Transcript Document

Role of Georgia Forestry
Commission in Changing
Forest Ownership
and Land Conservation
Ken Stewart, Director
2006 SAF Georgia Division
Annual Meeting
VISION
Healthy, sustainable forests
providing clean air, clean water,
and abundant products for future
generations.
MISSION
To provide leadership, service,
and education in the protection
and conservation of Georgia’s
forest resources.
Two Georgias – Our Customers
Rural
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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
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
Urbanization of Legislature
 Knowledge base is different
 Strategies need to be different
 Must be proactive
GFC’s Initiatives
for
Both Georgias
 Sustainable Community Forestry
Program
• AKA Urban & Community Forestry
• Significant investment
• Relates to our customers and
expectations
NOT JUST ARBORISTS ANYMORE!
 Expand forest-based industries
• Forest Products Utilization & Marketing
• Economic development
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Several prospective new projects
Huber Engineered Wood/Swainsboro OSB mill
European prospects
Identify & secure niche/specialty markets
 Increase biomass use
• Facilitate potential multi-billion dollar
impact on Georgia’s economy
• Utilize Georgia’s vast supply of cellulosic
biomass
• Drive ethanol production with vast
biomass resource
• Corn vs. cellulosic biomass
Georgia Biomass from Forestry
Sources
Source: General Bioenergy, Inc. 2005
 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
 Improve forest health –
control & eradicate invasive species
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Cogongrass
Southern Pine Beetle
Ambrosia Beetle
SOD
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
 Improve water quality
• Provide BMP education to landowners
• Monitor BMP implementation &
effectiveness
• BMP Assurance exams
To do: Get word out to landowners
 Promote prescribed burning
• Prescribed Fire Manager Certification
• Smoke management plans – online
• PM 2.5 Standards – EPA Exceptional
Events nomination
To do: Work to amend Georgia’s “Right
to Farm” statute to protect prescribed
fire management tools
 Administer Forest Legacy Program
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
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
 Improve cooperator relations
• Teamwork vital
• Forest industry, fire departments, DNR,
GSP, DOC, GEMA
• Georgia Basic Wildland Firefighting
certifications
• Firewise
• Fire Risk Assessment
Forestry’s Changing Times
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Globalization
Multiple use / Changing priorities
Primary/secondary manufacturers
New markets – leverage resource
strengths
 Ensure economic viability
Two Georgias are inextricably
entwined
Must create value for our customers or
where/what will Forest Industry be in 25
years?
What can you do?
 Keep Georgia’s forest industry
competitive –
• By helping modify Georgia’s tax system to
encourage sustainable forest land
management and ownership
• By working to amend Georgia’s “Right to
Farm” statute to protect prescribed fire
management tools
 Become a champion – forests are critical
to the economy & quality of life of BOTH
Georgia’s
Ken Stewart
Director
gatrees.org