georgia forestry today (july | august 2015)

GEORGIA FORESTRY

TODAYVolume 11, Issue 4

July | August 2015

WHERE CORPORATE FOREST and WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT MEETDNR FORESTRY for WILDLIFE PARTNERSHIP

July | August 20152 3Georgia Forestry Today

5Georgia Forestry Today4 July | August 2015

FORESTRY TODAYGeorgia

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

Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the publisher, A4 Inc., nor dothey accept responsibility for errors of content or omission and, as a matter of policy, neither dothey endorse products or advertisements appearing herein. Part of this magazine may be reproducedwith the written consent of the publisher. Correspondence regarding changes of address should bedirected to A4 Inc. at the address indicated above. Advertising material should be sent to A4 Inc.at the e-mail address: [email protected]. Questions on advertising should be directed to the ad-vertising director at the e-mail address provided above. Editorial material should be sent to A4Inc. or to Alva Hopkins.

GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY1154 Lower Birmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115

On the Cover: Volume 11, Issue 4 July | August 2015

P.08 DNR Forestry for Wildlife Partnership

Where Corporate Forest & Wildlife

Management Meet

P.14 Study Finds Increasing Wood Pellet

Demand Boosts Forest Growth,

Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions,

Creates Jobs

P.17 Forestry Legislation Signed by

Governor Deal | Effective July 1

P.19 Message from the GFC Director

P.20 GFC News

P.21 Trees: Mother Nature’s Proven

Prescription for Better Health

GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAYPrinted in the USA

PUBLISHER:A4 Inc.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFAlva Hopkins

[email protected]

PRODUCTION MANAGERPamela [email protected]

EDITORIAL BOARDWendy BurnettAlva HopkinsStasia KellySandi Martin

Roland Petersen-Frey

July 31 - August 22015 GFA Annual Conference & Forestry ExpoWestin Jekyll IslandJekyll Island, GeorgiaInfo: Visit gfagrow.org for information andregistration

September 1-2Conservation Easements for Forest Landownersand their Advisers – TiftonUGA Tifton Campus Conference CenterTifton, GeorgiaInfo: Ingvar Elle, 706-583-0566, [email protected]

October 6-8SFI Annual ConferenceResort at Squaw CreekOlympic Valley, CaliforniaInfo: Amy Doty, 202-596-3458,[email protected]

October 20-22Forestry for Non-ForestersFlinchum’s PhoenixAthens, GeorgiaInfo: Ingvar Elle, 706-583-0566

Forestry Calendar

If you have aforestry event

you’d like to seeon our calendar,please contact

Alva Hopkins atahopkins@a4inc.

com with thesubject line

‘Calendar Event.’

Georgia’s Forestry for Wildlife

Partnership is a voluntary De-

partment of Natural Resources

program that helps corporate

forest landowners integrate

wildlife and natural resources

into timber management. To

read more, Turn to page 8.

P.24 The Outdoorsman | Georgia Has

Great Ocean Fishing

P.28 Senator David Perdue Visits South

Georgia Tree Farm

7Georgia Forestry Today

List of advertisers

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

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

Blanton’s.........................................................................................3

Bodenhamer Farms & Nursery...............................................12

Canal Wood LLC......................................................................30

Cantrell Forest Products Inc. ..................................................30

Davis - Garvin ............................................................................26

F4 Tech ........................................................................................15

Farm Credit Associations of Georgia....................................15

Flint Equipment Company.....................................................29

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

F&W Forestry Service..............................................................18

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

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

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

James Bates ....................................................................................7

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

Lanigan & Associates ...............................................................18

Meeks’ Farms & Nursery ...........................Inside Front Cover

Morbark ......................................................................................30

Outdoor Underwriters.............................................................12

Prudential....................................................................................11

Plum Creek ...................................................................................5

Rivers Edge Forest Products....................................................30

SuperTree Seedlings ..................................................................13

Weyerhaeuser .............................................................................10

Whitfield Farms & Nursery ....................................................10

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

WILDLIFE PARTNERSHIP


DNR FORESTRY

By Eric Darracq and Steve Raper | Georgia Department of Natural Resources

for

Where Corporate Forest & Wildlife Management Meet

recreation (15 points).

• Communicating wildlife conserva-tion outreach and education for thepublic (20 points).

• Conserving sensitive sites (25points).

• Managing timber resources to im-prove forest habitats for wildlife (30points).

At a minimum, management of timber

resources must meet the SustainableForestry Initiative Standard (www.sfiprogram.org/sfi-standard) and Geor-gia’s Best Management Practices forForestry. Two high-priority examples ofways a company can reach these wildlifeconservation standards are by prescribeburning thinned pine stands on a two-year rotation and using herbicide appli-cation methods and chemical selectionsthat best retain a diversity of native plantspecies, including those favored bywildlife for food and cover.

When enhanced forest managementpractices like these are implemented incombination with public outreach, out-door recreation, and assisting other or-ganizations with conservation initiatives,companies are taking bold and muchneeded steps toward helping Georgiaachieve long-term sustainability of natu-ral resources.

Why FWP Is Important for Georgia

The abundance and diversity of our na-tive animals and plants rest largely in the


How FWP Works for Partners

Started in 1996, the FWP program ex-tends an open invitation to corporateforest landowners that own or manage atleast 20,000 acres in Georgia.

While www.georgiawildlife.com/FWP provides complete details, includ-ing the reporting form and application

information, to get started a forest com-pany representative contacts a DNR bi-ologist to discuss the basics and thendrafts a brief wildlife conservation plan.Once DNR has reviewed and acceptedthe plan, the representative works withhis or her company on ways to imple-ment the plan.

After two years of implementation,the representative compiles a summary ofaccomplishments with help from co-workers and submits a biannual report tothe Wildlife Resources Division for re-view and scoring. A few weeks later, FWPbiologists meet with foresters and repre-sentatives on their company lands for adaylong field tour and discussion of the re-port.

Soon after, the company will receivean evaluation letter highlighting strengthsand making suggestions for continued im-provement. The letter will also indicate adecision on the company’s FWP member-ship.

FWP partners generally tailor theircompany management guidelines to im-prove wildlife conservation based on coreprinciples detailed in the biannual report-ing form. These principles focus on:• Involvement with other conserva-

tion organizations (ten points).

• Providing opportunities for outdoor

Georgia Power discusses forest management activities and integrative options with registered foresters and certified wildlife

biologists. The 2014 Forestry for Wildlife Partners had a positive impact for wildlife on more than 1 million acres in Georgia.

intact tracts of forestland. These areas,critical for sustaining wildlife popula-tions, have become much less abundantin recent years.

Georgia's human population has in-creased steadily for decades, and grewnearly ten percent from 2000 to 2011.This rapid growth and expansion is re-sulting in substantial wildlife habitat lossand degradation, underscoring the needfor planning to ensure that our wildlifepopulations remain healthy for futuregenerations to enjoy.

Forestry for Wildlife Partnershipaims to help Georgia achieve long-termsustainability of natural resources, pro-viding corporate forest landowners withtechnical guidance to enhance wildlifeconservation through a strong, proactivepartnership.

Earlier this year, Gov. Deal said thatFWP partners CatchMark Timber Trust,Plum Creek, and Georgia Power “havegone beyond industry standards to man-age the forest lands they own for the ben-efit of Georgia’s wildlife. It is clear these

companies are committed to growingand sustaining our forests, and I amgrateful for their significant contribu-tions.”

To apply or learn more aboutForestry for Wildlife Partnership, visitwww.georgiawildlife.com/FWP. You canalso call a FWP biologist at (229) 227-5422 or (706)557-3263, or a public rela-tions representative at (770) 557-3327.

DNR wildlife biologists Eric Darracq andSteve Raper oversee the Forestry forWildlife Partnership. v

13Georgia Forestry Today12

July | August 2015

hands of private landowners: collectively,they own 93 percent of Georgia’s 38 mil-lion acres. Forest product companies areamong the largest landholders. Regis-tered foresters and other natural resourceprofessionals in Georgia have a major po-tential to improve forests for wildlife,

outdoor recreation, and other natural re-sources while managing for timber.

FWP encourages partners to man-age lands with conservation practicesthat integrate timber management withwildlife-friendly considerations. Partnersare also encouraged to provide the public

with recreational access for hunting, fish-ing, wildlife viewing, hiking, and camp-ing. These actions help Georgiansmaintain vital connections to our work-ing farms and wildlands.

Also, organizations that qualify forFWP typically work with relatively large,

Plum Creek renewed its voluntary Forestry for Wildlife Partnership with DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division in December 2014.

DNR wildlife biologist Eric Darracq, who

helps coordinate the Forestry for

Wildlife Partnership, discusses

evaluating sites for wildlife and forestry

management during a Forestry for

Wildlife workshop this spring which

focused on the revision of Georgia’s

State Wildlife Action Plan.


Study Finds Increasing Wood Pellet Demand

Boosts Forest Growth, Reduces Greenhouse

Gas Emissions, Creates JobsBy Robert Johansson | Acting Chief Economist | United States Department of Agriculture

An industry that can reduce green-

house gas emissions, increase forest

growth, and create jobs sounds too

good to be true. But that is the real-

ity of the emerging wood pellets

market in the Southern U.S. That

conclusion is supported by inde-

pendent economic assessments of

wood bioenergy, including a recent

study that specifically focused on

European pellet demand conducted

by researchers at Duke and North

Carolina State Universities. Those

researchers found that increasing

demand for wood pellets resulted in

more forest area, more forest in-

vestment, large greenhouse gas re-

ductions, and little change in forest

carbon inventories.

So, why is there concern?Some critics have recently argued

that land used to produce biomass for en-ergy should instead be permanently pro-tected as forests. ey say that harvestingbiomass from forests reduces forest car-bon stocks. Instead, they claim that thebest way to increase carbon storage is toreduce demand for renewable productsthat come from the land.

ose arguments fail to account formarket dynamics and incentives, and donot recognize that these resources are re-newable. Importantly, forests with littleor no economic value are at greater riskfor conversion to non-forest other uses.

A key to accelerating forest growthand regeneration is to create strong mar-kets for biomass that will stimulate invest-ments. Farmers and forest land owners, aswith all business owners, respond to mar-kets and invest in strategies to produce

more and earn more when facing increas-ing demand.

Biomass energy markets are provid-ing greenhouse gas benefits for Europeand can be a larger part of our domesticstrategy as well. e United States hascommitted to lowering greenhouse gasemissions by 26 to 28 percent over thenext ten years. One component of thatstrategy could be to expand renewable en-ergy generation from forest and agricul-tural biomass.

e conclusions by the Duke andNC State researchers are not unique tothe South. Other studies have found thatexpanding the use of sustainably grownbiomass for electricity production acrossthe U.S. can actually increase forestacreage and carbon storage. ose studiesshow that as demand for biomass ex-

pands, the resource becomes more valu-able at creating an incentive to grow andinvest. Expanding the use of biomass forelectric power will not result in the dev-astation of the American forests. Rather,forest owners will more effectively and in-tensively manage forests to increase theirvalue and optimize biomass productionand use over time.

For example, USDA Forest Serviceresearchers analyzed the potential effectsof greatly expanding biomass electricitymarkets in the US. ey found meetingeight percent of U.S. electricity produc-tion from wood energy would require a42 percent increase in harvesting; butthey also found that a substantial portionof that increase would be offset over 50years largely because of regrowth andmarket responses in land use and manage-

Wood chips like these are part of the process of turning wood into energy.

Photo credit: USDA Forest Service, Forest Operations Research Archive,

USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

ment strategies. ey estimated that sub-stituting biomass for fossil fuels to gener-ate electricity could reduce greenhousegas emissions by between 40 and 70 per-cent.

Larger trees and higher valued mate-rials such as sawtimber are not likely to beused for energy. ey are simply too valu-able for uses such as structural buildingmaterial, furniture, high end plywood,and veneer. In reality, new markets forbiomass energy can help supplement de-clining markets for low-value, small diam-eter wood, logging residuals, and thebyproducts of manufacturing. In manyparts of the country, wood energy can inturn help to reduce the risks of cata-strophic wildfire and provide incentivesfor forest management needed to addressthe increased risks of insects and disease.

A great deal is at stake. e nation’sforests provide us with many services.ey filter the air we breathe, they pro-vide millions of Americans with cleandrinking water, they provide habitat andrecreation opportunities, and they offsetabout 13 percent of U.S. greenhouse gasemissions each year. Yet many of thoseservices are at risk, in part due to the chal-lenges of a changing climate: increasedexposure to pests, diseases, and wildfire.Over the next few decades holding poli-cies constant, carbon sequestration rates

in our nation’s forests are expected toslow, mainly due to a loss of area princi-pally to development.

Generating clean and renewable en-ergy from biomass is an important andeconomic tool in our toolkit to addressthose challenges. Markets work. Increas-ing forest productivity and health makesthem more valuable and less susceptibleto conversion to other uses. Vibrant mar-kets for wood materials raise the value offorest lands and encourage investment,regrowth, and expansion. Using biomass

for energy helps reduce greenhouse gasemissions by displacing fossil energysources.

A healthy, productive, well-managedforest has high value, not just to the pub-lic and to the environment, but to theowner. Shaping policies that recognizethe real benefits of biomass and that pro-vide incentives for continued perform-ance improvements is a challenge, but theeconomic and environmental benefitsthat will be realized make this worth theeffort. v


Forestry Legislation Signed By Governor Deal

Effective July 1By Matt Hestad | Director of Public Relations and Communications | Georgia Forestry Association

Following a successful legislative

session for Georgia’s forestry com-

munity, Governor Nathan Deal

signed two of the Georgia Forestry

Association’s legislative initiatives,

which went into effect on July 1.

During the 40 legislative days of the153rd Georgia General Assembly, a totalof 955 bills were debated, 349 bills werepassed by the House, 388 bills werepassed by the Senate, and a total of 312bills were sent to the Governor’s office.Following sine die on April 20, Gov. Dealhas vetoed 11 bills and signed 301 intolaw, including GFA’s legislative initiativesHouse Bill 255 and House Bill 199.

Despite scrutiny from environmentaladvocacy groups and the U.S. GreenBuilding Council, the Governor contin-ued his support of Georgia grown woodby signing HB 255. e bill codifies thelanguage in Governor Deal’s 2012 Exec-utive Order requiring that green buildingstandards used in the construction ofstate buildings give equal consideration

to all credible forest certification pro-grams. Consequently, the legislation willban LEED green building certification inpublicly funded buildings, a designationcreated and promoted by the U.S. GreenBuilding Council (USGBC).

LEED criteria and credit scoring givepreference to wood from forests certifiedby the Forest Stewardship Council, ofwhich there is very little in Georgia—only 32,000 acres. Most certified wood inGeorgia is certified under the SustainableForestry Initiative or the American TreeFarm System—a combined 4.3 millionacres.

“We greatly appreciate GovernorDeal’s continued support of Georgiagrown wood in the construction of statebuildings and schools,” GFA PresidentSteve McWilliams said. “It is importantthat Georgia landowners and manufac-turers not have market access limited byany green building standard or program,especially those paid for by Georgia tax-payers.”

Governor Deal also gave his approvalfor House Bill 199, which amends Geor-gia’s timber harvest notification law toachieve greater uniformity among coun-ties that have a timber harvest ordinanceand to create operational efficiencies forGeorgia loggers.

e current law is administered dif-ferently in counties throughout the stateand is onerous in many respects for log-gers. e legislation will change severalprovisions of the current law to be more‘logger friendly,’ by increasing efficienciesand simplifying the compliance process.

HB 199 has already affected countieswhere unnecessary timber ordinances arebeing proposed, such as Upson County’sproposed timber ordinance that wouldrequire each timber company pay themaximum $5,000 bond per harvestingsite in the county. Under the new statelaw, Upson County is only permitted torequire one bond per year—no matterthe number of harvesting sites.

“I appreciate the work that GFA put

Governor Deal pictured with members of Georgia’s forestry community at the signing ceremony for

HB 255 at Gilman Building Products in Blackshear, Georgia, on May 4, 2015.

n addition to the celebration ofour country's independence, theGeorgia Forestry Commission isproud to join the entire forestrycommunity in marking some spe-cial achievements this month.

With the help of a lot of concerned andhard-working people, several importantmilestones were realized with laws that wentinto effect on July first. In the 2015 session,the Georgia General Assembly and Gover-nor Nathan Deal demonstrated their sup-port for our industry in a number of ways,which include:

• Providing funding to UGA's WarnellSchool of Forestry and Natural Re-sources for three new outreach and re-search positions in forest health,economics and taxation, and wildlife.

• Modifying Georgia's timber harvest no-tification law for more consistent use bycounties with timber harvest ordi-nances, while also simplifying and en-hancing the efficiency of the process.(At the time of this writing, we areworking through the administrativerules process, which includes publichearings. Visit GaTrees.org to down-load the new notification form andprocess.)

• Passing legislation codifying GovernorDeal's executive order that any greenbuilding standards used in the con-struction of state buildings must giveequal consideration to all credible for-est certification programs.

• Appropriating a second installment offunds to address pay parity and reten-tion issues within the Georgia ForestryCommission.

The funding for our GFC team is obviouslyof great significance to me. I have a frontrow seat for witnessing the professionalism,the skills, the hours, and the very real blood,sweat and tears this team puts into their jobsevery single day. Over the past few years,watching our resignation rate double overhistoric trends, while seeing the experiencelevel of our rangers responding to wildfiredrop markedly, was alarming. Thankfully,our forestry community and legislators an-swered the call and helped bring our em-ployees to a level that more closely matchesmarket averages.

We are especially grateful to House Ap-propriations Vice Chair, Penny Houston,and House Floor Leader, Chad Nimmer, forchampioning our pay parity needs over thepast two years. And of course we are mostappreciative of our GFC Board, the Georgia

Forestry Association, and the wide forestrycommunity at large for helping move theseinitiatives forward.

In the spirit of our founding fathers,let's keep the ball moving forward forforestry in Georgia. It provides such tremen-dous economic, environmental, and socialbenefits for this great state we call home.

Robert FarrisGFC Commissioner e


Georgia Forestry Commission

Message from the Director

Dear GFT Reader,

Robert Farris

I

18 July | August 2015

into shaping HB 199 and GovernorDeal’s support of the bill,” Lyle Taylor,president of Woodlands Enterprises Inc.in Cartersville, said. “is legislation isgoing to make my life a whole lot easierby simplifying what I have to do to log myclients’ timber.”

In addition to the two GFA initia-tives, below is an outline of legislation ofparticular interest to Georgia’s forestrycommunity. For questions about the2015 legislative session or GFA’s policyinitiatives, contact Steve McWilliams [email protected] or download GFA’s2015 Legislative Guide.

Other Legislation of Interest

Signed By the Governor

State Budget Appropriations |

House Bill 76

e Governor approved HB 76, whichdeals with general appropriations for thestate fiscal year ( July 1, 2015 - June 30,2016). e bill included adding $1.8 mil-lion to the Georgia Forestry Commissionbudget to address pay parity and reten-tion issues and $300,000 to support threenew outreach positions in University ofGeorgia’s Warnell School of Forestry &Natural Resources.

Transportation Funding Act of 2015 |

House Bill 170

House Bill 170 is based on recommenda-tions from the Joint Study Committee onCritical Infrastructure Funding, whichwas tasked with identifying funding solu-tions for Georgia’s transportation needs.e new law will generate almost $1 bil-lion in new transportation funding annu-ally. According to ACCG, provisions ofthe bill include:• A 26 cents-per-gallon state excise tax

on gasoline and a 29 cents-per-gallonstate excise on diesel.

• e indexing formula was changed toinclude a variation of CAFÉ stan-dards and Consumer Price Index(CPI) through July 1, 2018, with fu-ture indexing being tied only to the

CAFÉ formula in the bill.

• Addition of an annual highway im-pact fee for heavy vehicles at a rate of$50 for vehicles weighing between15,500-26,000lbs and $100 for vehi-cles weighing more than 26,001lbs.

• A $5 per night hotel/motel fee foreach calendar day that a room, lodg-ing, or accommodations are rented orleased. ere is an exception for ex-tended stay rentals.

• Includes additional oversight by theGeneral Assembly by requiringGDOT to annually submit a ten-yearstrategic plan outlining the use of de-partment resources for the upcomingfiscal years.

• Creates a Special Joint Committeeon the Georgia Revenue Structure(Tax Reform).

Ad Valorem Tax Reform |

House Bill 202

HB 202 is a comprehensive reform oflaws related to ad valorem taxation, as-sessment, and appeal.

Ad Valorem Tax Exemption for Farm

Equipment Dealers | House Bill 374

Currently, dealers of farm equipment are

exempt from paying ad valorem tax ontheir inventory. HB 374 clarifies thatforestry equipment (and lease-purchaseequipment) is included in this exemp-tion.

Georgia Soil and Water

Conservation Commission (GSWCC)

| House Bill 397

HB 397 amends the code to administra-tively attach the GSWCC to the GeorgiaDepartment of Agriculture. With this ad-ministrative change the agency will retainits autonomy as an independent, stand-alone agency.

Workers Compensation |

House Bill 412

HB 412 clarifies that workers compensa-tion is the exclusive remedy for work-re-lated injuries, and that exclusive remedyis not nullified by any failure to meet con-tractual obligations with maintenance,construction, or other contractors on awork site.

Feral Hog Control | House Bill 475

HB 475 amends the code to ease restric-tions on feral hog hunting. Among otherthings, the bill allows feral hogs to behunted year round with certain excep-tions. v

For three years, journalist Cathy Cobbs’ job had her commutingbi-monthly between Columbia, South Carolina and Atlanta,Georgia. She’d make the three and a half hour trip west on Sun-day mornings when traffic was usually light, work at her manag-ing editor job for a suburban newspaper until aer the weeklypaper had gone to press on Monday aernoon, then return toColumbia.

“Absolutely everything depended on traffic. One misstepand I was toast,” said Cobbs. “If for some reason I couldn’t leaveColumbia on Sunday and had to drive in on Monday morning,I could literally feel my blood pressure go up when I hit Coving-ton.” She added that her Monday night antidote was always arest on her patio, surrounded by trees, shrubs, and flowers.

Cobbs’ physical response to her surroundings is no surpriseto those who have ever tackled city traffic or enjoyed a walk inthe woods. It is also the stuff of a growing amount of researchlinking our environment to mental and physical health.

“e bottom line is, trees and green space will change a lifefor the better, health-wise,” said Mary Lynn Beckley, ExecutiveDirector of the Georgia Urban Forest Council, a nonprofitwhose mission is to sustain Georgia’s green legacy by helping

communities grow healthy trees. “Trees and green space alsomake better communities and residents.”

But how do green space advocates communicate that mes-sage to local officials, urban planners, and the health commu-nity?

“With patience and perseverance,” said Susan Granbery,Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator for the GeorgiaForestry Commission. “Sometimes it feels like we’re preachingto the choir at our conferences and meetings, sharing informa-tion about all the good things trees and forests do. But there's somuch science proving those benefits now, we’ve all got to do abetter job of reaching out to the groups that can help move usforward,” Granbery said.

New connections through stronger research

Granbery and Beckley are organizers of the Georgia Urban For-est Council’s Annual Conference, coming up on November 4and 5 in Savannah. e meeting's theme is “e Forest Phar-macy: Nature’s Prescription for Healthy Communities,” and theplanners are excited about the new information that will be pre-sented.

trees: Mother Nature's Proven Prescription for Better Health


Orders are now being accepted for the 2015-16 planting season.

New seedling varieties being offered include the GFC exclusive GeorgiaGiant (third cycle coastal loblolly pine) that produces 54 percent more vol-ume per acre than local unimproved check lots, which is ideal for areas inthe fall line and southward. Historically, these trees sell out quickly, alongwith another popular variety, the Elite Straight Loblolly, ranked very highly for straightness and resistance to fusiform rust. Formore information and to place an order, visit GaTrees.org, call 1-800-GATREES, or contact your local GFC county unit. e

GFC News

Landowners whose property is on two watersheds that lead to pro-

posed dams and reservoirs on Hard Labor Creek in Walton County

and Bear Creek in Newton County learned more about GFC services

in May. A special seminar was held at Newton's historic Gaither Plantation,where information about forest management, Best Management Practices,water quality, wildlife, cost-share programs, and more was shared with thegroup, many of whom are new to land management concepts. To facilitatecommunication among all parties involved in the process, the GFC has pro-posed establishing a forest landowner association in the watershed where thereservoirs will be built. e

Feeling stressed? Being with nature has proven health benefits!

By Stasia Kelly

A weather warning siren linked to Bibb County's 911 service has been installed on

the Georgia Forestry Commission Dry Branch campus. The siren is activated by radiosignal when the National Weather Service issues a severe weather warning for the area, providinganother layer of emergency notification to GFC employeesand to businesses and citizens who live and work in the im-mediate area. The siren is made of fiberglass, steel, and alu-minum, and weighs about 450 pounds. It is mounted on a42 foot above-grade pole and rotates 360-degrees to produce127 decibels at 100 feet for a 1+ mile range. It is connectedto a backup generator for the transmitter building so it canfunction during power outages.e

The popular Georgia Forestry Commission planner is now available for distribu-

tion. The 18-month calendar that covers July, 2015-December, 2016 features a variety of in-formation related to forestry and services of the GFC. The planners are complimentary andmay be picked up at your local GFC county unit. e

“Two of the nation’s leading expertson canopy cover and health are going tobe featured at the conference,” saidGranbery. “Kathleen Wolf and Ray Treth-away have spent years researching the veryreal implications green spaces have forhuman beings. eir studies provide clearevidence that we have an obligation toshare,” Granbery said.

Kathleen Wolf, PhD, Research SocialScientist at the University of WashingtonCollege of the Environment, will lead sev-eral conference sessions. In addition topresenting her team’s most recent work onthe economic valuation of nature/healthbenefits in the US, Wolf will discuss waysthat project design elements contribute tohuman health outcomes. She’ll cover herexperiences with green stormwater infra-structure (GSI) in urban neighborhoodsfor health co-benefits and EPA require-ments, and guide participants in identify-ing partners that can help put researchinto practice.

Wolf has gained further national at-tention as project director of the Web site,‘Green Cities: Good Health,’ which she

envisioned while visiting Japan in 2010. “While there I learned of interesting

research being done in horticulture ther-apy, community design, and urban envi-ronmental stewardship,” she writes atwww.greenhealth.washington.edu. “MyJapanese colleagues and I worked in thesummer of 2008 to translate their researchand present it to English speaking audi-ences using a Web site. e Web-based re-search outreach approach carried over tothis project when I returned to the U.S.”

Today, the ‘Green Cities: GoodHealth’ Web site is one of the most user-friendly places visitors can find detailingthe myriad and wide-ranging benefits of‘metro nature,’ as Wolf prefers to call it.e site represents a database of morethan 3,000 scientific articles.

“‘Green Cities Good Health’ is or-ganized by benefits themes, and describesevidence we can talk about with confi-dence;” said Wolf, “scientific evidence thatcan translate into programs and policies.”

“For a long time we were discussingenvironmental services, but there’s some-thing about the ‘it’s all about me’ health

benefit message that’s getting more trac-tion with listeners these days. Stress re-sponse, improvement in creativity,children doing better in schools. eseoutcomes get the attention of publichealth and medical communities,” Wolfsaid.

Changing the mindset of where tofind these remedies is also critical, accord-ing to Wolf.

“e American perception has alwaysbeen that if we’re in need of nature’srespite, we have to go to the ocean, theriver, or the mountains, beyond the city,”said Wolf. “Now we know that being innearby gardens, parks, and places withtrees is just as valuable and effective as bigget-aways.”

Ray Trethaway, Executive Director ofthe Sacramento Tree Foundation in Sacra-mento, California, will also be featured atthe conference. He will present new datafrom a project that details the associationbetween urban greening, expressed prima-rily as canopy cover, and major health be-haviors and outcomes. e study wasconducted in a six county region of Sacra-mento.

“e results of the study haven’t beenofficially released, pending journal publi-cation,” said Trethaway, “so there will befresh new data for the meeting!” Treth-away said he will present evidence that anincrease in neighborhood tree canopymirrors a dramatic increase in betterhealth.

Locally rooted success stories

Trethaway and Wolf both hail from thewest, “where new ideas oen start beforeheading east,” said Beckley. “at’s true ofa lot of things related to arboriculture andlaws having to do with trees. But there’s alot going on here in Georgia, too, thatwe’ll be sharing at the conference!”

Karen Jenkins, Executive Director ofthe Savannah Tree Foundation, will dis-cuss the challenges of development alongthe Georgia coast and how it has im-pacted natural spaces and water resources.Jenkins is a leading proponent of collabo-


ration with groups one might not imme-diately identify as tree champions, butwhich should be included in urbanforestry outreach.

“Good citizen advocacy is very im-portant,” said Jenkins. “It’s all about car-ing, and about educating people.”

e Savannah Tree Foundation hasteamed with a number of organizations tosupport those goals at the new Web site,Healthy Savannah.org. e site states thatits mission is to create an environmentthat “makes a healthy choice an easychoice; build a collaborative network thatidentifies and shares resources; collect anddisseminate information; promote bestpractices and support innovative pro-

grams and advocate for effective policies.”“e Web site pulls together all the

organizations concerned about health,”Jenkins said, adding that the tree/healthmessage is a perfect fit, and she hopes itresonates with new audiences.

“We need more members of the med-ical community to be direct and forth-right,” she said. “Doctors can write, ‘Takeyour child for a walk’ on their prescrip-tion pad, and can bring attention toshaded parks and sidewalks. Moms canget the PTA to spend two hours workingat a camp caring for trees, rather thanspend two hours making another batch ofcupcakes!”

Jenkins said “it’s a coup” for Savan-

nah to host the GUFC conference and toattract the caliber of speakers slated to at-tend. She and Beckley are hoping the con-ference agenda will compel the urbanforestry community to reach out to part-ners they may not have previously consid-ered, and ask them to come to thisimportant gathering.

“Everyone’s invited,” said Beckley,“and they’ll go home with ideas, facts, andscientific proof that trees and green spacechange lives for the better.”

e Georgia Urban Forest Councilwill hold its annual conference at theHilton Savannah DeSoto on November 4and 5. To review the agenda and to register,visit www.gufc.org. v

Soaking up health benefits is easier when parks and green space are

close to city homes.

Savannah is famous for its parks and trees, which research proves contribute to people's well being.


Georgia HasGreat OceanFishing

eorgia is often overlooked as a saltwater

fishing destination, but I have several

Florida fishing buddies that often fish off

the Georgia Coast. They say our waters are

a lot less crowded and the fishing is better

for some species. Georgia is blessed with

approximately 100 miles of ocean fishing

shoreline and much if it is a myriad of rivers, creeks, and in-

lets waiting to be explored. Several major islands and island

groups comprise this expanse of coast between the Savan-

nah and St. Marys rivers. These are Cumberland, Jekyll, St.

Simons, Sea Island, Little St. Simons, Sapelo, Blackbeard, St.

Catherines, Ossabaw, Wassaw, and Tybee.

Let’s start with the most simple coastal fishing method

first. Many salt water anglers started off fishing off the pier

at St Simons or Jekyll Island, and that’s a great way to get

into the sport cheaply. A simple bait caster reel and rod,

nylon leader, one ounce weight, and number two hook will

catch many small to medium size fish. Primary bait is live

or dead shrimp. The bulk of fish caught will be croaker,

spots, whiting, red drum, seatrout, weakfish, black drum,

sheepshead, cobia, grunts, mackerel, bluefish, king mack-

erel, flounder, bonito, false albacore, sharks, and an occa-

sional tarpon. Anglers can also access the same species by

surf fishing with a minimum of expense.

The six Georgia coastal counties all provide numerous

opportunities to fish from piers and docks. Many of the

docks and piers are on these rivers and inlets. Some are old

highway bridges that have been converted to fishing piers.

Others are docks built specifically for fishing. Wherever lo-

cated, they are easily accessible.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Coastal

Resources Division lists over 35 public access piers and

docks. For detailed driving instructions, visit the Georgia

Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Web

pages at www.state.ga.us/dnr/coastal/access.

Whether you’re on a quest for a 200-pound shark off

the coast of St. Marys or a 50 pound Cobia while on vaca-

tion at Jekyll Island, a deep-sea fishing trip can provide a

real adrenaline rush. Deep-sea or offshore fishing involves

fishing out on the open ocean, farther from shore where

weather conditions and navigational charts should be care-

fully evaluated to ensure a safe trip. This type of fishing is

best suited for intermediate or advanced anglers if you plan

to go without a charter or guide, although new technology

in boats, motors, electronics, safety equipment, and fishing

tackle has made it more accessible than ever before. If you

welcome a challenge, deep-sea fishing may be just what

you need. But if you lack the big boat and expertise to go it

alone, don’t hesitate to book a trip with one of Georgia’s

many experienced coastal fishing guides.

Recently, I had a great fishing trip with St Marys fishing

guide Cal Lang. Contact Cal at www.langcharters.com.

Other great guides in the area are Ken Olson at www.in-

shorega.com and Warren Hupman at www.fishmasterchar-

ters.com. Within close proximity to St Marys is Crooked

River State Park and Cumberland National Seashore. For

more info contact http://www.camdenchamber.com

Due to the number of deep-sea game fish species and

fishing techniques for catching them, there are many differ-

ent types of fishing tackle and gear that can be used. Off-

shore fishing may involve trolling with artificial fishing lures

or live baits, jigging with lures, or bottom fishing with baits.

If you are deep-sea trolling for sailfish, you might use

the following tackle and gear as an example. Start with a six-

to seven-foot medium action offshore fishing rod, heavy or

GBy John Trussell

The OUTDOORSMAN

The coastal Georgia area is loaded with sharks. Brandon Trussellcaught this nice sand shark while fishing with Captain Eric Moody ofCoastal Expeditions, off Jekyll Island."

Susan Baker, of Tifton, with one of the best eating fish inthe ocean, a flounder.

large saltwater-specific baitcaster reel

with high line capacity, loaded with

minimum 20-pound test monofilament

line. You would need a six to ten feet of

40 to 80-pound test monofilament

leader with a 5/-7/0 hook on the end.

To entice a bite, you’ll need live baits

such as goggle eyes or threadfin her-

ring. If you hook up with a guide, they

will provide the equipment for you.

Saltwater pier and surf fishing are

very similar in terms of the species you

may catch, but they can be different in

terms of space, technique, and tackle.

Fishing from the beach means you

have the ability to move along the

shoreline by foot, and can even wade

into the water in order to get to the

areas where baitfish may be located,

and the larger fish are feeding. Saltwa-

ter species such as redfish, snook,

striped bass, pompano, flounder, and

sea trout are a few examples of fish

you may find.

Rocks, reefs, and wrecks are great

places to start looking for fish when

offshore fishing. These types of struc-

tures provide a haven for every species

in the food chain and offer a place for

fish to hide from the strong ocean cur-

rents. Reef dwelling fish can usually be

enticed to bite by sending a vertical jig

to the bottom and quickly working it

back to the boat.

Outside the barrier islands of

coastal Georgia, the continental shelf

slopes gradually eastward for over 80

miles before reaching the Gulf Stream

and the continental slope. This broad,

shallow shelf consists largely of dy-

namic sand/shell expanses that do not

provide the firm foundation needed

for the development of reef fish com-

munities, which include popular game-

fish such as grouper, snapper, sea bass,

and amberjack. Offshore substrate

largely consists of fine sand and silt

where only about five percent of the

adjacent shelf features natural reefs or

‘live bottoms,’ most of which occur

more than 40 miles offshore.

Fish habitat enhancement contin-

ues to be a priority for the Coastal Re-

sources Division (CRD). With 30

artificial reef sites from three to 55

miles offshore, 15 inshore artificial reef

sites and over a dozen ongoing oyster

reef restoration projects, CRD is work-

ing hard to ensure that anglers of all

skill levels will have abundant and di-

verse fishing opportunities for years to

come.

Several fish habitat enhancement

projects have been scheduled for the

remainder of 2015, including place-

ment of 1,500 bags of recycled oyster

shells at Jointer Creek near Brunswick,

aerial and side scan sonar surveys of

all inshore artificial reef sites, and de-

ployment of donated materials, includ-

ing recycled poultry transport cages.

Visit the GeorgiaOutdoorMap.com

Web site as many exciting changes

have occurred lately. The offshore ar-

tificial reef sites now have an icon link-

ing to a library of videos containing

above and below water images of the

various types of materials deployed at

Georgia offshore artificial reefs. Spe-

cific information about inshore and

offshore artificial reefs sites including

coordinates for various materials can

be found at CoastalGADNR.org/Artifi-

cialReef. Coordinates are presented in

a GPX file format allowing for direct

transfer to most GPS units.

Another great recreational oppor-

July | August 201526 Georgia Forestry Today 27

tunity exists for cast netting shrimp.

According to the Georgia DNR, recre-

ational cast netters collecting bait

shrimp are limited to two quarts per

person at any time, provided that per-

son may take a maximum of four

quarts of bait shrimp per day. When

two or more persons occupy the same

boat, there may be no more than four

quarts of bait on board the boat at any

time, and the persons occupying the

boat may take no more than eight

quarts of bait shrimp per day. Bait

shrimp may be alive or dead when

caught with a cast. No person taking

food shrimp with a cast net may pos-

sess more than 48 quarts of heads-on

shrimp or 30 quarts of shrimp tails in

any day. Check the DNR regs for full de-

tails. The Georgia coast has great fish-

ing, so try it soon! v

Author John Trussell, displays a nice Red Fish that was caught in the St Marys river.

Susan Baker, right,of Tion, pulled avery nice sea trout om the St Marys

river while live shrimp fishing withGuide Cal Lang.


GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES

28 July | August 2015

Senator David Perdue Visits South Georgia Tree Farm

On May 2, Senator David Perdue

traveled to the forestland owned by

Toledo Manufacturing Company in

Charlton County to meet with sev-

eral members of the forestry com-

munity. Joe Hopkins, President of

the company, invited Senator Per-

due to visit the property and discuss

forestry issues following his elec-

tion, and when the Senator was

named Chairman of the Subcommit-

tee on Conservation, Forestry, and

Natural Resources, the visit became

even more opportune.

Joe Hopkins said of the visit, “Wewere fortunate to have the opportunity tohave Senator Perdue in the woods wherewe could discuss the issues facing forestryface to face. Being able to first-handdemonstrate the ramifications of how de-cisions out of Washington affectlandowners on the ground to someone inhis position is a rare opportunity.roughout our discussion, we empha-sized that all of these issues ultimately tieback into markets. Without strong, vitalmarkets, the industry collapses; they areessential to our very existence.”

During his visit, Senator Perduespent a little over five hours touring theproperty and discussing the challengesand opportunities that face the forest in-dustry. In addition to Joe Hopkins, Per-due also met with Wesley Langdale, WillVarn, Andy Stone, Alva Hopkins, ChrisGowen, and Forest Landowners Associa-tion CEO Scott Jones. e tour con-cluded with a lunch at Toledo’s huntingcabin where more general and casual dis-cussions could take place.

roughout the course of the five-hour tour, several different topics werediscussed, but a few were foremost—en-dangered species, sustainability, taxes, andmarkets.

At their first stop of the day, Perduewas taken to a stand of timber that had

been completely destroyed by forest fire in2000. At the time, the wood was pre-mer-chantable at ten years of age. at standhad been been replanted, and it was rav-aged by wildfire again in 2011—again atage ten. e impact of such a natural dis-aster was plainly evident in terms of rev-enue, but there is something to be said forseeing that much devastation in person.

On one tract, Perdue was shown anarea containing red-cockaded wood-pecker cavity trees. e group explainedto Perdue that the current endangeredspecies act did little to help the landownerparticipate in the recovery of the species,something most landowners would gladlydo. Unfortunately, the ESA primarily hadprovisions to punish landowners and re-strict their actions. e group emphasizedhow much land had to be set aside—largely unused—for each tree.

When discussing the issue of sustain-ability, Joe Hopkins noted that his familybusiness, Toledo Manufacturing, hadweathered two World Wars, the GreatDepression, natural disasters, and manyother hardships. But the singular factorthat kept the family growing trees wasstrong markets. e point was empha-

sized that markets were far more essentialto keeping the land planted in trees thansustainability programs.

ough the group discussed regula-tion, Senator Perdue, himself, is nostranger to regulatory issues. When ap-pointed to chair the Subcommittee onConservation, Forestry, and Natural Re-sources, Perdue said, “I’m proud to repre-sent Georgia’s strong and vibrantagricultural community. My goal is tomake sure that the EPA doesn’t insidi-ously burden our farmers, and that wecontinue to foster growth and innovationacross our largest industry.” Perdue re-ferred to the EPA’s proposed rule to rede-fine the “waters of the United States”under the Clean Water Act as “nothingshort of blatant government overreach.”

Everyone who attended the meetingexpressed their appreciation for SenatorPerdue taking time from his busy sched-ule to meet with them in the woods. Per-due, himself, seemed eager to speak, askquestions, and listen. Events such as thisone ensure that the voice of the forestrycommunity is heard in Washington,something essential to our future. v

(l-r) Chris Gowen, Alva Hopkins, David Perdue, Joe Hopkins, Wesley Langdale,

Andy Stone, Will Varn, and Scott Jones.


BOBBY D. BROWNRegistered Forester GA Number: 2164Licensed Realtor GA Number: 165520

20364 GA Hwy #3 Thomasville, GA 31792(229) 221-3016 [email protected]

FOREST RESOURCE SERVICES INC.Specializing in Land and Timber Management & SalesBuyers of Land and Timber

in Georgia and the South

Canal Wood LLC

601 North Belair Square, Suite 21

Evans, Georgia 30809

Phone: (800) 833-8178

E-mail: [email protected]

BeaCH tiMBer CoMPaNY iNC.

128 Beach Timber RoadAlma, Ga 31510

Office: (912) 632-2800

Gary Strickland Owner

Foresters Available

We Buy [email protected]

www.BeachTimber.com

Todd Hipp (803) 924-0978 [email protected] Hipp (803) 924-4131 [email protected] Hipp (803) 924-5940 [email protected]

Helping Grow Your Future

www.hippenterprises.com

C A N T R E L L F O R E S T

P R O D U C T S I N C .We buy all types of timber.

In Woods Chipping

[email protected]

1433 Galilee Church RoadJefferson, GA 30549

Office: (706) 367-4813 Mobile: (706) 498-6243Home: (706) 367-1521

LAMARCANTRELL


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