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At the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, we use many different methods to manage wildlife habitat on the state’s wildlife management areas. Harvesting timber, prescribed fire, seasonal disking, and herbicide application are only a few those techniques.
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GEORGIA FORESTRY
TODAYVolume 10, Issue 3
May | June 2014
PUTTING TREEMULCHERS TO WORKfor wildlife habitat
Georgia Forestry Today 3
4 May | June 2014
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY is published bi-monthly by A4 Inc., 1154 Lower BirminghamRoad, Canton, Georgia 30115. Recipients include participants of the Forest Stewardship Pro-gram and the American Tree Farm System.
Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the publisher, A4 Inc., nordo they accept responsibility for errors of content or omission and, as a matter of policy, neitherdo they endorse products or advertisements appearing herein. Part of this magazine may be re-produced with the written consent of the publisher. Correspondence regarding changes of ad-dress should be directed to A4 Inc. at the address indicated above. Advertising material shouldbe sent to A4 Inc. at the e-mail address: [email protected]. Questions on advertising should bedirected to the advertising director at the e-mail address provided above. Editorial materialshould be sent to A4 Inc. or to Alva Hopkins.
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY1154 Lower Birmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115
On the Cover: GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAYPrinted in the USA
PUBLISHER:A4 Inc.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEFAlva Hopkins
PRODUCTION MANAGERPamela [email protected]
EDITORIAL BOARDWendy BurnettAlva HopkinsJesse JohnsonStasia Kelly
Sandi MartinRoland Petersen-Frey
Brian StoneSteve McWilliams
NR uses many differentmethods to manage wildlifehabitat on the state’s wildlifemanagement areas. Recentlya new tool has gained pop-ularity in improving areasfor wildlife. at tool is thetree mulcher. See story onpage 8
5Georgia Forestry Today
FORESTRY TODAYGeorgia
Volume 10, Issue 3 May | June 2014
P.08 Putting Tree Mulchers to Work for
Wildlife Habitat
P.11 Managing the Transition under
OSHA’s Updated Hazard
Communication Standard
P.13 Message from the Georgia
Forestry Commission Director
P.14 GFC News
P.15 Service on Ice: How GFC
Answered Georgia’s Winter
Weather Call
P.18 Landowner Liability for Dead or
Decaying Trees
P.20 GFA Advocacy Update
P.22 Tips for Hiring a Fishing Guide
P.26 Georgia Forestry Today News
P.28 UGA Professor Wins Highest Award
from Arbor Day Foundation
June 3-62014 National Conference of Private ForestLandowners | Ritz-Carlton | New Orleans,Louisiana | Info and Registration: www.forestlandowners.com
June 5Log A Load for Kids Golf TournamentJekyll Island Golf Club | Jekyll Island, GAInfo and Registration: www.gfagrow.org
June 16-20Georgia Teacher Conservation WorkshopCharlie Elliott Wildlife CenterInfo and Registration: www.gfagrow.org
June 21-24Association of Consulting Foresters National Conference | Savannah, Georgia | Info: www.acf-foresters.org
July 17-192014 National Tree Farmer ConventionPittsburg, Pennsylvania | Info: www.treefarmsystem.org
June 19-202014 GFA Annual Conference & Forestry ExpoWestin Hilton Head Island Resort & SpaInfo: www.gfagrow.org
September 16-182014 SFI Annual ConferenceMontreal, Canada
Forestry Calendar
If you have aforestry event
you’d like to seeon our calendar,please contact
Alva Hopkins atahopkins@a4inc.
com with thesubject line
‘Calendar Event.’
7Georgia Forestry Today
List of advertisers
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College ..........................6
American Forest Management......................................30
Beach Timber Company Inc. .......................................30
Blanton’s ........................................................................7
Bodenhamer Farms & Nursery ....................................25
Canal Wood LLC.........................................................30
Cantrell Forest Products Inc.........................................30
Davis - Garvin .............................................................24
Farm Credit Associations ...............................................3
Flint Equipment Company ..........................................29
Forest Resource Services Inc. ........................................30
F&W Forestry Service..................................................12
HEI .............................................................................30
International Forest Company .......................................4
LandMark Spatial Solutions ...........................................3
Lanigan & Associates ...................................................20
Meeks’ Farms & Nursery ....................Inside Front Cover
Morbark.......................................................................30
Outdoor Underwriters .................................................25
Plum Creek....................................................................5
Rivers Edge Forest Products .........................................30
SuperTree Seedlings .......................................................6
UPC | Georgia 811 ........................................Back Cover
Weyerhaeuser ...............................................................28
Yancey Brothers ...................................Inside Back Cover
8 May | June 2014
Putting TreeMulchers to Work
dNr UsiNg two types ofMUlcher attachMeNtsoN wMas
t the Georgia Depart-
ment of Natural Re-
sources, we use many
different methods to
manage wildlife habitat
on the state’s wildlife
management areas.
Harvesting timber, prescribed fire, sea-
sonal disking, and herbicide applica-
tion are only a few those techniques.
Yet, recently a new tool has gained
popularity in improving areas for
wildlife. That tool is the tree mulcher.
Tree mulcher is a generic name de-
scribing a variety of different attach-
ments for cutting and mulching brush
and small trees. Other names you may
hear are forestry cutter, tree mower,
and brush mower.
The DNR Forest Management
Unit, part of the agency’s Wildlife Re-
sources Division, has two different
types of tree mulcher attachments,
both of which are mounted to a skid
steer. One attachment has a cylindrical
rotary head with cutting and grinding
knives attached to the rotor. The distri-
bution of the knives, in a chevron pat-
tern, directs the debris to the center of
the rotor for grinding. This cylindrical
attachment is used in areas containing
smaller woody stems, such as small
and large bushes, and unwanted
herbaceous plants. The second attach-
ment relies on a cutting disk, much like
you find on a feller buncher. The disk
has been modified by adding grinding
teeth on the top and bottom of the
cutting disk. This disk attachment is
9Georgia Forestry Today
ABy Matt Payne | Department of Natural Resources
Gov. Nathan Deal recently recognized three corporate forest landowners for theirstewardship in land management and practices benefiting Georgia’s wildlife.
Plum Creek, Georgia Power, andCatchMark Timber Trust were hon-ored by Gov. Deal as 2013 partners inForestry for Wildlife Partnership, aprogram administered by the GeorgiaDNR Wildlife Resources Division.
Forestry for Wildlife Partnershipis a voluntary program that promotessustainable forest and wildlife conser-
vation in corporate forestry practices.Partners select and tailor guidelines toimprove management for reforesta-tion, harvesting techniques, recre-ation, sensitive sites, and outreach.
According to DNR Commis-sioner Mark Williams, with more than90 percent of Georgia forestland inprivate ownership, successful wildlife
management requires conservationleadership in the state’s private andcorporate sector.
“Our 2013 Forestry for Wildlifepartners have shown such leadership,improving one million acres forwildlife in our state,” Williams said.Learn more at www.georgiawildlife.com/ FWP.
hed: deal honors companies as forestry for wildlife partners
more effective on tree-sized woody
stems and large woody bushes.
There are numerous situations
conducive to tree mulchers. Removing
exotic and invasive trees and plants,
‘daylighting’ and establishing wildlife
openings along roads, and setting back
succession are just three examples
where the DNR has used tree mulchers
to benefit wildlife.
At Walton Public Dove Field WMA
near Social Circle, the tree mulcher has
been used to remove Chinese privet
(Ligustrum sinense). The privet has
been growing in the understory of
both hardwood and pine stands across
the WMA, and very little sunlight is
reaching the forest floor. That means
few plants beneficial to wildlife are
found in these stands. Staff used the
tree mulcher last fall to remove the un-
wanted privet. As new growth
emerges from the cut stumps and root
suckers this spring, herbicide will be
sprayed to kill the privet.
Walton Public Dove Field WMA al-
lows deer hunting only by archery. The
privet, which is semi-evergreen to
evergreen, was so thick and tall in
many spots that hunters avoided these
areas because of reduced visibility
through the woods. Bow hunters
should now have a better chance of
harvesting a deer on the WMA thanks
to the increase in the number of hunt-
able acres.
The tree mulcher is also being
used to help more daylight reach
WMA roads and establish wildlife
plantings. The encroachment of trees
along roadsides extends the amount of
time required for the road to dry. Wet
roads are usually gated to restrict pub-
lic access due to the monetary cost of
repairing the road if driven on while
wet. Trees along the roadside are
felled, then mulched with the tree
mulcher. The mulch also helps stabilize
the newly exposed soil. Approximately
a year to 18 months after the area has
been mulched and sprayed with herbi-
cide, a harrow can be used in the new
linear opening. To maintain these
openings, DNR staff will rotationally
mow or disc them every two to three
years. Mowing or disking will increase
plant diversity, which should increase
the attractiveness of the area to differ-
ent species of wildlife. Maintaining na-
tive plants in these liner openings will
provide an additional source of food,
nesting area, and cover for many
species of wildlife, including songbirds.
Another common use for tree
mulchers is to set succession back to a
desirable stage. There are areas within
the WMA system that DNR wishes to
maintain in an early successional
stage. Prescribed fire is the most com-
mon tool used. But in some cases, pre-
scribed fire alone does not fully
accomplish the goal because of the un-
derstory of dense thickets of undesir-
able plant species within the stand.
These thickets do not carry fire well, so
the plant species within them are not
killed back by the fire.
The tree mulcher is deployed to
these areas to accomplish what the
fire couldn’t. The unwanted plant
species within the thickets are cut and
mulched. These newly mulched areas
are more capable of carrying a fire;
thus, future use of prescribed fires
should better control the unwanted
plant species. Another positive aspect
is that desirable trees surrounding the
thickets are not negatively impacted
by the mulching. This is very impor-
tance because damage to the over-
story trees could increase the
likelihood of an insect or disease infes-
tation within the stand. Using the tree
mulcher in these type situations has
helped species such as Bachman’s
sparrow and other early successional
species.
Tried and true wildlife manage-
ment techniques will always be the
standard for habitat managers. Yet, the
search to find new, effective ways to
aid in enhancing habitat is an ongoing
endeavor. Using a tree mulcher, at-
tached to a skid steer, is one of those
newer tools, and one that has proven
helpful to many wildlife species on
Georgia WMAs.
Matt Payne is program manager of the
DNR Wildlife Resources Division Forest
Management Unit. v
10 May | June 2014
A tree mulcher clears swaths ofunderbrush at Richmond Hill WMA in
southeastern Georgia. The DNR is usingthe mulcher here to help with a tree
harvest and remove unwantedvegetation. (Credit: Ga. DNR)
11Georgia Forestry Today
orkers in theforestry indus-try often handleor work inproximity tofertilizers, pesti-
cides, vehicle maintenance, and cleaningproducts, all of which may present a po-tential hazard due to human exposure tochemicals. Since the early 1980s, OSHA,the agency charged with enforcement ofworker health and safety laws, has utilized‘Material Safety Data Sheets’ as a principalmeans of satisfying employees’ ‘right toknow’ about the hazards faced in the work-place under the Hazard Communication(‘HazCom’) Standard. Other elements ofthe HazCom standard include require-ments that employers provide basic infor-mation concerning the various hazards,treatment, and mitigation measures, aswell as proper handling and storage ofchemicals in the workplace.
Seeking to incorporate a more under-standable and effective means of conveyinghazard warnings for the benefit of employ-ees, in 2012, OSHA announced substan-tial revisions to the HazCom standard,adopting the United Nation’s GloballyHarmonized System of Classification andLabeling of Chemicals (‘GHS’) within theamended HazCom standard. The newHazCom standard is commonly referredto as ‘OSHA 2012.’ By OSHA’s estimate,over 5 million workplaces and 43 millionemployees in the United States will be im-pacted by the newly revised OSHA 2012standard by the summer of 2016, when itis fully implemented.
features of the New warnings
OSHA 2012 impacts chemical manufac-turers and importers, as well as employerswho use those chemicals in the workplace.In this regard, the revised standard featuresthree major changes. First, the hazard def-
inition is amended to provide specific cri-teria for classification of health and physi-cal hazards, in addition to classification ofchemical mixtures, which is intended toimprove consistency and accuracy acrossmanufacturers and importers. Second,manufacturers and importers must employwarning labels utilizing a unified signalword, pictogram, hazard statement, andprecautionary statement corresponding toeach hazard class and category presentedby the exposure risk at issue. Third, thenew standard dispenses with the old ‘Ma-terial Safety Data Sheet’ (‘MSDS’) rubricin favor of a ‘Safety Data Sheet’ (‘SDS’)format. The revised SDS format features16 sections harmonized with the interna-tional norms adopted by many othercountries under the GHS, with particularemphasis on information of greatest con-cern to workers situated near the begin-ning of the warnings identificationsections.
relevance to the forestry industry
The majority of the new obligations im-posed under the revised HazCom standardfalls on chemical manufacturers and im-
porters, who may be required to substan-tially revise the labels and SDS warningsaccompanying products they produce anddistribute in many instances, to complywith OSHA’s adoption of the GHS. Foremployers in the forestry industry, compli-ance obligations will largely entail identi-fication of the new HazCom-compliantSDS warnings and labels as they are re-ceived from producers and distributors,and appropriate worker training so thatemployees are aware of and understand thepotential hazards to which they may be ex-posed in the workplace.
employer responsibilities
Employers were required to train employ-ees on the new label elements and SDSformat by December 2013, with full com-pliance with the final rule due by June 1,2016. The training requirement is fea-tured early in the transition process, so thatworkers receive the benefit of appreciatingand understanding the new warnings assoon as possible, since new SDSs and la-bels have already begun to ship from someproducers and distributors. By June 1,2016, employers should be fully compliant
Managing the transition under osHa’sUpdated Hazard Communication standard
WBy Christopher J. Bowers | Stephen E. O’Day | Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
with the updated HazCom standard. Thismeans that the employer’s HazCom pro-gram must be updated to account for therevised standard; employees must betrained on any revised or new hazardsidentified on the revised labels and SDSs;and the SDS libraries and secondary labelsmust be updated and organized for ease ofuse and accessibility.
As new SDSs and revised labels comein, there will oftentimes be an overlap be-tween the old MSDSs and the revisedSDSs as well as labels for the same product.Bearing in mind that employers are re-quired to update their HazCom programand ensure that employees are fully trainedon the new label elements and warnings, asuggested approach to handle the overlapduring the transition period is to put inplace a process whereby new SDSs and la-bels are checked against the prior productwarnings, in order to identify and cata-logue any new or revised hazard warnings
that did not previously exist. Once identi-fied, these new hazards can then be in-cluded in the updated HazCom programand employee training. Because compli-ance with the new training requirementswas due last December, revisions to em-ployers’ training programs should alreadybe in place, and should be updated as newSDSs are received and utilized.
If not managed efficiently, the transi-tion to the new HazCom standard canpresent frustrating logistical challenges indealing with the new SDSs and labels, aswell as compliance uncertainties. The fol-lowing is a suggested approach for employ-ers to manage the transition to the newHazCom standard:1. Designate a single point person to
manage and administer the transitionprocess. This will ensure uniformity ofimplementation and administration,as well as accountability.
2. Notify employees to stay on the look-out for new SDSs and labels whenthey come in and alert the lead transi-tion point person as appropriate.
3. Implement a standard procedure forreview of new SDSs and labels againstprior MSDSs and labels for eachproduct, to identify and catalogue anynew hazards or changes.
4. Periodically monitor, document, andexecute employee training.
5. Periodically update your HazComprogram to account for issues identi-fied in the steps above.
6. Update the SDS library for each prod-uct at the workplace.
7. Archive superseded MSDSs and labelsas updated SDSs and labels come in,in accordance with your document re-tention policy and document reten-tion requirements of applicable laws.
Big changes are coming. However, withthe right plan in place ahead of time, em-ployers can help ensure that the transitionto the new OSHA 2012 HazCom stan-dard is a smooth and orderly one. v
12 May | June 2014
wo words that are on ourminds and mouths a lothere at the GeorgiaForestry Commission are‘customer service.’ In thisday and age, those words
get tossed around a good bit, and sadly,there are many instances out in the mar-ketplace where customer service has be-come a meaningless slogan and not a truecommitment. Not here. Despite challenging economic timesduring which we are all required to domore with less, it remains extremely grati-fying to hear from Georgia landownersabout the high level of customer servicebeing delivered by our GFC professionals.Not a week goes by that I don’t receive e-mail and letters thanking me for the pro-fessional service provided by our teammembers as they help with fire breaks, pre-scribed burns, field days, school programs,and forest management decisions, just toname a few. Another great moment happenswhen I pass those compliments along tothe particular staff member named. Ioften hear them return the gratitude rightback to the landowner! Our folks get towork with customers who are genuinelyinterested in the best way to enhance theirforest land. The respect and professional-ism that are delivered by all parties makesfor successful outcomes, and that is whatwe’re all after, right? Even if you’re not in a position to takeadvantage of a GFC service at the mo-ment, there are ways you can give back tothe forestry community that will benefitour industry. Here are a few tangible steps
you can take to support our sustainableforests, which we all count on to provideclean air, clean water, and a multitude ofproducts for future generations.• BMP implementation – The most re-
cent survey of Best ManagementPractices implementation on Georgiaforestland showed modest declines incertain forestry practices. Those in-cluded Streamside ManagementZones, Stream Crossings and ForestRoads. The eyes of every logger,landowner, forester and equipmentoperator are needed to reverse thisoccurrence. The GFC is increasingeducation opportunities to addressthis need. Classes are being sched-uled around the state and onlinetraining is available as well. Take ad-vantage of that and visit GaTrees.orgto find out how.
• Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) – The in-vasive insect discovered in metro At-lanta has necessitated restrictions onthe movement of ash wood in certainareas. While DeKalb and FultonCounties are the only areas currentlyunder quarantine, everyone associatedwith the production of hardwoodtrees and wood should stay abreast ofthe situation. Visit GaTrees.org/ForestHealth to read the regulations govern-ing the movement of ash and to findout more about the EAB.
• Reforestation – The Georgia ForestSustainability Report presented tothe 2014 Georgia legislature con-firms that forest growth currently ex-ceeds removals by 41 percent
annually. With urbanization, divesti-tures, and positive agricultural cropreturns continuing to impact owner-ship decisions, it is important thatlandowners keep a strong commit-ment to reforestation. By continuingto plant more than is harvested,Georgia can retain its position as anational forestry leader. Share yourknowledge about how landownerscan grow some green with trees.
• Education – Georgians of all agesneed to hear our forestry story. Withthe growing demand for qualified ap-plicants for forestry-related positions,it is our responsibility to do what wecan to encourage young people toconsider forestry careers. Are you in-volved with your local schools or Proj-ect Learning Tree? Are you able tomake a presentation to a local serviceclub or civic group? Are you sponsor-ing and promoting theforestry4Rfuture contest and pro-gram? The GFC has promotion ma-terials to help you with that kind ofoutreach.
Those are just a few ideas to get youstarted; I’m sure you can think of manymore! Thanks for your involvement, andplease let us know how our customer serv-ice commitment can help you spread thegood news about Georgia’s vibrant forestryindustry!
Sincerely,Robert FarrisGFC Commissioner v
13Georgia Forestry Today
Georgia Forestry Commission
Message from the DirectorDear GFT Reader,
robert farris
T
14 May | June 2014
The Georgia Forestry Commission is planning increased opportunities for landowners
to learn about Best Management Practices in Georgia. The recently released 2013 BMPImplementation Survey shows modest declines in certain categories, including Streamside Management Zones (SMZs), StreamCrossings and Forest Roads. The survey showed overall BMP implementation (across ten categories) in the state was 89.9percent in 2013, compared to 95 percent in 2011. To learn more about upcoming education opportunities, including onlinetutorials, and a copy of the latest BMP Implementation Survey, visit gatrees.org and ‘Forest Management.’ e
GFC News
New rules that regulate the movement of ash wood from DeKalb and
Fulton Counties have gone into effect. The regulations were implementedfollowing the discovery of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in thosecounties last year. The pest has now been captured in 21 states. Limiting itshuman-caused movement is the only way to slow its spread because no ef-fective suppression treatments for EAB are known. Regulated articles includeash logs, firewood, nursery stock, non-heat treated ash lumber, and any partsof ash trees. Movement of some of these articles is permissible with properdocumentation and receiving authority, while others must stay within the
quarantined zone. The US Department of Agriculture—Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) classifies EABas an ‘actionable pest,’ and is working with the GFC and Georgia Department of Agriculture to arrest its sweep through ruraland urban forests. Visit GaTrees.org/forest-management/forest-health for a detailed explanation of the new regulations. e
Jeff Fields has been named reforestation chief
for the Georgia Forestry Commission. Fieldshas served as the Flint River nursery coordinatorsince joining GFC in 1999. Among other posi-tions, Fields has worked for the USDA ForestService as a forestry technician and in tree im-provement for the NC Division of Forest Re-sources. He has a Bachelor of Science degree fromthe University of Georgia and lives in Cordele.e
Are you prescribed fire-certified? Prescribed fire training delivers valuable informationrelated to weather, wildland fuels, and topography, and how they interact when using variousfiring techniques. To learn more about the predictability of fire behavior and to meet pre-scribed fire certification requirements in Georgia, sign up for a class offered throughout theyear by the GFC. The schedule can be found at GaTrees.org under the ‘Forest Fire’ tab.e
aturday, February 8th wasn’t the beginning of just an ordinary week-end at the Upson County home of Kay and Neal Edmondson. eWeather Channel was hinting that the makings of an ice storm weretargeting Georgia, and Edmondson’s cell phone began to buzz. An-other trip away from home was in the offing.
“Kay’s pretty used to it,” said Neal Edmondson, PrescribedBurn Coordinator for the Georgia Forestry Commission. “In 20years of marriage, with jobs in the National Guard and the GFC—fighting fires and handling emergencies—she’s gotten pretty usedto it.”
Officials at the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) andGeorgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) began organ-izing resources that would be ready to assist people impacted bywhatever weather Mother Nature concocted. Aer all, it had onlybeen a couple of weeks since a different storm whacked the statewith a winter wallop that had the entire nation talking about howthe South deals with frozen precipitation.
“E-mail alerts were coming in, saying the forecasts were being
closely monitored, and that would determine whether we were ac-tivated or not,” said Edmondson. “By Sunday I was headed to At-lanta.” Edmondson served as an Agency Representative at GEMA’sState Operations Center (SOC) and over the next few days wasjoined by GFC colleagues Mark Millirons, Jeff Sibley, James John-son, Kelly Towe, Eric Mosley, and Trey Spivey. Other GFC person-nel served remotely, including Frank Sorrells, Incident Commander,Brian Clavier, Deputy, and Greg Strenkowski, Planning Chief.
How did Georgia Forestry Commission professionals knownfor their prowess in managing forestland and fighting fires get in-volved in the battle with winter weather? According to Edmondson,GFC earned its way onto the field.
“I think the first time GEMA recognized our abilities was dur-ing the wildfires of 2007,” said Edmondson. “ey saw how quicklyand efficiently our Incident Management System worked when weorganized responders from all over the country. Now we’re one ofthe first agencies activated during emergencies, alongside the statepatrol and Department of Transportation,” Edmondson said.
service on ice: How GfC answered Georgia’sWinter Weather Call
15Georgia Forestry Today
GFC Urban Forestry Strike Team members plot removal of Waynesboro’s ice-damaged
trees. Pictured L to R: Mark McClellan, Joe Burgess, Ben Tucker, and Joan Scales.
By stasia Kelly
e National Incident ManagementSystem is a standardized approach to inci-dent management developed by the Depart-ment of Homeland Security. e program,established in 2004, facilitates coordinationbetween all responders from all levels ofgovernment with public, private, and non-governmental organizations.
Also earning recognition of GFC byGEMA, according to Edmondson, wastraining by GFC’s financial team, whichhelped county officials understand the manyforms and requirements of FEMA (FederalEmergency Management Agency) in thewake of a series of central Georgia torna-does. at training covered the necessaryforms for tracking personnel, resources, in-cidents, and costs associated with the disas-ter, all of which paved the way for smootherhandling of subsequent emergencies.
storm’s a-brewin’!
“Sunday the 9th we were hearing fromGEMA that they anticipated needing 4x4pickup trucks from us to help stranded mo-torists and to deliver supplies,” said FrankSorrells, Chief of Protection for the GeorgiaForestry Commission and Incident Com-mander for the storm. “Bottled water, blan-kets, food, and other emergency items wereneeded, plus we were asked to assemblechain saw strike teams to be ready once iceformed on power lines and trees. Tuesdaymorning was when we got the official re-
quests from GEMA to start moving folksand the 4x4s to locations throughout northGeorgia.”
Sorrells said the focus areas includedAtlanta north to Ellijay and south toForsyth and Macon; also east toward Au-gusta. GFC was asked to have everything inplace by 4p.m. on Tuesday the 11th.
As milk and bread began disappearingfrom grocery store shelves and local weatherforecasters’ excitement levels cranked up afew notches, GFC resources began beingmobilized: tractors, trucks, plows, chain-saws, and personnel were pulled togetherfrom GFC districts across the northern twothirds of the state.
“Georgia Forestry is an unsung hero inthe SOC,” said Clint Perkins, Director StateOperations Center, Georgia EmergencyManagement Agency. “ere is no task toolarge or small that Forestry does not jumpall over. We could not do our jobs assistingthe local jurisdictions and citizens of Geor-gia without the GFC.”
A light rain began to fall on Monday,amid forecasts of freezing temperatures tofollow, and Georgia Governor Nathan Dealdeclared a weather-related state of emer-gency for 45 counties in the state. A presi-dential declaration of emergency was issuedas the storm hit the state. Most north Geor-gia schools elected to close on the 11th and12th, when the storm began pushingthrough, delivering a snowy-rainy mix,
which blended into sleet and freezing rain,topped by another layer of snow. Northerntier counties recorded snowfalls of up to 13inches. Layers of ice between a tenth of aninch and full inch-thick covered trees, powerlines, automobiles, and everything in be-tween. Areas east of metro Atlanta receivedthe heaviest ice accumulations. In all, morethan 90 Georgia counties were impacted.
‘Incident Action Plans’ (IAPs) “werecreated and filled each day between the 13thand the 25th,” said Greg Strenkowski, theplanning chief who coordinated with Ed-mondson and GFC field personnel to pro-vide supplies needed by GEMA. “Ourmission was to provide four-wheel drive ve-hicles for critical medical response and lo-gistical transportation and deploy chainsawteams for public road debris removal –doing it all in a way that protected the safetyof all incident personnel,” Strenkowski said.
Each day’s IAP contained detailed doc-umentation of those missions. Role assign-ments, safety protocols, maps, radiocommunication plans, and specific weatherforecasts were all spelled out in orders thatle no room for doubt about who was doingwhat, where, and when.
“We had four-wheel drive crews allalong the 515 corridor and I-75,” saidTommy Hawkins, Assistant District Man-ager for GFC’s Coosa District. “ey pa-trolled Ellijay, Jasper, Calhoun, Cartersvillewith blankets and chainsaws, working 24-hour shis.”
Georgia Forestry Commission CoosaDistrict Chief Ranger Denise Croker’s crewwas tasked with assisting stranded motoristsin Bartow County. It also transported med-ical staff to the Cartersville Medical Centerand essential personnel to the BartowCounty Emergency Management Agency.
“In Acworth, we cleared trees out of aroad so the fire department could pick upsomeone,” said Croker. “We were also ableto help by delivering meals to people whowere staying at the Suggs Shelter.”
Richard Stokes, Logistics ProgramManager/EMAC Coordinator, State Op-erations Center, for the Georgia Emer-gency Management Agency, said GFCpersonnel’s service as logistics chiefs made
16 May | June 2014
GFC personnel worked with the Georgia State Patrol, delivering blankets, bot-
tled water and other supplies to motorists stranded on icy roads.
for smooth and efficient operations acrossthe hard hit region.
“ey operated a make-shi warehouseand distribution system here at GEMA toprovide food and water for stranded mo-torists on interstates, and cots and blanketsfor established warming shelters around thestate,” Stokes said. “Loss of power shutdown many water systems around the stateand GFC personnel coordinated generatorsto get water systems back on line. When sys-tems didn’t come back online immediately,they coordinated the procurement and de-livery of bottled water to support the localpopulation.”
Stokes said his favorite story of GFCpersonnel going ‘above the call of duty’ isabout a ranger loading cases of water frompallets into his truck and delivering them toa small community whose system had failed,and no material-handling equipment wasavailable to handle the pallets.
“Regardless of the situation encoun-tered, forestry personnel find a way toachieve the desired results necessary to sup-port the recovery of the state to normal op-erating conditions,” Stokes said.
To the hard-hit east, GFC Oconee As-sistant District Manager Doug Josey saidroad-assists were his team’s major task. For-tunately, most drivers heeded the warningsand stayed off the highways.
“e DOT had I-20 down to one lanein each direction,” said Josey. “We did workwith them to push some motorists out ofditches and also to cut trees that had fallenacross roads,” he said.
State roads in the area were heavily lit-tered with snapped trees and fallenbranches, Josey said, especially in Burke, Jef-ferson, Johnson, and Washington Coun-ties. Downed power lines contributed towidespread blackouts across the Augustaarea, affecting more than 80 percent of itsresidents.
“It was a mass array of broken powerlines and trees and blocked roadways,” saidJosey. “ere was a lot of clean-up neededand our chain-saw crews provided a lot ofhelp with that.”
e cut-and-clear scenario was re-peated scores of times across the state, withGFC, at GEMA’s direction, planning and
tracking all debris cleanup and removal re-sources from all agencies. In addition, GFCtracked and recovered all Red Cross-issuedcots, blankets, and other supplies.
“It was a major effort,” said Sorrells,who is now serving on the governor’s SevereWeather Warning Task Force, which in-cludes local and state officials, as well as me-teorologists from the National WeatherService and regional media. “Long hours inharsh winter weather conditions. In all,GFC supplied 215 resource orders for per-sonnel. at’s almost half of our agency’swork force. And as usual, they rose to theoccasion.”
assessing the Mess
By Valentine’s Day weekend, temperatureswere climbing and Georgia homeownerswere tackling their clean-up chores. A teamof GFC foresters began assessing damage totrees and estimated more than 70,000 acresof forestland had been impacted. e asso-ciated price tag was $65 million, which wascalculated based on debris removal costsand salvage estimates for trees with timberharvest expectations at 30+ years.
“About half of Georgia experiencedsome sort of winter precipitation during thestorm,” said James Johnson, Forest Manage-ment Chief for the Georgia Forestry Com-mission. “rough field observations,national weather service ice reports, andgeospatial analysis, 20 east-central countieswere identified as hardest hit.”
ose areas, according to Johnson,have been undergoing salvage operationsand management decisions that will deter-mine productivity and tree survival. Mostof the permanently affected trees are pinespecies. Hardwood damage consistedmainly of limb and top breakage.
One town that was especially hard hitwas Waynesboro, Georgia, famous for itspicturesque trees that enhance streets, pub-lic complexes, and historic cemeteries. CityManager Jerry Coalson said 530 dumptruck loads of debris had already been re-moved when GFC’s Sustainable Commu-nity Forestry Program (SCFP) deployed itsUrban Forestry Strike Team (UFST) inearly March to map and help calculate the
remaining damage. e team assessed treedamage, and estimated the amount of limbsand debris that still needed to be removedfrom public property to mitigate safety haz-ards. e UFST’s reports can expedite acity’s process of getting reimbursed byFEMA for cleanup costs. In March, debrisamount estimates for Waynesboro were al-ready at 48,000 cubic yards, with hundredsof trees still showing damage.
“Most citizens don’t know how danger-ous ‘hangers’ can be,” said Coalson. “Onegust of wind and a falling limb can crush acar. Assistance by the GFC has been fantas-tic. e state doesn’t always throw help ourway when we need it, but they sure did thistime.”
Weeks later, Coalson sent a follow-upe-mail regarding his meetings with theFEMA representative to Gary White, Sus-tainable Community Forestry ProgramManager and Associate Chief, Forest Man-agement for the Georgia Forestry Commis-sion.
“He was blown away by the data thatyou collected,” wrote Coalson. “Since thework has been identified on the front endby such a reliable source at the state level, hesaid we did not need to hire a monitor towatch the contractor. is is an outstandingservice that you have provided.”
onward
Neal Edmondson finally returned hometwo Sundays later, on February 22.
“Each one of these events gives ourteam such valuable experience,” Edmond-son said. “Our reputation has grown as ‘theagency that gets the job done.’ In fact, a re-porter for Channel 2 TV who was at theSOC said, ‘ey seem to turn to youragency when no one else can handle it.’ atwas a big compliment coming from a mem-ber of the media.”
And though one might expect Ed-mondson to settle into his Lazy Boy for awell-deserved rest, he actually ended uprepacking his bags the very same day.
“I le that aernoon for a week of lo-gistics training with the Florida ForestryService in Brooksville,” he said.
e warm sunshine was a fitting thank
17Georgia Forestry Today
ost landowners andtimber profession-als know to watchout for ‘widowmakers.’ esedead or decaying
trees and limbs are significant hazards whichare dangerous to ignore. Failing to recognizethe liability posed by dead and decayingtrees near roadways is a recipe for disaster.Many myths surround the question of theliability that landowners face for trees whichfall and injure people or property. is arti-cle will dispel those myths and give you abetter idea of how to protect yourself oryour company from liability.
One myth is that rural and urban
landowners are subject to the same legal re-sponsibility for hazardous trees. On theother end of the spectrum is the myth thatrural landowners cannot be liable for thedamages caused by trees falling from theirproperty. e final myth is that landownerscan be liable for any tree which falls fromtheir property. But, these are just myths.
Georgia law has been clear for overthirty-five years that liability for injuriesfrom a fallen tree depends on whether theproperty at issue is located in a rural orurban area. An owner of rural land is not re-quired to inspect the land to be sure everytree is safe. With rural land, the owner isonly required to take affirmative steps ifthere is actual knowledge that a tree is dan-gerous. Actual knowledge means that thelandowner knows, as a result of personalknowledge or being informed of the hazard,that a tree actually poses a threat to passingmotorists or neighboring landowners.
18 May | June 2014
landowner liability for dead or decaying treesBy Will Horkan | Associate Attourney | James-Bates-Brannan-Groover-LLP
Mgeorgia law recognizes that it is
simply impossible to expect an
owner of hundreds or thousands
of acres of trees to know the con-
dition of each tree on his property.
Georgia law applies a heightened stan-dard to urban landowners. e owner ofurban property has a duty of reasonablecare, including the duty to inspect to makesure a tree is safe.
Even still, urban landowners are onlycharged with notice of visible, apparent,and patent decay in their trees. Specifi-cally, Georgia law states that, in relationto urban land, there is no duty to consis-tently and constantly check all trees fornon-visible rot as the manifestation ofdecay must be visible, apparent, and
patent such that one could be aware thathigh winds might combine with visiblerot and cause damage. Thus, even urbanlandowners cannot be charged withknowledge of imperceptible, hidden, orconcealed decay, and the law does not re-quire an urban landowner to consistentlyor constantly inspect their trees.
The principle that landowners in ruralareas are held to an actual knowledge stan-dard and have no duty to inspect is basedupon the realities that rural tracts of landare much larger than those in urban areasand rural areas are less populated. Georgialaw recognizes that it is simply impossibleto expect an owner of hundreds or thou-sands of acres of trees to know the condi-tion of each tree on his property. In ruralareas, the chances of harm occurring as aresult of a dead or decaying tree are less dueto low population numbers, low popula-tion densities, and low traffic counts thanin urban areas with larger population num-bers, larger population densities, andhigher traffic counts.
While Georgia law is favorable to landowners, the damages which can result froma tree falling on a home or roadway can betremendous. Therefore, landowners
should take a few practical steps to ensurethey do not endanger homeowners or mo-torists and take full advantage of the pro-tections afforded by law.
First, make sure property boundariesare clearly marked. Defined boundariesallow landowners and municipal govern-ments to quickly and easily determine re-sponsibility for a dangerous dead ordecaying tree. e state, county, or city gov-ernment will generally remove any haz-ardous tree which is clearly in theirright-of-way. However, the state, county, orcity governments are generally not going togo out of their way to cut down a hazardoustree that is not clearly in their right-of-way.us, marking the property line can preventlandowners from being sued for damagecaused by a tree which they do not own.Conversely, marking the boundary line willalso make landowners’ responsibility for adead or decaying tree clear. Landowners canthen respond to the situation quickly, pre-venting harm and protecting themselvesfrom liability.
Unmarked boundary lines oen lead tofinger pointing between the holder of aright-of-way and a landowner once some-one is injured. However, at this point,merely marking the boundaries will notmake the claim go away, and a landownerwill incur legal bills and survey expenses.
Identification of property lines is alsoimportant for urban landowners. Granted,tagging trees with paint or tape is notpractical for the urban landowner, butmaintaining an accurate mental map ofone’s property lines is not difficult onsmaller properties. While such a mentalmap can still give rise to a lawsuit, creatingthe map can mean that a landowner recog-nizes personal responsibility for a danger-ous situation instead of erroneouslyattributing a dangerous tree to a neigh-bor—a costly mistake.
Second, landowners need to take re-ports of dead or decaying trees seriously.Landowners occasionally receive reportsfrom neighbors, lease holders, or forestersregarding the existence of hazardous trees.These reports can give a landowner actualknowledge of a hazardous tree. As a result,
landowners must investigate the report,determine its veracity, and be prepared toremove the tree if necessary. Do not allowthe tree to remain standing any longerthan absolutely necessary if the report isaccurate.
In conclusion, landowners must beobservant and prepared to act when theirtrees pose a hazard to neighboringlandowners or passing motorists. Georgialaw is favorable to landowners whenlandowners act responsibly to protectthemselves and their neighbors. v
Georgia Forestry Today 19
Will Horkan is an associate attorneyin the Macon, Georgia office of James-Bates-Brannan-Groover-LLP. Willjoined the firm in 2009 aer graduat-ing om the University of Georgiawith a degree in Agribusiness andMercer University’s Law School. isarticle is written for informative pur-poses and is not legal advice. Consultyour attorney with any questions orconcerns you have.
specifically, georgia law states that, in
relation to urban land, there is no duty
to consistently and constantly check all
trees for non-visible rot as the manifes-
tation of decay must be visible, appar-
ent, and patent such that one could be
aware that high winds might combine
with visible rot and cause damage.
one myth is that rural and urban
landowners are subject to the same
legal responsibility for hazardous
trees. on the other end of the spec-
trum is the myth that rural landown-
ers cannot be liable for the damages
caused by trees falling from their
property
When the Georgia General Assembly ad-journed its 2014 session on March 20, theGeorgia Forestry Association’s (GFA) threemajor objectives had been passed by theHouse and the Senate. At this writing,those bills await the Governor’s signatureto become law.
GFA sought to address a number ofchallenges for forest owners and forest-based businesses during the legislative ses-sion including the elimination of a ban onthe use of ordinary wood construction inpublic schools; an absence of a central in-vestigative body to assist landowners whoare victims of timber theft; and an unfairtax appeal system for non-homesteadproperty owners.
“We are very pleased with the successof this session and the measures that werepassed to benefit the forest landownercommunity,” GFA President SteveMcWilliams said. “We are also very grate-ful to the help of our organizational part-ners such as the Georgia Paper & ForestProducts Association, Georgia Farm Bu-reau, Georgia Agribusiness Council, andothers who supported forestry on specificissues.”
wood in school construction
The Georgia Department of Education’s(DOE) Guideline for Educational Facil-ity Construction currently bans the useof light wood framing (or wood stud par-titioning) and ordinary wood construc-tion in public school facilities—a optionthat is contradictory to the InternationalBuilding Code.
Senate Bill 301, sponsored by SenatorFran Millar, R-Atlanta, and passed by boththe House and the Senate, removes the banfrom the DOE guidelines, allowing the useof wood in school as an alternative to steeland concrete materials. The change, ac-
cording to McWilliams, is one that willhelp Georgia’s forests remain sustainable. “Removing any barrier to the use of woodgrown by Georgia landowners and milledby Georgia manufacturers is good for theforest economy and the continued sustain-ability of Georgia’s 24.4 million acres oftimberland,” McWilliams said.
timber security laws
Before this year’s legislative session, Geor-gia landowners had little to no recourse forassistance in cases of timber theft and tim-ber trespass. Unfortunately, timber theftcases often go unsolved due to the lack ofmanpower and knowledge of the timberindustry within local law enforcementagencies.
House Bill 790, sponsored by Repre-sentative Chuck Williams, R-Watkinsville,aims to improve the resources available totimberland owners who are victims of tim-ber theft, giving the Georgia ForestryCommission the law enforcement author-ity to investigate, serve warrants, and makearrests in cases of timber theft. In addition,the bill includes several provisions that
help timberland owners during the har-vesting process by: 1. Increasing the recovery available to
victims of the unauthorized taking oftimber from single to treble (or three-times) damages;
2. Providing landowners with a shield
May | June 201420
GEORGIA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION ADVOCACY UPDATEINITIATIVES FOR FOREST OWNERS GET ‘THUMBS UP’ FROM GEORGIA LAWMAKERS
Georgia Forestry Today 21
from liability when conducting har-vests;
3. Requiring that mill scale tickets be re-turned to the seller within 20 days;
4 And, establishing a four year statute oflimitations for filing complaints re-lated to the unauthorized taking oftimber
“Landowners often experience less thansatisfactory responses from local law en-forcement,” McWilliams said. “This billgives Georgia timberland owners a far bet-ter chance of recovery and prosecution.”
property tax appeal equity
The Forest Land Protection Act (FLPA),passed in 2008, provides a lower propertyvalue assessment for forest owners who arewilling to place their property in a 15-yearcovenant. In providing this benefit tolandowners, the act also requires that thestate reimburse counties for a portion ofthe revenue lost when property is enrolledin FLPA.
Unfortunately, some counties haveused inflated property tax values to in-crease the reimbursement from the statebeyond what they were due. Additionally,there have been instances where taxes havebeen paid on a current year tax bill, andwhen it is later found that the current billwas too high during the appeals process,the county has not had the funds availableto reimburse the overpayment to the tax-payer.
“While the majority of counties do agreat job of valuing properties, the lawsthat currently govern property tax valua-tions leave it wide open for counties togame the system and hold taxpayer moneythat they are not entitled to for years at atime,” McWilliams said.
House Bill 755, sponsored by Repre-sentative Jay Powell, R-Camilla, makes anumber of changes that support the in-tegrity of the FLPA program and providefairness in tax appeals by: 1. Providing a system wherein counties
will reimburse the state when theyhave received a higher reimbursement
from the State than they should;
2. Placing ‘non-homestead’ property,which includes manufacturers, com-mercial businesses, agricultural, andother properties, on a more equalfooting with homestead taxpayerswhen they appeal their property taxes;
3. And, most notably, requiring that thedifference between a disputed tax billand the previously paid tax bill be putin an escrow account to ensure that itis available for the party that prevailsin the appeal.
what’s Next?
The GFA Government Affairs Committeehas already begun building its legislativepriorities for the 2015 session. To stay upto date on forestry news and issues inGeorgia, visit www.gfagrow.org. To inquireabout membership in the Georgia ForestryAssociation, e-mail Director of Member-ship, Marilou Myers [email protected]. v
22 May | June 2014
Tips forHiring AFishingGuide by John trussell
23Georgia Forestry Today
hinking about hiring a fishing guide this
year? You won't be alone because more
and more occasional fishermen are discov-
ering the advantages of hiring a fishing
guide. A sign at Jack Wingate’s Lunker
Lodge at Lake Seminole says, “They wuz
biting yesterday,” and this often describes
the tough fishing luck experienced by the
typical fisherman. Some days you catch some good fish, but
sometimes the live well is empty at the end of the day. My
bass fishing friend Charles Sloan of Warner Robins, who has
probably caught more bass over ten pounds than anyone I
know, says that “it’s the bad fishing days that makes the good
days great!”
It’s hard for the occasional bass fisherman, which ac-
counts for at least fifty percent of all bass fishermen who only
go out a few trips a year, to consistently put fish in the boat.
The reasons why are not so simple, but fishermen are famous
for their excuses. They range from “it’s too cold,” “it’s too hot,”
“the wind was blowing from the east,” “poor quality bait,” or
“the fish are just plain waterlogged!”
But fishing guides are not paid to provide excuses. The av-
erage money-paying, bass-fishing customer not only expects
to have a great time, he expects to catch fish when he hires a
guide. This puts the pressure on the guide to know where the
fish will be located and how to catch them. Most successful
guides I know accomplish this by fishing nearly every day dur-
ing prime angling months, which are early March through the
end of July. Their experience on the water is invaluable in
keeping up with fish movements and patterns as well as know-
ing what the fish are biting. The guide is usually also in close
contact with other guides, bait and tackle shops, and marinas,
so he’s in frequent contact with others who monitor the fish-
ing pulse of the lake. Many of the best guides also compete in
bass fishing clubs or tournaments, which further hones their
fishing skill.
Many anglers hire guides just so they can catch some fish,
but the guide can often teach you in one trip information that
could take you years to learn on your own. They can show you
fishing hot spots, help you learn the lake and demonstrate ef-
fective fishing techniques, as well as teach you how to use fish-
ing equipment like depth finders.
Another reason to hire a fishing guide is that it may save
you money in the long run. For many fishermen, just the
money spent on the tag, insurance, and county real property
taxes on a bass boat would cover the expenses of a guide for
at least a couple of great trips to the lake each year, not count-
ing the cost of the boat itself! Also consider the gas and travel
expenses you incur while going fishing. The average fisherman
probably spends a minimum of $25 to $100 a day to fish on a
major lake. But like anything else, recreation costs money,
whether it’s fishing, hunting, or playing golf; if you're an avid
angler you don’t mind the expense of the fishing sport. But, if
you‘re just an occasional fisherman, be aware that there is
some truth in a joke about boat ownership. The joke goes, “Do
you know the two happiest days of a boat owners life? - One
is the day he buys his boat; the other is when he sells it!” This
is one reason you can often find good buys in a used boat but
with demand reaching the peak in the spring, now’s not the
time to buy.
So, how does someone go about selecting a fishing guide?
The best way is to decide the species of fish you want to fish
for on which lake, then ask lots of questions to different
guides. Most anglers who hire a guide want to bass fish, but
there is fast growing interest in hybrid, striper, and crappie
fishing. For the best results from the guide, only pick one
species to fish for due to the limited time of a trip. Other good
questions to ask a potential fishing guide are as follows:
1) Price - Daily fees for fishing guides run in a general range
of $200 to $500 per day, with half day trips a little less for
fishing on a major central Georgia reservoir.
2) What’s Included - Always inquire about what's included in
your trip. Does the guide provide all the fishing equip-
ment, or do you bring your own? Who provides lunch,
drinks, etc.? The client always is expected to have to have
his own fishing license, hat, sunglasses, and other per-
sonal items.
On your next vacation trip to Callaway Gardens, sign up to fish with a guide on one of their many stocked lakes.
T
3) Trolling, Casting, Live Bait or Artifi-
cials - the fisherman should always
have a clear idea of what he wants
to fish for, how he wants to fish, and
the type of bait he wants to use.
Some guides use only artificial baits,
while others primarily live bait fish,
but most will work hard to meet
your desires. When the fish are ac-
tively feeding, they’ll hit both artifi-
cial and natural baits well, but
artificial baits require a higher skill
level on the part of the fisherman.
Live bait fishing is great for char-
tered business outings, family fish-
ing, and children.
4) Catch & Release, or Keepers - Some
guides require that all fishing is
catch and release, unless the cus-
tomer wants to mount a large spec-
imen. Others allow the customer to
keep anything within the legal lim-
its. It's very important to reach an
understanding with the guide on
this point before you book a trip.
5) Guaranteed Fish - Few guides will
guarantee a client that he’ll catch
fish, and on some tough days the
bites will be far between, even with
a guide. I do know of a few guides
that advertise ‘No Fish - No Pay,’ and
they don’t want your money unless
you catch fish. But you need to get
an explanation as to what ‘Guaran-
teed Fish’ is. Does that mean you
got a bite, one fish, or ten fish?
6) Cancellations & Refunds - You book
a trip and drive two hours to the
lake. You haven't fished but one
hour, and it begins to rain, so you
call it quits. Do you get a refund or
a partial refund? Every guide who
hangs out a business shingle makes
his own rules. With the weather un-
predictable as it is, make sure you
question the guide on his cancella-
tion policy. Also question whether
or not a deposit is refundable if you
change your mind prior to the trip.
May | June 201424
Author John Trussell caught this nicefour pound brown trout in theHiawasee River, near Helen.
Joey Mines, West Point FishingGuide, takes his granddaughter Molly
Kate Mines on her first fishing tripwith son Will Mines.
Georgia Forestry Today 25
7) Length of Trip - Most guides offer
both half-day and full-day trips. If
your time is limited and you want to
just catch the fishing at it's prime in
the early morning, then maybe a
half-day trip is for you. However, the
full day trip is the norm, and it's only
slightly more expensive and well
worth the effort in most cases.
Make sure you inquire as to what
constitutes a half-day or full-day
trip. For example, a full day may
mean from sunrise to sunset, or it
could be from sunrise to 4 p.m., so
check it out.
8) Does the Guide Fish or Not? - On a
guided fishing trip, the customer
may want the guide’s full attention
on his fishing effort, or he may want
the guide to fish also. A good guide
will always position the client in the
best position to catch a fish and
allow him to make the first cast, if he
even fishes at all. Some guides
won't fish unless you invite them to,
while others fish to show you
proper fishing technique. This part
of a trip is negotiable, but I recom-
mend that the guide fishes, at least
to begin the trip. This way, he can
better tell what the fish are doing
and what they're hitting for you. I’ve
also found that a guide that fishes
with the client is usually a happier
and more productive guide.
9) Ask for References - Don’t be afraid
to ask a guide for the phone num-
bers of a few of his recent cus-
tomers; he should have lots of
them. Also, talk with your fishing
friends and inquire about a guide’s
reputation, etc. To find a guide on a
specific lake, just google ‘fishing
guide, lake Sinclair,’ etc, and you’ll
get a lot of leads.
Once you decide on all the above, book
your trip early, as most good guides stay
very busy. For best results, always
choose a weekday, if possible. Fishing is
better during the week and the lake will
be less crowded. Remember the best
time to fish is anytime you can. v
Trent Trussell pulls in a nice JekyllIsland shark with the help of guide
Billy McGee.
Looking back now, it’s easy to see wherefarmers in the 1800s went wrong. Attempt-ing to grow profits from a lush environment,landowners cleared entire forests in theSouth to make room for agricultural farm-land. But using primitive agricultural tech-niques scarred the landscape, and when theprofits dried up, they abandoned the barrenland. Now, University of Georgia re-searchers want to understand the ongoingrepercussions from a bygone era.
Five UGA researchers from a numberof diverse colleges and departments are join-ing up with the U.S. Forest Service on theproject, to calculate how past land use hasinfluenced the present environment—andhow it will impact the future.
ey have been awarded around $1.4million from an overall $5 million NationalScience Foundation grant led by Duke Uni-versity to set up one of ten national obser-vatories focused on the layer of Earth mostimportant for human life, the ‘CriticalZone’ which includes everything from thedeep bedrock up to the tops of the trees.Other universities participating are GeorgiaTech, the University of Kansas, MississippiState, and Roanoke College.
UGA’s researchers will help establish anew Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) lo-cated at the Calhoun Experimental Forest,a unit of the Sumter National Forest inSouth Carolina. Sumter National Forest isa 200,000-acre forest created in the 1930s
26 May | June 2014
UGA Researchers Awarded $1.4 Million to Study Critical EarthZone in Sumter National Forest
e Georgia Forestry Association (GFA) re-cently presented University of Georgiaforestry student Dewey Sherrer with the2014 GFA Scholarship for his academicperformance.
e scholarship was presented at theWarnell School of Forestry and Natural Re-source’s 83rd Annual Spring Awards Ban-quet on April 3 in Athens, Georgia. Eachyear, GFA donates scholarship funds toWarnell in order to recognize a student whoconsistently performs at a high level of aca-demic rigor and professionalism. In order to
be considered for the scholarship, a studentmust be enrolled as a professional student atWarnell and must maintain a minimumGPA of 3.0.
is year, Marietta, Georgia native andjunior forestry major Dewey Sherrer, son ofGeorge Sherrer and Traci Drummond, wasawarded the scholarship based on his out-standing academic performance and consis-tent professionalism.
With Dewey’s strong passion forforestry and the outdoors, he said choosingWarnell to pursue his undergraduate degree
was an easy one.“I wanted to get my degree in some-
thing that I knew I could enjoy doing for therest of my life,” he said. “I really enjoy thefreedom of being outdoors and seeing all ofwhat nature has to offer.”
Dewey is currently interviewing for asummer internship with the U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service as a field forester. Aergraduation in May, 2015, he would like topursue a career as a forestry technician on awildlife refuge or national park in theSoutheast.v
NEWSGeorgia Forestry Association awards academic scholarship
27Georgia Forestry Today
on abandoned farmland and heavily loggedforestland in the Southern Piedmont. Suf-fering from soil erosion and overall landdegradation, the U.S. Forest Service spentdecades developing management practicesto restore the land by setting up experimen-tal watersheds, planting trees, and launchinga number of long-term studies to monitorprogress on what was called at the time arepresentation of the ‘poorest Piedmontconditions.’
Each UGA researcher brings uniquestrengths to this interdisciplinary CriticalZone Observatory:• Alexander Cherkinsky, a senior re-
search scientist with the Center for Ap-plied Isotope Study, will analyze thesoil’s carbon turnover rates as a result ofanthropogenic and climate changes bystudying its isotopic composition, in-cluding radiocarbon analyses.
• Daniel Markewitz, a professor with theWarnell School of Forestry and NaturalResources, will be studying the forest’ssoils to determine spatial patterns fromhistorical erosion as well as linking soilattributes with forest stand conditions;
• Don Nelson, assistant professor in theFranklin College of Arts and Sciencedepartment of anthropology, will studyhistoric and current human interac-tions with the land and will develop inpartnership with land managers andforest users ways to effectively commu-nicate CZO science;
• Paul Schroeder, a professor in theFranklin College of Arts and Sciencesdepartment of geology, will be studyinglong-term climate changes as recordedin the rocks and soils of the area to de-termine how fast shis in the landscapetook place;
• And Aaron ompson, an assistantprofessor in the crop and soil sciencedepartment in the College of Agricul-ture and Environmental Sciences, willfocus on examining the chemistry ofsoils at the molecular level. He willstudy how human activities influence
the way soil minerals and carbon inter-act to form either stabile soil organicmatter or generate carbon dioxidegases.
In addition to the UGA researchers, MacCallaham, a research ecologist with the U.S.Forest Service’s Southern Research Stationon UGA’s south campus and adjunct pro-fessor at the Odum School of Ecology, willbe studying the organisms in the soil, suchas ants and earthworms. He is interested indetermining how the different organisms af-fect the soil and how water moves throughthe system. “is project is a very excitingopportunity for the Forest Service to joinforces with our UGA colleagues and toleverage our investment in long-term studiesfor the development of cutting edge re-search like the CZO project,” Callahamsaid.
e researchers have a wealth ofarchived Forest Service data from the 1940sthrough the 1960s to compare modern re-sults to, Markewitz said. In fact, some of theoriginal monitoring equipment from the1940s is still in place in the forest. What welearn from studying this forest in South Car-olina, he explained, can give us a better ideaof how we should manage our ecosystems ina sustainable way. “Forests, soils, and land-scapes change on annual, decadal, andlonger timescales,” Markewitz said. “eonly way to understand these changes andhow we can better manage for those changesis through long-term, interdisciplinary sci-ence like this CZO.”
ompson said “recent advances inearth system science allow us to collectmuch more sophisticated data than wasavailable to the Forest Service in the 1940s.But, the value of the historical data cannotbe overstated. It is the combination of newadvanced techniques and robust historicaldata that will allow us to design more accu-rate models of how land use influencesecosystem function and ecosystem-humanrelationships.”
Cherkinsky, who works in the state-of-the-art isotope laboratory, noted that “iso-tope data from soil organic matter providesa powerful constraint for determining car-bon changes in response to human and cli-
mate impacts. Interestingly, the period ofstudy at the Calhoun CZO overlaps withaboveground nuclear testing in the 1960sthat dramatically increased the radiocarbonconcentration in the atmosphere. is iso-topic spike or label allows us to trace carbonthrough the soil on the time scale of yearsand decades.”
is five-year study is part of an effortby the NSF to study what geologists havedubbed Earth’s ‘critical zone,’ the thin outerlayer of the planet that supports most life.e NSF and the European Commissionfund ‘Critical Zone Observatories’ for inter-disciplinary research of the planet’s surfaceto better understand how human interac-tions and land use affects the vital ecologicalservices this critical zone provides. eseservices include air, water, food, energy,mineral resources, natural habitats, andother environmental conditions that sup-port our basic needs. ere are ten CriticalZone Observatories in the U.S. and moredeveloping around the world (seehttp://criticalzone.org). “It is a wonderfulopportunity for UGA to have a CZO lo-cated in the Southeast and so close to cam-pus,” said ompson. “Across the world, theCZO’s are becoming regional centers forcutting-edge earth-system science. ere aresubstantial long-term benefits for UGA stu-dents, researchers, and the public.”
Schroeder said that some of the publichave the perception that their environmentisn’t affected by what we do or by naturalchanges, including changes beyond theirbackyard. “ey think the stream theyplayed in as a kid will always be there andstay the same, but that’s simply not true,”Schroeder said. “With or without the influ-ence of humans, the landscape does not sitstill forever.”
Nelson said this project is a great op-portunity for working with the public, aswell as land and forest managers to learnabout how past and present land use leavesan indelible imprint on the environment.“e results of this type of research can helpguide long-term management decisions thataccount for the ways in which people valueand understand their forest.” v
28 May | June 2014
University of Georgia professor KimCoder has been awarded a national awardfrom the Arbor Day Foundation, winningthe organization’s highest award for dedi-cating his career to arboriculture, treehealth education, and conservation.
Coder is an internationally renownedtree health expert and recognized as one ofthe ‘founding fathers’ of best practices keyto the field of arboriculture. He will receivethe Morton Award, the Arbor Day Foun-dation’s highest honor that recognizes anindividual who has demonstrated a lifelongcommitment to planting trees and conser-vation at both the national and interna-tional level. Previous winners of this awardinclude the late Nobel Peace Prize winnerWangari Maathai.
Coder, who has lectured about the im-portance of tree health everywhere fromrural Georgia communities to interna-tional conferences in Europe, said theaward was a “wonderful surprise.” TheArbor Day Foundation said Coder’s“unique ability to effectively engage audi-ences with his knowledge, passion, and vi-sionary leadership” was one of the reasonshe was chosen for the Morton Award.
“This is a great honor, and representsa continuing responsibility to provide thebest tree science education to individualsand communities,” Coder said.
Coder, who has been with UGA’sWarnell School of Forestry and NaturalResources since 1985, has a long career fo-cusing on tree health and biology, commu-nity forestry, arboriculture, urban forestecology, and cultural and psychologicalconnection to trees.
In the past three decades, he has re-ceived numerous state-wide, national, andinternational awards and recognitions forhis career-long dedication to promotingtree health and conservation, includingthree of the highest competitive, peer-se-lected world awards from the InternationalSociety of Arboriculture, the largest pro-fessional group of urban and communityforesters in the world.
He has served at many levels of state,national, and world leadership in arbori-culture and community forestry, includingon the National Urban and CommunityForestry Advisory Committee which ad-vises the USDA Secretary of Agriculture.Coder has been elected world president of
the International Society of Arboricultureand is one of the founding members of theGeorgia Urban Forest Council.
He has published more than 500 pa-pers on applied tree biology, tree healthcare and community forestry, and is anoted international speaker because of hisability to translate research findings intoapplied tree health care models, trainings,and assessments.
Coder will receive the award at the an-nual Arbor Day Awards. The 2014 cere-mony is scheduled for April 26 at the LiedLodge and Conference Center at ArborDay Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska.The Foundation plans to recognize 12other individuals, organizations, and com-panies at the ceremony for different awardcategories.
About the Arbor Day Foundation: TheArbor Day Foundation is a million-mem-ber nonprofit conservation and educationorganization whose mission is to inspirepeople to plant, nurture, and celebratetrees. More information is available at ar-borday.org.v
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA PROFESSOR WINS HIGHEST AWARD FROM ARBOR DAYFOUNDATIONBy Sandi Martin | Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
29Georgia Forestry Today
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