GEORGIA FORESTRY

TODAYVolume 9, Issue 4July | August 2013

BETTER TREES MAKEFOR BETTER STREAMS

2 July | August 2013

3Georgia Forestry Today

4 July | August 2013

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

Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the pub-lisher, A4 Inc., nor do they accept responsibility for errors of content or omis-sion and, as a matter of policy, neither do they endorse products oradvertisements appearing herein. Part of this magazine may be reproducedwith the written consent of the publisher. Correspondence regarding changesof address should be directed to A4 Inc. at the address indicated above. Ad-vertising material should be sent to A4 Inc. at the e-mail address:p.frey@a4inc.com. Questions on advertising should be directed to the adver-tising director at the e-mail address provided above. Editorial material shouldbe sent to A4 Inc. or to Alva Hopkins.

GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY1154 Lower Birmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115

On the Cover:

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.

Bio-fuel producer

cantrellforest@earthlink.net1433 Galilee Church RoadJefferson, GA 30549

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

LAMARCANTRELL

GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAYPrinted in the USA

PUBLISHER:A4 Inc.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFAlva Hopkins

ahopkins@a4inc.com

PRODUCTION MANAGERPamela Petersen-Freyp.frey@a4inc.com

EDITORIAL BOARDWendy BurnettAlva HopkinsJesse JohnsonStasia KellySandi Martin

Roland Petersen-FreyBrian Stone

Steve McWilliams

Want better streams? Plant some trees.See story on page 8

5Georgia Forestry Today

FORESTRY TODAYGeorgia

Volume 9, Issue 4 July | August 2013

P.08 Better Trees Make for

Better Streams

P.10 Warnell Alums to be Inducted into

Georgia Forester’s Hall of Fame

P.11 Message from the Georgia

Forestry Commission Director

P.12 GFC News

P.13 A Fresh Take on Georgia’s

Phenomenal Forests

P.16 Warnell Researchers to Study

Deer Foraging Damage

P.18 Almost Time to Head to the Woods

P.21 DC Circuit Ruling Creates Urgency for

EPA to Complete its Work on Bioenergy

Carbon Emissions

P.22 Forestland & Wildlife Part 1

P.26 Georgia’s Forests: Providing Trees for the

EU and Sustainability for the US

P.28 GFT News

July 20-22GFA Annual Conferencee Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & SpaHilton Head, SC www.gfagrow.org or call (478) 992-8110

July 30-31Introductory Master Timber Harvester WorkshopSoutheastern Technical CollegeSwainsboro, GA www.conted.warnell.uga.edu orcall Donna Gallaher at (706) 542-7691

August 12Forisk Consulting Continuing Education Course:‘Timber Market Analysis’Emory Conference Center Hotel, Atlanta, GAInfo: Visit www.forisk.com or call (770) 725-8447

September 17-192013 SFI Annual ConferenceWestin Riverwalk, San Antonio, TXwww.sfiprogram.org

September 27UGA Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Re-sources Golf Tournament, Presented by Plum Creeke Georgia Club, Athens, GA

Forestry Calendar

If you have a forestry event you’d like to see on our calendar, please contact AlvaHopkins at ahopkins@a4inc.com with the subject line ‘Calendar Event.’

6 July | August 2013

7Georgia Forestry Today

List of advertisers

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

Arborgen........................................................................6

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

Blanton’s ........................................................................7

Bodenhamer Farms & Nursery ....................................11

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

Cantrell Forest Products Inc...........................................4

Davis - Garvin .............................................................27

F2M ..............................................................................4

Farm Credit Associations ...............................................3

Flint Equipment Company ..........................................30

Forest Resource Consultants ........................................20

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

F&W Forestry Service..................................................21

International Forest Company .....................................20

LandMark Spatial Solutions ...........................................3

Lanigan & Associates .....................................................9

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

MorBark ......................................................................30

Outdoor Underwriters .................................................16

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

Prudential ....................................................................21

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

UPC | Georgia 811 ........................................Back Cover

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

Vulcan on Board Scales .................................................4

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

8

Better Trees Make forBetter Streams

July | August 2013

WWant better streams? Plant some trees. Anew Warnell School research study hasfound that converting the forests alongstream results in narrower channels, withless cover and less variation in habitat foraquatic creatures, and also hotter tempera-tures. Other watershed conditions beingequal, streams without trees surroundingthem feature poorer habitat for cold-wateraquatic species. Not only that, he said, butcutting down the trees around streams af-fects the fish and wildlife who make themhome. Trout and salamanders are “adaptedto cool, shaded, messy streams with lots ofwood and nooks and crannies,” Jackson said,“When you make that stream simple andwarm, you favor fish that would normallydominate streams in the Piedmont, not inthe mountains.”

Part of the Coweeta Long-term Eco-logical Research Project, the stream studywas conducted by Jackson and others sur-veying 49 wadeable streams with low levelsof development throughout the Upper Lit-tle Tennessee River Basin in the SouthernAppalachians. e Coweeta project, fundedby the National Science Foundation, is oneof the oldest, continuous environmentalstudies in the U.S. and focuses on a numberof regional studies that look at the impactsthat exurbanization and climate changehave on water quality, water quantity, andother ecosystem services.

Jackson’s masters student Lynsey Longled the field data collection, and geomor-phologist David Leigh from the UGA Ge-ography Department assisted with the study

design and data analysis. John Chamblee ofUGA’s Anthropology Department sup-ported the project with GIS analysis. Inconjunction with these physical surveys ofstream conditions, other researchers fromWarnell and the Odum School of Ecologysampled amphibian, invertebrate, and fishassemblages in these streams. Another an-thropology student has been surveyingstreamside landowners about their stream-side management decisions.

Together they found significant evi-dence that streams surrounded by forestlandprovided more habitat area and better habi-tat for native species than streams that are inthe midst of pasture or grassland: e beds of streams surrounded by

forestland were two to three timeswider than those without, and eventhose with just single tree bufferswere wider than unbuffered waters;

Streams surrounded by grassland hadlittle or no wood present, which isimportant for providing cover for an-imals and forming more complexhabitats such as wood jams, pools,and alcoves. e more habitat com-plexity a stream has, the more differ-ent types of organisms can use it;

Streams without forestland aroundthem experienced maximum summerwater temperatures that were four tosix degrees Celsius warmer than instreams with shading trees.

Jackson said the plan now is to take these

findings and communicate them to thelandowners in the Appalachians. However,they will be fighting cultural beliefs preva-lent among landowners. Other Coweeta re-searchers, Jackson said, have found thatpeople in the area believe they were improv-ing the quality of the streams by removingtrees, as well as enhancing the aesthetics ofthe region. As a result, many of thesestreams aren’t forested now, he said. Re-searchers hope that landowners will hearthese results and plant trees. One group, theLittle Tennessee Land Trust, is plantingtrees along 1,000 feet of stream now. egoal, Jackson said, “is to inform people thatyou can make streams a lot better just by giv-ing them a little forest next to them.” v

9Georgia Forestry Today

10 July | August 2013

e Warnell School keeps turning out Hallof Famers. ree more alumni have beenchosen by the Georgia division of theSoutheastern Society of American Forestersfor induction into the Georgia Forester’sHall of Fame, one of the highest honors inthe state for industry leaders. e 2012 in-ductees are Earl Barrs (BSFR ’74), BillMiller (BSFR ’70), and Andy Stone (BSFR’74). e Hall of Fame honors foresters whohave made outstanding and significant con-tributions to the forestry industry, and nu-merous Warnell graduates over the past fewdecades have been bestowed with thishonor. eir portraits and accomplishmentsline a hallway at the Warnell School.

Earl Barrs, of Macon, Georgia, is presi-dent of Knapp-Barrs & Associates and DueSouth LLC and is a board member and pastpresident of the Georgia Forestry Associa-tion. Barrs has served on the board of theGeorgia Department of Natural Resourcesand the Forest Landowners Association. Hehas also served on numerous boards andcommittees for the University of Georgiaand Middle Georgia College. Barrs and hiswife Wanda were selected as National TreeFarmers of the Year in 2009 and received the

Governor’s Award for Environmental Stew-ardship and Conservation in 2010 for theirefforts in forest management and environ-mental education. “Being selected to theHall of Fame never seemed to be within therealm of possibility as a young forester be-ginning his career fresh from the Universityof Georgia,” Barrs said. “To be recognizedby my peers alongside my mentor Ed Knappand others is very humbling and brings greathonor to me and my family. I am extremelygrateful to my family and fellow profession-als, for without their support and guidancethis honor would not have been attainable.

I believe like Gifford Pinchot, ‘Next to theearth itself the forest is the most useful ser-vant of man.’”

William F. ‘Bill’ Miller, of FernandinaBeach, Florida, is currently vice-president offorest operations with F&W Forestry Serv-ices, Inc. Miller began his career with UnionCamp Corporation, and over 27 years withthat company, he served in positions of in-creasing responsibility, including regionmanager and director of wood procure-ment. Aer the merger with InternationalPaper in 1999, Miller served as southeast re-gion manager before retiring from IP in

2005. Miller is a past president and currentboard member of the Georgia Forestry As-sociation and board member with the ForestResources Association, and a member of theForest Landowners Association and thestate forestry associations of Georgia, SouthCarolina, and Florida. “I have been soblessed in my forestry career to have workedwith so many quality people—a number ofwhom have been Hall of Fame inductees”Miller said. “To be a part of such a specialgroup means a great deal to me. I am veryhumbled on being selected.”

Miles A. ‘Andy’ Stone, of Fargo, Geor-gia, is president of Superior Pine ProductsCompany, which manages 210,000 of tim-berland in southeast Georgia. Prior to join-ing Superior Pine in 2006, Stone worked forStuckey Timberlands in Eastman for 28years where he served as president. Stone isa past president of the Georgia Forestry As-sociation and an active member of the For-est Landowners Association. Stone hasserved his communities in numerous rolesover his career, including service on com-mittees or boards for the University ofGeorgia, Heart of Georgia Technical Col-lege, and Okefenokee Technical College. v

Warnell Alums to be Inducted into Georgia Forester’s Hall of Fame

Andy Stone

Bill Miller

Earl Barrs

he Georgia ForestryCommission recentlyhosted the annualmeeting of the South-ern Group of State

Foresters in Savannah. I was grateful tohave been invited to attend, and was so im-pressed by what I experienced, I asked Di-rector Farris to share some thoughts withyou here in this space! It was a real pleasure to move throughthe different meetings and breakout ses-sions, where state foresters and a host ofmanagement and support leaders delvedinto the issues confronting our industry.When people who are the best of the bestgather to work, talk, share, visit and laugh,the energy is contagious, and the resultscan be pretty impressive. Did you know your state forester,Robert Farris, has counterparts in 12 othersouthern states that face the same chal-lenges he faces? Together, they tackle ahost of issues that affect you and me asforest landowners and residents of Geor-gia, including: emerging and traditionalmarkets for forest products; longleafrestoration; forest certification; forest in-ventory and analysis; cost-share initiatives,invasive species, reforestation, and timbersales education. More importantly, they tackle those

issues together. We know that there’sstrength in numbers—as well as a wholelot of expertise. That strength was on fulldisplay in Savannah! This team openlyshares information that can help otherstates, learning from each other’s success-ful, and sometimes unsuccessful strategiesto mitigate issues shared throughout theregion. The state foresters work in closetandem with dedicated leaders who helptheir agencies meet the challenges. Thereare working committees for fire and man-agement chiefs, water quality specialists,urban and community foresters, commu-nications and public relations, forest healthspecialists, and others. Listening to themhammer out the nuts and bolts of today’sstickiest issues was a real inspiration. (Thephrase “git ’er done!” comes to mind.)They are definitely doing it, and by band-ing together, each of these committeesbring tremendous value to each of their re-spective states, delivering a meaningful im-pact on our southern forests. All of these efforts pack a big wallopfor Georgia landowners too, who benefitdirectly from this coalition and sharedknowledge base. Through their efforts,we’re realizing so many gains, includingimproved cogongrass detection and eradi-cation, cypress legislation, and regionaland national wildfire mitigation strategies

through the National Cohesive WildfireStrategy, to name just a few. These stridesdirectly affect our livelihood, which suremakes a difference to us all. Thanks, SGSF for allowing me theprivilege to witness your hard work on be-half of Georgia’s landowners and forestryindustry. I’m so encouraged about our abil-ity to continue meeting the challengesahead!

Sincerely,

Wesley LangdaleChairman GFC Board of Directors v

11Georgia Forestry Today

Dear GFT Reader,

Wesley LangdaleGuest Contributor

Georgia Forestry Commission

Message from the Director

12 July | August 2013

GFC Staff Forester John Sunday recently traveled to Japan to promote

the exportation of southeastern wood products. The trip was part of aSouthern Group of State Foresters’ international marketing campaign thatseeks to increase the worldwide presence of wood products produced in thesoutheastern United States. Sunday was briefed on the country’s housing in-dustry and demands for various wood products by the USDA foreign agricul-ture specialist and a representative of the Softwood Export Council in Tokyo.He also participated in a traveling trade show through the Japanese cities ofUtsunomiya, Tsukuba, and Niigata before touring several residential commu-nities within Tokyo. The trip was organized by Evergreen Building ProductsAssociation and Washington State.e

GFC News

Two Georgia Forestry Commission professionals received awards for out-

standing achievement at the recent Southern Group of State Foresters’

annual meeting in Savannah. GFC Wildfire Mitigation Specialist, Eric Mosley,was given the prestigious Bronze Smokey Award in recognition of his communityoutreach efforts during 2011’s devastating wildfires in southern Georgia. The Na-tional Association of State Foresters (NASF), the USDA Forest Service, the Co-operative Forest Fire Prevention (CFFP) Program and the Advertising Councilsponsor the national honor to recognize outstanding service in the prevention ofhuman-caused wildfires. GFC Northwest Region Urban Forester, Joe Burgess, re-

ceived the SGSF Urban Committee’s Agency Personnel Award for outstanding leadership, education, outreach, and partnershipbuilding. Burgess was recognized specifically for his work on GFC’s online “Ask the Arborist” Web portal.e

Brian Clavier has been named the Georgia Forestry Commission’s new

associate chief of Forest Protection. Clavier joined GFC in 2008 as law en-forcement chief, a responsibility he will continue to hold. In his new position,Clavier will also oversee grants management, the aviation program, responsecenters, and expanded dispatch. Before joining GFC, Clavier served in the arsonunit of the state fire marshal’s office for the Georgia Insurance and Safety firecommissioner, as a lieutenant with the Cordele Fire Department, and in telecom-munications with the Crisp County Sherriff ’s Department. Clavier holds nu-merous certifications and professional awards. e

There was no red carpet, nor were there klieg lights or movie starson Peachtree Street in Atlanta on May 14. There was, however, ahigh level of excitement, as a groundbreaking film debuted in theGeorgia-Pacific auditorium. After nearly five years of planningand almost a year of filming, “The Sustainable Forest - A GeorgiaSuccess Story” premiered to an appreciative crowd of forestry pro-fessionals.

e documentary features breathtaking aerial photographyshowcasing Georgia’s forested land, close-up looks at planting, har-vesting, products, services, and crisp sound bites from industrymembers. Original music, narration and visuals take viewers on acustom journey through the lifecycle of the Georgia forest. ‘Foster-ing the phenomenal forest’ is the tag line for the presentation thathighlights the many benefits provided by Georgia’s 24.8-millionacres of forest land. rough the efforts of a multitude of partners,the film now stands as a unique communication tool for Georgia’sforestry community. (To watch the film, search Youtube for “Sus-

tainable Forest: A Georgia Success Story.”)“In 2008, we were with our SFI counterparts in Minnesota,”

said Donna Gallaher, Coordinator for the Georgia SustainableForestry Initiative Implementation Committee at the University ofGeorgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. “eyshared a delightful Powerpoint presentation about a Habitat Houseproject they sponsored. ey’d gone from tree harvesting to thesawmill to local Tree Farmers and politicians and ended with aHabitat build,” Gallaher said. “ey built a house for a Girl Scoutand her mom. We were moved.”

Gallaher and industry colleagues Mike Harrell and James Nor-ris got the ball rolling in Georgia by garnering the interest of theGeorgia Forestry Association’s Emerging Leaders group.

“e Emerging Leaders deserve big thanks for stepping up to theplate,” said Gallaher. “It’s encouraging to see how they ‘get it.’ We’vegot to be out there telling our story, and to see these young peoplewaving the flag for forestry is very encouraging to me,” she said.

a fresh take on Georgia’s Phenomenal forests

13Georgia Forestry Today

Rock musician Chuck Leavell and GFC Director Robert Farris share a

laugh as they help build the SFI Habitat House in Macon.

By stasia Kelly

14 July | August 2013

“Everybody was interested and wanted todo it,” said Norris, Wood Procurement Su-perintendent with Graphic Packaging In-ternational in Macon. “We just lacked alittle coordination at first. I went to myboss, Joe Parsons, and explained the ideaand he said, ‘Sure! Let’s go for it.’ And wedid,” said Norris.

3...2...1...liftoff!

e idea was to bring Georgia’s forestrycommunity together to build a Habitathouse constructed with Georgia-grown ma-terials, manufactured in Georgia mills. ehouse was slated to be built in the small,Lynmore Estates neighborhood in Maconthat had thrived in World War II, but hadbeen in decline until recently when MaconArea Habitat and other agencies startedworking to improve it. e entire projectwould be filmed, so that sustainable forestrycould be communicated in a fresh new wayto Georgians and others.

Fundraising, building, and public rela-tions committees were formed and volun-teers started climbing onboard.

“Forestry people are independent peo-ple,” said Mike Harrell, Vice President ofStuckey Timberland Inc. in Eastman. “Tellus what you want and we get it done. Every-one was so generous and everyone camethrough. We got more than we needed,” saidHarrell.

A who’s who of Georgia forest industrysponsors played parts in the project, includ-ing the Georgia SFI Implementation Com-mittee, Georgia Forestry AssociationEmerging Leaders, Georgia Forestry Asso-ciation, Georgia Forestry Foundation,Georgia Forestry Commission, GeorgiaChapter-Society of American Foresters,

Georgia Tree Farm Program, and Southeast-ern Wood Producers Association.

Aer months of planning, fundraising,and soliciting volunteers, Georgia’s TreeFarm Committee kicked off the GeorgiaForestry Community Habitat for Human-ity Build in Macon on February 14.

“A large portion of the building mate-rials were donated,” said Norris. “All theOSB, treated lumber, roof and floor sheet-ing, it was all Georgia grown or made andSFI- certified.”

Norris said working with the Habitatfor Humanity group was especially re-warding.

“Going into the project I just assumedHabitat was a kind of give-away program,but that is not true,” Norris said. “Inter-ested homeowners are scrutinized in theapplication process, there are backgroundand employer checks, and they have tomeet a lot of criteria. That was eye openingto me,” Norris said.

And that’s not all that’s required, ac-cording to Gallaher. In addition to a downpayment and monthly mortgage payments,homeowners invest hundreds of hours oftheir own labor into building their Habitathouse and the houses of others.

“I love Habitat’s motto,” said Gallaher.“‘Not a hand out, but a hand up.’ To work

with such an organization and share our(forestry) message by doing so was just a bigwin-win,” she said.

Macon Area Habitat for Humanity Ex-ecutive Director, Harold Tessendorf, wasequally pleased.

“We were very, very impressed andhumbled that we were selected to providethe site for the house in this particular com-munity,” Tessendorf said. “ere was a highdegree of professionalism and passion in allthe people who worked on this, and the vol-unteers had a real sense of service in mind.”

e sustainability of Georgia’s forestsresonated with Tessendorf and Habitat’smission as well.

“We’re working on the ongoing revital-ization of a neighborhood, so we’re alsotalking about sustainability,” Tessendorfsaid. “We’re using the existing infrastructurethat’s already in place,” he said, to bring newlife to a neighborhood in need.

Georgians ‘live in the woods!’

Tree Farmer and rock musician ChuckLeavell is featured in the documentary,whose message demonstrates the forestrycommunity’s commitment to responsiblestewardship of the forest. Viewers learn thatGeorgia’s forest resource is abundant and re-

SFI/Habitat homeowner Angela

Jones, left, accepts a wheelbarrow

full of donated paper products from

Georgia Pacific’s Mike Taylor, pic-

tured foreground, right, with other

sponsors on home dedi-

cation day. GFA also do-

nated a new lawnmower

to the family.

newable as they see and hear about growingseedlings, thinning, the concept of workingforests, the myriad of products and environ-mental services forests offer, their relation tothe economy, and much more.

“We wanted to make a strong connec-tion for the audience,” said Gallaher, “thatforests have a big impact on our daily qualityof life. ey’re part of the houses we build,our shelters. And paper, of course, is a hugepart of our lives.”

Documentary producer, Jamie Oliver,said the biggest aha! moment for him wasthe fact that ‘we live in the woods!’

“Going up in the plane for the aerialshoot and seeing that Georgia is two-thirdscovered with forest land was breathtaking.”

Oliver worked on the project for eightmonths. He credits cinematographer DavidSizemore with doing an ‘amazing job,’ andcraing the documentary’s distinctive so,classic film look. Oliver’s cousin, Nashvillemusician William Tyler, created the originalguitar score.

“Everyone we worked with was great,”Oliver said of the forestry professionals who

were interviewed and helped with filming.“eir hospitality was unmatched. I’m verypleased with the final product.”

People all across Georgia are now ableto view the film and hear more about Geor-gia’s working forests through presentationsoffered by a special speaker’s bureau. Repre-sentatives have been fanning across the state,sharing the video, a speech, and supplemen-tal handouts with Rotary Clubs, chambersof commerce, and other civic groups.

“People have been pleasantly surprised,”said Mike Harrell. “In certain rural areas,people already realize how importantforestry is to Georgia,” he said, “but we urgethem to talk to their neighbors, grandkids,and others. It’s a great message to send out.”

Macon Area Habitat for Humanity Di-rector Harold Tessendorf said his organiza-tion has received an important messagethrough the experience as well.

“is tells a great story about whatforestry means in the state of Georgia, andhow sustainability is built into it,” he said.“e relationship with Habitat doesn’t endtoday. On our affiliate level, we will be muchmore conscious of the wood products thatare locally grown and sourced, and how theyfit into our construction process. We wantto look for ways to involve smaller Georgiacommunities. We’ll be looking for how we

can continue to do this and grow a statewidepartnership.”

And the story for Angela and CurtisJones, who moved into their new SFI/Habi-tat House with their four children on May24, truly has a ‘happily ever aer’ ending.

“I love our big, new home,” said An-gela. “Everyone has been so nice, and thishas been such an education [about forestryand paper.] I love our wood floors and theramp they built for my husband’s scooterchair, which he’s needed since having backsurgery.”

And how do the kids like their new digs?

“Excited!” said Angela. “ey’re always out-side playing and even helping cut the grass.It’s the first time I’ve seen them interested inkeeping up the yard and our home!” v

To schedule a Speaker’s Bureau event, contactDonna Gallaher at gallaher@uga.edu or(706) 542-7691.

15Georgia Forestry Today

Learn more about the Macon Habitatbuild on Facebook at “Georgia

Forestry Community Habitat Build” andabout Georgia's Sustainable Forestry

committee at SFI-Georgia.org.

The Jones family gets some help

from project sponsors plant-

ing trees that will provide

back yard shade and beauty.

t's no secret that overabundantdeer can be incredibly destruc-tive to a forest landscape. Toomany deer on a landscape can se-riously undermine biodiversityand sustainable wood and fiber

production by foraging for food in certainareas. But scientists have a hard time pre-dicting how much damage different deerherd sizes can cause. Drs. Nate Nibbelinkand Karl V. Miller, along with Ph.D. studentDavid Kramer, want to find out if landscapeheterogeneity and the intensity of forestmanagement affect deer browsing.

e Warnell researchers and their U.S.Forest Service partner Dr. Alex Royo havereceived a $428,000 grant from the USDA’sAgriculture and Food Research Initiative toconduct the project, which will be the first-ever exhaustive examination of these rela-tionships in forest ecosystems. ey plan topiggyback onto an existing project in thenorthern hardwood forests of Pennsylvania,where a management plan has already cre-ated a notable difference in deer densitiesand habitat diversity. at project already

has a solid ten-year foundation oflandowner cooperation, Miller said, and itwill allow them to investigate the relation-ships between foraging, deer densities, andforest habitat diversity. “is is one of themost rigorous studies of its kind in terms ofthe magnitude of the experimental designand the amazing cooperation of thelandowners,” Nibbelink said. “If importantrelationships exist, we will detect them, andour experiments should give us the evidencewe need to make better recommendationsfor forest management.”

Although the U.S. is home to numer-ous ungulate species, the researchers are fo-cusing on white-tailed deer because they arethe most abundant and widely distributedof all ungulates in the eastern U.S., currentlyexceeding 30 deer per square mile in half thecounties east of the Mississippi River.“However, it’s not the actual deer densitiesthat are important,” said Miller. “Some land-scapes and habitat types can easily supportthis number of deer, whereas this numberwould be considered overabundant in otherlandscapes.” By looking at a number of sites

across the northern regions of Pennsylvania,the researchers will evaluate how a numberof landscape variables can impact the poten-tial for deer to affect forest vegetation. is,in turn, will allow the development of deerdensity goals for specific landscapes that willminimize deer impacts on forest ecosystems.“Alternatively,” said Miller, “our research canhelp direct forest management decisions toensure adequate forest regeneration by con-sidering deer densities along with otherlandscape features.”

e project will use long-term vegeta-tion and deer population data and merge itwith spatial information to determine howbrowsing varies with deer density and habi-tat diversity. In addition, they will build 200.5 hectare exclosures to test how localizedforaging affects vegetation across a range of

16

WARNELL RESEARCHERS TOSTUDY DEER FORAGING DAMAGE

July | August 2013

Deer rub damage. Photo by

Manfred Mielke, USDA

Forest Service,

Bugwood.org

17Georgia Forestry Today

Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research

Service, Bugwood.org Black cherry browing damage. Photo by Manfred

Mielke, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

deer densities and if habitat diversity medi-ates those impacts.

“e end result,” Miller added, “is todevelop a balance between deer manage-ment and forest management by looking atthe big picture. We’ve known for a long timethat too many deer can cause ecologicalproblems. e integration of deer manage-ment plans and forest management plans atthe landscape level will be the key to estab-lishing this balance.” v

e cool, crisp feel of fall is still a short time away, but all outdoors-men are already feeling the itch to get out the bow or rifle and getinto the woods. Squirrel season starts August 15th, followed bydove season on September 7th. But to many big game hunters, the‘real hunting’ starts when archery deer season kicks in on September14, followed closely by gun season on October 19th.

ankfully, outdoor sports are on the rise. e U.S. Fish andWildlife Service has completed a national study on the outdoors andoutdoor activities, and it shows a nine percent growth nationwide inhunting license sales from 2007 to 2011, reversing a 25-year slide.More Americans are heading outdoors to hunt and fish for fun.Eleven percent more Americans (ages 16 and older) fished and ninepercent more hunted in 2011 than in 2006. e kids went, too. Ofthose ages six to 15, thirteen percent more hunted and two percentmore fished (from 8.3 million to 8.5 million) during the same period.

“What we see is a pretty significant change in direction,” saysDan Ashe, the Fish and Wildlife Service’s director, noting declinesin prior surveys since 1991. He says, “ere’s a growing realizationthat doing things outdoors is healthy.” In Georgia, there are severalthings that this author sees as positive moves to get kids outdoors,and the first is the new apprentice hunter license for a person whohas not completed a hunter education course. Also helpful has beenthe addition of adult/child hunts on state wildlife areas. See the new2013-14 Georgia DNR hunting regs booklet for more details.

Another positive incentive is the ‘archery in schools’ program.Designed to teach international style target archery in physical ed-ucation class fourth to twelh grades, core content covers archeryhistory, safety, technique, equipment, mental concentration, corestrengthening physical fitness, and self-improvement. Before pre-senting the two-week archery course, teachers undergo an eight-hour National Archery in the Schools Program Basic ArcheryInstructor Training Program. e program is available in someGeorgia schools and should be in most schools, so inquire aboutyour local schools participation, if interested. School kids competefor honors and prizes at the annual state competition held eachspring at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry and winnersmove on to national level competition. Contact the Georgia DNRHunter Services office at (770) 761-3045 for more details.

Another positive development is that shooting a bow is againa cool thing to do for kids. Of course you never know what Holly-wood is going to turn out, but two recent movies have portrayedarchery shooting as central themes to the plot, and these popularmovies have kids, especially girls, heading to the sporting goodsstores. In the movie ‘Hunger Games,’ the hero, Katniss Everdeen,age 16, is portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence and must fight otheryouths to the death in an unfair battle. ankfully she is great witha bow and arrow and had to hunt squirrels with it to feed her family,

so she is ready for the challenge. In another flick, the Disney movie,‘Brave,’ set in the Scottish Highlands, a skilled archer named Meridadefies an age-old custom, causing chaos in her kingdom, but theending is warm and fuzzy for kids.

In addition to the movies above, in recent years there has beena strong and renewed interest in archery hunting, and the interestin crossbow hunting has surged as well among adults. e SportingGoods Manufacturer’s Association reports about an 80 percent in-crease in nationwide crossbow sales since 2006. Last year, crossbowsmade up 25 percent of all bow sales. Why the sudden growth inpopularity? Well, Barb Terry, PR and Education Manager at Ten-point Technologies, says that states are finally opening their eyes tothe opportunities presented by crossbow hunting.

Traditionally, states have allowed crossbow use for handi-capped hunters, but now states are expanding crossbow huntingopportunities. Studies show a majority of hunters are in favor oflegalizing crossbows for hunting in most states. Crossbows are legalto use in all or part of the bow hunting season in 17 states. eyare legal in 13 others during firearms season, and six states allow

18 July | August 2013

Almost Time to Head to the WoodsBy John Trussell

Ryan Mason harvested this wild boar with a Ten Point crossbow

19Georgia Forestry Today

seniors to use them. In fact, crossbows are legal to hunt with (inone way or another) in every state except Oregon. In Georgia,crossbows were made legal for all hunting in 2003.

In many states, crossbow use has evolved in recent years. Every-where, wildlife agencies face the same dilemma. With strainedbudgets from lagging license sales and out-of-control deer popula-tions in some areas, they need to find ways to harvest more deer, re-cruit new hunters, and retain the hunters they already have. As datahas become available from crossbow-friendly states, wildlife profes-sionals have become better educated. Most now understand the bal-listic similarities between crossbows and vertical bows and have seenhow crossbows help manage the resource, improve bow hunter re-tention, bring retired bow hunters back into the fold, and recruit

new hunters. Armed with this new data, more of them are movingto incorporate the crossbow into their archery seasons as one wayto solve their problems and grow the sport. In addition, bows andcrossbows, because of their short range limitations, can be used totake deer in more urban areas.

While states like Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, and Tennesseehave positive and credible data regarding the benefits of using cross-bows, Ohio has the most expansive body of data. Twenty-six yearsago during its 1982-1983 season, Ohio eliminated crossbow restric-tions during its entire four-month long archery season. At that time,the state had an estimated 82,000 vertical bow hunters and 11,000crossbow hunters. By 2006, the number of vertical bow huntersgrew 183 percent to 150,000 while the number of crossbow hunters

John Trussell, left and his brother Grady Trussell, tried some elk hunting in Montana with their bows. They saw several good bullsthey could have taken with a rifle, but armed with only short range bow, they only brought back to Georgia good memories.

20 July | August 2013

exploded to 175,000, with 8 percent of all archers - roughly25,000—hunting with both weapons.

Of course it takes skill to harvest a deer with a rifle, but it re-quires more skill to drop one with an arrow within 30 yards. It takesmore strength and better hand—eye coordination to shoot a bow,and at close ranges the deer has a much better chance of beingalerted to the hunters presence by either sound or scent. So now isthe time for archers to get out the bow and begin archery practice,which can be done in the back yard in many cases in rural areas, oron some state public areas. A new archery range at Victoria BryantState Park, located near Royston and Franklin Springs, is now avail-able for archers, bow hunters, youth groups, and others interestedin perfecting their target skills. It is one of 13 archery ranges cur-rently available on public land in Georgia, and one of two rangeslocated at a state park. Another is located at Flat Creek Public Fish-ing Area in Houston County.

If you are interested in trying out a crossbow, there is much toconsider, and most hunters start by researching various crossbowmanufacturers, such as Ten Point Technologies, Excalibur, Horton,Parker, Barnett, and Wicked Ridge on the internet and comparefeatures and prices. Armed with some good background informa-tion, you can then head to a sporting goods store, such as Bass ProShop in Macon, where they have an indoor range, and check outsome of the crossbows, as well as traditional bows and compoundbows and sling some arrows. Cool weather and hunting is fast ap-proaching, so get ready. v

21Georgia Forestry Today

Forest owners are urging the Environmen-tal Protection Agency (EPA) to proceedquickly with amendments to its green-house gas regulations (Tailoring Rule) fol-lowing a ruling today by the U.S. Court ofAppeals for the District of Columbia Cir-cuit (DC Circuit) in Center for BiologicalDiversity v. U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency. The court decided that EPAdid not adequately justify its decision totemporarily defer biogenic emissions fromits greenhouse gas regulations, but left thedoor open to EPA finalizing permanentamendments to its rules regarding thetreatment of such emissions. Importantly,the court's decision does not affect EPA’songoing process to develop a permanentdecision regarding whether to regulate bio-mass emissions based on the carbon bene-fits that forest bioenergy offers comparedto fossil fuels.

“EPA did the right thing by deferringthe regulations while it reconsiderswhether forest bioenergy should be regu-lated the same as fossil fuel energy,” saidDave Tenny, President and CEO of theNational Alliance of Forest Owners(NAFO). “Forest Owners also did the

right thing by defending EPA’s action incourt. Now the priority is for EPA to com-plete its amendments to the Tailoring Ruleto fully recognize the carbon benefits offorest bioenergy and to do it promptly.The urgency of the situation has now in-creased significantly.”

In June 2010, EPA adopted the Tai-loring Rule to set the threshold that trig-gers the requirement for stationary sourcesto obtain Clean Air Act PSD permits fortheir carbon emissions. In an unexpecteddeparture from the proposed rule andprior agency precedent, EPA for the firsttime in the final rule regulated carbonemissions from forest bioenergy produc-tion the same as fossil fuel emissions. Bio-mass fundamentally differs from fossil fuelsas an energy source because biomass recy-cles atmospheric carbon through tree andplant growth while fossil fuel carbon emis-sions accumulate in the atmosphere overtime. This means that the combustion ofbiomass does not lead to net GHG emis-sions into the atmosphere. EPA had con-sistently recognized this view prior to thefinal Tailoring Rule, which suddenly andunexpectedly reversed course from this

longstanding policy.In July 2011, EPA published the De-

ferral Rule after granting NAFO’s petitionto reconsider the treatment of bioenergycarbon emissions under the Tailoring Rule.The Center for Biological Diversity andothers immediately challenged the deferral.NAFO and others intervened in the casein support of EPA.

U.S. forests offset about 14 percent oftotal annual U.S. carbon emissions, a ben-efit to the public that is widely viewed as akey contribution to mitigating climatechange. However, the Tailoring Ruleamendments will heavily influence the ex-tent to which private forest owners, whoown and manage nearly 60 percent of theforests in our country, continue providingthis benefit.

“EPA must now work with the U.S.Department of Agriculture on permanentamendments to the Tailoring Rule as partof the climate change solution,” Tennysaid. “The agencies can then engage forestowners on a broader policy frameworkpromoting the considerable mitigationbenefits private forests provide.” v

DC Circuit Ruling Creates Urgency for EPA to Complete its Work on Bioenergy Carbon Emissions

By American Forest Foundation

22 July | August 2013

FORESTLAND& WILDLIFE PART I

EVALUATING & IMPROVING YOURPROPERTY FOR WILDLIFEBy Eric Darracq

he Georgia ForestryCommission adminis-ters and coordinatesthe Forest StewardshipProgram. Through this

program, natural resource professionals provide privatelandowners with management plans to meet their naturalresource objectives such as timber, wildlife, soil/water,recreation, and aesthetics. Plans are typically written byregistered foresters with technical support from others in-cluding wildlife biologists with the Georgia Departmentof Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division.

In this column and part II in the next issue, we'll helplandowners who have wildlife as a primary or very im-portant objective evaluate their forestland for wildlife,and identify management actions to optimize habitatquality for the most common wildlife objectives.

To begin the planning process, it’s important tobroadly assess your habitat conditions and then de-velop management prescriptions to enhance wildlifehabitat to meet your objectives. Planning is key becausewildlife habitat needs vary and management that ben-efits one species or group of species may detrimentallyaffect another.

Some species like northern bobwhite and Bachman’ssparrow require early succession habitats, whereas oth-ers like gray squirrels and pileated woodpeckers needonly late succession habitats. Many wildlife species, suchas deer, turkey, and bears, require a mix of both. (We'llprovide more details, but early succession habitat gen-erally refers to forest with an open, sunlit understory,while late succession habitat is linked to older hardwoodforest.)

Regardless of the species, supporting healthy popu-lations requires adequate amounts of food, water, cover,and space year-round.

This habitat assessment helps evaluate your propertyat the landscape scale and categorize acres as eitherearly or late succession habitat. Because deer, turkey, andquail are common management objectives, we'll focuson them here, but managing for these three also benefitsan array of wildlife species with similar habitat needs.

Before we dig into specifics, let’s consider habitatneeds of these species.

23Georgia Forestry Today

T

Photo by Gary M. Stolz, US Fishand Wildlife Service, Bugwood.org

24 July | August 2013

The Big ThreeWhite-tailed deer are habitat generaliststhat can survive throughout Georgia ex-cept in the most intensely developed areas.Historically, deer were abundant, but be-cause of commercial market-hunting andhabitat destruction, populations were ex-tirpated across much of the state by 1895.Science-based wildlife management wasused to restore the deer population by1974.

Deer are browsers, consuming aboutfive pounds a day of foliage, soft mast likeblackberries, other plant matter reachableup to about five feet, and oak mast—theirpreferred food during fall and winter. Ever-green winter browse like greenbrier is im-portant throughout the year.

Whitetails live in a home range ofabout 250-1,200 acres. Ranges vary byhabitat quality. Wild turkeys exist through-out most of Georgia, but usually do notlive in intensely developed areas. Theirhighest densities are in landscapes with a

mix of early and late succession habitats.During fall and winter, turkeys rely on

acorns, dogwood fruits, and other hardmast from late succession habitats. Inspring and summer, they need open, earlysuccession areas with a mix of nativegrasses, forbs, and shrubs that provide in-sects, greenery, soft mast, and seeds.

Wild turkeys live mostly in flocks. In-dividuals have a home range of about1,000-10,000-plus acres, depending onhabitat quality and disturbances.

Bobwhite quail were very abundantthroughout most of Georgia during the1800s and into the mid-1900s, whenfarming, forestry, and development wereless intense and prescribed burning waswidespread and frequent. Since then,Georgia’s quail and quail hunter popula-tions have declined more than 80 percent.

Bobwhites depend almost exclusivelyon native, early succession habitat inforests that are maintained with frequentthins that allow 40-60 percent or more

sunlight coverage on the ground and pre-scribe burned on a one- to two-year rota-tion. On farmlands, early successionhabitat can be maintained with fallow fieldborders, corners, and hedgerows.

While the home range of a single quailaverages 40 acres and varies from 10-250acres, the minimum needed to maintain ahealthy, long-term quail population (atleast 700 wild birds among multiple cov-eys) is 2,500 or more acres of quality, earlysuccession habitat.

Now let's take a closer look at habitat.

This closed-canopy hardwood forest represents late succession habitat.

Photo by Terry Spivey, USDA ForestService, Bugwood.org

Eye-Balling HabitatEarly succession habitat typically occurs inpine forests where the understory receives30-70 percent sunlight—resulting in a mixof native grasses, legumes, weeds, briars,shrubs, and bugs—and is maintained byprescribed burning on 15- to 40-acre burnunits on a two-to three-year rotation.

Your property’s total acreage of earlysuccession habitat is the sum of forest typesthat have been:• Prescribe burned and thinned in the

past three years, and…• Are of commercial size with less than

70 feet2 basal area, or…• Are of non-commercial size with fewer

than 550 trees per acre, or …• Are fallow fields and wildlife openings

managed with periodic winter disk-ing, burning, and chemical treatmentsto maintain a mix of native grasses,forbs and shrubs.

When assessing early succession habitat,exclude acres where native ground coveris sparse, such as in shaded forest stands.Also exclude forests and fields dominatedby invasive exotics, as well as croplandsand exotic grass pastures.

Late succession habitat is the midstoryand overstory of a hardwood forest com-posed of native trees that produce acorns,nuts, seeds, fruit, and other mast and coverthat benefits native wildlife like deer,turkey, and songbirds.

Your property's late succession habitattotal is the acreage of mixed and hardwoodforest types with dominant trees that are70 feet2 basal area or greater, 20-120 yearsold and 40-60 percent oak (at least twospecies), and 40-60 percent non-oakspecies (two species or more). To optimizeacorn and other mast production, aim foran even and balanced mix of red oakspecies (25 percent), white oak species (25percent), and a diversity of other hard-wood species (50 percent).

When assessing for late successionhabitat, exclude acres where native tree andplant diversity or abundance is low orwhere invasive-exotics are dense, such as inlands dominated by saw palmetto, privetor rhododendron.

Plan for SuccessAt the landscape scale, if your land is man-aged to maintain a mix of native early andlate succession habitat, it will have a highprobability of sustaining healthy popula-tions of deer, wild turkey, and many otherwildlife species. However, where bobwhites,rabbits, and other early-succession habitatspecialists are the main objective, maximiz-ing the abundance and distribution of thathabitat type is the key to success.

Bobwhites are what wildlife biologistsrefer to as an area-sensitive species and re-quire a minimum threshold of early suc-cession habitat to sustain a viablepopulation. In landscapes comprised of amix of cropland and well-managed pineforests, judicious management across2,000-3,000 acres can be effective;whereas, in a woodland-dominated land-scape, management of more than 5,000acres may be needed.

Once you've estimated where earlyand late succession habitats are on your

property and the approximate acreage ofeach type, use the Forest Stewardship Pro-gram's broad-scale habitat evaluation toolfor deer, turkey, and quail to quickly de-termine which habitat types you need toimprove.

Programs like the Forest StewardshipProgram also offer more detailed evalua-tions and mapping of habitat types to helpyou plan forestland improvements. Theseoptions are particularly valuable for long-term management to maintain wildlifetravel corridors and adjust the distributionof forest types, regeneration areas, timberstand age classes, and wildlife openings. Inthe next column, we'll discuss assessingyour habitat at a site-specific scale and pro-vide forest management recommendationsfor deer, turkey and quail.

For a complete version of this article,visit www.georgiawildlife.com/hunting/game-management. To apply for a ForestStewardship Program plan for your prop-erty, visit www.gfc.state.ga.us and select‘Forest Management’ then ‘Forest Steward-ship.’ v

25Georgia Forestry Today

This early succession habitat is a pinesavanna with ground cover maintained

by frequent prescribed fire. Note thewild turkey nest in the foreground.

Eric Darracq is a senior and certifiedwildlife biologist® with the Private LandsProgram of Georgia DNR's Wildlife Re-sources Division.

Photo by Terry Spivey, USDA ForestService, Bugwood.org

Got trees? In Georgia, we do. Lots of them. And intoday’s world where issues such as theeconomy, climate change, and sustainabil-ity are major concerns, where do all thesetrees fit in, and what can we do with them?

If you keep up-to-date with the latestheadlines, no doubt you’ve heard about theEuropean Union’s mandates for carbonemissions and transforming Europe into ahighly energy-efficient, low carbon econ-omy. Countries in the EU are committedto making 20 percent of their energy comefrom renewable sources by 2020. Woodand other forms of biomass pellets are re-newable, and when compared to the costof many other renewable sources, less ex-pensive. By using biomass in place of coal,plus wind, solar, and wave technology, it’spossible for the EU to reach its goal. Infact, according to former president, nobellaureate, and Georgia resident JimmyCarter, “The Europeans have learned firstand now they are buying pelleted wood, asyou know, to cut down on the amount ofcoal and other things that they burn. Ithink, in the future, the research done byHerty and others is going to make surethat we in Georgia and throughout theU.S. are going to use a lot more of thewood energy than we do now. With re-search and with a commitment, particu-larly with the White House and theCongress, I think we’ll see this done.”

Here’s where Georgia’s incredibleforests come into play. Georgia has over 24million acres of forests, with our treesgrowing nearly 40 percent faster than whatis being harvested. According to GeorgiaTech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute,Georgia’s forest industry had a total impact

of over $25 billion in 2011, ranked secondin total compensation, and supported118,459 state-wide jobs.

Because of statistics like these, Geor-gia and the Southeast are smart choices forthe EU and pellet manufacturers. Why?First, the EU doesn’t have the climate orland mass to supply itself, so other optionsare a necessity. In addition, the US offersa stable and friendly government and does-n’t have rainforests to endanger by cuttingdown trees. Also, much of US land hasmanagement practices in place ensuring asustainable feedstock. For Georgia forestersand land owners, trees are considered acrop and planted in straight rows, similarto the way corn is planted in states such asIowa. When the trees are harvested, moretrees are planted. If there is no demand forbiomass, the trees won’t be replanted. Pres-ident Carter explains it best: "This is an-other example of renewable energy thatcan be replaced and all the energy comes

directly from the sun as the tree grows andmatures." And interestingly, 91 percent ofGeorgia timberland is privately owned.Georgia boasts more acreage of privatelyowned forests than any other state. Own-ers range from small family farms thatcomprise a few acres to companies likePlum Creek that own hundreds of thou-sands of acres.

With our vast amount of acreage,Georgia stands as a prime example of astate utilizing its natural resources and cap-italizing on business opportunities bothabroad and at home. Currently, there aremore than six facilities in Georgia makingpellets for export to Europe. Located inWaycross, Georgia, and operating underthe name of ‘Georgia Biomass,’ the Euro-pean utility ‘RWE’ built one of the largestpellet producing facilities in the world. An-other facility, and a major player in the pel-let market, is Fram Renewable Fuels. Theyhave a mill located in Baxley, Georgia, and

26 July | August 2013

Georgia’s Forests: Providing Trees for the EU andSustainability for the US

By Ms. Jill Stuckey | Director, Biomass Development | Georgia Southern University’s Herty Advanced Materials Development Center

Pictured above: Pine tree chips ready to be processed into pellets and sent toEurope. Photo by Jill Stuckey.

plan to build a second mill in Hazlehurst,Georgia. When in full operation, the Ha-zlehurst facility will use up to one millionmetric tons of raw material annually. Framhas done due diligence and has researchedseveral aspects of the pellet market. Withthe help of the Georgia Forestry Commis-sion and the US Forest Service, Fram hasdetermined there is more than sufficientgrowth, in excess of demand, to supply thenew facility. Currently, both Georgia Bio-mass and Fram Renewable Fuels transportpellets, by way of rail or truck, to ports inSavannah and Brunswick, Georgia, andthen on to Europe. Also, General Biofuels,Enova, and others have announced plansto build pellet mills in Georgia.

But why send so much of Georgia’snatural resource abroad? The answer, likemany things, relates to cost. What Ameri-cans pay each month to keep their lightson is roughly half of what many Europeanspay. For example, wood pellets priced at$250 per ton are more cost effective thannatural gas in most European markets.Georgia has the unique opportunity toprovide our neighbors across the sea witha less expensive, environmentally-friendly,alternative energy source. And that’s goodbusiness. Not only does pellet productionhelp the EU reach its energy goals, but itpromotes sustainable utilization of ourforests, jobs for our citizens, and money forGeorgia’s logistics industry and tax coffers.One of the keys to healthy growth is to sitethese mills in areas of high wood growthand low wood demand. We don’t want toharm our existing pulp and paper industryor other industries that utilize biomass.

Some 80 years ago, Dr. Charles H.Herty developed a way to take our south-ern yellow pine tree and make paper, cat-alyzing the southern pulp and paperindustry. At his namesake, the Herty Ad-vanced Materials Development Center, apart of Georgia Southern University, wework on ways to take biomass and developeven higher value products—such aschemicals, fuels, and pharmaceuticals. We

also provide research and development as-sistance in the pulp and paper and pelletindustries. Herty has assisted companiesin the development of recycling processesfor both synthetic and natural fibers andhelped create innovative processes to addstrength to building and paper products.In terms of pellet research, our fully-inte-grated pellet line processes biomass to formpellets at a rate of one dry ton per hour.This, along with laboratory testing capa-bilities, allows us to fully characterize en-ergy pellets produced from a range offeedstocks. In this way, companies can re-duce technical risk from a thorough assess-ment of feedstocks and conversiontechnologies. More importantly, the pellets

produced at Herty can be field tested at theutility to confirm processability and per-formance in test burns.

In the future, is it possible to find away to better utilize biomass right here inGeorgia, thereby bringing more jobs toour rural areas? I believe that it is possible.Our pulp and paper industry, after yearsof decline, and slow to no growth, ishealthy again. Our timber industry isstarting to see signs that the future isbright; housing starts are increasing, andthere is optimism of a strong lumber ex-port market. Georgia and other states likeher can find a way to fully embrace, re-search, and develop even more value-added products from biomass. v

27Georgia Forestry Today

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28 July | August 2013

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston hasannounced his appointments to the HouseStudy Committee on Timber Security cre-ated by House Resolution 644 during the2013 session of the Georgia General As-sembly.

HR 644 recognized that “it is in thebest interest of landowners, manufacturers,local governments, and the state that timberharvest operations be conducted legally andwith the full knowledge and consent of thetimber owner” and that many of the statutesthat provide recourse for timber the andtrespass victims have not been examined inmany years. e Study Committee will eval-uate the conditions surrounding timber se-curity in Georgia and recommend anyactions or legislation that it deems necessary

to address the subject, possibly during the2014 legislative session.

“e vast majority of timber transac-tions and harvest operations are conductedin complete compliance with the law andconsistent with the conditions of the buyer-seller agreement” said Georgia Forestry As-sociation president Steve McWilliams.“However, one timber the is one too many,and it can have a potentially devastating fi-nancial impact on the timber owner and hisfamily, not to mention the potential for losttax revenue to the county.”

McWilliams said that anything that isdone to reduce incidents of timber the andtrespass will be well worth the time investedby the Study Committee. He also noted thatGFA appreciates the support of Speaker Ral-

ston and Judiciary Chairman WendellWillard in this important initiative.

e Study Committee, which willbegin its work in late summer, will include:State Representative Chad Nimmer, R-Blackshear; State Representative ChuckWilliams, R-Watkinsville; State Represen-tative Ellis Black, R-Valdosta; and, GordonCounty Sheriff Mitch Ralston. GFA mem-ber Sandy Sparks, president of Sparks Lum-ber Company in Ellijay and formerpresident of the Southeastern Lumber Man-ufacturers Association, rounds out the com-mittee which will be chaired by HouseJudiciary Chairman Wendell Willard, R-Sandy Springs. v

House Speaker names members of Timber Security Study Committee

e National Alliance of Forest Owners(NAFO) today commended forestry leadersin the U.S. House of Representatives forprovisions in the FederalAgriculture Re-form and Risk Management Act of 2013(H.R. 2642) preserving forest roads as non-point sources under the federal Clean WaterAct (CWA) and otherwise promotingworking forests. e legislation passed todayby a vote of 216-208.

"We thank forestry leaders in theHouse for securing the forest roads provi-sion and other important measures that sus-tain working forests," said Dave Tenny,NAFO President and CEO. "e forestryprovisions in the bill have strong support

from members in both parties and in bothchambers. is creates positive momentumgoing into conference."

e forest roads amendment mirrorsthe Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act(H.R. 2026) introduced by Reps. JaimeHerrera Beutler (R-WA3) and KurtSchrader (D-OR5) on May 16. e legisla-tion preserves EPA's 37-year-old policy thatforestry activities and forest roads are non-point sources under the CWA. e Housebill also includes a provision ensuring thattraditional forest products qualify for thefederal procurement preference and prod-uct label under United States Departmentof Agriculture's (USDA) biobased program.

"We are pleased also with language inthe bill to include wood and paper productsin the USDA's Biobased Markets Program,"Tenny said. "Wood is one of the oldest re-newable manufacturing materials and isused in hundreds of products. It should nat-urally have the same opportunity as othermaterials to qualify as 'USDA certifiedbiobased'."

NAFO is an organization of privateforest owners committed to advancing fed-eral policies that promote the economic andenvironmental benefits of privately-ownedforests at the national level. v

Forest Owners Commend House Members for Farm Bill ProvisionsPromoting Working ForestsBy American Forest Foundation

NEWS

29Georgia Forestry Today

More timber continues to be grown inGeorgia than is harvested, according to datacontained in the 2012 Forest Inventory andAnalysis (FIA) report. e report, releasedby the Georgia Forestry Commission andUS Forest Service, is an annual calculationof the state’s forest composition, sustainabil-ity and other key statistics. It shows thatGeorgia’s forested acres remained stable at24.4 million acres, a trend that has enduredfor more than five decades. With a total of15.2 billion trees, which does not includeurban trees, Georgia has more forests todaythan it did 75 years ago.

e new FIA report shows Georgiacontinues to have the most acres of privatelyowned forest land in the nation. Ninety-onepercent of Georgia’s timberland (forestedland potentially available for timber harvest-ing) is held in private ownership, with theremainder held by federal, state and localgovernments. State, local, and corporateownership of forest land increased; only

ownership by the forest industry decreased. Georgia’s working forests provide more

than 1.2 billion cubic feet of wood for theforest products industry annually, which isonly 2.9 percent of the inventory on Geor-gia’s timberland, as shown in the FIA report.It also indicates that annual growth exceedsthis harvest level by 711 million cubic feet,or 20 million tons.

e continued sustainability of Geor-gia’s forest resources is good news for ourtraditional forest industries and for thestate’s growing wood pellet industry. Geor-gia’s nine wood pellet mills, establishedsince 2007, utilize lower value pulpwoodgrown in the state or wood residues fromsawmills. Most pellets are exported to Eu-rope and are used in the production of elec-tricity. e Georgia Forestry Commissionestimates Georgia forest owners providedwood supplies for more than one-millionmetric tons of wood pellet production in2012. e International Energy Agency

projects exports of wood pellets from thesouthern US will reach six-million metrictons by 2020. is wood requirement is wellwithin sustainable limits at less than one-tenth of one percent of the region’s woodsupply. is industry is creating new jobs,helping the local and state economies, andproviding incentives for landowners to re-tain forested lands.

e forestry industry has a $25 billionannual economic impact on Georgia, whichgenerates $487 million in state tax revenue.More than 118,000 jobs statewide are sup-ported by forestry. In addition to the tradi-tional economic impact, Georgia’s forestsprovide citizens with over $37 billion inecosystem services (clean air, clean water,and recreation) each year.

Visit GaTrees.org for informationabout the forestry industry and services ofthe Georgia Forestry Commission. v

Georgia Tree Growth Stays in the BlackBy Wendy Burnett | Public Relations Director | Georgia Forestry Commission

e Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Inc.today reported significant growth across keyperformance indicators with the release ofWriting the Next Chapter, SFI’s 2013 An-nual Progress Report.

Since 2007, forests certified to the SFIStandard® have grown by 100 million acresto 240 million acres today. Total chain-of-custody certified locations grew from 500in 2007 to more than 2,500. Also, SFI re-ceived on-product label requests for morethan 6,000 wood, paper, and packagingproducts in 2012, up from only 50 for theentire year in 2007.

“While our Progress Report demon-strates growing momentum for responsibleforestry, with indicators of success risingacross the board, what’s most exciting is ourconservation and customer partnerships,”

said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO ofSFI. “By working together, leading environ-mentalists, community advocates, and SFIProgram Participants are writing the nextchapter to promote sustainable forestry, toimprove forestry practices, and to encourageresponsible purchasing of forest products.” With a $400,000 initial investment in 2010,SFI’s Conservation and Community Grantprogram grew to over $4.8 million by 2012with leveraged contributions and 150 proj-ect partners including the American BirdConservancy, Habitat for Humanity affili-ates, National Association of State Foresters,National Audubon Society, Nature Conser-vancy of Canada, U.S. Endowment forForestry and Communities, and World Re-sources Institute.

On the supply-chain front, the report

congratulates four market leaders—TimeInc., the National Geographic Society,Macmillan Publishers, and Pearson—forstepping forward to become SFI FoundingForest Partners, making five-year commit-ments to increase certification across the for-est products supply-chain.

e report highlights the active, on-the-ground outreach, training, and programwork of the 35 local and regional SFI Imple-mentation Committees across North Amer-ica, who train loggers, advance bestmanagement practices for water quality, anddo so much more to support healthy com-munities and thriving working forests.

More information about SFI and accessto the report can be found atsfiprogram.org. v

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Shows Gains in Performance Indicators

30 July | August 2013

GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES

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

20364 GA Hwy #3 Thomasville, GA 31792(229) 227-1919 brown@ftrealty.com

FOREST RESOURCESERVICES 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: dollars4trees@canalwood.com

BEACH TIMBER COMPANY INC.128 Beach Timber RoadAlma, Ga 31510

Office: (912) 632-2800

Gary Strickland Foresters Owner Available

We Buy Wood!bchtimco@accessatc.net

31Georgia Forestry Today

http://www.georgia811.com