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GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY Volume 11, Issue 3 May | June 2015
MANAGING FORESTS
IN THE RANGE OF FEDERALLY PROTECTED BATS
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May | June 2015
Georgia Forestry Today
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On the Cover:
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY Printed in the USA PUBLISHER: A4 Inc. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alva Hopkins ahopkins@a4inc.com
EDITORIAL BOARD Wendy Burnett Alva Hopkins Stasia Kelly Sandi Martin Roland Petersen-Frey
PRODUCTION MANAGER Pamela Petersen-Frey p.frey@a4inc.com
As disease devastats the northern long-eared bat, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed northern long-eared bats as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, effective May 4, 2015. Forest landowners need to understand what this means for them. To read more:� Turn to page 8.
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GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY is published bi-monthly by A4 Inc., 1154 Lower 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
May | June 2015
Volume 11, Issue 3
May | June 2015
Georgia
FORESTRY TODAY P.08
Managing Forests in the Range of Federally Protected Bats
P.16
Georgia’s Working Forests are Working for Georgia
P.28
Warnell Researchers Unlock New Way to Clone Hemlock Trees Able to Fight Off Deadly Pest
P.19
Message from the GFC Director
P.20
GFC News
P.21
Call of Duty: GFC’s Response Center Team Always Ready to Serve
P.24
The Outdoorsman | Georgia’s Best Fishing Around the State
P.28
Georgia Forestry News
Forestry Calendar 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.’
May 21 Tree Farm Field Day: Walker Tree Farm Walker Tree Farm Jacksonville, Georgia Info: www.gfagrow.org
June 10-12 2015 Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Exposition Georgia World Congress Center Atlanta, Georgia Info: www.sfpa.org
June 16-18 4th Industrial Wood Pellets for Coal Plant CoFiring/Conversions Minneapolis Marriot West Minneapolis, Minnesota Contact: 818-888-4444, mail@infocastevents.com
July 31 - August 3 2015 GFA Annual Conference & Forestry Expo Westin Jekyll Island Jekyll Island, Georgia Info: Information coming soon. Georgia Forestry Today
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List of advertisers American Forest Management ...............................................30
LandMark Spatial Solutions......................................................4
Beach Timber Company Inc...................................................30
Lanigan & Associates ...............................................................14
Blanton’s.........................................................................................3 Bodenhamer Farms & Nursery...............................................12
Meeks’ Farms & Nursery ...........................Inside Front Cover
Canal Wood LLC......................................................................30
Morbark ......................................................................................30
Cantrell Forest Products Inc. ..................................................30
Outdoor Underwriters.............................................................12
Davis - Garvin ............................................................................26
Prudential....................................................................................11
F4 Tech ........................................................................................15 Farm Credit Associations of Georgia....................................15
Plum Creek ...................................................................................5
Flint Equipment Company.....................................................29
Rivers Edge Forest Products....................................................30
Forest Resource Services Inc. ..................................................30
SuperTree Seedlings.....................................................................7
F&W Forestry Service..............................................................13 Georgia 811 ...............................................................Back Cover
Weyerhaeuser .............................................................................10
HEI...............................................................................................30
Whitfield Farms & Nursery ....................................................10
International Forest Company................................................. 6
Yancey Brothers ............................................Inside Back Cover
Georgia Forestry Today
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MANAGING FORESTS
IN THE RANGE OF FEDERALLY PROTECTED
BATS By Trina Morris
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May | June 2015
Protected Bats in Georgia
The northern long-eared bat is the third federally protected bat species in Georgia. All are found only in the northern part of the state. Before WNS, the northern longeared (Myotis septentrionalis) was the most commonly captured Myotis bat in north Georgia. The species’ current status in the state is unknown, but a project
to better understand northern longeared bats begins this summer. The gray bat (Myotis grisescens) was listed as endangered in 1976, mostly due to threats from cave disturbances. (The species gathers in colonial roosts that number in the thousands and sometimes millions.) Unlike other bat species in north Georgia, because gray bats use caves year-round, direct impacts from forest management are very unlikely. Until recently, most forest management plans in the state did not address bat
species because of the low likelihood of ‘taking’ bats during management activities. Taking basically means pursuing, killing, hurting, or harassing a species. Georgia is also within the edge of the range of the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), designated as endangered in 1967. Based on researchers finding only a few Indiana bats in Georgia caves during winter in the 1960s, for years the species’ suspected rarity resulted in little research to determine if Indiana bat colonies spent summers here. Threats from forest Northern long-eared bat. Credit: Pete Pattavina/USFWS
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management activities were considered unlikely. In April 2012, however, a female Indiana fitted with a radio transmitter flew from a cave in Tennessee to Rich Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Gilmer County. There, she joined with others to form a maternity colony in a
group of pine snags. This was Georgia’s first documented summer maternity roost for Indiana bats, although the bats probably had been in our northern forests in low numbers. (Biologists had long suspected they reared pups here.) Despite increased survey efforts, biologists have yet to capture any Indiana
bats in Georgia. At the same time, whitenose syndrome is decimating their populations in North Carolina and Tennessee, making estimates of the population size and range of Indiana bats here more uncertain, and management recommendations more difficult. What Threatens Bats?
Like most species of concern in Georgia, habitat loss historically has been the biggest threat to bats. Most species can tolerate some disturbance from forest management activities, and benefit from forests of varied species, size classes, and states of regeneration. However, when forests are converted and trees permanently removed from the landscape, those areas no longer provide suitable summer roosts where bats can raise their young. This is why some species now use buildings, bridges, and other man-made structures. Bats have traditionally been eradicated by any means necessary when
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May | June 2015
found in structures used by humans. That often means the loss of large numbers of adults and young bats in the summer. Bats have also been affected by disturbance in caves. Many species hibernate in caves during winter and raise their young nearby in the summer. Even minimal disturbance in winter can cause bats to use up the precious fat reserves they need to survive their long hibernation. More recently, an estimated 600,000-900,000 bats are being killed each year at wind energy facilities in the U.S. Then there’s white-nose syndrome: the single, largest threat to small, hibernating bat species such as northern longeared, Indiana, little brown, and tri-colored bats. With no known cure, this disease has killed more than six million bats in North America since its discovery in New York in 2006 and subsequent spread, according to federal estimates. White-nose leads to bats being awakened too often from hibernation, or less intense periods of torpor. They use up fat reserves needed to survive hibernation long before winter is over. Affected bats often leave their hibernacula in winter, searching for insects that have not emerged, and dying from starvation and cold. In some cases, entire cave populations have been lost. Biologists found white-nose in Georgia in 2013. Surveys each winter since at some of the state’s largest hiber-
Georgia Forestry Today
Northern long-eared bat banded and fitted with a radio transmitter. Credit: Pete Pattavina/USFWS
nacula have revealed, on average, an 82 percent decline in bat numbers. While our most common hibernating bat is the tri-colored (Perimyotis subflavus), we have observed declines in the small numbers of northern long-eared
bats found in Georgia caves. The Interim 4(d) and Me
The Fish and Wildlife Service first proposed listing the northern long-eared bat as endangered, based on early evidence
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Northern long-eared bat roost trees in Georgia. Credit: Pete Pattavina/USFWS
that the species was in danger of extinction in all or a significant part of its range. After receiving an unusually large number of comments, the agency requested an extension and evaluated more population data. Many comments suggested that al-
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though numbers have declined significantly in the Northeast, populations in other parts of the range were unaffected. The Fish and Wildlife Service determined that ‘threatened’ was a more appropriate status. Threatened means a species is likely to become endangered in
the foreseeable future in all or a significant part of its range. The change in listing allowed the Fish and Wildlife Service to develop an interim 4(d) rule exempting certain forest management activities from incidental, or not deliberate, take provisions related to this species. 4(d) rules cannot be written for endangered species. Another consideration was that white-nose syndrome was the culprit behind the declines in northern long-eared bats. Also, listing the species as endangered actually would have made forest management activities to improve habitat more difficult. The interim 4(d) rule addresses the need to continue forest management activities, and exempts most forestry practices from prohibitions on take. Exemptions also include hazard tree removal, transportation and utility rightof-way maintenance, prairie management, and other limited tree-removal projects. The rule does outline protective measures for hibernacula and roost trees within the species’ range in Georgia. A 0.25-mile buffer of undisturbed habitat must be left around caves or other known occupied hibernacula. The rule also includes measures to protect young bats during the period they are unable to fly. Known, occupied roost trees cannot be removed from June 1–July 31.
May | June 2015
Range map of species in Georgia.
Clearcutting and similar harvest methods are prohibited within a quarter-mile of known, occupied roost trees June 1July 31. How will this listing and 4(d) rule affect the average private forestry operation? Not much.
The Fish and Wildlife Service does not presume that northern long-eared bats are present everywhere there is suitable bat habitat, and private landowners are not required to conduct surveys. The only way to identify roost trees is to capture bats, apply tracking devices, and follow them to their roost trees. Only a handful of maternity roost trees have been identified in Georgia, and none are on private land. Because of the small percentage of land area harvested in the range of these bats each year, it is unlikely many active roosts would be removed in any given season. If caves are present on your propGeorgia Forestry Today
erty, maintaining a 0.25-mile buffer of minimal disturbance around them is beneficial to that resource, regardless of whether bats are present. Bats and other wildlife also can be found outside of caves in rock crevices and on outcrops. In addition to the unique biological community inside, a cave can be a reservoir for clean groundwater, and areas around it can be home to diverse plant and animal communities.
managers. Bat Conservation International also has a publication at www.batcon.org/pdfs/ForestMgmtandBats.pdf with helpful information. Snags are dead and dying trees that serve as important roosting structures for bats, birds, and other wildlife under loose bark and in cavities and crevices.
Management Benefiting Bats
All of Georgia’s 16 bat species use forests during some portion of their life. All require forest resources for roosting, foraging, and drinking. Providing a diverse landscape with young and old trees, snags, open areas, and clean, accessible water is important not only to bats but to many other plants and animals, as well. A guide to management practices beneficial to bats is being developed and will offer details and guidelines for forest 13
Preserving snags provides critical habitat for a variety of bat species. Groups of snags in forests are even more beneficial. Bat species differ in their habitat preferences; there is not one best way to manage for all. Providing forests with trees of varying ages, a diverse understory, and various stand densities is important. Bats forage along forest edges, over water, along trails and roads, and in forest gaps. Although artificial roosts are no substitute for a healthy forest, they can help when roosting habitat is limited or when bats are being excluded from structures. Proper design and placement are critical. Guidelines for bat houses and exclusion are posted at www.batcon.org. With the many threats facing bats in the Southeast, providing healthy, wellmanaged forests can be a lifesaver for this important wildlife resource. The presence of federally protected bats in an area does not mean forest management should cease. Proper management and protection of critical habitat for bats can benefit species facing a troubling future as white-nose syndrome continues to spread across North America. For more insight into bats in Georgia, current research, and citizen-science projects, visit www.georgiawildlife.com
The current distribution of WNS in North America.
/conservation/bats. For additional information about federal listing of the northern long-eared bat, including how to comment on the interim 4(d) rule, see www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/ma mmals/nlba. v
Trina Morris is a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section. She can be contacted at katrina.morris@dnr.ga.gov.
Bat Facts • • •
Bat species found in Georgia eat only insects (bats can eat their weight in insects every night). Bat guano is an excellent fertilizer. Bats can live more than 30 years in the wild, and most have only one pup each year.
Forest Management That Benefits Bats • • • • • •
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Maintain or create snags of different decay stages. Maintain clusters of snags when possible. Manage for a diversity of habitat types, including open areas, corridors, early successional and mature forest. Use prescribed fire to promote diverse understory growth, which supports a healthy insect community. Leave buffers and prevent erosion along waterways. Provide small ponds with open, accessible water.
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Georgia Forestry Today
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Georgia’s Working Forests are Working for Georgia By Steve McWilliams | President | Georgia Forestry Association Georgia’s vast forests provide important economic, environmental and social benefits to the state, so it’s imperative that Georgia keep its forests sustainable for present and future generations. According to the Georgia Forestry Commission, more than two-thirds of the land in the state is forestland and 24.3 million of those acres are timberland available for commercial use—more than any other state in the nation. Forest-related industries inject $28.9 billion and 135,732 jobs into the state’s economy, making it Georgia’s second largest manufacturing employer and the second largest industry in the state in terms of employment, wages, and salaries. Further, the industry provides an average of $604 million in state tax revenues each year. Beyond wood and fiber product manufacturing, Georgia’s working forests provide valuable ecosystem services in the form of water filtration, carbon storage, wildlife habitat, and scenic beauty. In 2011, a University of Georgia study conservatively estimated the value of the ecosystem services of Georgia’s private working forests at more than $37.6 billion per year. ese economic benefits of Georgia’s forests stretch across its rural communities, which are critically dependent on the industry for their economic wellbeing— an estimated 47 Georgia counties are ranked as critically dependent, very dependent or moderately dependent on the forest products industry in terms of employment. e forestry community can continue to provide these benefits for generations to come because Georgia’s forests are sustainably managed. Commercial timberlands in the state grow 19 million tons more wood each year than is har16
Steve McWilliams
vested, so growth exceeds removals by 41 percent, and the volume of timber in Georgia is greater now than it was in the 1930s. So who tends the trees? Most of Georgia’s forests are privately owned by ordinary citizens who provide truly extraordinary services. ese stewards of the forest use their own resources to manage healthy forestland that benefits every Georgian. e state’s working forests are the result of healthy markets. Strong timber markets translate into substantial revenues, which serve as a strong incentive for forest landowners to continue to invest in sustainable management to keep their land in forestry. To keep the industry sustainable in Georgia, forest landowners must continue to have sufficient economic incentives to grow, harvest, and sell trees. Such economic incentives are provided through existing forestry provisions in the federal tax code. Existing Timberland Tax Provisions Must be Preserved
Today, the timber tax provisions approved by Congress are achieving their intended outcomes by encouraging landowners across the country to keep
their land in productive forestry. Among other things, these provisions allow landowners to deduct the annual costs associated with growing healthy, sustainable timberlands. But it’s alarming to consider that these much needed provisions are at risk as federal lawmakers weigh options for pro-growth changes to our tax code. As they do so, we must ensure they consider the continued economic vitality of 450 million acres of private forests owned and managed nationwide, including the 22.2 million acres of privately owned working forests in Georgia. Without these provisions, the economics of investing in working forests would fundamentally be altered, and private forestland owners would be forced to consider converting their land to different uses. Jobs and economies here in Georgia and across the country would be adversely impacted, as would the many environmental and social benefits working forests provide. On February 2, several members of the forestry community sent a letter to U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) and U.S. Representative Sander Levin (DMI) to urge the House Ways and Means Committee to retain the current law which recognizes that: timber is a longterm real estate investment; decisions to invest in timber were made decades ago; and changing the tax treatment would significantly and negatively impact working forests that contribute to economic growth and environmental quality. Please contact your congressman to urge them to maintain existing timber provisions in the federal tax code. e future of the industry in Georgia and across the country is at stake. To find the contact information for your elected officials, visit: gfagrow.org. v May | June 2015
Warnell Researchers Unlock New Way to Clone Hemlock Trees Able to Fight Off Deadly Pest By Sandi Martin | Public Relations Coordinator | Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources Dr. Scott Merkle’s lab is the first to successfully create, freeze and grow hemlocks from embryogenic cultures. For the first time, University of Georgia researchers have successfully cryogenically frozen germplasm from hemlock trees being wiped out across the eastern U.S. by an invasive insect. ey’ve also unlocked a new way to clone the few hemlock trees apparently fighting off the hemlock woolly adelgid, which could potentially lead to a solution for the pest. In a new paper published in TreesStructure and Function, researchers in UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources outline how they were able to generate hemlock tissue cultures, cryogenically store them and then grow plants from the cultures aer thawing them several months later—the first to successfully do so. As part of their efforts to freeze the germplasm, they also developed a method that will allow them to clone hemlocks, particularly important as they seek to propagate trees naturally resistant to the insect that has destroyed millions of hemlocks in 18 states since it was accidentally introduced into the eastern U.S. ere are only two native hemlock species in the eastern U.S.—eastern and Carolina—and both are in terrible danger from an insect that first appeared in Virginia in the 1950s. e hemlock woolly adelgid, a pest native to East Asia, kills hemlocks possibly by injecting a toxin into the trees while feeding on sap. It has spread from Virginia and virtually exploded in the Appalachians, said Warnell professor Scott Merkle. “It looks like a bomb went off where there were once pure hemlocks,” Merkle explained. “It’s just dead trees because Georgia Forestry Today
there doesn’t seem to be much natural resistance.” Merkle, who is also Warnell’s associate dean of research, was lead author on the paper and worked with Warnell researchers Paul Montello, Hannah Reece and Lisheng Kong. Hemlocks protect stream banks from erosion, provide food and shelter for deer and other wildlife and keep trout streams cool with their shade. Because of its importance to forest ecosystems, re-
searchers say it is vital that the tree be preserved. One 2009 study by the U.S. Forest Service said woolly adelgids could kill most of the hemlocks in the Appalachian region in a matter of years if the insect remain unchecked. Unfortunately, researchers are not yet sure how the insect is even killing hemlocks. ey believe that it is inserting its stylet—a sharp, pointed nose—under the leaf, through the base and into the tissue that carries 17
sugar around the tree. e tree then essentially shuts down, loses needles and eventually dies. A number of researchers are studying ways to fight the infestation, including the possibility of introducing some sort of biocontrol or predator to eat the adelgids. Merkle is looking at ways to not only introduce natural resistance to newly planted hemlocks, but also to successfully store hemlock germplasm cryogenically to conserve it in case a solution isn’t found before they are wiped out. Long-term storage of hemlock germplasm has been hindered because seeds from the trees have lost viability aer being stored under refrigeration aer two to four years, meaning that once planted, they won’t germinate and grow into thriving plants. e U.S. Forest Service is growing collections of hemlocks outside the range of the adelgid to conserve their germplasm, but this approach requires maintenance of the trees in areas where hemlocks are not found naturally. Merkle and his research team took a different approach to standard storage methods: Using seeds from surviving hemlocks collected by cooperators at the Alliance for Saving reatened Forests and North Carolina State University, they created in vitro cultures of a number of eastern and Carolina hemlocks that they then froze in liquid nitrogen at 196 degrees Celsius below zero—something no one else had successfully done. e researchers cryofroze several samples from different hemlock lines from around the Southeast for several months, then thawed them out, allowed them to regrow and began to produce trees from them. Of the five hemlock lines they tested, all samples of three Carolina lines and one eastern hemlock line regrew aer coming out of cryostorage. Merkle says the ability to cryostore and recover hemlock cultures, followed by production of new trees from them, provides a practical approach for storing the germplasm of a large number of trees 18
indefinitely, so that the species can be repopulated once a system to deal with the adelgid is in place. Being able to grow them aer they’re thawed won’t make them resistant to the woolly adelgid, Merkle said, but it does mean that if need be, researchers might be able to save samples of the hemlocks from extinction. ese cultures also allow the researchers to assist with testing other methods of introducing resistance to the insect, including trying to create clones of hybrids with Asian hemlocks that do have a natural resistance to the woolly adelgids. Some individual hemlock trees in the U.S. appear to be naturally resistant, Merkle said, so he and his team are work-
ing on ways to determine if the resistance is genetically based. ey’ll do that by collecting seeds from these trees that have survived the insect infestation and creating embryogenic cultures that they can then use to clone single trees. Because these surviving trees are all genetically different researchers can’t really tell what key factor makes them resistant to the woolly adelgid. But if 20 trees are planted that are all members of the same clone, clonal testing can be done to try to narrow down why particular trees can fight the pest. And once a genetic line is identified that is resistant, Merkle said, “You can then hand seedlings out to people to start planting.” v May | June 2015
Georgia Forestry Commission
Robert Farris
Message from the Director Dear GFT Reader,
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f you keep Google alerts active on your e-mail server, you’ve probably seen that Georgia forestry has been popping up more frequently the past few months. Several issues have brought our industry into the limelight, including ‘green building’ certification, wood pellets, and forest sustainability. In some situations, the subjects have been debated by folks who don't have all the facts, which is actually a great opportunity for us to share the truths about our business and the values that guide us. I’m a fan of Aldo Leopold, the author, forester, and conservationist who wrote extensively about nature and environmental ethics. His book, A Sand County Almanac, is a classic of nature writing and explores human responsibility as it balances with the natural landscape. In it, he writes, “There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.” While tree farmers may not be supplying the bacon and eggs, we certainly understand the ways our forests support everyone’s daily life and the processes needed to ensure the resource is available to our grandchildren and their grandchildren. Science proves this, with statistics showing Georgia's forest area has remained relatively Georgia Forestry Today
stable for more than 50 years, and forest growth currently exceeds removals by more than 40 percent annually. Georgia’s 24 million acres of forestland are 91 percent privately owned, and these owners have every reason to protect the resource that puts food on their own tables. These facts are especially important to share at a time when the media may choose to highlight differing and more dramatic voices. Viable markets for the renewable forestry resource are a necessary truth - and a message each of us is obligated to share. The market for biomass is one of those. Though wood pellets are just a small portion of a long line of products produced from our forests, they strengthen markets for woody residues and small diameter trees. They provide one more opportunity for forest landowners to keep their forests in trees rather than conversion to some other non-forest use. As an integral part of the wood producing industry, each of us needs to find our voice in supporting forest sustainability in Georgia. That includes encouraging reforestation by landowners with whom we work. Replanting is just as important as wise harvesting, and you may be the only person sharing that truth with a landowner. Please reach out to an independent forestry consultant or to the Georgia Forestry Commis-
sion's Forest Management professionals for assistance with any of these planning needs. I’m proud to say that the majority of landowners and foresters with whom I work are devout environmentalists, committed to sustainability and the wisest use of our forestry resource; people who personify another of Leopold’s characterizations: “A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke [of the axe] he is writing his signature on the face of the land.” Robert Farris GFC Commissioner e
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GFC News Newly released statistics for 2013 show Georgia's forest land area remains stable at 24.7 million acres. The US Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis program at the Southern Research Station in cooperation with the GFC utilizes field data collected from a sampling of more than 4600 forested plots annually across Georgia. Forests of Georgia 2013 states the number of live trees, the amount of volume and biomass they contain, and their growth, removals and mortality on both forest land and timberland also reflect stability in the forest resource. The report notes the sustained trend of changes in ownership in Georgia and across the southern states as forest industry continues to divest itself of forest land and nonindustrial corporate entities, primarily Timber Investment Management Organizations (TIMOs) and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), acquire these acres. Read the full report at GaTrees.org. e A new fact sheet providing documentation of Georgia's sustainable forests is available on GFC's public website. Download the 2013 Georgia Wood Inventory update at www.gatrees.org/utilization/timber-supply/. e
Georgia is one of five states featured in a directory of mills or secondary forest product companies producing furniture, wood fixtures, molding trusses and other engineered wood products. The directory is listed on the Forest Products Locator website at www.forestproductslocator.org and complements its primary mill directory that was completed two years ago. The site provides contact information for Georgia’s 1,063 secondary forest product companies by selecting icons on the Manufacturer Map page or by searching within the Manufacturer List page. In addition to Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are part of this multi-year cooperative project funded by the USDA Forest Service, supported by the Southern Group of State Foresters and managed by Southern Regional Extension Forestry. e Larry Spillers has been named to the Georgia Forestry Commission Board of Directors. Spillers is the Georgia operations manager of Jordan Forest Products in Barnesville. He serves on the board of directors of the Georgia Forestry Association and is the past chairman of the Georgia Sustainable Forest Initiative Implementation Committee. Spillers has more than 35 years of experience in Georgia’s forest industry, and he and his wife, Pam, have two children and six grandchildren. They reside in Roberta. Spillers replaces Victor Beadles on the board, who retired. e 20
May | June 2015
By Stasia Kelly The lives of crews, such as this one, fighting fires across Georgia depend on accurate and swift dispatch services from GFC's response centers.
Call of duty: GfC’s response Center team always ready to serve Georgia Forestry Commission response center dispatchers can never quite know what they'll hear when they accept an incoming phone call.
With thorough training, both online and on the job, and hundreds of hours of experience in good weather and bad, Luke Sloan is ready to respond to reports of a wildfire, to contact 911 dispatchers for medical help or to issue a burn permit. He is also prepared to provide information about any service offered by the GFC.
Luke smiles, taps his computer keyboard and recites a phone number for the caller. At the next station, Dispatcher Ashley Jordan's caller has requested a burn permit, but checking her computer screens, she sees the window for issuing permits has just closed.
Georgia Forestry Today
e empathy Jordan conveys is one of the qualities that makes her an excellent dispatcher, because callers don’t always understand why they’re getting the answers they’re getting, or why they’re talking to a dispatcher instead of their local GFC agent. “In 2010, the GFC set out to determine the most efficient and effective way to manage wildfires and coordinate resources," said Hannah Cowart, GFC Benefits Manager and coordinator for GFC’s Rapid Process Improvement projects. “Simultaneously we wanted to keep GFC’s effect on Georgia's forests positive and deliver more services that our professionals were trained and hired to do. e current response center set-up is the result of those efforts,” Cowart said. Project results included recommendations for three response centers to be located in south, central and north Georgia. Dispatchers would receive forwarded phone and radio calls from local GFC offices, manage the dispatching of fire resources throughout the state, and be available to take customer service phone calls on behalf of each of GFC’s 115 offices when workload required every local employee to be out of the office. “e intent was not to replace or eliminate our field personnel’s interaction with local landowners,” said Frank Sorrells, 21
GFC’s Central Response Center radio tower in Macon stands 400 feet tall.
Chief of Forest Protection for the Georgia Forestry Commission. "Instead, it gives our people more time to be helping and advising landowners. We can be out there prescribed burning or suppressing wildfires. It makes good sense," he said. More Involvement - Faster Service
Two response centers, one in Tion and one in Macon, began operations in 2012. (Prior to this, the Macon facility provided dispatch phone and radio services only, when county units and district offices were closed aer normal business hours.) 22
e third center, proposed for north Georgia, was put on hold until capabilities of the first two centers were evaluated. Visit the Tion or Macon centers on a ‘good burning day,’ and busy operators will be juggling non-stop jangling telephones and radio microphones. Since 2012, an average 5,765 dispatches have been performed by GFC personnel for wildfires, smoke investigations, illegal burning and timber the complaints. On average, more than 25,000 phone calls are received at the response centers annually. Most calls con-
cern permits for acreage burns, but many callers are looking for permission to burn hand-piled vegetation. For that, dispatchers provide GFC's 1-877-OK-2-BURN number and the online permit service at GaTrees.org. Dry, windy weather can get things hopping quickly. “You definitely have to be able to multi-task,” said Jordan, as the crackle of radios, assorted voices, rings and beeps sounded all around her. “I just love it here! It’s fun and it keeps me on the edge of my seat.” “It is hectic a lot of times, but I like the busy-ness of it and the people are great,” added Emily Hamilton, Supervisor of the Central Response Center in Macon and an 18 year employee of the GFC. “Yesterday we had 87 fires and issued 322 permits. Tomorrow there’s a 100-percent chance of rain, so we'll have a light staff and it'll be a lot quieter.” Rain or shine, response center staff relies wholly on set procedure to accomplish their jobs. A 40-page Standard Operating Procedure manual dictates each task that is performed by dispatchers. Quick reference guides are easily accessible, as are other team members, with whom each can instant-message online. Not surprisingly, response center computers are at the heart of everything. ey provide the detailed weather forecasts around which all fire related activities revolve. Dispatchers monitor radar at all times and are able to pinpoint conditions down to the smallest road and field. Specific briefing protocol is followed during shi change so that no in-progress events fall through the cracks, and a number of forms are required to be completed for a variety of purposes. Communications are prioritized as emergency calls (wildfire or smoke complaints), permit calls (machine-piled or acreage; permit questions) and non-emergency/non-permit calls. Procedures vary based on the situation at hand. Phone calls and radio communications are recorded so that the information can be verified or reviewed if needed. A master May | June 2015
Dispatcher Ashley Jordan communicates with landowners and GFC professionals at her Central Response Center station.
log is kept and regularly updated so that everyone in the center understands conditions and staffing. As Katie Wurstner staffs the Air Operations desk, monitoring eight planes alo, she takes notes on everything she hears. e “Spider Tracks” computer program logs each plane’s path, leaving a trail on her monitor that looks like an arachnid’s fancy Web design. And when a pilot spots a fire below, a separate wildfire spreadsheet is established. “en I go in and add the information from my notes,” Wurstner said, “so everyone can be aware of what I've learned from the pilots.” For an extra measure of safety, an operations check is automatically made to each pilot every 30 minutes. A Foundation of Training
e Georgia Forestry Commission requires dispatchers to undergo different types of class training before beginning Georgia Forestry Today
on-the-job training. Because of the specialized nature of the job and the stress under which it is sometimes performed, new employees must learn about fire behavior and the influence of weather, equipment used in wildfire fighting, safety, and radio communications. Importantly, employees are required also to take a number of customer service classes. “A lot of callers don’t understand what’s required for safe burning," said Saralyn Fletcher, Lead Dispatcher at the GFC’s Southern Response Center. “They may have been burning all their lives, but don’t understand about EPD regulations and how things have changed. We really try to help every caller. Customer service is at the top of our list,” Fletcher said. Dispatchers’ customers also include other GFC personnel, many of whom are out in the field. At times, their only functioning communication tool may be their
radio, calling back to the response center. Cross training, which allows employees to sit in and see how their colleagues do their jobs, is a valuable tool that Fletcher endorses. “Last October we were all involved in ‘Operation Safe Pumpkin,’ a big training exercise out of Waycross. We loved it! We got a taste of what a really big wildfire operation was like and what we need to know to stay safe,” she said. Fletcher added that the response center can “go from being dead to all of a sudden having all of south Georgia on fire,” and that being ready for action at any moment is a critical part of the job. “You definitely have to have the right mindset or it could be overwhelming,” Fletcher said. “We have a great sense of responsibility. ere are lives at stake. We always have to be at the top of our game.”e 23
The OUTDOORSMAN Georgia’s Best Fishing
By John Trussell
around the State 24
May | June 2015
ow’s the best time to wet a hook, and Georgia is blessed with some pretty good fishing. Our state still holds the world record for largemouth bass, thanks to George Perry’s 22-pound, 4-ounce whopper caught near Lumber City in 1932. That big bass was caught in an oxbow section of the Ocmulgee River called Montgomery lake. Your chances of breaking the world record bass record might be slim, but you can still have a lot of fishing fun. Starting with north Georgia, let’s explore some of the best fishing opportunities around the state. Although Georgia is generally not considered a top trout fishing state, trout anglers who wade along Georgia’s approximately 4,000 miles of trout streams might say that the trout fishing can be very good here. To meet the demands of over 100,000 trout anglers, stocking and special regulations are used on some streams to maintain acceptable catch rates. The Wildlife Resources Division and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service stock streams with rainbow, brown, and brook trout from late March through August. Many serious trout anglers try to ‘match the hatch’ with artificial flies to entice a bite. If your angler is a child, a red wiggler or a small piece nibblet corn will work just fine. Check the DNR regulations for full information, but if you need a trout fishing guide, contact Bob Bogwart at reelanglingadveres.com or 866-899-5259 in Suches. Bob offers a comprehensive list of both destinations and fishing instruction and is highly recommended. If visiting in Helen, Georgia, stop by and see John Cross and the fine staff at Unicoi outfitters at 706-878-3083. For some big lake fishing in North Georgia, try Lake Nottely. Spotted bass are abundant in Lake Nottely and outnumber largemouth bass by a ratio of three-to-one. Spotted bass ranging from eight to 12 inches and weighing around half a pound are plentiful, though anglers will still encounter a few larger fish. Anglers are encouraged to harvest small spotted bass in hopes of reducing their population numbers and promoting better growth rates. During the spring, spotted bass will take a variety of artificial lures that imitate a blueback herring or other natural food source. In the summer months, spots will feed on the surface at dusk and dawn then retreat to deeper water during the bright daylight hours. For the fall months, spotted bass become aggressive feeders as they attempt to build their fat reserves to help them survive the winter. Anglers will need to use a variety of baits and attempt to cover a lot of water in order to determine what depth, bait, and presentation the
N
Bob Borgwart, owner of Reel Angling Adventures of Suches, Georgia, displays a nice rainbow trout that can be caught in Georgia’s 4,00 miles of trout streams. Georgia Forestry Today
Author John Trussell, left, caught this good stringer of crappie on West Point lake from submerged bush piles on minnows. fish are looking for on a particular day. Lake Nottely is stocked with striped bass annually, and the survival of these stocked fish each year drives the population numbers. Survival has been relatively good in recent years and the good news is that when anglers find striped bass on Nottely, there is a good chance they will be quality-sized. Sampling by WRD finds stripers measuring more than 30 inches (~20 pound striped bass roam throughout the entire lake and can be found anywhere between the surface and the bottom depending on the time of year). There are some seasonal patterns that emerge to help striper anglers narrow their search. In general, the deep, open water on the lower lake provides the best striper habitat for most of the year, especially in vicinity of the dam. Striped bass can be caught on artificial lures in shallow water, but knowing where to look is the key. First, scan the open water for surface feeding fish. Second, look for feeding activity on the points and flats from the mouth of Ivy Log and Youngcane Creeks all the way to the back and into the creek. You may be surprised to find huge stripers in just a few feet of water. Also look for stripers in other places such as Chastain Branch and in the Nottely River. If the wind is blowing, concentrate your efforts on windblown points 25
in these same coves and along the main river channel in the upper half of the lake between the Deavertown boat ramp and Canal Lake boat ramp. For great guide service, call Darren Hughes or Josh Garrison at 706-7454802, or fishgarrison.com In central Georgia, Lake Oconee is considered the top lake for many species of fish, says fishing Guide Chad Smith. A new 14-inch minimum length regulation is currently in effect on largemouth bass. The new regulation went into effect in September 2014 and replaces the old 11 to 14-inch slot limit regulation. Oconee is a very productive reservoir and its popularity with both recreational and tournament anglers is a good indication of the quality bass fishery it supports. Anglers can once again expect to see good numbers of fish in the two-tothree pound range - with some in the four-to-five pound range as well. Though channel catfish are still plentiful, catfish populations are shifting towards the introduced blue catfish whose numbers and sizes continue to expand. Fish in the 15-to-25 pound range are very common; however, fish in the 35-to-45 pound range are available. Recently, at least four blue catfish were caught that were over 40 pounds. Flathead catfish populations continue to be stable and 10-to-15 pound fish are common. Live shad or bluegill and cut bait are best bets for blue and flathead catfish. Summer months may be the best time to cast a line. Channel cats like raw shrimp, cut bait or chicken livers fished on the bottom. Fishing guide Chad Smith, http://www.chadsmithguideservice.com or 706-2072411, specializes in big catfish, but also guides for Crappie, stripers, and hybrids. West Point Lake is a 25,900-acre reservoir operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Chattahoochee River at the Georgia-Alabama 26
border. Excellent facilities, close proximity to Atlanta, and an excellent largemouth bass population makes West Point Lake a great choice for anglers of all skill levels. West Point crappie are abundant, and sizes indicate a healthy and stable population. Crappie nine inches and larger are common, but the average weight hovers just under 1/2 pound. Catching fish that are in the twopound class are not unusual. The best action is found by dipping a minnow into submerged bush piles or trolling jigs in traditional hot spots. Fishing guide Joey Mines has built many fishattracting bush piles around the lake that really hold crappie year round; so
for his clients, crappie fishing can more than just a springtime pursuit. Determining the depths at which crappie are located will greatly improve chances of boating more fish. Target the upper portions of Beech, Whitewater, Wehadkee, and Stroud creeks. Also try night fishing these areas around bridges. Fishing and tournament information, guides, boat rental, camping, and cabins can be found at Highland Marina Resort; www.highlandmarina.com; (706-8823437). Rocky Point and McGee Bridge fishing piers have PVC fish attractors for bank anglers. To line up an excellent crappie or striper fishing trip, contact Joey mines at joeymines.com or
May | June 2015
call 706-402-3607. Down in southwest Georgia, Lake Walter F. George is a perennial hotspot for bass, crappie, stripers, and catfish, says expert fishing guide Billy Darby. Expect average catches of largemouth to be around 13-16 inches and twothree pounds. Although numbers of eight-plus pound bass have declined in recent years, 2015 should produce excellent numbers of three-to-four pound fish. There is a 14-inch minimum length limit on the reservoir, but there are good numbers of legal-sized fish for tournament anglers as well. March through May is usually the best time for largemouth fishing, but anglers also experience good success January through mid-October. Contact Billy Darby at 229-768-2369 or e-mail at imfishing4u@windstream.net. Remember, the best time to fish is anytime you can! e
Joey Mines, le, West Point Lake fishing guide and TV show host, displays a nice crappie that he helped Billie Trussell get into the boat.
Paul Cumbess holds a nice spotted bass om Lake Javors Lucas. is lake, managed by Gary McCoy, may be the hidden jewel in central Georgia. Georgia Forestry Today
27
NEWS Forest industry remains solid contributor to Georgia economy Georgia’s forestry industry continued to deliver strong results for the state’s economy in 2013. According to a new Georgia Forestry Commission report provided by the Georgia Institute of Technology, total economic activity generated by the state’s forest industry increased 3.6 percent to $16.9 billion between 2012 and 2013. The measurement is determined by calculating output, employment and compensation produced directly by Georgia’s forestry industry. The total impact of the forest industry, including dollars brought into the state and recirculated through all major industry sectors, was $28.9 billion, approximately the same as 2012. “It’s a strong showing for an industry on which so many Georgians rely,” said Robert Farris, Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission. “For the third consecutive year we’re seeing steady job
growth within the industry and compensation over the past year has increased somewhat over 2012. We’re heading in the right direction.” Additional highlights of the Economic Benefits of the Forestry Industry in Georgia, 2013 report include: • Net state revenues generated by the forest industry equaled $365 million, an increase of 51 percent from 2012 and more than double the revenue since 2011. •
The industry supported 50,110 jobs in 2013, up 1.2 percent from 2012.
•
Including wages and salaries, forest industry workers earned $3.1 billion, an increase of 0.7 percent from 2012.
“Georgia’s national standing as a forestry leader benefits us all,” said Farris. “While
supporting the world’s supply of wood, pulp and paper products, Georgia’s 24 million acres of sustainable forestland provides millions of dollars in revenue for the state. It also furnishes an estimated $37 billion in economic services in the form of clean air, clean water, and priceless havens for wildlife and recreation.” Georgia’s 179 primary wood using industries convert logs into products such as lumber, poles and posts, wood pulp and energy products such as wood pellets. Approximately 1,100 secondary manufacturers convert wood products into furniture, manufactured homes and buildings, paper products and more. To read the 2013 report and learn more about the services of the Georgia Forestry Commission, visit GaTrees.org From: Georgia Forestry Commission v
Dr. Dale Greene named new dean of the Warnell School W. Dale Greene, a long-serving faculty member and administrator in the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, has been named its dean, effective June 1. Greene, a professor of forest operations who joined the Warnell School in 1986, previously served as its associate dean for academic affairs and has been interim dean since January. “I have known Dr. Greene throughout his nearly 30-year career at the University of Georgia,” said President Jere W. 28
Morehead. “Given his strong credentials as one of the institution’s top faculty members, I am confident that he has the background and understanding to lead the Warnell School into the future.” “Dr. Greene’s dedication to the students, faculty and alumni of the Warnell School is undeniable,” said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “His record of excellence in teaching, research and service speaks for itself, and his long-standing collaborations with partners in the
private sector, government and other organizations make him ideally suited to lead one of the nation’s most celebrated schools of forestry and natural resources.” “I am delighted and humbled to have the opportunity to serve the Warnell School as dean,” Greene said. “We have a great history and even greater possibilities in the future with the strong faculty, students, staff, and alumni in our programs.” v May | June 2015
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Georgia Forestry Today
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 We Buy Wood! Owner Foresters webuywood@accessatc.net Available www.BeachTimber.com
FOREST RESOURCE SERVICES INC. Specializing in Land and
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
Timber Management & Sales
BOBBY D. BROWN Registered Forester GA Number: 2164 Licensed Realtor GA Number: 165520 20364 GA Hwy #3 Thomasville, GA 31792
(229) 221-3016 brown@ftrealty.com
Helping Grow Your Future LAMAR CANTRELL
CANTRELL FOREST PRODUCTS INC.
We buy all types of timber. In Woods Chipping cantrellforest@earthlink.net 1433 Galilee Church Road Jefferson, GA 30549 Office: (706) 367-4813 Mobile: (706) 498-6243 Home: (706) 367-1521
30
www.hippenterprises.com Todd Hipp
(803) 924-0978
todd@hippenterprises.com
Eric Hipp
(803) 924-4131
eric@hippenterprises.com-
Chad Hipp
(803) 924-5940
chad@hippenterprises.com May | June 2015
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Georgia Forestry Today
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Georgia Forestry Today