GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY Volume 10, Issue 5 September | October 2014
EXPLORING CONSERVATION EASEMENT MISCONCEPTIONS
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September | October 2014
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 PRODUCTION MANAGER Pamela Petersen-Frey p.frey@a4inc.com
Steve Raper has worked with conservation easements for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for several years. During this time, he’s encountered several misconceptions that seem to commonly occur. See our article on page 8 to read more about them. See story on page 8
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EDITORIAL BOARD Wendy Burnett Alva Hopkins Jesse Johnson Stasia Kelly Sandi Martin Roland Petersen-Frey Brian Stone Steve McWilliams
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
September | October 2014
Volume 10, Issue 5
September | October 2014
Georgia
FORESTRY TODAY P.08 P.13
Exploring Conservation Easement Misconceptions
P.22
Message from the Georgia Forestry Commission Director
The Outdoorsman Be a Better Shotgun Shooter
P.27
GFT News
P.14
GFC News
P.15
It’s a (SOUTH) Wrap! New Online Tool Helps Reduce Wildfire Risk
P.19
ABAC Natural Resource Graduates Knocking on Door of Opportunity
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Warnell Forms Partnership with Orianne Society for Research, Conservation
Forestry Calendar September 16-18 2013 SFI Annual Conference | Le Centre Sheraton Montreal | Montreal, Quebec, Canada www.sfiprogram.org 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.’
September 16 Society of American Foresters CEO Meet & Greet Georgia Forestry Commission Auditorium Macon, Georgia
September 26 Plum Creek 6th Annual UGA Benefit Golf Tournament | e Georgia Club Statham, Georgia
OCTOBER 20 2014 Georgia Division SAF-ACF Annual Meeting Tion UGA Conference Center Tion, Georgia | Info: www.gatrees.org
OCTOBER 28-29 2014 Southeastern Regional Forest Owner and Manager Conference Rainwater Conference Center Valdosta, Georgia Info: www.forestlandowners.com
NOVEMBER 4 Georgia General Elections
Georgia Forestry Today
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September | October 2014
List of advertisers Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.................................6
James-Bates-Brannan-Groover-LLP ........................................7
American Forest Management ...............................................30
International Forest Company..................................................4
Beach Timber Company Inc...................................................30
LandMark Spatial Solutions......................................................3
Blanton’s ......................................................................................18
Lanigan & Associates ...............................................................21
Bodenhamer Farms & Nursery...............................................19
Meeks’ Farms & Nursery ...........................Inside Front Cover
Canal Wood LLC......................................................................30
Morbark ......................................................................................30
Cantrell Forest Products Inc. ..................................................30
Outdoor Underwriters.............................................................19
Davis - Garvin ............................................................................24
Plum Creek ...................................................................................5
Farm Credit Associations...........................................................3
Rivers Edge Forest Products....................................................30
Flint Equipment Company.....................................................29
SuperTree Seedlings.....................................................................6
Forest Resource Services Inc. ..................................................30
UPC | Georgia 811 ..................................................Back Cover
F&W Forestry Service..............................................................12
Weyerhaeuser .............................................................................10
HEI...............................................................................................30
Yancey Brothers ............................................Inside Back Cover
Georgia Forestry Today
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Exploring Conservation Easement Misconceptions 8
September | October 2014
By Steve Raper
have been working with conservation easements for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for several years. I’ve negotiated, drafted, and helped close easements, reviewed easements for others, and advised landowners on deals with other partners. During this time, I’ve also heard and tried to overcome several misconceptions that seem to commonly occur concerning conservation easements. First, some basics to remember about conservation easements, or CE’s. They are the end result of a negotiation between a landowner and an easement holder. An easement holder can be a land trust, government agency, or non-governmental agency. A landowner and the easement holder each have aspects of the easement that are negotiable and non-negotiable; but, like most real estate transactions, there is a lot of give and take in the middle ground. However, it’s important that the landowner and easement holder share basically the same values and fundamental beliefs. That’s why matching a landowner with the right easement holder is one of the most important aspects of the process. There is a wide range of groups that hold easements (for more, http://galandcc.com/land-trust-partners and http://glcp.georgia.gov/qualified-organizations.) Some groups focus on a certain habitat type (e.g., the Southeastern Cave Conservancy) or a geographic area (e.g., St. Simons Land Trust). Others, such as Georgia Land Trust, take a broader approach. Some groups are more centered
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on natural habitat (The Nature Conservancy is an example), and some more on ‘working forests,’ such as the Georgia Forestry Commission). The take-home: If you’re interested in
pursuing a conservation easement, talk to several groups and find one that fits. And take note that there are misconceptions. Here are some common ones. 1) A conservation easement requires that you allow the public to access your land. This can be true, but usually it isn’t. The public can access your property if you and the easement holder agree to that. (Remember, the easement process is a negotiation.) However, in probably 99 percent of all CEs, the public is not allowed access.
An example of when it’s true is when the DNR holds a conservation easement on property adjacent to a wildlife management area, and the landowner allows the property to be used as part of the WMA. But that is very unusual. Most landowners and easement holders aren’t interested in public access. 2) A conservation easement allows you to ‘keep doing what you’ve been doing’ on your property. I’ve seen this statement in an article on CEs. However, how true the statement is depends on what you’ve been doing with your property. Take, for example, a landowner who has been converting natural pine stands to plantations and using herbicide to kill a wiregrass understory. Since the disappearing wiregrass habi-
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This thinned and burned pine stand is a working forest portion of the Red Hills conservation easement. Georgia Forestry Today
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tat type is a conservation value that most land trusts recognize as extremely important, they’re probably not going to allow eliminating it as part of an easement they would hold. However, if you’ve been farming with good conservation practices on 300 of your 500 acres, cutting and managing timber using best management practices on 100 acres of pine plantation, and you want to conserve 100 acres of old bottomland hardwoods, plenty of easement groups would agree to allow you to ‘keep doing what you’ve been doing.’ 3) I can’t place a conservation easement on my entire property because all of it isn’t ‘special.’ I worked with a landowner who had about 200 acres of bottomland hardwoods that were of a species composition and slope position that made them fairly unique. The remainder of his property was in pine plantations and pasture (all of it well managed). His goal was that, after his death, the property would remain basically what it is now: a well-run farm that also contained unique bottomland which is primarily left as-is for ecological purposes. He wanted the 200 acres of bottomland protected by a conservation easement, but had trouble understanding that the well managed pas-
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tures and commercial timberland could also be protected with a CE. An easement could allow the farm to sustainably produce useful products; allow the bottomlands to remain undisturbed; and protect the entire place from being converted to house lots or other development. 4) A conservation easement on my property means I can’t cut timber. There is a range of options concerning timber harvesting allowed in a typical conservation easement, depending on the stand type and the goals of the landowner and the easement holder. At a minimum, harvesting should adhere to state best management practices. Sometimes, only salvage harvesting of timber is allowed after a natural incident such as a tornado or ice storm. However, if the stand is a pine plantation, harvesting is often allowed as before. An exception to this would be if a plantation can be restored to more natural conditions, and the landowner and holder agree that restoration is a goal. If the stand is ecologically unique or rare, there probably will be more restrictions placed on harvesting, or harvesting may not be allowed. Again, it’s a negotiation—it depends on the landowner’s values and goals, and on the easement holder’s values and goals.
5) A conservation easement will lower your annual ad valorem taxes. A conservation easement places restrictions (maybe minor, maybe major, probably both) on your property. Examples of restrictions could be: • Subdividing the property. • Cutting timber in some areas. • Developing the property. • Building more than, say, one house on the tract. These restrictions, by their very nature, lower the market value of property. If the market value is lower, it follows that property taxes (i.e., ad val-
September | October 2014
The terms of most conservation easements allow food plots, but not planting invasive, non-native vegetation. Sometimes the size and number of food plots is regulated. Georgia Forestry Today
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orem taxes) will be lower. The reality, however, is that sometimes this happens and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s a matter that should be discussed with your local tax assessor. But don’t count on lower taxes as you weigh whether to enter into a conservation easement. 6) If I donate a conservation easement, then I should have no out of pocket expenses. It seems intuitive that a donation should be ‘free’ to the donor. Yet, that’s not how it typically works for a CE donation. The landowner usually reaps a financial reward through federal and
state income tax incentives (a deduction for federal taxes and a credit for Georgia taxes). However, the landowner will face several, significant up-front costs—costs that will hopefully be recovered when the income tax benefits are reaped. Examples of these costs include a survey, appraisal (typically a complex, expensive one compared to one you had done when you re-financed your house), attorney and accountant fees, the state tax credit application fee, a land trust endowment, and a baseline documentation report. The total cost will vary widely depending upon the deal; however, you’re looking at thousands of dollars to complete the
transaction. You must do the math to see if you can expect the income tax benefits to more than offset these up-front costs in a reasonably timely manner. That math exercise is way beyond the scope of this article. Conservation easements are an effective and widely-used tool to protect rural, productive, and ecologically significant land. However, there are many nuances. If I can explain these misconceptions in more detail, or if you just want to discuss the conservation easement concept in general, please feel free to contact me. v
Steve Raper provides private landowner assistance for the Nongame Conservation Section of DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division. He can be reached at (404) 242-4295 or steve.raper@dnr.state.ga.us
A mountain stream on a Murray County tract protected by DNR-held conservation easement. 12
September | October 2014
Georgia Forestry Commission
Robert Farris
Message from the Director
Dear GFT Reader,
G
eorgians who live in cities, as well as those who call the country home, heard a lot about wildfires over the summer. Smokey Bear celebrated his 70th birthday, the Disney movie, ‘Planes: Fire & Rescue’ made a big splash, and real-life wildfires out west led newscasts nationwide. Despite some rainfall, scattered fires in Georgia also managed to damage more than a few acres of land. Beginning in July, the number of wildfires and the acres burned increased above what we had been experiencing in the previous months of 2014. We attribute this increase primarily to summertime lightning storms and an increase in the drying conditions in the southern part of the state. The growing buzz about wildfire is a good opportunity for all of us in the forestry industry to learn more about our vulnerability to the threat of wildfire and tangible ways we can protect our forestland, our property, and ourselves. Did you know that wildfire records have been set four out of the last eight years in Georgia? Since 2007, we’ve experienced two of our worst fire years (FY2007 and FY2011), and two with the least amount of
Georgia Forestry Today
fires and damage (FY2010 and FY2014). The five year average of acres lost to wildfire in Georgia is 46,407. While humans are known to be the root cause of most fires, variations in weather patterns are playing a role in prevention and suppression efforts. That has mandated increasing levels of expertise for Georgia Forestry Commission Protection professionals, firefighters, and government leaders across the state. Fortunately, new tools and increasing awareness are supporting that effort. In this issue of Georgia Forestry Today, you’ll read about ‘SouthWRAP’ (the Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal), an online service created by the Southern Group of State Foresters and patterned after a similar program in Texas. SouthWRAP utilizes prepopulated data on topography, fuels, communities, fire weather scenarios, and other critical factors that help pinpoint wildfire risk at specific locations in Georgia and 12 other southern states. Landowners, civic leaders, and firefighters will all benefit from this modern tool that supports wildfire mitigation and prevention efforts. Check it out at www.southernwild firerisk.com and start exploring ways it can help you and your community enhance pro-
tection from wildfire. Georgia Forestry Commission professionals statewide joined Smokey Bear in July for the premier of the movie, ‘Planes: Fire & Rescue.’ It was great to be linked to such an entertaining movie with a positive message, and it gave our team the perfect opportunity to share information about GFC services, wildfire prevention, and to display some of our firefighting equipment and vehicles. Thanks to all who joined us for this fun event, and if you haven’t seen the movie yet, do so. It's for kids of all ages! And while you’re at it, it’s not too late to wish that ‘ageless’ fellow, Smokey Bear, a happy 70th birthday, and continue to share his timeless message. Be careful with the birthday candles and remember that, “Only you can prevent wildfires!”
Sincerely, Robert Farris GFC Commissioner v 13
GFC News Sales are very brisk for the most popular varieties of GFC tree seedlings, so act quickly if you’re planning to order! According to GFC Reforestation Chief Jeff Fields, longleaf pine is almost sold out and persimmon, an excellent soft mast producer for wildlife, will soon run out. Other species with low inventory include crabapple, swamp chestnut oak, and cherry bark oak. Advanced cycle loblolly and slash pine are still in good supply. Discounts are available for 100,000 pines and 10,000 hardwoods. To order, visit www.gaseedlings.org, visit your local GFC office or contact the Flint River Nursery at 229-268-7308. e A new Georgia law strengthening timber sale regulations and increasing protection for forest landowners went into effect July first. House Bill 790 brings change to many parts of the timber sale process, including scale tickets, civil damages for unauthorized timber harvesting, unintended harvest protection for landowners, statute of limitations for damages, and the authority of GFC law enforcement officers to enforce all laws relating to the protection, security, conservation or sale of timber transactions. For more information visit GaTrees.org. e Proposed rules from the Environmental Protection Agency governing waters of the US are available for review. Landowners and the forestry community are encouraged to learn more about these proposed rules and how they may impact your operations. A comprehensive Web site that provides information and instructions on submitting your comments can be found by visiting http://ditchtherule.fb.org/. e Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) regulations are now in place in Georgia to prevent the insect's spread, while allowing limited wood movement from the quarantined counties in metro Atlanta. This forest pest will kill all species of the ash genus. It has been moving southward from Michigan over the past decade and was first detected in Georgia in 2013. For more information on EAB and current regulations, visit http://www.gatrees.org/forestmanagement/forest-health/eab/index.cfm. e 14
September | October 2014
By stasia Kelly On average, Georgia loses 46,000 acres annually to wildfire.
it’s a (soUtH)Wrap! New online tool Helps reduce Wildfire risk Research for most any type of project today begins at the computer. From shopping for tools to finding a specialized service provider or deciding which tree species to order this planting season, online investigation is the first undertaking for much of the population. e worldwide web provides an immense assortment of information and data that helps us make sound decisions. Every day, it gets easier and faster to manipulate the products we choose virtually. In Georgia, a new online tool has been unveiled that enables civic leaders, wildland fire managers, and landowners alike to identify the risk that wildfire poses to their communities. e South Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal, or ‘SouthWRAP,’ is a user-friendly mapping application developed by the Southern Group of Sate Foresters (SGSF) that displays data that figures into fire scenarios, such as fire weather, landscape features, and even home sites. It uses the latest technology and data to identify wildfire risk in Georgia and 12 other southern states, which can be vital to wildfire mitigation decisions. “In 2005, the Southern Group of State Foresters released an assessment of wildfire risk across the entire South,” said Frank SorGeorgia Forestry Today
rells, Protection Chief at the Georgia Forestry Commission. “e ‘Fire in the South’ assessment is a detailed, written report that provides data about different areas’ wildfire vulnerability, maps fuel levels, and classifies risk levels. at’s an awful lot of valuable information that could enhance people’s safety,” Sorrells said. e challenge became communicating the contents of that 30-page document to people who could use it via a number of channels that weren’t necessarily designed for this purpose. e system needed to be readily available and easily understood. e data was first harnessed in 2012 for online delivery by Texas A&M Forest Service through a US Forest Service grant. e Texas Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal (TxWRAP) was launched to help users understand the risk of wildfire throughout the Lone Star State. “We have a large wildfire problem in Texas,” said Tom Spencer, Predictive Services Department Chief for Texas A&M Forest Service, “but local governments weren't included in the fire mitigation plans because they couldn't measure the problem. TxWRAP provided ways to quantify the wildfire situation and got officials working with our folks to identify mitigation ap15
Web site,” said Sorrells. With the launch of www.southern wildfirerisk.com, visitors are able to peruse an astonishing amount of information about their surroundings. e Web site’s ‘Overview’ explains the product’s key priorities: • Identify areas that are most prone to wildfire.
Explore your property or community’s fire risk at www.southernwildfirerisk.com . For information about preparing your home for the risk of wildfire, visit www.firewise.org. GFC's Alexandra McDavid provides prescribed burn services that help reduce the risk of wildfire.
proaches and move forward.” Spencer worked with Web designers, project leader Curt Stripling, and others to design a user-friendly site that delivers grass roots fire mitigation tools, and he’s proud of the results TxWRAP is delivering. “is represents a business model change toward providing information to county and local levels that hasn’t been provided in the past,” Spencer said. “It gives them a new level of understanding and it opens up so many doors.” 16
Building on Texas’ success
Opening doors to new audiences interested in wildfire prevention makes Frank Sorrells happy. “SouthWRAP is very user-friendly,” he said. “Our fire chiefs and GIS folks made tweaks with the vendor to customize the program for Georgia, and this past summer a series of training sessions were held so that GFC could understand how everything works. We wanted to be ready to help our customers utilize the
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Identify areas that may require additional tactical planning, specifically related to mitigation projects and Community Wildfire Protection Planning.
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Provide the information necessary to justify resource, budget, and funding requests.
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Allow agencies to work together to better define priorities and improve emergency response, particularly across jurisdictional boundaries.
‘SouthWRAP’ users are generally classified in one of three categories: ‘Public Viewer,’ ‘Professional Viewer’ or ‘Communities at Risk Editor.’ According to Sorrells, home and landowners should visit ‘Public Viewer’ to quickly determine their risk of wildfire. By clicking that button and then going to ‘Getting Started,’ the user can take a helpful tour of the site that explains its many features. (A detailed User’s Manual is also available.) SouthWRAP visitors are able to search for their property by address or place name, then zoom and pan to pinpoint the area sought. e ‘Reference Layers’ section includes rankings of that location’s Wildland Urban Interface risk index, burn probability, fire intensity scale and community protection zones, among others. Next, a Base Map is chosen; among them—topographic, imagery, and street views. Map Tools further allow users to explore layers in depth. Finally, the ‘What’s Your Risk’ tool allows users to calculate the potential fire capacity for their specific location with a Draw Point tool. Another link supplies recommended acSeptember | October 2014
“Within half an hour, everything was burned.”
SouthWRAP provides an easy, online mechanism for information exchange that can lower Georgia’s risk of wildfire.
tions for reducing one’s risk of wildfire. While registration is not required for access to the ‘Public Viewer’ portal, it is necessary to gain access to the ‘Professional Viewer’ part of the Web site. User accounts are granted by GFC and SGSF managers. is area is designed for government officials, fire managers, and hazard mitigation planners and provides advanced capabilities and additional map themes. According to the Web site, key features of this application include the capability to define a project area, generate a detailed risk summary report, generate quick maps, and export and download GIS data pertaining to wildfire risk. “Bridging the gap between knowing what needs to be done and getting the work done is where SouthWRAP will provide tremendous value,” said Eric Mosley, Georgia Forestry Commission Wildfire Mitigation Specialist. “e information pinpoints where high risk situations exist, so I can work with GFC chief rangers to determine where mitigation work needs to take place. I’ll also be able to go meet with county planners and show them where to mow, where to take preemptive action,” Mosley said. Professionals such as Mosley and others with responsibility for wildfire mitigation and suppression have access to special tools under the ‘Professional Viewers’ tab. Georgia Forestry Today
Among them is the capability to manage project areas for which risk summary reports will be generated or data will be exported. While only one project area can be selected and ‘active’ at a time, multiple project areas can be created and saved across sessions. ese are stored on the SouthWRAP server and are accessible from remote locations. Creating projects can be done on a map or from Shapefile, which allows the user to upload existing Shapefiles from their computer. Risk summary reports generated may include statistics, maps, and charts of all key risk assessment input and output datasets, providing comprehensive details in a format that is easily integrated with other documents and programs, including the Microso Word™.docx format and the ESRI ArcGIS 9.3 file geodatabase. Only a few professional fire managers have access to the ‘Communities at Risk Editor’ portal, where SouthWRAP’s populated data is actually manipulated. A select group of personnel within the Georgia Forestry Commission, US Forest Service, and GIS function have authority to go into the system and update areas where mitigation work such as prescribed burning, pruning, and other forest management practices have been completed. By regularly inputting these types of activities, the site will stay current and its calculations accurate.
Lynn Dugger has become somewhat of a public relations agent for fire prevention and the responsibility of individuals to do what's needed to guard against disaster. He knows the value, first hand, of clearing land and keeping flammable brush and debris away from his home. Dugger and his family live on 15 wooded acres in Jones County, and a few years back, while they were out to dinner, their house burned to the ground. “We don’t know what caused it; maybe a chimney fire or an electric fire, but it could just as easily have been a forest fire,” said Dugger. “We went out to dinner and within half an hour, everything was burned. We built back, and we did make some changes.” Some of those changes included a home redesign to a single story structure, which could make evacuation with children easier in case of fire. Several trees were removed and the yard space was expanded, leaving more distance between the house and the woods. Dugger also worked with GFC’s Eric Mosley to conduct some needed prescribed burning on the Duggers’ forested land and Mosley provided fire prevention information that has been shared throughout the neighborhood. “ese are mostly tracts of ten-plus acres,” said Dugger. “I’ve been talking to my neighbors and explaining how easy it is to plan a prescribed burn and run the masticator out here. I'm thrilled at the results I got by working with Eric on these projects,” Dugger said. Dugger has also been venturing into the virtual fire suppression resource of SouthWRAP and said he likes what he sees. “It’s pretty neat. I really want to find out more,” Dugger said. “Our experience showed us how quickly a fire can spread, so I want to learn the program and understand how I can benefit as a landowner and keep my family safe.” e 17
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September | October 2014
aBaC Natural resource Graduates Knocking on door of opportunity TIFTON—No one has ever found a money tree but there continues to be a lot of money in trees. And freshly minted bachelor’s degree graduates in natural resource management at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College are out to make their mark in the forest industry. “Tens of thousands of timber products come from Georgia,” Dr. William Moore, Department Head of Forest Resources at ABAC, said. “Since timber is a renewable resource, it gives sustainability to both the product and the economy which provides growth for the state.” Since initiating the Natural Resource degree with majors in forestry and wildlife in 2011, ABAC has turned out graduates who find jobs in the largest timber-producing state in the Southeast. A total of 212 students are now enrolled in the program. Nearly 600 students are enrolled in agriculture related bachelor’s degrees, which is the biggest factor in the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources setting an all-time enrollment record with almost 1,100 students this fall. A Georgia Forestry Commission report revealed that total economic activity
Georgia Forestry Today
generated by Georgia’s forest industry as measured by output, employment and compensation topped $28.9 billion in 2012, according to an article in the “Coosa Valley News.” The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service said Georgia forests make up some 24.8 million acres. Forests now cover 67 per cent of the land area statewide, a good reason why there are 1,400 forest products manufacturers in Georgia. The increasing number of students interested in Natural Resource Management has helped to fuel an enrollment increase at ABAC, bucking a statewide trend. During the 2014 fall term, ABAC
enrolled nearly 3,400 students from 151 of Georgia’s 155 counties, 19 states, and 24 countries. Almost 1,300 of those students lived on campus in apartment-style housing. In addition to the degree in natural resource management, ABAC offers bachelor’s degrees in diversified agriculture, turfgrass and golf course management, biology, business and economic development. Under the broad umbrella of rural studies, ABAC students can also earn bachelor’s degrees in social and community development, politics and modern cultures, and writing and communication. Speaking of money not growing on trees, ABAC offers a quality education at a fraction of the cost. The College was recently recognized as Georgia’s only Best Value School. The Best Value School designation is determined by a rigorous qualification process, which generally takes three to four months. Cost of attendance and hands-on education are just two reasons ABAC is College Done Right. Visit us in Tifton, Georgia to learn the many other reasons. v
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Warnell forms Partnership with orianne society for research, Conservation An international nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of imperiled reptiles and amphibians has partnered with the University of Georgia to collaborate on conservation efforts for these species and their habitats. e Orianne Society, a worldwide conservation organization, is now working with researchers from UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources on several projects that focus on the conservation of reptiles and amphibians and their habitats. Mike Clutter, dean of the Warnell School, said that by combining resources, UGA and the Orianne Society are able to collaborate more effectively on a global conservation initiative. “We both have a serious and sincere interest in the conservation of these species,” he said. e Orianne Society has a long history of working with a diverse number of interdisciplinary partners to develop and implement efforts to restore jeopardized herpetological species. e new collaboration with the Warnell School will allow the Orianne Society to build a stronger affiliation with researchers across UGA, Clutter said. Oen overlooked in conservation policies, reptiles and amphibians are vital to biodiversity on Earth as they help maintain the sensitive ecological balance within their ecosystems. ey also play an important role in pest control, and the venom of some of these species may be used to treat diseases such as cancer and diabetes. However, many reptile and amphibian populations are declining due to habitat loss and degradation, disease, and deliberate persecution. “Conservation of reptiles and amphibians is important, just as important as the conservation of other species, but reptiles and amphibians are the ones that few people care about,” said Chris Jenkins, CEO of the Orianne Society. “Our partGeorgia Forestry Today
Dean Mike Clutter holds a gopher tortoise, one of the animals the Orianne Society and Warnell will be studying. Photo by Sandi Martin
nership with UGA provides a strong force to promote and implement science-based conservation for these species.” Researchers from Warnell and the Orianne Society have collaborated on several projects, and a UGA undergraduate student is currently conducting one of the first ecological studies of canebrake rattlesnakes in the Piedmont region, a species declining rapidly throughout its range. Members of the Orianne Society recently traveled to UGA’s Costa Rica campus to discuss potential international program partnerships, including the organization’s work with black-headed bushmasters. In addition to the Warnell School, the Orianne Society is working with UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine on projects requiring surgeries, such as transmitter implants, and the organization also submitted the first case of snake fungal disease to UGA’s Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, or SCWDS, unit. “Our partnership with UGA is an important step in advancing the conserva-
tion of imperiled reptiles and amphibians,” Jenkins said. “UGA gives us the amazing opportunity to work with some of the strongest students in the world and the opportunity to help develop some of tomorrow’s conservation leaders.” e Orianne Society has established offices at White Hall Mansion, located in the 840-acre Whitehall Forest managed by the Warnell School for research purposes. The Orianne Society e Orianne Society is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of imperiled reptiles and amphibians around the world. e organization’s efforts began with the restoration and conservation of the eastern indigo snake, the longest native snake species in the U.S. e Orianne Society has expanded its focus to work with a diverse group of partners to help guide conservation efforts for reptiles and amphibians and their habitats. For more information, see www.oriannesociety.org. v 21
The OUTDOORSMAN
Be a better shotgun shooter
By John Trussell
Guide Curt Wiggins says that if his dog Bogart ever learns to drive, they wont need him anymore. 22
September | October 2014
ou think you're ready for a covey bust, but you’re really never fully ready, and the quail always seem to surprise you! The Boykin spaniel, named Bogart, was on solid, lock-down point. The guide, Curt Wiggins, silently motioned for me to ease on in closer to the covey that was hidden in the thick brush. My shotgun was in the ready position, and I was tense, full of anticipation as Curt instructed the dog to “Get them up!” The dog eased into the high grass, and the air exploded with the rapid beating of wings and brown blurs. My body told me to hurry, hurry, they’re getting away! But my mind said, “Ok stay calm, you can do this!” There were about eight quail in the covey, and they split up rapidly, headed in all four directions of the compass. One quail batted his wings quickly as he sped away, but as he settled into a glide at 30 yards, I managed to get a good bead on him and dropped him into the grass. The next quail to catch my eye was moving to my right and gaining altitude through the pine branches. I fired and only made the pine needles sway, a clean miss! Bogart continued to harass the grasses, nosing for more quail, and soon one more tardy quail shot straight up. By now, all the other quail were out of range, and this bird had my full attention. It flew between two large pine trees, and since I was guilty of injecting lead pellets into pine timber in the past, I just kept the barrel steady on the quail and waited until it cleared the trees. Now, almost out of range, I threw a load of number eights after it, and the quail took a hard dive into the grass.
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John Norman, of Quail Ridge Plantation, heads the family operation. Georgia Forestry Today
Bogart, eager to please, ran over to the spot and soon had the quail gently wedged in its mouth. Curt called to the dog, and it slowly, shyly came back to him and dropped the dead quail in his outreached hand. “Good boy” exclaimed Curt. His owner’s admiration confirmed, Borgart was recharged and headed to find more quail. That was the start of another great quail hunting outing at Quailridge Plantation, near Norman Park, Georgia. Quailridge Plantation offers classical bobwhite hunting in open longleaf pine woods in the heart of Georgia’s best quail country. It’s located in the famed quail plantation belt between Thomasville and Albany, Georgia, which encompasses more than 300,000 acres of prime pine forest. On more than 4,500 acres of gently rolling terrain at Quailridge, the open forest floor is covered with mature pine trees, covered under by wire grass and dotted with food strips. Quailridge Plantation has always had a special place in this hunter’s heart since I hunted there about 15 years ago with Charlie Dickey, that great outdoor writer from Tallahassee, Florida, who is now chasing quail in heaven. Dickey wrote many various stories on quail, dove, and other hunting adventures, along with humor articles for many years. He was a gentle soul and a hero of World War II, although I never heard him speak of it. He is very fondly remembered by many outdoorsmen, including this writer. He loved to hunt at Quailridge and visit his great friend, Edwin Norman and his son, John Norman. Since 1969, Quailridge has been entertaining guests from all areas of the nation with the finest plantation quail hunting, best trained dogs, experienced guides, and comfortable lodging with delicious southern home cooked meals. Over ninety percent of the guests are either repeat or referrals, says Quailridge Plantation founder Edwin Norman. His goal is to keep hunters coming back each year to enjoy the superb quail hunting in beautiful native quail cover in a friendly atmosphere, steeped in traditional southern hospitality. Today, Quailridge Plantation continues the fine southern quail hunting tradition and many members of the Norman family help with its operation. John Norman is the CQO (Chief Quail Officer) and he is assisted by his sister, Ellen Norman Adams, along with family members Scott, David, Randy, Henry, and many dedicated quail guides. John earned his B.S. degree, (he calls it a negotiated settlement) from the University of Georgia in zoology and still closely follows UGA football, through thick and thin. He says his dad, Edwin, started in the quail preserve business many years ago when a friend, Victor Beadles, owner of Beadles Timber Company, asked him to take some family members quail hunting. That was the beginning of a great friendship and business relationship, as the Normans still lease some 23
quail hunting lands from Beadles Timber Company. Victor Beadles says that quail hunting and mature timber management is a good marriage of mutual needs because both the quail and timber benefit from intensive management practices. He and John Norman both believe in appropriate forest management, like prescribed burning and forest thinning, to keep the forest healthy and provide the right balance of food, cover, and general habitat for quail. Victor Beadles also has his own quail plantation, called Samara Plantation. He says naturally regenerated long leave pines, when grown to mature sizes and thinned, make great quail habitat. Reggie Thaxton, Georgia DNR’s Chief Quail Biologist, says that over its Georgia range, quail have declined 90 percent since the 1960s, due to largescale farming and timber management practices. This drastic decline is due primarily to the loss of quality early successional habitat (i.e. native grasses, legumes, weeds, briars, bugs, and shrubs). Restoring this habitat type across Georgia’s landscape benefits quail, numerous songbirds, rabbits,
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wild turkey, deer, and many other wildlife species, improves water quality, reduces soil erosion, and can enhance local economies by stimulating quail hunting and wildlife viewing, says Thaxton. But positive changes are taking place now. In recent years, the Georgia DNR and many private land owners have taken many beneficial steps that have seen quail populations rebound across the state. Thaxton says that Bobwhite quail are an open prairie with grass-forb-shrub species. Generally, they need clumped native grasses, mixed with canopied (24"-60" high) weeds and legumes, interspersed with
shrub, briar, and other woody thickets. Together, these habitat components provide nesting cover, brood range, escape cover, loafing sites and food at all seasons. Quail populations are maximized where this grass-forb-shrub habitat is contiguous across thousands of acres. Shaded woodlands, creek drains, wetlands, river bottoms, and fescue, bahia, or Bermuda grass pastures/hay fields do not provide suitable habitat for bobwhites. Additionally, says Thaxton, these woodland and wetland cover types serve as source habitats for predators, which may negatively impact quail populations on surrounding lands. Pri-
September | October 2014
mary predators of quail are raccoons, possums, armadillos, snakes, and bobcats. Coyotes are not thought to be a major threat to quail, but fire ants can destroy six to ten percent of quail nests, says Thaxton. Land owners who have lots of problems with predators can apply for a special Georgia DNR predator permit. However, he says the best option is to provide widespread distribution of food and cover to spread out and reduce predator opportunity. There are several methods to increase quail populations on your land, and if landowners provide suitable habitat, quail numbers will come back over time. Although restocking wild quail is an option, Thaxton says it can only be used on properties over 1,500 acres where the landowner has taken intensive management changes in the land before the stocking can take place. Thus for the average land owner, making specific land changes and working to get the native quail population to rebound is the best option.
This beautiful male Bobwhite thought there was too much action on the ground and took refuge on a tree limb. Georgia Forestry Today
Here, guide Curt Wiggins takes a short break to gather birds and water down the dogs. Thaxton says that prescribed burning is one of the most cost-effective and efficient tools available for managing quail habitat. Prescribed fire: 1) increases insect, legume, and soft mast food abundance; 2) improves ground layer vegetation structure to enhance nesting cover, brood range, and insect and seed foraging conditions; 3) helps control hardwood invasion into the forest midstory; 4) decreases the abundance of invertebrates that parasitize quail; and 5) decreases the chances of wildfire. Prescribed burns should be applied to forest stands that have at least 40 percent of the ground in direct sunlight. Burning is of little wildlife value in shaded woodlands where sunlight cannot reach the forest floor. Prescribed burns should be conducted so that approximately 30 to 50 percent of the land is left unburned to provide food, nesting, and escape cover. Thaxton recommends that land owners place at least 15 percent of forest stands into two to five acre open-
ings. Manage these openings by strip disking during late October through February where one-third is disked each year. Within this range of disking dates, adjust timing of disking based on results. Ideally, disking should produce stands of ragweed, beggarweed, partridge pea, and other ‘quail friendly’ plants. Rotate disking across fields so there is always a succession of growth from bare ground up to three years of vegetative growth. Strip plantings of grain sorghum or Egyptian wheat within fields can provide supplemental winter foods and may be especially important on sites with poor native food production. Rotate strip plantings along with the fall/winter disking so that one-third to two-thirds is fallowed each year. Fields also can be planted to partridge pea; fall/winter disking will encourage it to volunteer back in future years. Managers should observe the results of one year of disking before planting, as an abundance of native seed may be present. 25
There are many great resources for improving the quail management of your land, and the most important, and the first thing to do, says Thaxton, is to confer with a state wildlife biologist to properly assess the needs of your land. Call a professional wildlife biologist within Bobwhite Quail Initiative’s East office at (706-554-3745), Central (478-296-6176), or Southwest (229-420-1212) for more information. The Bobwhite Quail Initiative (BQI) provides technical assistance to private
landowners, on a voluntary basis, to increase quail populations through habitat restoration. The ‘Support Wildlife’ vehicle tag and matching grants finance the BQI program. Habitat management plans are available to anyone regardless of property type or size. There is a wealth of great quail management info at the Georgia DNR website—georgiawildlife.com—type ‘quail’ into the search block. The Tall Timbers Research Center, headed by Dr. William Palmer, is a highly regarded
information resource for the areas of fire ecology, game bird management, vertebrate ecology, and forestry. See their Web site talltimbers.org. Other great resources are the Joseph W Jones Ecological Research Center, near Newton, Georgia—go to jonescenter.org. For a listing of all of Georgia’s outstanding quail plantations, go to ultimatequailhunting.com e
Back in the early 1970s, Edwin Norman(right) hosted a writer from Field and Stream magazine, and writer Charlie Dickey (kneeling). 26
September | October 2014
NEWS Dr. Dale Greene named interim associate dean of academic affairs Dr. Dale Greene has been named the Warnell School’s interim associate dean for academic affairs. Greene has been teaching at Warnell since 1986, and choosing him as interim associate dean was a logical choice for Dean Mike Clutter. Greene has distinguished himself among Warnell’s faculty over the past 28 years for his support of, and research focusing on, the forestry industry. He has been recognized numerous times over the past three decades for his work, including international service awards, three national writing awards, from the Forest Resources Association, several UGA teaching awards and honors by the Georgia Forestry Association for his support of
forestry in the state. “Dr. Greene brings a wealth of experience in natural resources management and teaching in this new role,” Clutter said. “He has been recognized on numerous occasions as an outstanding teacher both within Warnell and by the University of Georgia. His long-standing role as chair of our curriculum committee adds to his familiarity with our programs and their academic missions. I know he is excited about the possibilities that this new role brings.” Greene said he is humbled to be asked to serve in this leadership capacity. “I look forward to working with our students and faculty in keeping our academic
programs successful,” Greene said. As interim associate dean of academic affairs, Greene will oversee promotion and tenure of faculty, Warnell’s undergraduate programs, graduate programs, recruitment and placement efforts, and instructional technology. Greene joins other distinguished colleagues in leading efforts to improve Warnell’s programs. In addition to Dean Clutter, Warnell’s leadership includes Associate Dean of Research Scott Merkle, Associate Dean of Outreach Mike Mengak and Assistant Dean Steven Castleberry. e
EPA’s Waters of the US proposal introduces costly burdens for forest landowners | From Forest Landowners Association In late spring, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) released a proposed rule that identifies the waters that are jurisdictional under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). e proposed rule would redefine the scope of federal power, expanding the list of water features subject to regulation under the CWA. is proposed expansion of Waters of Georgia Forestry Today
the United States (WOTUS) introduces costly new administrative burdens for states and forest landowners. e proposed expansion also creates considerable legal uncertainty over where water quality stands and total daily maximum loads apply. e expanded definition will create considerable uncertainty over where mandatory Best Management Practices (BMPs) for certain forestry activities will apply.
e expansion of WOTUS invites citizen lawsuits which can be costly and disruptive to forestry operations, and can create significant and prolonged economic uncertainty. To learn how we can preserve existing EPA and Corps regulation of WOTUS under the Clean Water Act, attend the 2014 Forest Landowner Policy Summit in Atlanta, Georgia on August 14th. e 27
Proposed listing of the Northern Long-Eared bat could affect 39 states, including Georgia | From Forest Resources Association The Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to list the Northern Long-Eared bat (NLEB) as an endangered species protected under the Endangered Species Act. The key restriction proposed by the Fish and Wildlife Service is to avoid cutting timber from April 1st to September 30th where there is bat habitat. This will have a tremendous impact on private forest landowners across 39 states.
As currently drafted, there could be a number of negative outcomes specific to the forest industry, including: • Restrictions on warm season timber harvesting from April to October •
Limiting activities within five-mile radius of bat hibernacula
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In known or potential summer habitat, restrictions will be in force within 1.5 mile radius of any known roost tree or three miles from any location where NLEB has been captured or acoustically detected.
•
Example from interim guidance as a conservation measure for protecting the bat - “retain and avoid impacting potential roost trees, which includes live or dead trees and snags equal to or greater than three-inches diameter at breast height (dbh) that have exfoliating bark, cracks, crevices or cavities.”
The NLEB’s range is enormous and encompasses much of northwest Georgia.
The current proposed restrictions would put a halt to summer logging across the country and have little impact on helping the species to recover as the sole threat to these bats’ populations is a non-native fungal disease discovered in 2006 called White Nose Syndrome (WNS) which has a near 100 percent mortality rate and for which there is no known cure.
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Any activity that involves removing summer roosting trees could impact the species and result in an unlawful take. However, tree clearing restrictions that may be imposed would likely have a minimal impact on preserving the species or preventing the spread of WNS. USFWS acknowledges, “[e]ven if all habitat-related stressors were eliminated or minimized, the significant effects of WNS on the northern long-eared bat would still be present.” Unfortunately, the ESA is not well structured to address non-human threats such as WNS, so USFWS will likely focus final guidance to preserve the bat on all conceivable human-induced impacts to try to slow bat population decline—even though USFWS recognizes that human activities, including timber harvests, have never had an appreciable negative effect on the species to date. e Map source: US Fish & Wildlife Service
September | October 2014
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES
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GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES
FOREST RESOURCE SERVICES INC.
BEACH TIMBER COMPANY INC. 128 Beach Timber Road Alma, Ga 31510 Office: (912) 632-2800 Gary Strickland Owner We Buy Wood! Foresters bchtimco@accessatc.net Available
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
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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 September | October 2014
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Georgia Forestry Today
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