification and accountability to the other states in their region. The Alabama Tree Farm Committee is working hard to complete these required prerequisites and planning ahead to achieve the annual benchmarks. ▲

Support the Alabama Tree Farm Program Your Alabama Tree Farm Committee is selling custom Alabama Tree Farm hats and travel coffee mugs. Mugs are available for $12 and hats for $15. If you are interested in purchasing these items, please contact Heather Wierzbicki at heather.wierzbicki@westrock.com • 334-855-5394 or 334-695-8300 PO Box 940 • Phenix City, AL 36868

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Practice What You Preach

By Walter E. Cartwright, Forest Management Division Director

Family outing on the property. From left to right: Walter Cartwright, Annette Stewart Cartwright, Yvonne Stewart, Soyna Stewart Moore, Tom Moore

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s a graduate registered forester with a bachelor of science degree in forest management from Auburn University, I have been giving management advice to landowners, writing management plans, conducting understory and site preparation prescribed burns, planting trees, controlling invasives, and much more. My wife and I had not owned property but were in the market, looking at many tracts priced too high to be affordable.

Then we were told of a tract for sale and went to look. I called the landowner and got the price and told him we were interested. The rest is history and I finally had the opportunity to “practice what I had been teaching� others my entire career.

In May 2013, my wife, Annette Stewart Cartwright, and I bought our first property in southwest Butler County, Alabama. It consists of 60.5 acres of young timberland in Section 29, Township 9 North, and Range 12 East. Located on McNeil Road, the property was part of the former Virginia McIntyre property, willed to Margie Middleton and Thomas Black, who sold his half to us. Mr. Black told us that he and many other neighbors had been born

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Firebreaks installed in March 2014.

The prescribed fire was conducted later in March 2014.

and grew up in an old home once located there and that Dr. Watson always drove a horse and buggy from Georgiana (about 12 miles) to deliver babies. He was often paid with produce or canned goods. An old cotton shed was located north of the old home place but was burned by a wildfire one month before we closed on the property. The old home place had also burned a few years back, leaving 2 chimney monuments to mark its spot. The old cannery survived and is still located north of the old house place about 30 feet. We have worked to clean up and weather proof to a degree and use as a check in stand for hunters and guests on the property. We have decorated the front with antlers from deer harvested in past hunting seasons and plan to add a double insulated window for ventilation.

Our goals for the property are for timber production, hunting, recreation and aesthetics. We plan to build later some sort of house or cabin on the property and may eventually live there. The property is transected by a gravel road and power line that provides rural power to an old camper located next to the old home place. Rural

water is also connected to the camper, so it is livable in its present condition. We have a good old open well with curbing and good water, which can be used if the rural water is not available. A metal carport is located on the old home site where we park our vehicles out of the sun and weather.

With all that said, we needed equipment to work on the property and maintain fire lines and roads. So, we later purchased a 58 hp John Deere tractor with a rhino front-end loader, disk harrow, and bush hog. We later replaced the old bush hog with a brand new 6 foot bush hog.

And brand new 6-foot Tufline disk harrow.

Added to that was a used Kawasaki mule and trailer for easy and quick access to all parts of our property.

Our first harvest was to thin a 13-yearold loblolly pine plantation, so we solicited bids and thinned the 30-acre loblolly pine plantation in October 2013, recovering about half of the timber value.

We couldn’t define rows, so we asked the logger to cut corridors parallel to the road, which worked out great to open up the stand and provide hunting corridors across

25

Green Horizons the stand. After the thinning, we hired the Alabama Forestry Commission to come and clear two food plots next to two existing hunting houses. We later planted the food plots with a variety of seed from the Whitetail Institute and also planted the few existing roods.

We signed up for cost share on fire breaks, which were installed in March 2014 and planted with leftover seed from the Whitetail Institute. Then, later in March, we obtained a burn permit and prescribe burned the plantation by lighting a backfire on the north line with a 5 mph southeast wind. After about two hours, we slowly ignited flanking fires that burned well and consumed most of the fuel, except for small piles of debris. The Annette Cartwright proudly displays the Stewardstand looks great and we ship Forest sign. had a successful hunting season, harvesting seven deer and one coyote.

In May of 2014, we had a Stewart family (Annette’s) gathering on the property to celebrate the return of our nephew from Afghanistan. We cooked hamburgers, hotdogs, sausage, and ate other dishes brought by the family. We had set up a shooting range with targets and also shot clay targets thrown with a springloaded thrower. All family brought guns and participated. We also had two UTVs, one off-road golf cart and one 4-wheeler that everyone rode around the property many times. Twenty family members got there at 8:00am and left at 5:30pm and just had a wonderful time.

Annette and I go to the property almost every weekend on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons, so we can continue to improve the place and add value. We work as a team on every project such as cutting, splitting and hauling firewood from the property. We hired the Alabama Forestry Commission to return and push firelanes around all exterior boundary lines, push two additional interior roads and three additional food plots. We are methodically removing and treating privet, cogongrass and eastern baccharus.

We now have full access to all parts of our property and found a native chinquapin tree. We also have a few Honey Locust trees and at least one Big Leaf Magnolia tree. The Alabama Forestry Commission completed our Forest Stewardship Management Plan in April and we now have our Stewardship Certification.

Tree Farm Certification is our next goal as we continue to manage the property. Every discovery is another adventure on the property we fondly know as the Ponderosa II! ▲ 26

Mark Your Calendars!

Dates have been set for October Regional Forestry Field Days and Landowner Tours Central Region Thurs. Oct. 1 Bullock Co. Sehoy Plantation North Region Thurs. Oct. 8 Cullman Co. Stan Woods South Region Thurs. Oct. 15 Washington Co. Vivian Beech

PLM and CFE credits are available for these events.

- 29th Silent Auction -

Call for Donations

T

he Alabama Tree Farm Committee is preparing for the 29th Silent Auction to be held in conjunction with the AFA Annual Meeting.

The committee is seeking donations of items or funds for the purchase of bid items.

The Silent Auction is Tree Farm’s largest fundraiser, and proceeds are used to promote Alabama’s Tree Farm program and serve Tree Farmers throughout the state.

We would love to have Alabama made that come from all parts of the state. Please contact local craftsmen in your area.

We will advertise his/her business alongside the item, and publish a list of auction items along with the crafter’s contact information for meeting participants. Donations are tax deductible.

Examples of items to donate include: ● Travel Packages (hunting, fishing, beach, other leisure) ● Sports Game Tickets ● Wall Art (paintings, drawings, photos) – framed, please ● Handcrafted Gift Items (wood, pottery, glass, metal, textile items, etc.) ● Furniture (wood benches, adirondack chairs, tables, etc.) ● Jewelry ● Yard Art (bird baths, birdhouses, planters, etc.) ● Services (spa, landscaping, fine dining) ● Plants (gift certificates to nurseries etc.)

Please contact Heather Wierzbicki at Heather.wierzbicki@westrock.com or 334-855-5394 to donate items or funds.

A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

Tree Farmers–We Need to Hear From You! Is Your Tree Farm Information Current? If Not, Let Us Know!

2015 Management Plan Addendum Tool Now Available!

T

he 2015 Management Plan Addendum is a tool for our Certified Tree Farmers, designed to help them review their management plans, reflect on their stewardship objectives, assess the current condition and health of their woods and ensure that their management plan meets the 2015-2020 Standards of Sustainability. Please go to www.treefarmsystem.org/new-atfsaddendum for more information on the new addendum.

All landowners with woodlands currently certified to the

ATFS Standards will need to transition to 2015-2020 ATFS Standards during 2015. Landowners are encouraged to review the 2015-2020 Standards with their management plans to ensure their plans include key elements while also making any updates to reflect changes to their own objectives, property or management. The 2015-2020 Standards may be found online at www.treefarmsystem.org/atfs-standards.

If you have recent updates that need to be made to the Tree Farm database, please complete the form below and return it to the Alabama Tree Farm Committee. You may also email us with updated information. ▲

✁ Tree Farm #:

Tree Farm County:

GPS coordinates if available:

Tree Farm Name:

Tree Farm Organization (if LLC, etc.)

Contact Name:

Contact Address:

Phone:

Cell Phone:

Email:

City/State: ZIP:

Non-contiguous tracts?

Y

N

If yes, how many tracts?

Forested acres change?

Y

N

If yes, estimated forested acres:

Please return to Alabama Tree Farm Committee Attention Brandy Cole 555 Alabama Street Montgomery, AL 36104

If you prefer to email or call in your updates, contact Brandy Cole at bcole@alaforestry.org or 334-481-2128.

✁

The clock is ticking on your continuing education

Get ’er done, now! www.alaforestry.org/cfe A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

27

e r u t a N o t s id K g in t Connec Nature is a great teacher! T Try ry this outdoor outd activ activity ity – it’ it’ss safe, fun, and educational.

Use P Project roject Learning T Tree reeÂŽ activities to get children outside and tea teach ch them about what the environment needs to remain healthy and sustainable. V Visit isit plt.org/store for more.

Activity 63: 6 Tree Factory By acting out the parts of a tree, children will learn about tree structure and function. Engage children by asking them to think about what trees need to survive (food, od, sun, waterr,, airr,, and space). Discuss how a tree might get these requirements, especially since they can’t move around the way animals can.

Tree ee Trunk La Layers ayers

• How does a tree get the water it needs? • How does a tree get the food it needs? • How does water and food get around to all parts of the tree?

(e)

Explain that in addition to having leaves and roots, trees have special layers in their trunk and branches that help them move nutrients and water to every part of the tree. The trunk and branches also contain a growing layer of cells that create the tree’s annual growth rings, making the trunk, branches, and roots thicker each year. Review the following tree parts and have children label the diagram.

(d)

(a) Heartwood - forms the central core of the tree. It is made up of dense dead wood, and it provides strength.

(b)

(b) Xylem - brings water and nutrients up from the roots to the leaves. Older xylem cells become part of the heartwood.

(c)

(a)

(c) Cambium - a very thin layer of growing tree tissue. It makes cells that become new xylem, phloem, or cambium. (d) Phloem - carries sap from the leaves to the rest of the tree. At certain times of the year earr,, phloem may also move stored sugars from the roots up to the rest of the tree. (e) Outer Bark SURWHFWV WKH WUHH IURP LQMXU\ FDXVHG E\ LQVHFWV DQLPDOV SODQWV GLVHDVHV DQG ÀUH

Build a Tree Facto Factory ry Using the chart below low w,, have children build a “T represent the structure and function of the tree parts reviewed above. The chart has been started to help you.

Hint: The chant helps to determine the function!

STRUCTURE FUNCTION

CHANT

ACTION

Roots

Anchor the tree, absorb water and nutrients

“We anchor!�

Lay down and hold onto the ground tight

Leaves

Make food through photosynthesis

“We make food!�

Flutter your hands

Heartwood

“I support!�

Flex your muscles

Xylem

“I pump!�

Cambium

“I make new cells!�

Phloem

“I carry sap!�

Outer Bark

“I protect!�

Hold up hands or cross arms to make a shield

7R UHLQIRUFH OHDUQLQJ DQG ÀUH XS WKLV 7UHH )DFWRU\ KDYH FKLOGUHQ VKRXW WKH FKDQW DQG SHUIRUP WKH DFWLRQ FKRVHQ for each tree part.

PL LT improves children’s environmental awareness, critical thinking skills, and d academic performance. • Attend a workshop near you to receive PreK-12 PL LT T activities, ideas, and materials. • Encourage your child’s school to incorporate outdoor learning and PLT. • Contact your Alabama PLT State Coordinator: Brandy Cole, bcole@alaforestryy.org, 334-481-2128

www.plt.org

2015 Teachers’ Conservation Workshop

Makes the Grade

By Ashley Smith

“I learned so much! I learned to identify trees, learned about raptors, making paper, about fires and how they benefit the forest and trees, the show and tell of the animals— owl, lizard, black snake, etc. The bald eagle that flies before the Auburn game—cool! The WestRock paper mill in Mahrt, Alabama, was a lot of fun—seeing firsthand how paper is made was great!

It really will make a difference in my classroom to better educate my students,”

wrote Veleria Carter, fourth grade teacher at E.D. Nixon Elementary in Montgomery, who expressed great appreciation at the close of the 2015 Alabama Teachers Conservation Workshop. Her comments mirrored the opinions of other attendees. Teachers overwhelmingly agreed that TCW proved to be both educationally beneficial and enjoyable.

The workshop focused on forest ecology, management, and products through guest speakers, field trips, and handson activities. The workshop goal is to demonstrate the importance forests have to the environment and economy in Alabama.

Teachers received valuable classroom resources including: Project Learning Tree curriculum, field guides, posters, activity kits, and much more. The workshop agenda was reviewed by the Alabama Department of Education and designated as an AMSTI Affiliate Program. Teachers received 40 hours of CEUs for attending the course. All expenses, including hotel, meals, and materials were paid by sponsors. Based on post-workshop comments and reviews, the 2015 Teachers Conservation Workshop makes the grade!

A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

Do you ever wonder if you make a difference? I wanted you to know tha company’s decision to support the Teach t your Conservation Workshop at Auburn Univeers will make a big difference in the lives rsity students I teach. This week, I got a betof the understanding of how forests are managedter economic impact, and the diverse ecosys , their support. I learned activities to help my tems they understand these concepts. I also gained students set of career fields that I can promote. a new workshop has made a difference for me This know it will positively impact my studen . I Thank you for your support and makints. ga difference in our lives.

Sincerely, Diane Jamison, Beulah High School, Valley, Ala. 29

TCW Wor kshop

Leaf printing is a fun and creative way to look at leaves! Left to Right: Jennifer Beasley, Melissa Stancil, Shalain Benford, Kelly Champion, and Sherri Stancil WestRock forester and TCW Director Ed Lewis (orange shirt) identifies trees with Stormy Stevens (black shirt) and Kammy Gilmer (sitting). Betsy Gore (red shirt, standing) follows along on the key.

Forester with the Longleaf Alliance and TCW volunteer Anne Rilling (left) explains to Sherri Stancil, Jennifer Beasley, and Veleria Carter how to use a dichotomous key to identify trees.

2015 Teachers’ Conservation Workshop Sponsors Alabama Chapter, Association of Consulting Foresters Alabama Forest Owners Association Alabama Forests Forever Alabama Pulp & Paper Council Alabama Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee Alco Land & Timber Co., Inc. Bell Yarbro Investments LLC Bibb County Farmers Federation Bradley/Murphy Forestry & Natural Resources Extension Trust Cedar Creek Land & Timber, Inc.

Clay County Farmers Federation Forestar Group Inc. Forest Investment Associates Fulton Logging Co., LLC Georgia-Pacific LLC Hancock Forest Managment Inc. Harper Lumber Co. Harrigan Lumber Co., Inc. International Paper—Pine Hill Jackson County Farmers Federation Jesse Boyles Littrell Lumber Mill, Inc.

Marion County Soil & Water Conservation District Melala, LP Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC Packaging Corporation of America Plum Creek Timber Rawsome Bros. Timber Co. Inc Regions Bank Renfroe Preservation LLC Resource Management Service, LLC Rock Springs Land & Timber, Inc. Scotch Gulf Lumber Scott Davis Chip Co., Inc.

Silver Creek Logging Company Sizemore & Sizemore, Inc. Southeastern Society of American Foresters T.C. Mace Logging, Inc. T.R. Miller Mill Co., Inc. Thelma Dixon Foundation War Eagle Chapter Society of American Foresters Westervelt Company WestRock William Crosby

w

FORES FORESTRY F FO ORESTR TRY TRY RY SOL SOLUTIONS SO S OL LUTIONS UT T ONS THAT THA TH T HA AT MEET AT MEET M YO Y YOUR OUR OU RO OBJECTIV OB OBJECTIVES. BJECT TIVES. VE ES S. Fifty Fifty ifty Years Year Y ears ear rs and a and Growing Gr Grro owing wing www.fwforestry.com www ww.ffwf wfforrestry try.co .c m BROCK MA MAY AY Y Hamilton, AL 205.952.9369

30

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

“We are not the new kid on the block. We have been handling the insurance for the forest products industry since 1969. If you want your insurance agent to be around when you have a claim, call us.”

1200 Elba Hwy., P.O. Box 448, Troy, AL 36081-0448 Office: (334) 566-1477 • Fax (334) 566-7986 Email: wig@troycable.net • AL WATS: (800) 239-1477

A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

Forestry News & Views

New Shooting Range Opens to the Pubic

By DAVID RAINER, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

T

ucked inconspicuously among the rolling hills and back roads of rural Talladega County sits a modern marvel.

I’m talking about a new facility just south of the Talladega Superspeedway that will leave any visitor stunned by its grandeur and size.

The new facility is the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park, a 500-acre park that rivals any shooting venue in the world.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is well known for its facility at Camp Perry in Ohio, and it has a presence at Anniston Army Base just up the road.

As it says on the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park brochure, the new

Photos by David Rainer

The CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park, located just south of Talladega Superspeedway, offers visitors a clubhouse with meeting rooms and pro shop.

Jeremy Coppock of Jacksonville, Ala., sights in his AR-15-style rifle in .223 with ease, thanks to the Kongsburg Electronic Target System. You don’t have to worry about walking down to check your target, or squinting into a spotting scope. The Kongsburg system lets you see what you shot when you shoot it! facility is state-of-the-art! The facility is open to the public. It is fee-based with daily to weekly rates. TMP is open Wednesday through Sunday. Mondays and Tuesdays are maintenance days at the park.

The CMP board set aside $10 million and worked with architect David Christian of Anniston to develop the concept.

A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

Rabren General Contractors out of Auburn handled the bulk of the construction. The final tally for construction was around $20 million.

On the main range, there are 54 stations with targets set at 200 yards, 300 yards and 600 yards. There is a 100-yard rifle range with 40 stations that will most

often be used by those who are sighting in or checking their rifles for hunting season.

Action pistol shooters can take advantage of three ranges. There are 25 stations each at the 25- and 50-yard pistol ranges, the only two places in the park still under construction. On the shotgun side, there is a mountaintop sporting clays range, as well as trap and 5-stand ranges.

The target system is one of the features that really makes the Talladega facility unparalleled. The Kongsburg Electronic Target System allows shooters to check the point of impact on a monitor immediately after the shot is fired.

Visit http://thecmp.org/competitions/ talladega-marksmanship-park/ for details, map and information on hours and prices.

For obvious reasons, TMP is closed during race weeks at the Superspeedway. ▲ 31

News & Views

AFA Regional Receptions Features Something for Everyone in 2015

S

ome 73 enthusiastic AFA members and friends turned out at the River Bottom Grill for the Shoals Area Regional Reception recently.

At the Auburn event later in the week, over 35 attended the Capital District Meeting and 86 attended the RR at Coach Pat Dye’s Crooked Oaks Lodge. Former AU Head Football Coach Pat Dye was present at the Auburn event the entire evening and seemed to really enjoy visiting with our members and guests.

Other RRs in July included: Butler Area Regional Reception, July 9th, 6 pm at Ezell’s Fish Camp; Mountain District Meeting & Guntersville Area Regional Reception, July 16th—DM at 5:00 pm, RR 6:00 pm, at Dream Ranch; Delta District Meeting &

Mobile Regional Reception, July 23rd— DM at 5:00 pm, RR 6:00 pm at Five Rivers; Jasper Area Regional Reception, July 30th, 6 pm, at Musgrove At the Auburn RR is, center, Emmett Thompson, former Country Club.

Dean of the Auburn School of Forestry and Wildlife Crooked Oaks Lodge Sciences, talking with Graeme Lockaby, who served a is owned and operated stint as acting dean of the school. by former Auburn football coach and legend Pat Dye and is the site of the AFA’s annual Regional Reception in the Auburn area over the last couple of years.

The lodge is a 6-bedroom, 4-bath guesthouse. Four bedrooms are located upstairs in the lodge and open onto “The Gallery” which is a mini-museum of football memorabilia from Coach Dye’s 40 years in football. The two remaining bedrooms are downstairs and have private baths.

Crooked Oaks is the site of AFA’s annual Auburn Area Regional Reception and easily accommodates our 100+ guests.

This reception has become one of the most popular membership events and is eagerly anticipated each year.

Coach Dye lives on the property and so it is not unusual for him to come by to visit. He has several dogs that also like to come by and provide a warm welcome. ▲ 32

Top: Inside Coach Dye’s lodge, which includes a lot of his memorabilia from his heyday at Auburn.

Left: Former Auburn Head Football Coach Pat Dye enjoys a chat with Becky Clifton at recent Regional Reception at Coach Dye’s lodge.

Bottom: Happy AFA campers at the Butler Area Regional Reception, July 9th, at Ezell’s Fish Camp.

A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

Competitors who participated at the June 9 event at Auburn.

FFA Teams from across Alabama Gather to Compete in Auburn

F Joe Roberson of WestRock was one of the volunteers who helped make the June program a big success.

Special thanks to the volunteers who made the event possible: Leh Bass Mark Bass Mark Bond Boyd Christenberry Parker Cox Jerry Dwyer

JC Lester Dick Martin Joe Roberson Robert Sanders Jerry Schwarzauer Troy Walker

A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

orestry FFA teams from across the state gathered in Auburn on Tuesday, June 9, 2015, for the Alabama FFA Forestry Career Development Event. After the general knowledge exam, equipment identification, and map interpretation portions of the competition at Auburn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, students traveled to the Cat Training Center for lunch catered by Price’s Barbeque House and the outdoor field exercise phases of the competition. The event, which encourages students to consider future careers in the forest industry, is hosted by the Alabama Forestry Foundation and “supported by numerous industry volunteers.

Congratulations to the Falkville FFA Forestry Team on winning first place in the competition! Good luck in competing at the National Forestry Career Development Event in Louisville, Kentucky, in October. ▲

33

Wildlife & Outdoors

Available for Public Review

T

The gopher tortoise lives in dry, deep sandy soils where the overhead canopy is open. This distribution coincides with the historic long leaf pine ecosystems of the lower coastal plain.

They dig burrows up to nine feet deep and 20 to 30 feet long with a large chamber at the bottom.

Photo courtesy Traci Wood

he Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF) announces the final draft of the 2015 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) is available for public review and comment. For the past year, WFF has worked with partners and stakeholders throughout the state to update this comprehensive plan to conserve aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and habitats. By Congressional State Wildlife Grant (SWG) requirements, this comprehensive document must be revised every 10 years. The federal SWG program assists state fish and wildlife agencies in the conservation of Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

SWAP is critical in helping Alabama fulfill its responsibility to conserve its abundant fish, wildlife and natural habitats for future generations. In the past 10 years, Alabama’s original SWAP shaped major conservation accomplishments including the restoration of longleaf and

shortleaf pine and native grasses in Wildlife Management Areas, Alabama’s state parks and on private lands. SWAP and SWG assisted in the establishment of the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center, which helps recover freshwater mussels and snails in Alabama’s key rivers and streams. SWAP and SWG have also supported research on rare aquatic animals, removed barriers to fish migration and breeding, and reintroduced threatened

aquatic species.

The revised SWAP will guide statewide efforts to prevent more species from becoming endangered and maintain Alabama’s diverse natural landscape for its citizens and wildlife. SWAP revision will also support critical research, education, and survey and monitoring efforts to address critical conservation needs. WFF welcomes public review and comments on the SWAP, which can be found at www.outdooralabama.com/alcomprehensive-wildlife-conservationstrategy. Reviewers are asked to comment only on the document’s content. Layout and formatting are ongoing and subject to change. ▲

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.

JASPER L U M B E R

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A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

12 ROWS VS. THE STANDARD 16 ROWS=

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This process is used on 100% of Weyerhaeuser Premium Seedlings.

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Index to Advertisers AGRICULTURAL LENDING

Alabama Land Banks Associations ▲ AlabamaAgCredit.com...........Inside Front Cover First South Farm Credit – South Division ▲ firstsouthfarmcredit.com ....................20 CONSULTANTS—FORESTRY

F&W Forestry Services ▲ fwforestry.com................................................................30 Larson & McGowin ▲ larsonmcgowin.com .............................................................36 FINANCIAL SERVICES

Trustmark Bank ▲ trustmark.com ..........................................................................10 FORESTRY EDUCATION

Alabama Forests Forever Foundation ▲ alaforestry.org.............................................4 Forestry Continuing Education ▲ alaforestry.org/ce................................................27 Project Learning Tree ▲ plt.org...............................................................................28 FOREST PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS

Cooper/T.Smith ▲ coopertsmith.com.........................................................Back Cover Jasper Lumber Company ▲ jasperlumber.com ........................................................34 INSURANCE

Forest Fund ▲ alaforestry.org ..........................................................Inside Back Cover The Witherington Insurance Group ▲ witheringtoninsurance.com..........................30 LANDOWNERS (COMPANIES, INDIVIDUALS & TRUSTS)

The Westervelt Company ▲ westervelt.com ...........................................................35 LOGGING CONTRACTORS

Mid-Star Timber Harvesting, Inc. ▲ midstartimber.com ..........................................20 RESEARCH

WSRI ▲ fendig@bellsouth.net................................................................................20 SAWMILL

TR Miller ▲ trmillermill.com...................................................................................36 SEEDLINGS

Arborgen ▲ arborgen.com .....................................................................................35 International Forest Company ▲ interforestry.com ...................................................2 Rayonier ▲ rayonier.com........................................................................................36 Weyerhaeuser ▲ weyerhaeuser.com.......................................................................35 Whitfield Farms & Nursery ▲ whitfieldpineseedlings.com ......................................32

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

36

A L A B A M A F O R E S TS | S u m m e r 2 0 1 5

SERVICE

Underwriting ◆ Loss Control ◆ Claims Administration ◆ Investigation ◆ Legal Defense ForestFund’s SURIHVVLRQDO VWDII SURYLGHV XQSDUDOOHOHG VHUYLFH EHJLQQLQJ ZLWK \RXU ¿UVW FDOO WR WKH XQGHUZULWLQJ GHSDUWPHQW 4XDOL¿HG DSSOLFDQWV ZLOO UHFHLYH D SURPSW TXRWH /RVV FRQWURO H[SHUWV ZLOO DGYLVH \RX DQG \RXU HPSOR\HHV on all aspects of a safety program. Any claims may be reported with a toll-free number 24 hours a day. Once the claim is UHSRUWHG DQ LQYHVWLJDWLRQ LV FRQGXFWHG ,I DFFHSWHG WKH FODLP LV HI¿FLHQWO\ DGMXVWHG 7KH LQMXUHG HPSOR\HH LV WUHDWHG E\ KHDOWK FDUH SURYLGHUV VSHFLDOL]LQJ LQ ZRUNSODFH LQMXULHV (PSOR\HUV DUH JLYHQ WLPHO\ UHSRUWV RQ WKH SURJUHVV of each claim. When claims are disputed, ForestFund members are represented by the best workers’ compensation defense lawyers in the state.

ForestFund LV LQ LWV IRXUWK GHFDGH RI SURYLGLQJ H[FHSWLRQDO VHUYLFH IRU HPSOR\HUV DQG HPSOR\HHV who harvest, transport, manufacture, buy or sell forest products. Sure there are other programs that provide workers’ compensation coverage, but do they measure up to ForestFund when it FRPHV WR 6WDELOLW\ 6DYLQJV 6HUYLFH DQG 6DIHW\" 0DNH WKH FDOO WR ¿QG RXW *HQHUDO /LDELOLW\ TXRWHV DUH DOVR DYDLODEOH For a quote, call Kelly Daniel at ForestFund: (334) 495-0024

#OMMITTED TO #OMMITTED TO !!LABAMA S &UTURE LABAMA S &UTURE

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