Tag Archives: forestry education Georgia

Forestry Field Day Brings Industry, Wildlife, and Students Together in Griffin

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Griffin, GA |

From managing wildlife to recovering from devastating storms, professionals across Georgia’s forestry sector came together at the UGA Griffin Campus for a day dedicated to the state’s top industry. The event offered a comprehensive look at both emerging techniques and traditional practices, catering to seasoned timber growers and new landowners alike.

“Well, from a producer standpoint, we’ve got a lot of professors out here with maybe cutting-edge techniques for managing wildlife and timber, as well as traditional methods they might not be used to,” said Jeff Sibley, Lead Forester for Georgia Forestry Commission Region 1. “It could be that we’ve got some new landowners that haven’t had the opportunity to interact with professionals in forestry and wildlife. We’re here to give them information they may not have ever had.”

With more than 30 expert-led topics on the agenda, the field day featured timely discussions on everything from beekeeping and deer diseases to chainsaw safety and forest management.

“We have a lot of great professionals who volunteer their time to share their expertise,” said John Gassett, Research Station Superintendent at UGA Griffin. “There’s a lot of great information here for people to learn and obtain.”

The event also tackled some of the challenges facing timber producers across the state—most notably the long-term impact of Hurricane Helene, along with mill closures and international competition.

“We’ve been working with the Georgia Forestry Commission to try to get things taken care of,” said Gassett. “There was so much devastation across Georgia, and we’re still in the planning stages. But longevity is the key—we’ve always gone through tough times and come out.”

Wildlife management was another major topic of discussion. Organizers emphasized the importance of striking a balance between forest health and wildlife conservation.

“You can’t manage forests without affecting wildlife, and you can’t manage wildlife without affecting forestry,” Sibley explained. “It’s a good opportunity to show how forestry impacts wildlife and vice versa. Sometimes you have to give on the forestry side to promote certain species.”

Gassett echoed that sentiment, pointing out that integrating recreational opportunities like hunting and hiking can benefit both the land and those who use it.

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” he said. “This is a great way to keep your stands healthy and your land productive. Wildlife helps you understand the health of the forest too.”

With forestry being Georgia’s number one commercial industry—supporting more than 140,000 jobs statewide—organizers also made sure to include the next generation. Students from across Georgia were invited to explore careers in forestry and natural resources.

“We wanted students to have the opportunity to get an idea of what career options are out there,” said Sibley. “We talked to them about what it takes to get into forestry schools, what the expectations are, and the many different career paths available in the outdoors.”

By: Damon Jones

Georgia’s Pine Tree Reforestation Process Explained | Planting for a Thriving Timber Future

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Milledgeville, GA |

Here in Baldwin County, these guys are hard at work hand planting pine trees – a crucial step in Georgia’s reforestation process. However, that process isn’t an easy one – in fact it’s a multi-step process that foresters across the state follow closely, starting with clearing out the competition, giving the seedlings the best chance to survive.

“So after a clear cut, you’ve got all this influx of sunlight that’s going to get a lot of things growing that weren’t growing when it wasn’t a forested stand, so you’ve got to get rid of all that competing vegetation or it’s going to outcompete your pine trees, and you’re going to have poor survival. So they do a broadcast chemical treatment that kills all that vegetation and then so you let that chemical work for about two months and then you’re ready to actually put the trees in the ground during the winter time. So the time frame on those steps are, the chemical site treatment is in the summer, you’re going to do your burning in the fall, roughly two months after the chemical treatment, and then you’re going to plant the trees,” says Jason McMullen, Management Forester with the Georgia Forestry Commission.

According to McMullen, once the site is ready, the Winter is the most ideal time of year for planting, as the moist soil allows the seedlings to take root.

“Generally, you know, it’s wet in the winter and it’s cool. You’re going to get the trees in the ground while there’s plenty of moisture, and they have time to start spreading the roots and getting established before it turns dry in the spring and summer. We are planting containerized seedlings here, so they’re going to be more drought resistant versus bare root seedlings, but it just helps them get established before it gets hot and dry in the summer,” says McMullen.

From there, McMullen says management is the key to success, as the ultimate goal is ensuring the trees are able to thrive.

“Our next potential step would be in the spring doing a herbaceous weed control treatment. That’s a follow up chemical treatment to knock back any weeds or competing vegetation that may try to come up this spring. After that, with loblolly pine, you really just let them grow for about fifteen years, and then you’re going to be looking at doing your first commercial thinning operation,” says McMullen.

According to McMullen however, while the timing and technique are important parts of the process, it’s the big picture that matters most to Georgia’s forestry industry, and is one that’s typically misunderstood.

“I have people ask me about are we running out of trees? Why are you cutting down the trees? The trees, they are a crop. They’re planted for the purpose of harvesting. So the bigger issue is if you were to clear cut something and not putting it back. Here, replanting trees, that’s being a good steward of the land; getting the land back in a productive state and helping our thriving timber economy continue to thrive,” says McMullen.

By: John Holcomb