georgia forestry today nov-dec 2014
DESCRIPTION
Now, it’s no secret that wild turkey numbers in Georgia have increased dramatically in recent decades. In 1973, Georgia’s statewide turkey population was estimated at a mere 17,000 birds, with only 41 counties open to turkey hunting. That same year, 7,800 turkey hunters were estimated to have harvested only 675 birds.TRANSCRIPT
GEORGIA FORESTRY
TODAYVolume 10, Issue 6
November | December 2014
MANAGING FORESTS ANDOPENINGS FOR WILD TURKEYS:HABITAT HOMEWORK FOR MORE TURKEYS
November | December 20142
Georgia Forestry Today 3
4 November | December 2014
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY is published bi-monthly by A4 Inc., 1154 Lower BirminghamRoad, Canton, Georgia 30115. Recipients include participants of the Forest Stewardship Programand the American Tree Farm System.
Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the publisher, A4 Inc., nor dothey accept responsibility for errors of content or omission and, as a matter of policy, neither dothey endorse products or advertisements appearing herein. Part of this magazine may be reproducedwith the written consent of the publisher. Correspondence regarding changes of address should bedirected to A4 Inc. at the address indicated above. Advertising material should be sent to A4 Inc.at the e-mail address: [email protected]. Questions on advertising should be directed to the ad-vertising director at the e-mail address provided above. Editorial material should be sent to A4Inc. 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 KellySandi Martin
Roland Petersen-FreyBrian Stone
Steve McWilliams
For Georgia hunters, the east-ern wild turkey is second inpopularity only to white-taileddeer as a big game species,and the good news is thathabitat management for bothof these species goes hand inhand. To read more aboutmanagement planning forthese species, turn to page 8.
5Georgia Forestry Today
FORESTRY TODAYGeorgia
Volume 10, Issue 6 November | December 2014
P.08 Managing Forests and Openings for
Wild Turkeys
P.13 Message from the Georgia Forestry
Commission Director
P.14 GFC News
P.15 Seeing the Forest for the Trees
How the FIA Program Documents
the Future, Today
P.19 GFA Recognizes Wise Owl(s) for
Forest Advocacy and Education
P.21 Share Your Opinion:
Transportation Funding in Georgia
P.22 The Outdoorsman
Georgia Forest Dangers - Part I
P.25 More wolf spiders feasting on American
toads due to invasive grass
P.26 UGA to Study Endangered Atlantic Sturgeon
in Three Georgia Rivers
November 24GPS for Beginners | Warnell School of Forestry andNatural Resources | Building 1, Room 201Athens, GA | CLP: 6 credit hoursContact: Ingvar Elle 706-583-0566
December 4, 2014Berrien County Forestry SeminarBerrien County Young Farmers | Nashville, GAContact: Blair Joiner 229-686-3766
December 10Deer Ecology and Management | Flinchum'sPhoenix | 650 Phoenix Road | Athens, GAContact: Ingvar Elle 706-583-0566CFE and CLE credit hours availble
December 25, 2014
Merry Chris tmas!
Forestry CalendarIf 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
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Bodenhamer Farms & Nursery...............................................19
Canal Wood LLC......................................................................30
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International Forest Company ...............................................20
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Meeks’ Farms & Nursery ...........................Inside Front Cover
Morbark ......................................................................................30
Outdoor Underwriters.............................................................19
Plum Creek ...................................................................................5
Rivers Edge Forest Products....................................................30
SuperTree Seedlings.....................................................................6
UPC | Georgia 811 ..................................................Back Cover
Weyerhaeuser .............................................................................11
Yancey Brothers ............................................Inside Back Cover
8 November | December 2014
Managing Forestsand Openings for
Wild Turkeys: Part I: Habitat Homework for More Turkeys
For Georgia hunters, the eastern wild turkey is second
in popularity only to white-tailed deer as a big game
species, and the good news is that habitat management
for both of these species goes hand in hand. In this, the
first of a two-part series on managing forests and open-
ings for turkeys, we will examine wild turkey ecology,
habitat inventory, and management planning. For the
January-February issue, we’ll cover an overview of im-
plementing management practices to achieve popula-
tion and harvest objectives.
9Georgia Forestry Today
Now, it’s no secret that wild turkey
numbers in Georgia have increased
dramatically in recent decades. In
1973, Georgia’s statewide turkey pop-
ulation was estimated at a mere
17,000 birds, with only 41 counties
open to turkey hunting. That same
year, 7,800 turkey hunters were esti-
mated to have harvested only 675
birds. Contrast that with last spring
when all 159 counties were open to
hunting and, according to senior
wildlife biologist Kevin Lowrey, Wild
Turkey Committee chair for the Geor-
gia Department of Natural Resources,
an estimated 53,000 resident hunters
harvested 33,000 gobblers.
The DNR Wildlife Resources Divi-
sion along with the support of hunters,
private landowners, the National Wild
Turkey Federation, and other conser-
vationists forged this wildlife success
story.
But for most landowners and all
turkey hunters—including yours truly
—there can never be too many or even
enough wild turkeys! Across the state
there are many properties where habi-
tat management can be judiciously ap-
plied, and is even needed, to increase
or maintain turkey abundance.
The keys to successful manage-
ment are 1) consider the critter’s habi-
tat needs; 2) set management
objectives that are biologically sound
and economically achievable; 3) inven-
tory current conditions and develop a
management plan; 4) implement man-
agement practices to achieve the de-
sired outcome; and, 5) monitor results
and fine-tune management. Let’s look
at these keys and see how they can be
used to put more birds on the ground,
or in the bag.
Home Range and Habitat Needs
To support a turkey population, the
habitat (food, cover, and space) must
meet the requirements for all sex and
age classes during all seasons of the
year, and all components must be pro-
vided within the turkey's home range.
Wild turkeys are large-ranging species.
Annual home ranges cover a couple of
hundred to more than 1,000 acres,
and movements vary from several to
many miles. It is important to note
that, in general, home ranges are
smaller in higher-quality habitats. For
well-managed lands, that means more
birds spending more time on the prop-
erty, equating to the potential for
more gobblers in the bag.
Georgia is a diverse state, with the
vegetative composition or habitat
cover types changing widely from the
mountains to the coast. However, cer-
tain structural characteristics are com-
mon to quality turkey habitat across all
cover types. Ideally, wild turkeys need
a mix of forest types and age classes
combined with weedy or grassy open-
ings and a continuity of openness to
permit movement to and through
10 November | December 2014
Timber thinning coupled with frequent prescribed burning is the most important and
cost effective management to enhance pine stands for wild turkeys, deer, bobwhite
quail, and numerous other game and nongame species.
11Georgia Forestry Today
cover types. Some of Georgia's highest
turkey densities occur across land-
scapes laced with major creek and
river drainages, and where the uplands
are comprised of managed forests
with well interspersed openings such
as pastures, hay fields, crop fields, and
food plots.
Mature forests provide turkeys
with hard mast such as acorns, dog-
wood, and blackgum fruits, beechnuts,
and pine seeds during fall and winter.
These forests offer roosting sites
throughout the year and, with proper
management, can provide nesting
cover and brood range. Ideally, the
forests should be relatively open un-
derneath—i.e., have patchy ground
vegetation (understory)—because
turkeys prefer to walk, using their keen
eyesight to detect predators. Turkeys
generally avoid the interior of large
blocks of thick brushy cover. Generally
speaking, if a human can’t easily walk
through woodlands, those sites are be-
coming too thick for turkeys.
Turkeys nest on the ground in a
wide variety of habitats. They prefer
nest sites concealed by lateral woody
cover, but where the vegetation is
patchy enough to permit access to the
nest site and to escape predators.
Brushy habitats in abandoned fields,
utility rights-of-way, and along the
edges of openings and roads are fa-
vored nesting areas, though hens will
also nest in crop fields, pastures, hay
fields, and open woodlands. Typically,
they nest in close proximity to open-
ings and other weedy or grassy habi-
tats, where they take newly hatched
poults to forage for insects.
Openings and forest stands with
low-growing grasses, herbaceous veg-
etation 12 to 28 inches in height,
woody vines, and scattered shrubs are
critical components of quality turkey
habitat. They provide insects, seeds,
soft mast such as blackberries, and
green vegetation, all of which are par-
ticularly important during the spring
and summer. Green vegetation is a nu-
tritious food source for nesting hens,
and soft mast, insects, and grass seeds
are major food items during summer,
especially for poults.
Setting Management Objectives
Setting specific objectives is a vital step
to successful management. Is the pri-
mary objective to increase the popula-
tion or just to concentrate birds for
hunting or observation? The latter
often can be much more easily
achieved than the former. To increase
a population, management must ad-
dress the factor that most limits the
population.
For example, providing additional
fall food will not increase the turkey
population if brood habitat is the fac-
tor most limiting population growth.
Limiting factors can be difficult to rec-
ognize, but making that assessment is
best done by looking at the landscape-
level interspersion and arrangement of
habitat types and forest age classes
relative to the habitat needs of wild
turkeys. Wildlife biologists with the
Wildlife Resources Division, the Na-
tional Wild Turkey Federation, and
other conservation organizations,
along with private wildlife consultants,
are available to assist landowners in
this endeavor.
Also, population density and har-
vest objectives must be reasonable.
We'd all like to see a wild turkey be-
hind (or better, in front of) every tree,
but this is not biologically feasible.
Generally speaking, population densi-
ties of 15-30 birds per square mile and
a sustained harvest of one or more
adult gobblers per square mile should
be considered good.
Another consideration is property
size. As mentioned, wild turkeys have
large home ranges. This doesn't mean
management can't be effective on
small properties, but it does mean that
when setting management objectives
it is important to consider habitat con-
ditions across a large landscape, in-
cluding adjacent properties.
In this regard, particularly on
smaller properties, convincing your
neighbors to work with you to form a
‘turkey management cooperative’ with
common objectives can greatly in-
crease the chances or magnitude of
success. It is also worth noting that
12 November | December 2014
Reggie Thackston, manager of the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division’s Private Lands Program, has worked 34 years asa wildlife biologist integrating bobwhite, wild turkey, and deer management into forestry and agriculture. All photos courtesyof Reggie Thackston.
wild turkeys have proven far more
adaptable to human settlement and
disturbance than first believed possi-
ble. They can live in and around subdi-
visions and sub-urban areas as long as
there are corridors of woods to pro-
vide access to the habitat types
needed to survive—and as long as
there is not too much disturbance and
mortality from humans and domestic
pets. Wild turkey management can be
feasible even in moderately sub-urban
landscapes.
Finally, management objectives
should be realistically achievable con-
sidering economic, equipment, time,
and other constraints. Start out with
the basics and intensify and fine-tune
the management as resources permit.
Inventorying Habitats,
Developing a Plan
There is an old saying that to get to
where you are going, you’ve got to
know where you are. This is the case
with habitat management.
A thorough inventory should in-
clude the acreage and locations of
timber types, openings, ponds and
streams. The plan should include the
approximate age and stocking den-
sity of the timber stands, along with
a valuation of understory and mid-
story characteristics. Openings that
are going to be planted should be
tested for soil pH (testing available
through the County Extension Serv-
ice) and evaluated relative to the
type of vegetation present, particu-
larly invasive exotics such as fescue
and Bermuda grass.
With this information, a detailed
cover type map and corresponding
management plan and timeline can be
developed to guide management ef-
forts. Where multiple management
practices will be implemented
throughout the course of a year, it is
helpful to develop a table with prac-
tices and necessary preparations listed
by month.
Managing for turkeys requires work. But
the returns can be significant.
The DNR, National Wild Turkey Feder-
ation, and other organizations have
professional wildlife biologists avail-
able to help you develop a manage-
ment plan. Landowners may also
qualify for federal and other habitat
cost-share programs. For more infor-
mation, contact your nearest DNR
Wildlife Resources Division Game
Management Section Office, or check
out www.gohuntgeorgia.com or
www.nwtf.org.
Next issue, we’ll explore putting your man-
agement plan into practice. e
Drawn by the greenery and insects, wild turkeys use openings such as fallow fields, food plots, pastures, and crop fields
particularly in spring and summer.
ne of the perks ofbeing in the forestrybusiness is that we geta fair share of ‘wind-shield time.’ Our jobstend to take us places
that often require a bit of travel, presentingstretches of highway on which we can listento some music or news, catch up on phonecalls or even relax and let our minds wander.Assuming we’re not on I-285 running withthe big rigs, it can be a good time for prob-lem solving, creativity, and often, gratitude.This holiday season finds me especiallythankful for the opportunities I’ve beengiven through Georgia’s forestry industryand a deep appreciation for how our busi-ness truly touches the life of everyone Imeet. Look around you. One of the seasonalstars is bound to be close by the Christmastree. What would the holiday season bewithout it? Tree farms in Georgia con-tribute to that tradition, and many a cut-your-own tree (and of course, the onesbrought in from the big box lot) hasbrought joy to families across our great state.That connection is gratifying to me andprompted me to do a little surfing about the
meaning of the Christmas tree. I came acrossan especially poignant explanation atwww.mysticlightpress.com in whichWilliam V. Roucher recounts MartinLuther, inspired by the starry heavens,bringing a fir tree into his home and attach-ing lighted candles to its branches: Fir meant fire, and fire is an ancient symbolfor spirit. The tree also pointed toward theheavens. Evergreens were thought to representthe ever-burning fire of life. The color greensignified the life force through the year. Even-tually decorative balls represented the planets,while the star that radiates from the top re-minds us of Bethlehem. The entire tree anddecorations teach us that the universe is wit-ness to the Incarnation. Red at Christmas re-minds us of the fire of the Spirit. Green affirmsnature, and the ongoing life. And in the In-carnation, Spirit unites with nature. In fact,the Christmas tree symbolizes to us a furtherappreciation of Jesus' birth. It is a means ofretelling a miracle in a colorful and beautifulway so that we can further understand andappreciate Jesus entering our world. So much of that explanation connects toour industry. Consider the ecological serv-
ices our forestland provides, quantified inreal dollars a few years back by UGA re-searchers. Not one person in Georgia isuntouched by those services. How do wemeasure the impact of a camping trip withour families, the joys of the hunt, therestorative power of a big breath of freshfall air? Our business endeavors have ahand in every one of those pleasures, andcalculating the forestry resource that pro-vides them is a service the GFC is proudto participate in. Read about our ForestInventory Analysis team and the informa-tion it affords for worldwide commerce inthis issue of Georgia Forestry Today. It truly is a special time of year. My wishfor you and your family is that, be it wind-shield time, woods time or home hearthtime, you take time to enjoy it. From the Georgia Forestry Commis-sion family to yours, Merry Christmas andall the best for a happy, healthy New Year!
Sincerely,
Robert FarrisGFC Commissioner e
13Georgia Forestry Today
Georgia Forestry Commission
Message from the Director
Dear GFT Reader,
Robert Farris
O
14 November | December 2014
Georgia Forestry Commission Director Robert Farris
and the Georgia Forestry Commission have re-
ceived the American Forest Foundation’s 2014 Sus-
tained Excellence Award. The award is presented eachyear by AFF to a state forestry agency partner who has beena strong advocate and supporter of sustainably managedfamily forests and AFF programs, including The AmericanTree Farm System and Project Learning Tree. “Familyforests in Georgia provide innumerable benefits to Georgia’senvironment and economy,” said Tom Martin, AFF’s presi-dent and CEO. “Robert Farris’ and the commission’s workensures that these forests will continue to keep Georgia’seconomic and environmental well-being secure.” e
GFC News
Arborists and forestry experts from more than half a dozen southern states
gathered in Savannah and Tybee Island recently for special training on mobi-
lizing resources and evaluating tree damage following a storm. The GeorgiaForestry Commission's Urban Forest Strike Teams determine which trees should bepruned and retained or removed, and their calculations about debris amounts help doc-ument cities’ requests for federal disaster aid. A mock disaster scenario in Savannah’s his-toric district helped participants hone their skills in the training co-sponsored by theGFC, US Forest Service, Southern Group of State Foresters, City of Savannah, ChathamCounty, GEMA, and US Army Corps of Engineers. e
There’s still time to order GFC seedlings for the
2014-2015 planting season. While some species havebeen sold out, ample supplies remain, including geneticallyimproved pine and high quality hardwood seedlings thatcan be ordered online at www.gaseedlings.org or by con-tacting GFC’s Flint River Nursery at 229-268-7308. e
Forest Management Chief James Johnson has retired from
the Georgia Forestry Commission after 28 years of service to
the agency. Johnson joined the GFC as a forester in 1986, was pro-moted to Forest Health staff forester in 2004, and has been chief ofManagement since 2010. Johnson is succeeded by Gary White, whojoined the GFC in 2001, and most recently served a dual role as asso-ciate chief of Forest Management and program manager of the Sus-tainable Community Forestry Program. e
In an age of information overload, it’s easy to get numbed by sta-tistics and lose appreciation for what graphs and figures on a pagereally represent. at’s especially true in the forestry industry,where measurement scales run the gamut from hundreds ofthousands of acres, tons, and cubic feet to multi-millions of dol-lars in operating costs and impacts on people and the economy.A flight across south Georgia can bring the grandeur of the re-source into some perspective, as can an up-close look at a mam-moth container ship loaded with raw product at the Port ofSavannah. Still, nothing refocuses one's appreciation for sustain-able forests more than a trip into the woods with a skilledforester.
“It all begins with the resource and the documentation ofit,” said Risher Willard, Chief Forester of Utilization for theGeorgia Forestry Commission. “e collection of informationat ground level puts everything into perspective for the whole,”he said.
e Georgia Forestry Commission’s Forest Inventory Analy-
sis (FIA) team is the force responsible for combing the woodsand gathering the data that reflects Georgia’s prominence in theworldwide forestry arena. Tree by tree, plot by plot, GFC FIAforesters document the forest types, health, densities, diameters,slopes, and sites that define the land, which by all counts is rich.Not only does Georgia currently boast $29 billion in forestryimpacts that support more than 135,000 jobs across the state,but the 13 southern US states now comprise about 38 percentof the forests in the US. at land base produces 25 percent ofthe world's pulp and 18 percent of the world’s industrial timber,and if compared with the output of all other countries, wouldrank number one by a wide margin.
Ten specially trained foresters make up GFC’s FIA division,which partners with the US Forest Service (USFS) on the pro-gram that began in 1930. e USFS-certified team gathers landand forest resource data from a series of permanent sample plotsto assess forest resource status and trends across Georgia. ereis approximately one plot per 6,000 acres of land, all of which
seeing the forest for its trees How the fia Program
documents the future, today
15Georgia Forestry Today
GFC FIA Foresters evaluate a pine tree for characteristics that help represent this Jasper County plot of forestland.
By stasia Kelly
have been selected randomly, without re-gard to ownership, location, or current orpast land use. Approximately 20 percent ofthe sample plots are measured annually,and all sample plots are currently measuredwithin a five year period. e gathereddata is supplied to the USFS in Knoxville,Tennessee for analysis and then crunched,packaged, and presented to the world torepresent Georgia’s forest conditions. To-gether with FIA statistics from across thecountry, the numbers reflect the status ofthe US forestry resource and help analystsidentify important trends for the future.ey can also sway commerce and impactmarketing decisions that strengthen Geor-gia's forestry industry.
Small Steps Impact Huge Decisions
“ere’s a very big picture involved,” said
Nathan Wheat, Georgia Forestry Com-mission Forest Inventory AnalysisForester. “Our work has helped open myeyes to the importance of the data andhow much it’s used.”
Morgan Cook, the FIA forester whopartners with Wheat on central Georgiaplots, said the job demands much moreprecision than he expected when hejoined GFC two and a half years ago.
“Everything is so exact,” Cook said.“Diameters, heights, and all the differentspecies. Lots of times we’re looking atseedlings or at trees during times of leafdrop. You might learn half of this inschool, but you learn most of it on thejob,” he said.
Wheat and Cook possess a deep loveof the forest, founded on their families’farms and during their higher education
years at ABAC and UGA, respectively.ey understand that real people, reallivelihoods, depend on the wise manage-ment of forest resources.
On a rainy September morning,Wheat and Cook drive down a remoteJasper County trail to begin documentingthe makeup of an FIA land plot. ey'veprepared for the day by reviewing mapsand data filed five years previously, receiv-ing landowner permission to be on theproperty, and packing an assortment ofmodern tools that enable them to work ef-ficiently.
“We have to be very precise. Our sub-plots have a 24-foot radius and the datafrom the plot represents 6,000 acres. Justa couple of mistakes per plot could affectall the numbers,” Cook said.
e foresters document the plot's‘condition,’ or timber types present, suchas loblolly pine or upland hardwood, anda string of measurements that characterizethe site. Wheat carries the futuristic-look-ing Allegro data recorder, which resemblesa beefy TV remote, for inputting everyvalue. His hypsometer sends a base signalto a corresponding ‘shooter,’ carried byCook. Together they compute the dis-tance between trees and their respectivediameters and heights. e duo workscompetently, calling out numbers andmoving through thigh-deep brush torecord canopy cover, slopes, regenerationstatus, stand age, and any disturbancessuch as fire or insect damage. An incre-ment borer is used to drill into the domi-nant tree and, on this plot, verify an ageof 17 years and a DBH (diameter at breastheight) of eight inches.
While modern tools have made theFIA forester’s job a bit easier, the crewshave come across enough excitement inthe woods that keep them ever vigilant.Agitated dogs are oen part of the land-scape, and the occasional marijuana fieldor suspected drug house may be aroundthe next bend. Sometimes, hip-wadersand horses are used on the job, along withthe time-honored cruising stick and a canor two of DEET.
“We’ve had to go on horseback intothe Cohutta Wilderness and out on boats
16 November | December 2014
GFC FIA Forester Nathan Wheat uses a special data recorder to input a myr-
iad of tree and plot measurements.
17Georgia Forestry Today
in the Okefenokee,” said Wheat. “We haveto beat back briars and we’ve seen plentyof yellow jackets, snakes, and even a blackbear. It’s something different every day,” hesaid.
Georgia Team Leads the Pack
On a ‘good day,’ the duo can complete twoplots, which is on the higher end of theone-and-a-half to two plots-per-day aver-age for the entire FIA group. Speed andefficiency wouldn’t result, however, with-out experience, and this team has it; animpressive 105 years of collective FIAboots on the ground!
“ey’re the best in the South,” saidRichard Harper, Forester, Forest ResourceAnalyst, USFS Southern Research Sta-tion. “Our Quality Assurance and QualityControl crews periodically go behindthem and see how closely their numbersmatch. Georgia has the highest level of ac-curacy in the nation,” he said.
Harper’s analysis of the data is inte-gral to the way it is used and understoodby various audiences. Industry and privatelandowners alike have access to the multi-faceted information at www.fia.fs.fed.us/tools-data. e site’s ‘Evalidator’ featureallows data query options that provide an-swers to the most complex timber assess-ments.
“I talk to people all over the world,”said Harper. “Industry people are veryaware of this tool, along with the mills’TPOs (Timber Product Outputs) thatgive details on wood volume delivered tothe mills, products, and species.”
Harper said the plethora of datatracked by FIA, including timber growthand removals, and timber and forest bio-mass volumes, are used as strategic plan-ning tools that additionally provideinsight into the dynamics of the forest.
“We could be the first to respond toa potential issue that needs attention—‘Early Detection/Rapid Response,’”saidHarper. He cited FIA data currently beingused by the US Fish & Wildlife Service tounderstand habitat characteristics impact-ing the gopher tortoise turtle. He said theforestry community is also interested in a
documented trend showing an imbalancein small diameter timber.
Georgia Forestry Commission ForestInventory Analyst Coordinator, DavidDickinson, said the volume decline in thesix-inch diameter class wasn’t evident in2009 but became apparent by 2011.
“e government programs thathelped landowners plant trees back in the’80s don’t exist now,” Dickinson said.“Many landowners are making decisionsbased on today’s timber prices and aren’treplanting. We’re encouraging landownersto plant for the future. If demand is con-stant and supply is down, they’ll be theones getting premium prices,” he said.
e GFC’s Dickinson and Willardoen work together to personally presentFIA information to potential industryseeking detailed facts about Georgia's tim-ber supply. In 2008, they held an initialmeeting with site selection managers forGeorgia Biomass. Today, Georgia Biomass’Waycross facility is the world’s largest pro-ducer of wood pellets for fuel to power Eu-rope’s energy generating plants.
Keeping the Cycle Intact
Most timber industry players value theFIA system and its output, yet dollars tofund the program have diminished in re-cent years. is determines the number ofFIA foresters GFC can employ and thenumber of plots that can be measured an-nually. In recent years, the federal portionof the equation has been for a seven yearcycle, and Georgia has infused enoughstate dollars to bring this down to a fiveyear cycle. With current funding, the pro-
gram will be targeted for a ten year cycle,which won’t be adequate to keep the re-search system on its five year rotations.Many experts believe five years may not beadequate in the Southeast, where mar-ketable timber can be produced in as fewas 15 years.
“It’s really critical that we keep cur-rent with forest trends and metrics for themany decisions that must be made,” saidJames Johnson, Forest Management Chieffor the Georgia Forestry Commission.“Georgia’s forests are healthy and sustain-able today. Staying on this current FIAcycle will help keep our forest industryhealthy and viable for many generationsto come.”
at goal not only supports an indus-try, it insures Georgians an ongoing sup-ply of clean air, clean water, and amplerecreation havens—along with the un-matched splendor of enjoying our beauti-
Forest Inventory Analysis forestersfrom the Georgia ForestryCommission work all across the state.Currently, ten foresters and onecoordinator make up the team:David Dickinson, FIA CoordinatorZachary LedbetterTim KarcherDan ChappellChris DowdyMark FreemanChadd NorthcuttNathan Wheat Morgan CookKeith MossChad Sutton
FIA calculations represent Georgia’s abundant forest resources and help mar-
ket them to the world.
18 November | December 2014
19Georgia Forestry Today
At the 2014 Georgia Forestry AssociationAnnual Conference in Hilton Head Is-land, South Carolina, the Association rec-ognized a group of individuals who havemade a significant impact on the forestrycommunity and success of the Associationand the Foundation through their advo-cacy and educational efforts.
This year, for the first time in the his-tory of the Association, two people werepresented the Association’s highest honor,the Wise Owl Award. Landowners andforestry professionals Earl and WandaBarrs of Cochran, Georgia, were pre-sented the award and recognized for theirextraordinary contributions to theforestry community through their advo-cacy and educational efforts.
In presenting the award, State Repre-sentative Chuck Williams and David Foilof Forest Resource Consultants said thisof the Barrs, “There is not a more dynamicduo in Georgia’s forestry community thanEarl and Wanda Barrs. Collectively, theirinvolvement and support of forestry-re-lated organizations and endeavors couldfill volumes. And, they are always willingto share their knowledge, their insight,and their beloved Gully Branch Tree Farmwith others.”
In looking at the couple’s trackrecord, it is apparent that each individualcould have been presented the awardsolely based on their own efforts.
Earl, a native of Cochran, has morethan 35 years of experience in wildlife andland conservation projects, timber man-agement, and land acquisitions, and hehas committed years of leadership in the
forest sector, both public and private. Asa Professional Forester, Real Estate Broker,and Certified Appraiser, Earl currentlyowns and manages several companies fo-cusing on forestry and real estate invest-ments in the Southeast.
Wanda currently serves the commu-nity and state as a parent, trained educa-tor, small business associate, and volunteer
Gfa recognizes Wise owl(s) for forest advocacy and
education By Matt Hestad | Georgia Forestry Association
Georgia Forestry Today 21
leader. After serving as a middle school ed-ucator for eight years and a local schoolboard member for 12 years—six years aschair, she was appointed in 2003 to theGeorgia State Board of Education whereshe served as chair from 2003 to 2013. Inthis capacity, Wanda worked with local,state, and national leaders to challenge ed-ucators, communities, and policy makersto enhance education.
Gully Branch Tree Farm has mergedthe passions of education and forestry forEarl and Wanda. Along with their family,they have collaborated with communities,schools, and the industry to educate thepublic on how to use trees as a sustainable,renewable, natural resource. Earl andWanda have hosted more than 7,000 stu-
dents and adults at Gully Branch TreeFarm since 1994 for the purpose of envi-ronmental education, wildlife observa-tion, and field events.
As a team, Wanda and Earl have re-ceived numerous awards and recognitions.In 2006, the couple was recognized withThe BASF Outstanding Achievements inSustainable Forestry Award, a cooperative,national-level award between BASF Corp.and the American Tree Farm System. In2009, The American Tree Farm Associa-tion named the Barrs National Tree Farm-ers of the Year and in 2010 they receivedthe Governor’s Agriculture Environmen-tal Stewardship Award.
The Association also recognized sev-eral other individuals at the annual con-
ference including 2014 Georgia TreeFarmer of the Year, Henry Walker,McRae, Georgia; GFA Chairman’s Awardrecipients, Bill Guthrie of Weyerhaeuser;Becky Watson of MeadWestvaco; and LeeRhodes of Rhodes Timber Company.Also, Georgia Project Learning Tree rec-ognized PLT Outstanding Facilitator ofthe Year, Lauren Johnson, Oxbow Mead-ows Environmental Learning Center;PLT Outstanding Service Award recipi-ent, James Kent, Department of Defense,Ft. Benning; and PLT Outstanding Edu-cator of the Year, Barbara Boler, TheLangdale Company. e
The Georgia Department of Trans-
portation (GDOT) seeks feedback
from Georgia citizens about how
transportation funds should be spent
over the next 25 years. Sharing your
view is critical to ensuring the build-
ing and maintenance of rural infra-
structure. The confidential survey,
which requires just five to ten min-
utes, should be completed by No-
vember 21.
The survey, which can be ac-
cessed at www.gdot2040.com, will
be used to update the Statewide
Strategic Transportation Plan
(SSTP)/Statewide Transportation Plan
(SWTP). It asks users to identify which
aspects of the transportation system
are most important. GDOT will use
the input to inform future transporta-
tion decisions. (For questions or com-
ments about the SSTP/SWTP, contact
GDOT at [email protected].)
The survey is being conducted in
the context of a Joint House-Senate
Study Committee on Critical Trans-
portation Infrastructure Funding,
which has held public meetings at
various locations around the state
this summer and fall. According to
Steve McWilliams, president of the
Georgia Forestry Association, these
hearings have presented Georgians
with an excellent opportunity to ex-
press their views about improve-
ments needed to make the
movement of people and products
more safe and efficient.
“GFA, including several of its
members, has urged the study com-
mittee not to forget rural Georgia
when making plans and allocating
funding for transportation improve-
ments,” said McWilliams. “The metro
Atlanta area certainly has legitimate
transportation needs that must be
addressed, but good roads and
bridges are critical to individual and
business taxpayers in the non-metro
areas of the state as well.” e
Share Your Opinion:
Transportation Funding in Georgia
22 November | December 2014
Georgia’s ForestDangers By John Trussell
The OUTDOORSMAN
Part I
Justin Sapp harvested this black bear in Twiggs County on
the Middle Georgia Bear Hunt in December, 2013.
23Georgia Forestry Today
odern outdoorsmen often fret about
‘snakes, wild boars, and bears,’ but
what are the real dangers in the woods
and what can we do to confront them?
Although we sometimes worry about
getting snake bit, cut by a wild boar, or
eaten by a bear, are there real risks of
those things happening? You probably have a better
chance of winning the lottery, but let’s take a closer look.
Snakes are probably the most dangerous animal that
the majority of outdoorsmen might run across, but most
snakes are non-venomous and harmless, which elimi-
nates a lot of the risk. Most snake bites occur because
someone was poking a stick at a snake, got too close to a
snake, or improperly handled a snaked they should not
have held in the first place. If you remove those ‘dumb
and dumber’ aspects, snakes are a minimal danger in the
woods.
Hunters can take reasonable precautions by keeping
an eye on the ground in front of them. A snake can only
strike a distance equal to its length, and usually less, so
don’t worry about a snake biting you from ten feet away.
Also, watch for movement on the ground as you walk be-
cause most snakes don’t want to get stepped on, so
they’ll try to slither out of the way.
However, if by bad luck you catch a snake napping
and happen to get bit, what you should do next depends
on the snake. Non-venomous snakes have very small,
raspy teeth, which the snake uses to hold and swallow
prey, and they offer little or no danger to humans. It
might sting, but you are in no real danger.
Snake proof boots or chaps will stop the fangs of a
venomous snake, but they can be hot to wear and are
often stiff. Snake proof gaiters are another option that is
growing in popularity. If by bad luck you get snake bit,
rush to the nearest hospital and be prepared to identify
the snake that bit you.
Sometimes, outdoor writers think they are writing a
script for a Hollywood movie, and the real danger from
wild animals might be exaggerated a bit. Wild pigs are a
good example, but there are some minimal risks anytime
you deal with wild animals.
Usually, wild pigs are docile animals that stay away
from the scent of humans, so hunters have nothing to
worry about during a routine firearms hunt. If a wild pig
sees or smells you, he'll leave you alone. However, in-
jured, frightened wild pigs, or sows protecting piglets, do
pose some risk to hunters.
If you shoot a wild pig, especially a large wild boar,
use caution when you approach and make sure it’s dead.
If not, perform the coup de grâce as quickly as possible
from a safe distance. But despite your best plans, strange
things do happen.
A few years ago, I was on a black powder hunt at Oaky
Woods Wildlife Management Area, and after sitting still
all morning I had seen nothing. At 11:30 a.m., just before
I was getting ready to go to the truck for lunch, three wild
pigs crossed the ridge I was watching at a range of 75
yards. They were moving at a fast walk when I put my
sights on the largest one and pulled the trigger. After the
smoke cleared, I could see the 150-pound wild hog on the
ground, seemingly as dead as a hammer. I approached
the animal and saw no visual wound, which of course is
most unusual. As I got closer, I could see that the 350-
grain maxiball had pierced both of the hog's ears through
the cartilage and lightly grazed the back of its head,
knocking it out cold!
Within a few seconds, the pig was rousing and there
I was standing over the pig with an unloaded gun. I tried
to quickly load the muzzle-loader, but my motions
seemed as slow as molasses in the wintertime. In less
than five seconds, the pig was back on his feet and had
begun to run away from me. Seeing my visions of pork
sausage slipping away, I instinctively took off after the pig,
not sure what I would do if I caught it.
The solid-black young boar had a strong sense of sur-
vival because he headed to the thick swamp. I ran as
quickly as I could behind the pig, and I must admit I'm
glad that no one saw the sight! After about 50 yards, the
pig stumbled over a log, which gave me an opportunity
to close the distance, and when he got back to his feet
M
and took off, I was right behind him.
For the next 50 yards, I made numer-
ous quick grabs at the pig’s rear legs
but was only grabbing air as we
scrambled through the woods. Then
I got lucky and connected with a firm
grip on the pig's ankle. The pig was
squealing loudly and quickly lunged
around trying to bite me. Remember-
ing techniques from my boyhood
days back on the farm where we
raised domestic pigs, I quickly flipped
the pig over on his side and put my
boot on the neck to hold him down. I
struggled to get out my Gerber Gator
knife and plunged it into the pig's
neck near the jugular vein. Within 30
seconds, the pig had expired, and I
had collected my pork in a most un-
usual way. It was the first wild pig I
had taken with a knife.
Occasionally, wild hogs will run a
hunter up a tree, but almost always
the hog is being chased by the
hunter's dogs, is wounded, or it is an
old sow protecting piglets. Running
wild hogs with specially trained dogs
is a sure-fire way to make a wild hog
aggressive. In this situation, it’s a no
holds barred, down and dirty fight for
survival for the wild pig, and both the
dogs and hunters are at risk. Some
dogs are wounded or killed by this
type of hunting, and occasionally a
hunter might be cut by the hog’s
tusks, especially if he attempts to
capture and hog-tie the animal alive.
This is not a sport for the faint-
hearted, but then again, this is not
the usual stand-hunting method,
which poses almost no risk to the hog
hunter.
The black bear is another game
animal that has been portrayed as
dangerous, but in truth they are nor-
mally very shy, docile creatures. Over
the years, I've hunted bears (two
hang on my wall) and observed them
many times while deer hunting. I get
a thrill each time I see one, but I
rarely worry about any danger from
a black bear. There has never been a
documented black bear attack on a
human in Georgia, and such attacks
are very rare in the USA. Most such
injuries have primarily occurred in
national parks, where tourists were
illegally feeding the bears, and con-
sequently the bears lost their fear of
humans.
A few years ago, a North Georgia
man was found dead in the South
Georgia deer woods, and an autopsy
showed that a bear had probably
gnawed on him. However, he was al-
November | December 201424
An invasive grass species frequently
found in forests has created a thriv-
ing habitat for wolf spiders, who then
feed on American toads, a new War-
nell School study has found.
Japanese stiltgrass, which was
accidentally introduced to the U.S. in
the early 1900s, is one of the most
pervasive invasive species and has
spread to more than a dozen states
in the past century, particularly in the
Southeast. Typically found along
roads and in forests, it can survive in
widely diverse ecosystems and has
been found to impact native plant
species, invertebrate populations,
and soil nutrients.
In a new study recently pub-
lished in the journal Ecology, UGA re-
searchers found that Japanese
stiltgrass also is affecting arachnid
predators: Lycosid spiders, com-
monly known as wolf spiders, thrive
in the grass. As their numbers grow,
more spiders then feed on young
American toads, ultimately reducing
the amphibian’s survival wherever
this grass grows.
John Maerz, an associate profes-
sor in UGA’s Warnell School of
Forestry and Natural Resources and
one of the paper’s authors, said they
found the grass had the greatest neg-
ative impact on toad survival in
More wolf spiders feasting on American toads
due to invasive grass
Georgia Forestry Today 25
ready dead from a tree stand fall at
the time. But bears can be unpre-
dictable. This last October, a young
man was attacked and killed by a
black bear in an unprovoked attack in
New Jersey. Also this fall, a hunter
was killed in Wyoming by a black
bear that was surprised while feeding
on a deer carcass. Black bears are pri-
marily vegetarians; however, they
will kill small, young animals like
fawns or piglets, or feed on carrion,
like dead deer, when they come
across them. In the extremely rare
chance that a black bear might attack
you, fight for your life, as it does plan
on killing you.
Next issue we will discuss alliga-
tors, deer, general hunting dangers,
and hunting safety tips. e
By Sandi Martin | Public Relations Coordinator | Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
26 November | December 2014
forests where toad survival was nat-
urally high.
“In other words, the grass is de-
grading the best forests for young
toad survival,” Maerz said. “Another
important finding was that the inva-
sive grass affects toads by changing
interactions among native species
rather than the grass having a direct
effect on the native toads.”
Jayna DeVore, who led the proj-
ect while earning her doctorate in the
Warnell School, said people often
don’t fully realize how much struc-
tural changes in an environment can
affect how animals interact.
“Ecosystems are so incredibly
complex that it can be surprisingly
difficult to foresee just how environ-
mental changes, such as an invasion,
will affect organisms living in af-
fected areas,” said DeVore, who is
now a postdoctoral fellow with the
University of Sydney in Australia. “I
think that one of the unique things
about this study is that it not only
documents the fact that this plant
invasion reduces the survival of a
native species, but also determines
the mechanism through which that
occurs.”
Maerz has been interested in the
effects of Japanese stiltgrass on for-
est ecosystems for years. When De-
Vore and Maerz originally found
lower survival of American toads at
eight locations in Georgia where stilt-
grass is actively invading, they ini-
tially speculated that the grass was
reducing the toads’ food supply by
reducing insect populations—few na-
tive insects eat the Asian grass. How-
ever, after noticing the wolf spiders
routinely preying upon toads in in-
vaded habitats, it began to click,
Maerz said.
Spiders are incredible predators,
he explained, and they eat every-
thing—even other spiders. That typi-
cally keeps spider populations in
check, Maerz said, but Japanese stilt-
grass is “kind of like a tall shag car-
pet,” and it provides the cannibalistic
spiders refuge from one another. The
accumulation of large, predatory spi-
ders in these invaded habitats then
results in higher mortality for small
toads that have recently emerged
from wetlands.
To test their hypothesis, DeVore
and Maerz created cages where they
could control the presence of stilt-
grass and spiders. They found that
spider densities were 33 percent
higher and toad survival decreased
by 65 percent in cages with the pres-
ence of stiltgrass. The presence of
stiltgrass alone, in the absence of spi-
ders, did not affect toad survival.
“Spiders are actually tremen-
dously important and incredibly
abundant predators on the forest
floor, and they will eat many of the
small species that live there, so this
effect is unlikely to only influence
toads,” DeVore said. “And there are
also other ways in which invasion by
this Asian plant may influence
species on the forest floor. We docu-
mented changes in invertebrate den-
sities and soil characteristics that
may affect other species that depend
on these invertebrates for prey or are
sensitive to changes in soil properties
such as moisture and pH.”
DeVore and Maerz are trying to
determine whether the grass inva-
sion is affecting other amphibian
species in similar or predictable ways.
It’s “logistically impossible” to test
the effects on an environmental
change on every species that could
be impacted, DeVore said, and even
related species often react dramati-
cally differently. The researchers
hope to show that by accounting for
certain aspects of the behavior and
biology of a species, it will allow
them to predict how they react.
The paper by DeVore and Maerz
was featured on the cover of the July
issue of Ecology. e
University of Georgia researcher
Doug Peterson will use a nearly
$500,000 grant from the National
Marine Fisheries Service in partner-
ship with the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources to determine how
well Atlantic sturgeon are reproduc-
ing in Georgia rivers two years after
the species was listed as endangered.
Biologists feared the fish’s popu-
lations had been lost from several of
the state’s coastal waterways.
Populations of the ancient fish ap-
pear to be rebounding in some parts
of the country, spurring discussion
about whether the Atlantic sturgeon
should be down listed from endan-
gered status, said Peterson, a fisheries
By Sandi Martin | Public Relations Coordinator | Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
UGA to Study Endangered Atlantic Sturgeon in
Three Georgia Rivers
professor in UGA’s Warnell School of
Forestry and Natural Resources. How-
ever, there is no real evidence that the
sturgeon is rebounding everywhere,
particularly in the South Atlantic Dis-
tinct Population Segment, which in-
cludes Georgia.
Peterson is launching a three-year
project to study the issue.
“Although we’ve seen a significant in-
crease in juvenile abundance in the
Altamaha River, we remain very con-
cerned about populations in the St.
Mary’s, Satilla, and Ogeechee rivers,”
Peterson said.
Peterson has shown in an unre-
lated project that the Atlantic stur-
geon appears to be rebounding in
Georgia. For the first time in decades,
he documented sturgeon reproduc-
tion in the St. Mary’s River.
“We thought they were extinct
there,” Peterson said, but earlier this
year, while working on a new project
for the U.S. Navy, his research team
captured more than ten young juve-
niles he believes were born in the St.
Mary’s River.
“Because Atlantic sturgeon return
to spawn only in the same river where
they were born, this was a significant
and exciting find,” Peterson said.
27Georgia Forestry Today
28 November | December 2014
Atlantic sturgeon, targeted for
their valuable caviar, were first pro-
tected from commercial fishing in
1996 after studies showed their
numbers had declined dramatically,
pushing them to the brink of extinc-
tion. The National Marine Fisheries
Service listed them as an endan-
gered species in 2012, but that deci-
sion has been controversial and
unpopular, Peterson said, because of
the strict rules in place that commer-
cial fisheries must follow if one is ac-
cidentally caught in a net and
because of the detailed management
plans state agencies must enact to
deal with situations involving the At-
lantic sturgeon bycatch.
Initial recommendations from
sturgeon biologists was to list the At-
lantic sturgeon as ‘threatened,’ which
would have provided similar protec-
tions with fewer restrictions on local
fisheries. Further complicating this
controversy was the National Marine
Fisheries Service's decision to list
some populations of Atlantic stur-
geon as endangered while listing oth-
ers as threatened.
The imperiled fish are found
along the east coast as far as Canada,
but only those populations south of
Maine are considered endangered.
Peterson's project will focus on
the Ogeechee, Satilla, and Altamaha
rivers because these three Georgia
waterways are considered the
‘barometer of recovery,’ Peterson
said. "Together, they comprise the
southernmost portion of the Atlantic
sturgeon's range. These rivers are es-
sentially the canaries in the mine. If
sturgeon are recovering here, then
they’re likely recovering in other
rivers as well.”
The project has three primary ob-
jectives, the first of which is to find
out how many sturgeon are being
born in the Ogeechee and Satilla
rivers. Populations in these two rivers
have been particularly low, while
those in the Altamaha appear to have
recovered.
Peterson also will compare the
quality of juvenile nursery habitats in
the Ogeechee and Satilla rivers to
those of the Altamaha.
“By estimating the number of
one-year-old sturgeon in any given
river, we can get a really good idea of
how the population is doing,” Peter-
son said.
The Altamaha River population
has had a tremendous resurgence in
recent years, growing from less than a
thousand of these young juveniles in
2004 to nearly 7,000 in 2012. By com-
paring how the year-old sturgeon in
the Ogeechee and Satilla rivers are
doing with those in the Altamaha, Pe-
terson can determine if there is some-
thing about the nursery habitats in
those other rivers that could be limit-
ing recovery of their population.
Peterson plans to tag some of the
year-old sturgeon he catches with
acoustic ‘pingers’ that will allow his
team to track where they go, when
they go there and for how long.
“We’re sort of like detectives trying
to unravel a mystery about why these
ancient fish are recovering in some
rivers and not others.” Peterson said.
One of the most complex parts of
the project involves DNA ‘fingerprint-
ing’ of the sturgeon. Scientists have al-
ready developed a DNA library for
sturgeon, which they use to monitor
the health of each population, but
there could be some major flaws in the
system. The library allows fishery man-
agers to determine the population of
origin for each individual sturgeon ac-
cidentally captured in commercial fish-
eries nets—important because by
listing the species as ‘endangered,’
states and commercial fisheries could
run afoul of the Endangered Species
Act if Atlantic sturgeon are accidentally
caught in their nets.
Checking the DNA library would
allow scientists to determine which
fisheries are harming sturgeon recov-
ery the most, especially as not every
sturgeon population is affected by
the fisheries business.
“Unfortunately, that DNA library
may be corrupted because it was
mostly constructed using tissue sam-
ples from adult sturgeon,” he said.
“This could be a problem because
adult sturgeon often move around
and are frequently found in non-natal
rivers. That means that they could be
misidentified in the genetic database
as being from one population when
they are actually from another.”
Peterson’s project plans to take
samples from juvenile sturgeon be-
fore they leave their natal rivers to
help correct these potential errors in
the genetic database. Ultimately, Pe-
terson said, the results of this project
should help improve the quality of
the genetic database for the species.
“No one wants to shut down our
otherwise well managed commercial
fisheries,” he said. “The key is to de-
velop the best tools possible that will
help managers minimize the effects
that these fisheries are having on At-
lantic sturgeon recovery.”
Peterson is working on the proj-
ect with Isaac Wirgin, associate pro-
fessor in the Department of
Environmental Medicine at New York
University School of Medicine. Wir-
gin, a well-known sturgeon genetics
expert, will analyze the DNA samples
Peterson takes from sturgeon that his
team captures in Georgia’s rivers. Pe-
terson will receive $466,687 from the
National Marine Fisheries Service for
the study in partnership with the
Georgia Department of Natural Re-
sources and will subcontract to Wir-
gin for $87,744 to conduct the DNA
analyses. e
29Georgia Forestry Today
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES
BOBBY D. BROWNRegistered Forester GA Number: 2164Licensed Realtor GA Number: 165520
20364 GA Hwy #3 Thomasville, GA 31792(229) 221-3016 [email protected]
FOREST RESOURCE SERVICES INC.Specializing in Land and Timber Management & SalesBuyers of Land and Timber
in Georgia and the South
Canal Wood LLC
601 North Belair Square, Suite 21
Evans, Georgia 30809
Phone: (800) 833-8178
E-mail: [email protected]
BEACH TIMBER COMPANY INC.128 Beach Timber Road
Alma, Ga 31510Office: (912) 632-2800
Gary Strickland OwnerForesters Available
We Buy [email protected]
Todd Hipp (803) 924-0978 [email protected] Hipp (803) 924-4131 [email protected] Hipp (803) 924-5940 [email protected]
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www.hippenterprises.com
C A N T R E L L F O R E S T
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In Woods Chipping
1433 Galilee Church RoadJefferson, GA 30549
Office: (706) 367-4813 Mobile: (706) 498-6243Home: (706) 367-1521
LAMARCANTRELL
November | December30
GEORGIA FORESTRY TODAY DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES
31Georgia Forestry Today