Role of Georgia Forestry Commission in Changing Forest Ownership and Land Conservation Ken Stewart,

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Role of Georgia Forestry Commission in Changing
Forest Ownership and Land Conservation Ken
Stewart, Director2006 SAF Georgia Division
Annual Meeting
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VISION

• Healthy, sustainable forests providing clean air,
  clean water, and abundant products for future
  generations.

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MISSION
To provide leadership, service, and education in
the protection and conservation of Georgias
forest resources.
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Two Georgias Our Customers

• Rural
• Traditional and the New
• Increasing fragmentation
• More owners
• Changing owner priorities
• More customers for GFC
• Urban
• 77 Georgia population
• Increasingly Eco-Focused
• Must drive value for this group

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Urbanization Outcomes

• Smaller parcel sizes
• More difficult management smoke/harvest
• More recreational pressure
• Conversion to non-forest
• Economic disincentives to own and manage with
  increased bare land values
• More local regulations and ordinances

Source SFRA So. WUI Assessment
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• Urbanization of Legislature
• Knowledge base is different
• Strategies need to be different
• Must be proactive

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GFCs Initiatives for Both Georgias
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• Sustainable Community Forestry Program
• AKA Urban Community Forestry
• Significant investment
• Relates to our customers and expectations

NOT JUST ARBORISTS ANYMORE!
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• Expand forest-based industries
• Forest Products Utilization Marketing
• Economic development
• Several prospective new projects
• Huber Engineered Wood/Swainsboro OSB mill
• European prospects
• Identify secure niche/specialty markets

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Increase biomass use

• Facilitate potential multi-billion dollar impact
  on Georgias economy
• Utilize Georgias vast supply of cellulosic
  biomass
• Drive ethanol production with vast biomass
  resource
• Corn vs. cellulosic biomass

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Georgia Biomass from Forestry Sources
Source General Bioenergy, Inc. 2005
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• Establish promote carbon registry
• 2004 Carbon Sequestration Act
• Currently working on protocol
• Carbon Credit Registry 2007
• To do Support programs that create a market
  for these carbon credits

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• Improve forest health
  control eradicate invasive species
• Cogongrass
• Southern Pine Beetle
• Ambrosia Beetle
• SOD
• Hemlock Wooly Adelgid

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• Improve water quality
• Provide BMP education to landowners
• Monitor BMP implementation effectiveness
• BMP Assurance exams

To do Get word out to landowners
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• Promote prescribed burning
• Prescribed Fire Manager Certification
• Smoke management plans online
• PM 2.5 Standards EPA Exceptional Events
  nomination

To do Work to amend Georgias Right to Farm
statute to protect prescribed fire management
tools
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• Administer Forest Legacy Program
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• Purpose - Give landowners conversion options
• Enables Georgia to leverage federal monies to
  protect lands from conversion to non-forest use
• Provides for purchase of threatened land or the
  purchase of development rights through
  conservation easements 
• 6,903 acres in program

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Forest Legacy Lands in Georgia

• Broxton Rocks 1,534 acre
• fee purchase
• The Preserve at Callaway Gardens
  2,500 acres
• donation and easement purchase
• Tarva Plantation - 4,968 acres
• donation as a conservation easement
• Flat Tub WMA 3,600 acre
• fee purchase and donation

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• Improve cooperator relations
• Teamwork vital
• Forest industry, fire departments, DNR, GSP, DOC,
  GEMA
• Georgia Basic Wildland Firefighting
  certifications
• Firewise
• Fire Risk Assessment

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Forestrys Changing Times

• Globalization
• Multiple use / Changing priorities
• Primary/secondary manufacturers
• New markets leverage resource strengths
• Ensure economic viability

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• Two Georgias are inextricably entwined
• Must create value for our customers or where/what
  will Forest Industry be in 25 years?

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• What can you do?
• Keep Georgias forest industry competitive
• By helping modify Georgias tax system to
  encourage sustainable forest land management and
  ownership
• By working to amend Georgias Right to Farm
  statute to protect prescribed fire management
  tools
• Become a champion forests are critical to the
  economy quality of life of BOTH Georgias

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Ken Stewart Director gatrees.org