GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY
Volume 9, Issue 4 July | August 2013
BETTER TREES MAKE FOR BETTER STREAMS
2
July | August 2013
Georgia Forestry Today
3
On the Cover:
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY Printed in the USA
PUBLISHER: A4 Inc. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alva Hopkins ahopkins@a4inc.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Pamela Petersen-Frey p.frey@a4inc.com
EDITORIAL BOARD Wendy Burnett Alva Hopkins Jesse Johnson Stasia Kelly Sandi Martin Roland Petersen-Frey Brian Stone Steve McWilliams
Want better streams? Plant some trees. See story on page 8 GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY is published bi-monthly by A4 Inc., 1154 Lower LAMAR CANTRELL
CANTRELL FOREST PRODUCTS INC.
We buy all types of timber. Bio-fuel producer cantrellforest@earthlink.net 1433 Galilee Church Road Jefferson, GA 30549 Office: (706) 367-4813 Mobile: (706) 498-6243 Home: (706) 367-1521
4
Birmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115. Recipients include participants of the Forest Stewardship Program and the American Tree Farm System. Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the publisher, A4 Inc., nor do they accept responsibility for errors of content or omission and, as a matter of policy, neither do they endorse products or advertisements appearing herein. Part of this magazine may be reproduced with the written consent of the publisher. Correspondence regarding changes of address should be directed to A4 Inc. at the address indicated above. Advertising material should be sent to A4 Inc. at the e-mail address: p.frey@a4inc.com. Questions on advertising should be directed to the advertising director at the e-mail address provided above. Editorial material should be sent to A4 Inc. or to Alva Hopkins. GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY 1154 Lower Birmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115
July | August 2013
Volume 9, Issue 4
July | August 2013
Georgia
FORESTRY TODAY 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.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
Forestry Calendar July 20-22
P.16
Warnell Researchers to Study Deer Foraging Damage
GFA Annual Conference e Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa Hilton Head, SC www.gfagrow.org or call (478) 992-8110
P.18
Almost Time to Head to the Woods
July 30-31
If you have a forestry event you’d like to see on our calendar, please contact Alva Hopkins at ahopkins@a4inc.com with the subject line ‘Calendar Event.’
Introductory Master Timber Harvester Workshop Southeastern Technical College Swainsboro, GA www.conted.warnell.uga.edu or call Donna Gallaher at (706) 542-7691
August 12 Forisk Consulting Continuing Education Course: ‘Timber Market Analysis’ Emory Conference Center Hotel, Atlanta, GA Info: Visit www.forisk.com or call (770) 725-8447
September 17-19 2013 SFI Annual Conference Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio, TX www.sfiprogram.org
September 27 UGA Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources Golf Tournament, Presented by Plum Creek e Georgia Club, Athens, GA
Georgia Forestry Today
5
6
July | August 2013
List of advertisers American Forest Management......................................30
International Forest Company .....................................20
Arborgen........................................................................6
LandMark Spatial Solutions ...........................................3
Beach Timber Company Inc. .......................................30
Lanigan & Associates .....................................................9
Blanton’s ........................................................................7
Meeks’ Farms & Nursery ....................Inside Front Cover
Bodenhamer Farms & Nursery ....................................11 Canal Wood LLC.........................................................30 Cantrell Forest Products Inc...........................................4 Davis - Garvin .............................................................27 F2M ..............................................................................4 Farm Credit Associations ...............................................3
MorBark ......................................................................30 Outdoor Underwriters .................................................16 Plum Creek....................................................................5 Prudential ....................................................................21 Rivers Edge Forest Products .........................................30
Flint Equipment Company ..........................................30
UPC | Georgia 811 ........................................Back Cover
Forest Resource Consultants ........................................20
Weyerhaeuser .................................................................9
Forest Resource Services Inc.........................................30
Vulcan on Board Scales .................................................4
F&W Forestry Service..................................................21
Yancey Brothers ...................................Inside Back Cover
Georgia Forestry Today
7
Better Trees Make for Better Streams
8
July | August 2013
W
Want better streams? Plant some trees. A new Warnell School research study has found that converting the forests along stream results in narrower channels, with less cover and less variation in habitat for aquatic creatures, and also hotter temperatures. Other watershed conditions being equal, streams without trees surrounding them feature poorer habitat for cold-water aquatic species. Not only that, he said, but cutting down the trees around streams affects the fish and wildlife who make them home. Trout and salamanders are “adapted to cool, shaded, messy streams with lots of wood and nooks and crannies,” Jackson said, “When you make that stream simple and warm, you favor fish that would normally dominate streams in the Piedmont, not in the mountains.” Part of the Coweeta Long-term Ecological Research Project, the stream study was conducted by Jackson and others surveying 49 wadeable streams with low levels of development throughout the Upper Little Tennessee River Basin in the Southern Appalachians. e Coweeta project, funded by the National Science Foundation, is one of the oldest, continuous environmental studies in the U.S. and focuses on a number of regional studies that look at the impacts that exurbanization and climate change have on water quality, water quantity, and other ecosystem services. Jackson’s masters student Lynsey Long led the field data collection, and geomorphologist David Leigh from the UGA Geography Department assisted with the study
Georgia Forestry Today
design and data analysis. John Chamblee of UGA’s Anthropology Department supported the project with GIS analysis. In conjunction with these physical surveys of stream conditions, other researchers from Warnell and the Odum School of Ecology sampled amphibian, invertebrate, and fish assemblages in these streams. Another anthropology student has been surveying streamside landowners about their streamside management decisions. Together they found significant evidence that streams surrounded by forestland provided more habitat area and better habitat for native species than streams that are in the midst of pasture or grassland: e beds of streams surrounded by forestland were two to three times wider than those without, and even those with just single tree buffers were wider than unbuffered waters; Streams surrounded by grassland had little or no wood present, which is important for providing cover for animals and forming more complex habitats such as wood jams, pools, and alcoves. e more habitat complexity a stream has, the more different types of organisms can use it;
findings and communicate them to the landowners in the Appalachians. However, they will be fighting cultural beliefs prevalent among landowners. Other Coweeta researchers, Jackson said, have found that people in the area believe they were improving the quality of the streams by removing trees, as well as enhancing the aesthetics of the region. As a result, many of these streams aren’t forested now, he said. Researchers hope that landowners will hear these results and plant trees. One group, the Little Tennessee Land Trust, is planting trees along 1,000 feet of stream now. e goal, Jackson said, “is to inform people that you can make streams a lot better just by giving them a little forest next to them.” v
Streams without forestland around them experienced maximum summer water temperatures that were four to six degrees Celsius warmer than in streams with shading trees.
Jackson said the plan now is to take these
9
Warnell Alums to be Inducted into Georgia Forester’s Hall of Fame e Warnell School keeps turning out Hall of Famers. ree more alumni have been chosen by the Georgia division of the Southeastern Society of American Foresters for induction into the Georgia Forester’s Hall of Fame, one of the highest honors in the state for industry leaders. e 2012 inductees are Earl Barrs (BSFR ’74), Bill Miller (BSFR ’70), and Andy Stone (BSFR ’74). e Hall of Fame honors foresters who have made outstanding and significant contributions to the forestry industry, and numerous Warnell graduates over the past few decades have been bestowed with this honor. eir portraits and accomplishments line a hallway at the Warnell School. Earl Barrs, of Macon, Georgia, is president of Knapp-Barrs & Associates and Due South LLC and is a board member and past president of the Georgia Forestry Association. Barrs has served on the board of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Forest Landowners Association. He has also served on numerous boards and committees for the University of Georgia and Middle Georgia College. Barrs and his wife Wanda were selected as National Tree Farmers of the Year in 2009 and received the
Earl Barrs 10
Governor’s Award for Environmental Stewardship and Conservation in 2010 for their efforts in forest management and environmental education. “Being selected to the Hall of Fame never seemed to be within the realm of possibility as a young forester beginning his career fresh from the University of Georgia,” Barrs said. “To be recognized by my peers alongside my mentor Ed Knapp and others is very humbling and brings great honor to me and my family. I am extremely grateful to my family and fellow professionals, for without their support and guidance this honor would not have been attainable.
Bill Miller I believe like Gifford Pinchot, ‘Next to the earth itself the forest is the most useful servant of man.’” William F. ‘Bill’ Miller, of Fernandina Beach, Florida, is currently vice-president of forest operations with F&W Forestry Services, Inc. Miller began his career with Union Camp Corporation, and over 27 years with that company, he served in positions of increasing responsibility, including region manager and director of wood procurement. Aer the merger with International Paper in 1999, Miller served as southeast region manager before retiring from IP in
Andy Stone 2005. Miller is a past president and current board member of the Georgia Forestry Association and board member with the Forest Resources Association, and a member of the Forest Landowners Association and the state forestry associations of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. “I have been so blessed in my forestry career to have worked with so many quality people—a number of whom have been Hall of Fame inductees” Miller said. “To be a part of such a special group means a great deal to me. I am very humbled on being selected.” Miles A. ‘Andy’ Stone, of Fargo, Georgia, is president of Superior Pine Products Company, which manages 210,000 of timberland in southeast Georgia. Prior to joining Superior Pine in 2006, Stone worked for Stuckey Timberlands in Eastman for 28 years where he served as president. Stone is a past president of the Georgia Forestry Association and an active member of the Forest Landowners Association. Stone has served his communities in numerous roles over his career, including service on committees or boards for the University of Georgia, Heart of Georgia Technical College, and Okefenokee Technical College. v July | August 2013
Georgia Forestry Commission
Message from the Director Wesley Langdale Guest Contributor
Dear GFT Reader, he Georgia Forestry Commission recently hosted the annual meeting of the Southern Group of State Foresters in Savannah. I was grateful to have been invited to attend, and was so impressed by what I experienced, I asked Director Farris to share some thoughts with you here in this space! It was a real pleasure to move through the different meetings and breakout sessions, where state foresters and a host of management and support leaders delved into the issues confronting our industry. When people who are the best of the best gather to work, talk, share, visit and laugh, the energy is contagious, and the results can be pretty impressive. Did you know your state forester, Robert Farris, has counterparts in 12 other southern states that face the same challenges he faces? Together, they tackle a host of issues that affect you and me as forest landowners and residents of Georgia, including: emerging and traditional markets for forest products; longleaf restoration; forest certification; forest inventory and analysis; cost-share initiatives, invasive species, reforestation, and timber sales education. More importantly, they tackle those Georgia Forestry Today
issues together. We know that there’s strength in numbers—as well as a whole lot of expertise. That strength was on full display in Savannah! This team openly shares information that can help other states, learning from each other’s successful, and sometimes unsuccessful strategies to mitigate issues shared throughout the region. The state foresters work in close tandem with dedicated leaders who help their agencies meet the challenges. There are working committees for fire and management chiefs, water quality specialists, urban and community foresters, communications and public relations, forest health specialists, and others. Listening to them hammer out the nuts and bolts of today’s stickiest issues was a real inspiration. (The phrase “git ’er done!” comes to mind.) They are definitely doing it, and by banding together, each of these committees bring tremendous value to each of their respective states, delivering a meaningful impact on our southern forests. All of these efforts pack a big wallop for Georgia landowners too, who benefit directly from this coalition and shared knowledge base. Through their efforts, we’re realizing so many gains, including improved cogongrass detection and eradication, cypress legislation, and regional and national wildfire mitigation strategies
through the National Cohesive Wildfire Strategy, to name just a few. These strides directly affect our livelihood, which sure makes a difference to us all. Thanks, SGSF for allowing me the privilege to witness your hard work on behalf of Georgia’s landowners and forestry industry. I’m so encouraged about our ability to continue meeting the challenges ahead! Sincerely, Wesley Langdale Chairman GFC Board of Directors v
11
GFC News GFC Staff Forester John Sunday recently traveled to Japan to promote the exportation of southeastern wood products. The trip was part of a Southern Group of State Foresters’ international marketing campaign that seeks to increase the worldwide presence of wood products produced in the southeastern United States. Sunday was briefed on the country’s housing industry and demands for various wood products by the USDA foreign agriculture specialist and a representative of the Softwood Export Council in Tokyo. He also participated in a traveling trade show through the Japanese cities of Utsunomiya, Tsukuba, and Niigata before touring several residential communities within Tokyo. The trip was organized by Evergreen Building Products Association and Washington State. e Brian Clavier has been named the Georgia Forestry Commission’s new associate chief of Forest Protection. Clavier joined GFC in 2008 as law enforcement chief, a responsibility he will continue to hold. In his new position, Clavier will also oversee grants management, the aviation program, response centers, and expanded dispatch. Before joining GFC, Clavier served in the arson unit of the state fire marshal’s office for the Georgia Insurance and Safety fire commissioner, as a lieutenant with the Cordele Fire Department, and in telecommunications with the Crisp County Sherriff ’s Department. Clavier holds numerous certifications and professional awards. e Two Georgia Forestry Commission professionals received awards for outstanding 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 community outreach efforts during 2011’s devastating wildfires in southern Georgia. The National Association of State Foresters (NASF), the USDA Forest Service, the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention (CFFP) Program and the Advertising Council sponsor the national honor to recognize outstanding service in the prevention of human-caused wildfires. GFC Northwest Region Urban Forester, Joe Burgess, received the SGSF Urban Committee’s Agency Personnel Award for outstanding leadership, education, outreach, and partnership building. Burgess was recognized specifically for his work on GFC’s online “Ask the Arborist” Web portal. e
12
July | August 2013
By stasia Kelly
Rock musician Chuck Leavell and GFC Director Robert Farris share a laugh as they help build the SFI Habitat House in Macon.
a fresh take on Georgia’s Phenomenal forests There was no red carpet, nor were there klieg lights or movie stars on Peachtree Street in Atlanta on May 14. There was, however, a high level of excitement, as a groundbreaking film debuted in the Georgia-Pacific auditorium. After nearly five years of planning and almost a year of filming, “The Sustainable Forest - A Georgia Success Story” premiered to an appreciative crowd of forestry professionals. e documentary features breathtaking aerial photography showcasing Georgia’s forested land, close-up looks at planting, harvesting, products, services, and crisp sound bites from industry members. Original music, narration and visuals take viewers on a custom journey through the lifecycle of the Georgia forest. ‘Fostering the phenomenal forest’ is the tag line for the presentation that highlights the many benefits provided by Georgia’s 24.8-million acres of forest land. rough the efforts of a multitude of partners, the film now stands as a unique communication tool for Georgia’s forestry community. (To watch the film, search Youtube for “SusGeorgia Forestry Today
tainable Forest: A Georgia Success Story.”) “In 2008, we were with our SFI counterparts in Minnesota,” said Donna Gallaher, Coordinator for the Georgia Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. “ey shared a delightful Powerpoint presentation about a Habitat House project they sponsored. ey’d gone from tree harvesting to the sawmill to local Tree Farmers and politicians and ended with a Habitat build,” Gallaher said. “ey built a house for a Girl Scout and her mom. We were moved.” Gallaher and industry colleagues Mike Harrell and James Norris got the ball rolling in Georgia by garnering the interest of the Georgia Forestry Association’s Emerging Leaders group. “e Emerging Leaders deserve big thanks for stepping up to the plate,” said Gallaher. “It’s encouraging to see how they ‘get it.’ We’ve got to be out there telling our story, and to see these young people waving the flag for forestry is very encouraging to me,” she said. 13
“Everybody was interested and wanted to do it,” said Norris, Wood Procurement Superintendent with Graphic Packaging International in Macon. “We just lacked a little coordination at first. I went to my boss, Joe Parsons, and explained the idea and he said, ‘Sure! Let’s go for it.’ And we did,” said Norris. 3...2...1...liftoff!
e idea was to bring Georgia’s forestry community together to build a Habitat house constructed with Georgia-grown materials, manufactured in Georgia mills. e house was slated to be built in the small, Lynmore Estates neighborhood in Macon that had thrived in World War II, but had been in decline until recently when Macon Area Habitat and other agencies started working to improve it. e entire project would be filmed, so that sustainable forestry could be communicated in a fresh new way to Georgians and others. Fundraising, building, and public relations committees were formed and volunteers started climbing onboard. “Forestry people are independent people,” said Mike Harrell, Vice President of Stuckey Timberland Inc. in Eastman. “Tell us what you want and we get it done. Everyone was so generous and everyone came through. We got more than we needed,” said Harrell. A who’s who of Georgia forest industry sponsors played parts in the project, including the Georgia SFI Implementation Committee, Georgia Forestry Association Emerging Leaders, Georgia Forestry Association, Georgia Forestry Foundation, Georgia Forestry Commission, Georgia Chapter-Society of American Foresters,
Georgia Tree Farm Program, and Southeastern Wood Producers Association. Aer months of planning, fundraising, and soliciting volunteers, Georgia’s Tree Farm Committee kicked off the Georgia Forestry Community Habitat for Humanity Build in Macon on February 14. “A large portion of the building materials were donated,” said Norris. “All the OSB, treated lumber, roof and floor sheeting, it was all Georgia grown or made and SFI- certified.” Norris said working with the Habitat for Humanity group was especially rewarding. “Going into the project I just assumed Habitat was a kind of give-away program, but that is not true,” Norris said. “Interested homeowners are scrutinized in the application process, there are background and employer checks, and they have to meet a lot of criteria. That was eye opening to me,” Norris said. And that’s not all that’s required, according to Gallaher. In addition to a down payment and monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor into building their Habitat house 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 big win-win,” she said. Macon Area Habitat for Humanity Executive Director, Harold Tessendorf, was equally pleased. “We were very, very impressed and humbled that we were selected to provide the site for the house in this particular community,” Tessendorf said. “ere was a high degree of professionalism and passion in all the people who worked on this, and the volunteers had a real sense of service in mind.” e sustainability of Georgia’s forests resonated with Tessendorf and Habitat’s mission as well. “We’re working on the ongoing revitalization of a neighborhood, so we’re also talking about sustainability,” Tessendorf said. “We’re using the existing infrastructure that’s already in place,” he said, to bring new life to a neighborhood in need. Georgians ‘live in the woods!’
Tree Farmer and rock musician Chuck Leavell is featured in the documentary, whose message demonstrates the forestry community’s commitment to responsible stewardship of the forest. Viewers learn that Georgia’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, pictured foreground, right, with other sponsors on home dedication day. GFA also donated a new lawnmower to the family.
14
July | August 2013
newable as they see and hear about growing seedlings, thinning, the concept of working forests, the myriad of products and environmental services forests offer, their relation to the economy, and much more. “We wanted to make a strong connection for the audience,” said Gallaher, “that forests have a big impact on our daily quality of life. ey’re part of the houses we build, our shelters. And paper, of course, is a huge part of our lives.” Documentary producer, Jamie Oliver, said the biggest aha! moment for him was the fact that ‘we live in the woods!’ “Going up in the plane for the aerial shoot and seeing that Georgia is two-thirds covered with forest land was breathtaking.” Oliver worked on the project for eight months. He credits cinematographer David Sizemore with doing an ‘amazing job,’ and craing the documentary’s distinctive so, classic film look. Oliver’s cousin, Nashville musician William Tyler, created the original guitar score. “Everyone we worked with was great,” Oliver said of the forestry professionals who The Jones family gets some help from project sponsors planting trees that will provide back yard shade and beauty.
Georgia Forestry Today
were interviewed and helped with filming. “eir hospitality was unmatched. I’m very pleased with the final product.” People all across Georgia are now able to view the film and hear more about Georgia’s working forests through presentations offered by a special speaker’s bureau. Representatives have been fanning across the state, sharing the video, a speech, and supplemental handouts with Rotary Clubs, chambers of commerce, and other civic groups. “People have been pleasantly surprised,” said Mike Harrell. “In certain rural areas, people already realize how important forestry is to Georgia,” he said, “but we urge them to talk to their neighbors, grandkids, and others. It’s a great message to send out.” Macon Area Habitat for Humanity Director Harold Tessendorf said his organization has received an important message through the experience as well. “is tells a great story about what forestry means in the state of Georgia, and how sustainability is built into it,” he said. “e relationship with Habitat doesn’t end today. On our affiliate level, we will be much more conscious of the wood products that are locally grown and sourced, and how they fit into our construction process. We want to look for ways to involve smaller Georgia communities. We’ll be looking for how we
can continue to do this and grow a statewide partnership.” And the story for Angela and Curtis Jones, who moved into their new SFI/Habitat House with their four children on May 24, truly has a ‘happily ever aer’ ending. “I love our big, new home,” said Angela. “Everyone has been so nice, and this has been such an education [about forestry and paper.] I love our wood floors and the ramp they built for my husband’s scooter chair, which he’s needed since having back surgery.” And how do the kids like their new digs?
“Excited!” said Angela. “ey’re always outside playing and even helping cut the grass. It’s the first time I’ve seen them interested in keeping up the yard and our home!” v To schedule a Speaker’s Bureau event, contact Donna Gallaher at gallaher@uga.edu or (706) 542-7691. Learn more about the Macon Habitat build on Facebook at “Georgia Forestry Community Habitat Build” and about Georgia's Sustainable Forestry committee at SFI-Georgia.org.
15
WARNELL RESEARCHERS TO STUDY DEER FORAGING DAMAGE t's no secret that overabundant deer can be incredibly destructive to a forest landscape. Too many deer on a landscape can seriously undermine biodiversity and sustainable wood and fiber production by foraging for food in certain areas. But scientists have a hard time predicting how much damage different deer herd sizes can cause. Drs. Nate Nibbelink and Karl V. Miller, along with Ph.D. student David Kramer, want to find out if landscape heterogeneity and the intensity of forest management affect deer browsing. e Warnell researchers and their U.S. Forest Service partner Dr. Alex Royo have received a $428,000 grant from the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to conduct the project, which will be the firstever exhaustive examination of these relationships in forest ecosystems. ey plan to piggyback onto an existing project in the northern hardwood forests of Pennsylvania, where a management plan has already created a notable difference in deer densities and habitat diversity. at project already
16
has a solid ten-year foundation of landowner cooperation, Miller said, and it will allow them to investigate the relationships between foraging, deer densities, and forest habitat diversity. “is is one of the most rigorous studies of its kind in terms of the magnitude of the experimental design and the amazing cooperation of the landowners,” Nibbelink said. “If important relationships exist, we will detect them, and our experiments should give us the evidence we need to make better recommendations for forest management.” Although the U.S. is home to numerous ungulate species, the researchers are focusing on white-tailed deer because they are the most abundant and widely distributed of all ungulates in the eastern U.S., currently exceeding 30 deer per square mile in half the counties east of the Mississippi River. “However, it’s not the actual deer densities that are important,” said Miller. “Some landscapes and habitat types can easily support this number of deer, whereas this number would be considered overabundant in other landscapes.” By looking at a number of sites
Deer rub damage. Photo by Manfred Mielke, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
across the northern regions of Pennsylvania, the researchers will evaluate how a number of landscape variables can impact the potential for deer to affect forest vegetation. is, in turn, will allow the development of deer density goals for specific landscapes that will minimize deer impacts on forest ecosystems. “Alternatively,” said Miller, “our research can help direct forest management decisions to ensure adequate forest regeneration by considering deer densities along with other landscape features.” e project will use long-term vegetation and deer population data and merge it with spatial information to determine how browsing varies with deer density and habitat diversity. In addition, they will build 20 0.5 hectare exclosures to test how localized foraging affects vegetation across a range of July | August 2013
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 mediates those impacts. “e end result,” Miller added, “is to develop a balance between deer management and forest management by looking at the big picture. We’ve known for a long time that too many deer can cause ecological problems. e integration of deer management plans and forest management plans at the landscape level will be the key to establishing this balance.” v Georgia Forestry Today
17
Almost Time to Head to the Woods e cool, crisp feel of fall is still a short time away, but all outdoorsmen are already feeling the itch to get out the bow or rifle and get into the woods. Squirrel season starts August 15th, followed by dove season on September 7th. But to many big game hunters, the ‘real hunting’ starts when archery deer season kicks in on September 14, followed closely by gun season on October 19th. ankfully, outdoor sports are on the rise. e U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed a national study on the outdoors and outdoor activities, and it shows a nine percent growth nationwide in hunting 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 nine percent more hunted in 2011 than in 2006. e kids went, too. Of those ages six to 15, thirteen percent more hunted and two percent more fished (from 8.3 million to 8.5 million) during the same period. “What we see is a pretty significant change in direction,” says Dan Ashe, the Fish and Wildlife Service’s director, noting declines in prior surveys since 1991. He says, “ere’s a growing realization that doing things outdoors is healthy.” In Georgia, there are several things that this author sees as positive moves to get kids outdoors, and the first is the new apprentice hunter license for a person who has not completed a hunter education course. Also helpful has been the addition of adult/child hunts on state wildlife areas. See the new 2013-14 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 education class fourth to twelh grades, core content covers archery history, safety, technique, equipment, mental concentration, core strengthening physical fitness, and self-improvement. Before presenting the two-week archery course, teachers undergo an eighthour National Archery in the Schools Program Basic Archery Instructor Training Program. e program is available in some Georgia schools and should be in most schools, so inquire about your local schools participation, if interested. School kids compete for honors and prizes at the annual state competition held each spring at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry and winners move on to national level competition. Contact the Georgia DNR Hunter Services office at (770) 761-3045 for more details. Another positive development is that shooting a bow is again a cool thing to do for kids. Of course you never know what Hollywood is going to turn out, but two recent movies have portrayed archery shooting as central themes to the plot, and these popular movies have kids, especially girls, heading to the sporting goods stores. In the movie ‘Hunger Games,’ the hero, Katniss Everdeen, age 16, is portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence and must fight other youths to the death in an unfair battle. ankfully she is great with a bow and arrow and had to hunt squirrels with it to feed her family, 18
By John Trussell
Ryan Mason harvested this wild boar with a Ten Point crossbow
so she is ready for the challenge. In another flick, the Disney movie, ‘Brave,’ set in the Scottish Highlands, a skilled archer named Merida defies an age-old custom, causing chaos in her kingdom, but the ending is warm and fuzzy for kids. In addition to the movies above, in recent years there has been a strong and renewed interest in archery hunting, and the interest in crossbow hunting has surged as well among adults. e Sporting Goods Manufacturer’s Association reports about an 80 percent increase in nationwide crossbow sales since 2006. Last year, crossbows made up 25 percent of all bow sales. Why the sudden growth in popularity? Well, Barb Terry, PR and Education Manager at Tenpoint Technologies, says that states are finally opening their eyes to the opportunities presented by crossbow hunting. Traditionally, states have allowed crossbow use for handicapped hunters, but now states are expanding crossbow hunting opportunities. Studies show a majority of hunters are in favor of legalizing crossbows for hunting in most states. Crossbows are legal to use in all or part of the bow hunting season in 17 states. ey are legal in 13 others during firearms season, and six states allow July | August 2013
John Trussell, left and his brother Grady Trussell, tried some elk hunting in Montana with their bows. They saw several good bulls they could have taken with a rifle, but armed with only short range bow, they only brought back to Georgia good memories.
seniors to use them. In fact, crossbows are legal to hunt with (in one 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. Everywhere, wildlife agencies face the same dilemma. With strained budgets from lagging license sales and out-of-control deer populations in some areas, they need to ďŹ nd ways to harvest more deer, recruit new hunters, and retain the hunters they already have. As data has become available from crossbow-friendly states, wildlife professionals have become better educated. Most now understand the ballistic similarities between crossbows and vertical bows and have seen how crossbows help manage the resource, improve bow hunter retention, bring retired bow hunters back into the fold, and recruit Georgia Forestry Today
new hunters. Armed with this new data, more of them are moving to incorporate the crossbow into their archery seasons as one way to solve their problems and grow the sport. In addition, bows and crossbows, because of their short range limitations, can be used to take deer in more urban areas. While states like Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, and Tennessee have positive and credible data regarding the beneďŹ ts of using crossbows, Ohio has the most expansive body of data. Twenty-six years ago during its 1982-1983 season, Ohio eliminated crossbow restrictions during its entire four-month long archery season. At that time, the state had an estimated 82,000 vertical bow hunters and 11,000 crossbow hunters. By 2006, the number of vertical bow hunters grew 183 percent to 150,000 while the number of crossbow hunters 19
exploded to 175,000, with 8 percent of all archers - roughly 25,000—hunting with both weapons. Of course it takes skill to harvest a deer with a rifle, but it requires more skill to drop one with an arrow within 30 yards. It takes more strength and better hand—eye coordination to shoot a bow, and at close ranges the deer has a much better chance of being alerted to the hunters presence by either sound or scent. So now is the 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, or on some state public areas. A new archery range at Victoria Bryant State Park, located near Royston and Franklin Springs, is now available for archers, bow hunters, youth groups, and others interested in perfecting their target skills. It is one of 13 archery ranges currently available on public land in Georgia, and one of two ranges located at a state park. Another is located at Flat Creek Public Fishing Area in Houston County. If you are interested in trying out a crossbow, there is much to consider, and most hunters start by researching various crossbow manufacturers, such as Ten Point Technologies, Excalibur, Horton, Parker, Barnett, and Wicked Ridge on the internet and compare features and prices. Armed with some good background information, you can then head to a sporting goods store, such as Bass Pro Shop in Macon, where they have an indoor range, and check out some of the crossbows, as well as traditional bows and compound bows and sling some arrows. Cool weather and hunting is fast approaching, so get ready. v
20
July | August 2013
DC Circuit Ruling Creates Urgency for EPA to Complete its Work on Bioenergy Carbon Emissions By American Forest Foundation Forest owners are urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to proceed quickly with amendments to its greenhouse gas regulations (Tailoring Rule) following a ruling today by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (DC Circuit) in Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The court decided that EPA did not adequately justify its decision to temporarily defer biogenic emissions from its greenhouse gas regulations, but left the door open to EPA finalizing permanent amendments to its rules regarding the treatment of such emissions. Importantly, the court's decision does not affect EPA’s ongoing process to develop a permanent decision regarding whether to regulate biomass emissions based on the carbon benefits that forest bioenergy offers compared to fossil fuels. “EPA did the right thing by deferring the regulations while it reconsiders whether forest bioenergy should be regulated the same as fossil fuel energy,” said Dave Tenny, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO). “Forest Owners also did the
Georgia Forestry Today
right thing by defending EPA’s action in court. Now the priority is for EPA to complete its amendments to the Tailoring Rule to fully recognize the carbon benefits of forest bioenergy and to do it promptly. The urgency of the situation has now increased significantly.” In June 2010, EPA adopted the Tailoring Rule to set the threshold that triggers the requirement for stationary sources to obtain Clean Air Act PSD permits for their carbon emissions. In an unexpected departure from the proposed rule and prior agency precedent, EPA for the first time in the final rule regulated carbon emissions from forest bioenergy production the same as fossil fuel emissions. Biomass fundamentally differs from fossil fuels as an energy source because biomass recycles atmospheric carbon through tree and plant growth while fossil fuel carbon emissions accumulate in the atmosphere over time. This means that the combustion of biomass does not lead to net GHG emissions into the atmosphere. EPA had consistently recognized this view prior to the final Tailoring Rule, which suddenly and unexpectedly reversed course from this
longstanding policy. In July 2011, EPA published the Deferral Rule after granting NAFO’s petition to reconsider the treatment of bioenergy carbon emissions under the Tailoring Rule. The Center for Biological Diversity and others immediately challenged the deferral. NAFO and others intervened in the case in support of EPA. U.S. forests offset about 14 percent of total annual U.S. carbon emissions, a benefit to the public that is widely viewed as a key contribution to mitigating climate change. However, the Tailoring Rule amendments will heavily influence the extent to which private forest owners, who own and manage nearly 60 percent of the forests in our country, continue providing this benefit. “EPA must now work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on permanent amendments to the Tailoring Rule as part of the climate change solution,” Tenny said. “The agencies can then engage forest owners on a broader policy framework promoting the considerable mitigation benefits private forests provide.” v
21
FORESTLAND & WILDLIFE
PART I
EVALUATING & IMPROVING YOUR PROPERTY FOR WILDLIFE By Eric Darracq
22
July | August 2013
T
Photo by Gary M. Stolz, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bugwood.org Georgia Forestry Today
he Georgia Forestry Commission administers and coordinates the Forest Stewardship Program. Through this program, natural resource professionals provide private landowners with management plans to meet their natural resource objectives such as timber, wildlife, soil/water, recreation, and aesthetics. Plans are typically written by registered foresters with technical support from others including wildlife biologists with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division. In this column and part II in the next issue, we'll help landowners who have wildlife as a primary or very important objective evaluate their forestland for wildlife, and identify management actions to optimize habitat quality for the most common wildlife objectives. To begin the planning process, it’s important to broadly assess your habitat conditions and then develop management prescriptions to enhance wildlife habitat to meet your objectives. Planning is key because wildlife habitat needs vary and management that benefits one species or group of species may detrimentally affect another. Some species like northern bobwhite and Bachman’s sparrow require early succession habitats, whereas others like gray squirrels and pileated woodpeckers need only late succession habitats. Many wildlife species, such as deer, turkey, and bears, require a mix of both. (We'll provide more details, but early succession habitat generally refers to forest with an open, sunlit understory, while late succession habitat is linked to older hardwood forest.) Regardless of the species, supporting healthy populations requires adequate amounts of food, water, cover, and space year-round. This habitat assessment helps evaluate your property at the landscape scale and categorize acres as either early or late succession habitat. Because deer, turkey, and quail are common management objectives, we'll focus on them here, but managing for these three also benefits an array of wildlife species with similar habitat needs. Before we dig into specifics, let’s consider habitat needs of these species.
23
This closed-canopy hardwood forest represents late succession habitat.
The Big Three White-tailed deer are habitat generalists that can survive throughout Georgia except in the most intensely developed areas. Historically, deer were abundant, but because of commercial market-hunting and habitat destruction, populations were extirpated across much of the state by 1895. Science-based wildlife management was used to restore the deer population by 1974. Deer are browsers, consuming about five pounds a day of foliage, soft mast like blackberries, other plant matter reachable up to about five feet, and oak mast—their preferred food during fall and winter. Evergreen winter browse like greenbrier is important throughout the year. Whitetails live in a home range of about 250-1,200 acres. Ranges vary by habitat quality. Wild turkeys exist throughout most of Georgia, but usually do not live in intensely developed areas. Their highest densities are in landscapes with a 24
mix of early and late succession habitats. During fall and winter, turkeys rely on acorns, dogwood fruits, and other hard mast from late succession habitats. In spring and summer, they need open, early succession areas with a mix of native grasses, forbs, and shrubs that provide insects, greenery, soft mast, and seeds. Wild turkeys live mostly in flocks. Individuals have a home range of about 1,000-10,000-plus acres, depending on habitat quality and disturbances. Bobwhite quail were very abundant throughout most of Georgia during the 1800s and into the mid-1900s, when farming, forestry, and development were less intense and prescribed burning was widespread and frequent. Since then, Georgia’s quail and quail hunter populations have declined more than 80 percent. Bobwhites depend almost exclusively on native, early succession habitat in forests that are maintained with frequent thins that allow 40-60 percent or more
Photo by Terry Spivey, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
sunlight coverage on the ground and prescribe burned on a one- to two-year rotation. On farmlands, early succession habitat can be maintained with fallow field borders, corners, and hedgerows. While the home range of a single quail averages 40 acres and varies from 10-250 acres, the minimum needed to maintain a healthy, long-term quail population (at least 700 wild birds among multiple coveys) is 2,500 or more acres of quality, early succession habitat. Now let's take a closer look at habitat. July | August 2013
This early succession habitat is a pine savanna with ground cover maintained by frequent prescribed fire. Note the wild turkey nest in the foreground.
Eye-Balling Habitat Early succession habitat typically occurs in pine forests where the understory receives 30-70 percent sunlight—resulting in a mix of native grasses, legumes, weeds, briars, shrubs, and bugs—and is maintained by prescribed burning on 15- to 40-acre burn units on a two-to three-year rotation. Your property’s total acreage of early succession habitat is the sum of forest types that 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 disking, burning, and chemical treatments to maintain a mix of native grasses, forbs and shrubs. When assessing early succession habitat, exclude acres where native ground cover is sparse, such as in shaded forest stands. Also exclude forests and fields dominated by invasive exotics, as well as croplands and exotic grass pastures. Georgia Forestry Today
Late succession habitat is the midstory and overstory of a hardwood forest composed of native trees that produce acorns, nuts, seeds, fruit, and other mast and cover that benefits native wildlife like deer, turkey, and songbirds. Your property's late succession habitat total is the acreage of mixed and hardwood forest types with dominant trees that are 70 feet2 basal area or greater, 20-120 years old and 40-60 percent oak (at least two species), and 40-60 percent non-oak species (two species or more). To optimize acorn and other mast production, aim for an even and balanced mix of red oak species (25 percent), white oak species (25 percent), and a diversity of other hardwood species (50 percent). When assessing for late succession habitat, exclude acres where native tree and plant diversity or abundance is low or where invasive-exotics are dense, such as in lands dominated by saw palmetto, privet or rhododendron. Plan for Success At the landscape scale, if your land is managed to maintain a mix of native early and late succession habitat, it will have a high probability of sustaining healthy populations of deer, wild turkey, and many other wildlife species. However, where bobwhites, rabbits, and other early-succession habitat specialists are the main objective, maximizing the abundance and distribution of that habitat type is the key to success. Bobwhites are what wildlife biologists refer to as an area-sensitive species and require a minimum threshold of early succession habitat to sustain a viable population. In landscapes comprised of a mix of cropland and well-managed pine forests, judicious management across 2,000-3,000 acres can be effective; whereas, in a woodland-dominated landscape, management of more than 5,000 acres may be needed. Once you've estimated where early and late succession habitats are on your
Photo by Terry Spivey, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
property and the approximate acreage of each type, use the Forest Stewardship Program's broad-scale habitat evaluation tool for deer, turkey, and quail to quickly determine which habitat types you need to improve. Programs like the Forest Stewardship Program also offer more detailed evaluations and mapping of habitat types to help you plan forestland improvements. These options are particularly valuable for longterm management to maintain wildlife travel corridors and adjust the distribution of forest types, regeneration areas, timber stand age classes, and wildlife openings. In the next column, we'll discuss assessing your habitat at a site-specific scale and provide forest management recommendations for deer, turkey and quail. For a complete version of this article, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/hunting/ game-management. To apply for a Forest Stewardship Program plan for your property, visit www.gfc.state.ga.us and select ‘Forest Management’ then ‘Forest Stewardship.’ v Eric Darracq is a senior and certified wildlife biologist® with the Private Lands Program of Georgia DNR's Wildlife Resources Division. 25
Georgia’s Forests: Providing Trees for the EU and Sustainability for the US By Ms. Jill Stuckey | Director, Biomass Development | Georgia Southern University’s Herty Advanced Materials Development Center
Got trees? In Georgia, we do. Lots of them. And in today’s world where issues such as the economy, climate change, and sustainability are major concerns, where do all these trees fit in, and what can we do with them? If you keep up-to-date with the latest headlines, no doubt you’ve heard about the European Union’s mandates for carbon emissions and transforming Europe into a highly energy-efficient, low carbon economy. Countries in the EU are committed to making 20 percent of their energy come from renewable sources by 2020. Wood and other forms of biomass pellets are renewable, and when compared to the cost of many other renewable sources, less expensive. By using biomass in place of coal, plus wind, solar, and wave technology, it’s possible for the EU to reach its goal. In fact, according to former president, nobel laureate, and Georgia resident Jimmy Carter, “The Europeans have learned first and now they are buying pelleted wood, as you know, to cut down on the amount of coal and other things that they burn. I think, in the future, the research done by Herty and others is going to make sure that we in Georgia and throughout the U.S. are going to use a lot more of the wood energy than we do now. With research and with a commitment, particularly with the White House and the Congress, I think we’ll see this done.” Here’s where Georgia’s incredible forests come into play. Georgia has over 24 million acres of forests, with our trees growing nearly 40 percent faster than what is being harvested. According to Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia’s forest industry had a total impact 26
Pictured above: Pine tree chips ready to be processed into pellets and sent to Europe. Photo by Jill Stuckey.
of over $25 billion in 2011, ranked second in total compensation, and supported 118,459 state-wide jobs. Because of statistics like these, Georgia and the Southeast are smart choices for the EU and pellet manufacturers. Why? First, the EU doesn’t have the climate or land mass to supply itself, so other options are a necessity. In addition, the US offers a stable and friendly government and doesn’t have rainforests to endanger by cutting down trees. Also, much of US land has management practices in place ensuring a sustainable feedstock. For Georgia foresters and land owners, trees are considered a crop and planted in straight rows, similar to the way corn is planted in states such as Iowa. When the trees are harvested, more trees are planted. If there is no demand for biomass, the trees won’t be replanted. President Carter explains it best: "This is another example of renewable energy that can be replaced and all the energy comes
directly from the sun as the tree grows and matures." And interestingly, 91 percent of Georgia timberland is privately owned. Georgia boasts more acreage of privately owned forests than any other state. Owners range from small family farms that comprise a few acres to companies like Plum Creek that own hundreds of thousands of acres. With our vast amount of acreage, Georgia stands as a prime example of a state utilizing its natural resources and capitalizing on business opportunities both abroad and at home. Currently, there are more than six facilities in Georgia making pellets for export to Europe. Located in Waycross, Georgia, and operating under the name of ‘Georgia Biomass,’ the European utility ‘RWE’ built one of the largest pellet producing facilities in the world. Another facility, and a major player in the pellet market, is Fram Renewable Fuels. They have a mill located in Baxley, Georgia, and July | August 2013
plan to build a second mill in Hazlehurst, Georgia. When in full operation, the Hazlehurst facility will use up to one million metric tons of raw material annually. Fram has done due diligence and has researched several aspects of the pellet market. With the help of the Georgia Forestry Commission and the US Forest Service, Fram has determined there is more than sufficient growth, in excess of demand, to supply the new facility. Currently, both Georgia Biomass and Fram Renewable Fuels transport pellets, by way of rail or truck, to ports in Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia, and then on to Europe. Also, General Biofuels, Enova, and others have announced plans to build pellet mills in Georgia. But why send so much of Georgia’s natural resource abroad? The answer, like many things, relates to cost. What Americans pay each month to keep their lights on is roughly half of what many Europeans pay. For example, wood pellets priced at $250 per ton are more cost effective than natural gas in most European markets. Georgia has the unique opportunity to provide our neighbors across the sea with a less expensive, environmentally-friendly, alternative energy source. And that’s good business. Not only does pellet production help the EU reach its energy goals, but it promotes sustainable utilization of our forests, jobs for our citizens, and money for Georgia’s logistics industry and tax coffers. One of the keys to healthy growth is to site these mills in areas of high wood growth and low wood demand. We don’t want to harm our existing pulp and paper industry or other industries that utilize biomass. Some 80 years ago, Dr. Charles H. Herty developed a way to take our southern yellow pine tree and make paper, catalyzing the southern pulp and paper industry. At his namesake, the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center, a part of Georgia Southern University, we work on ways to take biomass and develop even higher value products—such as chemicals, fuels, and pharmaceuticals. We Georgia Forestry Today
also provide research and development assistance in the pulp and paper and pellet industries. Herty has assisted companies in the development of recycling processes for both synthetic and natural fibers and helped create innovative processes to add strength to building and paper products. In terms of pellet research, our fully-integrated pellet line processes biomass to form pellets at a rate of one dry ton per hour. This, along with laboratory testing capabilities, allows us to fully characterize energy pellets produced from a range of feedstocks. In this way, companies can reduce technical risk from a thorough assessment of feedstocks and conversion technologies. More importantly, the pellets
produced at Herty can be field tested at the utility to confirm processability and performance in test burns. In the future, is it possible to find a way to better utilize biomass right here in Georgia, thereby bringing more jobs to our rural areas? I believe that it is possible. Our pulp and paper industry, after years of decline, and slow to no growth, is healthy again. Our timber industry is starting to see signs that the future is bright; housing starts are increasing, and there is optimism of a strong lumber export market. Georgia and other states like her can find a way to fully embrace, research, and develop even more valueadded products from biomass. v
Allow our 30 years of experience serving
• Hunt Club Liability
Forestry Businesses, Landowners and Hunt
• Timberland Liability
Clubs to work for you. The Davis-Garvin
• Standing Timber
Insurance Agency provides a broad range of
• Prescribed Burning
innovative insurance products, services and
• Logging Contractors
solutions for our clients.
• Sawmills
Contact us today to tailor an insurance program that meets your unique situation.
• Landowners • Consulting Foresters • Reforestation Insurance
27
NEWS House Speaker names members of Timber Security Study Committee Georgia House Speaker David Ralston has announced his appointments to the House Study Committee on Timber Security created by House Resolution 644 during the 2013 session of the Georgia General Assembly. HR 644 recognized that “it is in the best interest of landowners, manufacturers, local governments, and the state that timber harvest operations be conducted legally and with the full knowledge and consent of the timber owner” and that many of the statutes that provide recourse for timber the and trespass victims have not been examined in many years. e Study Committee will evaluate the conditions surrounding timber security in Georgia and recommend any actions or legislation that it deems necessary
to address the subject, possibly during the 2014 legislative session. “e vast majority of timber transactions and harvest operations are conducted in complete compliance with the law and consistent with the conditions of the buyerseller agreement” said Georgia Forestry Association president Steve McWilliams. “However, one timber the is one too many, and it can have a potentially devastating financial impact on the timber owner and his family, not to mention the potential for lost tax revenue to the county.” McWilliams said that anything that is done to reduce incidents of timber the and trespass will be well worth the time invested by the Study Committee. He also noted that GFA appreciates the support of Speaker Ral-
ston and Judiciary Chairman Wendell Willard in this important initiative. e Study Committee, which will begin its work in late summer, will include: State Representative Chad Nimmer, RBlackshear; State Representative Chuck Williams, R-Watkinsville; State Representative Ellis Black, R-Valdosta; and, Gordon County Sheriff Mitch Ralston. GFA member Sandy Sparks, president of Sparks Lumber Company in Ellijay and former president of the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association, rounds out the committee which will be chaired by House Judiciary Chairman Wendell Willard, RSandy Springs. v
Forest Owners Commend House Members for Farm Bill Provisions Promoting Working Forests By American Forest Foundation e National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) today commended forestry leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives for provisions in the FederalAgriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (H.R. 2642) preserving forest roads as nonpoint sources under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and otherwise promoting working forests. e legislation passed today by a vote of 216-208. "We thank forestry leaders in the House for securing the forest roads provision and other important measures that sustain working forests," said Dave Tenny, NAFO President and CEO. "e forestry provisions in the bill have strong support 28
from members in both parties and in both chambers. is creates positive momentum going into conference." e forest roads amendment mirrors the Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act (H.R. 2026) introduced by Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA3) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR5) on May 16. e legislation preserves EPA's 37-year-old policy that forestry activities and forest roads are nonpoint sources under the CWA. e House bill also includes a provision ensuring that traditional forest products qualify for the federal procurement preference and product label under United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) biobased program.
"We are pleased also with language in the bill to include wood and paper products in the USDA's Biobased Markets Program," Tenny said. "Wood is one of the oldest renewable manufacturing materials and is used in hundreds of products. It should naturally have the same opportunity as other materials to qualify as 'USDA certified biobased'." NAFO is an organization of private forest owners committed to advancing federal policies that promote the economic and environmental benefits of privately-owned forests at the national level. v July | August 2013
Georgia Tree Growth Stays in the Black By Wendy Burnett | Public Relations Director | Georgia Forestry Commission More timber continues to be grown in Georgia than is harvested, according to data contained in the 2012 Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) report. e report, released by the Georgia Forestry Commission and US Forest Service, is an annual calculation of the state’s forest composition, sustainability and other key statistics. It shows that Georgia’s forested acres remained stable at 24.4 million acres, a trend that has endured for more than five decades. With a total of 15.2 billion trees, which does not include urban trees, Georgia has more forests today than it did 75 years ago. e new FIA report shows Georgia continues to have the most acres of privately owned forest land in the nation. Ninety-one percent of Georgia’s timberland (forested land potentially available for timber harvesting) is held in private ownership, with the remainder held by federal, state and local governments. State, local, and corporate ownership 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 the forest products industry annually, which is only 2.9 percent of the inventory on Georgia’s timberland, as shown in the FIA report. It also indicates that annual growth exceeds this harvest level by 711 million cubic feet, or 20 million tons. e continued sustainability of Georgia’s forest resources is good news for our traditional forest industries and for the state’s growing wood pellet industry. Georgia’s nine wood pellet mills, established since 2007, utilize lower value pulpwood grown in the state or wood residues from sawmills. Most pellets are exported to Europe and are used in the production of electricity. e Georgia Forestry Commission estimates Georgia forest owners provided wood supplies for more than one-million metric tons of wood pellet production in 2012. e International Energy Agency
projects exports of wood pellets from the southern US will reach six-million metric tons by 2020. is wood requirement is well within sustainable limits at less than onetenth of one percent of the region’s wood supply. is industry is creating new jobs, helping the local and state economies, and providing incentives for landowners to retain forested lands. e forestry industry has a $25 billion annual economic impact on Georgia, which generates $487 million in state tax revenue. More than 118,000 jobs statewide are supported by forestry. In addition to the traditional economic impact, Georgia’s forests provide citizens with over $37 billion in ecosystem services (clean air, clean water, and recreation) each year. Visit GaTrees.org for information about the forestry industry and services of the Georgia Forestry Commission. v
Sustainable Forestry Initiative Shows Gains in Performance Indicators e Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Inc. today reported significant growth across key performance indicators with the release of Writing the Next Chapter, SFI’s 2013 Annual Progress Report. Since 2007, forests certified to the SFI Standard® have grown by 100 million acres to 240 million acres today. Total chain-ofcustody certified locations grew from 500 in 2007 to more than 2,500. Also, SFI received on-product label requests for more than 6,000 wood, paper, and packaging products in 2012, up from only 50 for the entire year in 2007. “While our Progress Report demonstrates growing momentum for responsible forestry, with indicators of success rising across the board, what’s most exciting is our conservation and customer partnerships,” Georgia Forestry Today
said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI. “By working together, leading environmentalists, community advocates, and SFI Program Participants are writing the next chapter to promote sustainable forestry, to improve forestry practices, and to encourage responsible purchasing of forest products.” With a $400,000 initial investment in 2010, SFI’s Conservation and Community Grant program grew to over $4.8 million by 2012 with leveraged contributions and 150 project partners including the American Bird Conservancy, Habitat for Humanity affiliates, National Association of State Foresters, National Audubon Society, Nature Conservancy of Canada, U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, and World Resources Institute. On the supply-chain front, the report
congratulates four market leaders—Time Inc., the National Geographic Society, Macmillan Publishers, and Pearson—for stepping forward to become SFI Founding Forest Partners, making five-year commitments to increase certification across the forest products supply-chain. e report highlights the active, onthe-ground outreach, training, and program work of the 35 local and regional SFI Implementation Committees across North America, who train loggers, advance best management practices for water quality, and do so much more to support healthy communities and thriving working forests. More information about SFI and access to the report can be found at sfiprogram.org. v 29
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES
BEACH TIMBER COMPANY INC. 128 Beach Timber Road Alma, Ga 31510 Office: (912) 632-2800 Gary Strickland Foresters We Buy Wood! Owner bchtimco@accessatc.net Available
30
FOREST RESOURCE SERVICES INC.
Buyers of Land and Timber in Georgia and the South Canal Wood LLC 601 North Belair Square, Suite 21 Evans, Georgia 30809 Phone: (800) 833-8178 E-mail: dollars4trees@canalwood.com
Specializing in Land and Timber Management & Sales
BOBBY D. BROWN Registered Forester GA Number: 2164 Licensed Realtor GA Number: 165520 20364 GA Hwy #3 Thomasville, GA 31792
(229) 227-1919 brown@ftrealty.com
July | August 2013
Georgia Forestry Today
31