objective for the land, having a multiple-use management plan for the property, practicing multipleuse management of the property, being nominated for consideration, being inspected by a registered forester and wildlife biologist, and finally being reviewed and approved by the Alabama Forestry Planning Committee. All in all, certification as a Treasure Forest is a fairly Jimmerson is ATFA exacting process that not president and advocate every landowner will be able to do immediately. However, membership in ATFA is not limited to just those who’ve been awarded Treasure Forest certification. James Malone, executive director of ATFA, explains that since 1991 the landowner association’s memberships have been open to both certified Treasure Forest landowners as well as non-Treasure Forest landowners. Malone says the group has grown steadily from just 132 members 20 years ago to about 3,000 today, approximately half of whom have received the Treasure Forest certification. Malone says one of the group’s primary objectives is to educate the public about the benefits forests provide to everyone, benefits like providing habitat for wildlife, recreation in the form of hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, as well as being a renewable resource in the form of timber and other wood products. The ATFA’s “Classroom in the Forest – Forest in the Classroom” outreach education program was created to
Bringing trees back to tornado-battered Alabama In the wake of the devastating tornadoes that battered Tuscaloosa and communities throughout Alabama, the Arbor Day Foundation, in collaboration with the Alabama Forestry Commission, has launched a new campaign to bring trees to families throughout the area. While cleanup and rebuilding will continue for years to come, people can
help the healing process now. Anyone can help with an online donation at www.arborday.org/ Tuscaloosa. For every dollar donated, the Arbor Day Foundation will deliver a tree to an Alabama resident affected by the April tornadoes. For more information, visit www.forestry. alabama.gov and click on “Alabama’s Tree Recovery Campaign.”d
help spread the word about the benefits of Alabama’s forestland and responsible forest management. Classroom in the Forest has two goals. The first goal is to educate fifth-grade students and their teachers about multiple use management of forest resources and the importance of private landowners in forest management, according to the ATFA website. The second goal is to involve private landowners in the education of these fifth graders and the public in general. Since its inception the all-volunteer education project has been successful in reaching more than 150,000 students in 58 Alabama counties, Malone said. David Haynes is a freelance To learn more about photographer and writer from the Alabama Treasure Blount Springs. Each month he rides his motorcycle to a Forest Association or to different Alabama location and join the ATFA, visit the tells us about it. Contact him at ATFA website at http:// studioblsp@mindspring.com. atfa.net.
Motorcycling guide to Alabama available Motorcycling Alabama - Fifty Ride Loops Through the Heart of Dixie by Alabama Living contributing writer David Haynes, is the first motorcycling guidebook to exclusively feature Alabama roadways. Published by the University of Alabama Press, the book routes 50 ride loops totaling almost 5,000 miles. Bounded by interstate highways, the book divides the state into five regions - Northeast, Northwest, East Central, Southeast and Southwest – with each region containing 10 rides. Most rides are suitable for all motorcycles, but several “Dual Sport” rides are specifically routed to include dirt and gravel roads. Illustrated with photographs by the author and detailed color maps that also contain turn-by-turn directions for each of the ride loops, Haynes says the book’s goal is to help riders feel confident in exploring all four corners of the state. A companion interactive website – http:// motorcyclingalabama.info - keeps readers updated on road conditions as they change due to temporary closures or construction. The book is available at bookstores around the state, online booksellers such as Amazon.com and through the University of Alabama Press website at http:// uapress.ua.edu.d
Alabama Living | SEPTEMBER 2011 |
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