Georgia Magazine - July 2013 - (Page 29)

When people think of the forest industry, they picture a logging operation. All too often, that image includes the unattractive, stumpy landscape of a forest plot after clearcutting. But that’s the exception. Most of the time, if at all, that condition lasts only four to six months out of a 35year growing cycle. Then the forest landowner replants with new pine seedlings. “You hear on the news they’re clear-cutting our forests,” says Richard Hawk, buyer for Monroe-based Piedmont Timber. “Get on a plane and ﬂy around. There is more timber now than even back in the ’40s and ’50s.” James Johnson, chief of forest management for the Georgia Forestry Commission, agrees. “We continue to grow more wood than we harvest,” he says. “There is also a higher yield of wood than before on every acre that’s grown. I can’t think of another ‘crop’ that actually renews itself.” Not only are there more forests in Georgia than ever before, there is also more care given to the growth and harvesting of those forests. That’s due, in large part, to the efforts of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), which touches the entire wood-producing process, from the grower all July 2013 the way to the mill. “It’s a rigorous system, and it works well,” says Harold Palmer, a Georgia-based registered forester and consultant for 40 years. “We’re ensuring water quality is protected. People are not clear-cutting all the way to the creeks and damming them up. That’s not happening.” It starts with manufacturing companies. They require the wood used in their products to come from forests that adhere to SFI guidelines. Among those guidelines is a set of best management practices (BMP). For example, the BMPs require buffers and boundaries around streams and adjoining wetlands to protect water quality. Right: Georgia Forestry Commission Chief of Forest Management James Johnson examines a 2-year-old pine seedling for signs of damage from pine tip moths. A serious pest, feeding larvae stunt the young trees and inhibit growth, causing economic losses. GREG BROOKS Doing the right thing When you see the Sustainable Forestry Initiative stamp on wood products, you can be assured that the timber was managed and harvested in an environmentally responsible way. GREG BROOKS owners a market for young trees and shortened the rotation. Then banks became willing to loan for land because they didn’t have to wait 60 or 80 years to get their money back.” Turpentine and other useful chemicals became a byproduct of the paper production process, again thanks to Herty. The labor-intensive days of tapping trees were over. The next big economic boost for Georgia’s forest industry, according to Izlar, came from an unlikely and unusual benefactor—retirement funds. The Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 forced pension funds to diversify. Timberland assets were viewed as a solid investment, and many wealthy organizations bought in, infusing the state’s forestry industry with money. Under a canopy of properly thinned pine trees, from left, certiﬁed logger Richard Hawk, registered forester Harold Palmer and Johnson discuss the plot’s forest management plan. The plan includes a set of best management practices that guarantee protection of water and wetland resources. More online at www.georgiamagazine.org 29 http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - July 2013

Georgia Magazine - July 2013
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Liberty Notes
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar of Events
Georgia’s Energy Outlook
Currents
Fly-in or Drive-In
“Air Fare America”
Wood Basket of the World
Link to Video on Georgia’s Tree Industry
Lighten Up!
Control What You Consume
Around Georgia
Enhancing your adventure
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Snapshot
More Snapshot photos
Plant of the month
July’s online trivia contest
Georgia Grown spotlight

Georgia Magazine - July 2013