Page 20 - Georgia Forestry - Fall 2018
P. 20
Story by Stasia Kelly
A Beautiful
Day in the
Neighborhood
State Forestry Commission and U.S. Forest Service Work Together to Improve Health of Forests on Public Lands
Rural landowners have long understood the value of good relationships with folks up the road. Shared information about fam- ilies, crops and the weather are staples in the fabric of life where there are often miles
between fences or mailboxes.
Communications can get more complicated, how-
ever, when adjacent landowners are corporations or
government entities. In the best of circumstances, private landowners have ready contacts within those organizations to maximize land management objectives on both sides of the property line.
Five years ago, the health of Georgia’s forests got a boost when the Good Neighbor Authority was established by the U.S. Congress. It paved the way for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to enter into agreements with state
18 | GEORGIA FORESTRY
