Page 24 - Georgia Forestry - Issue2 - Spring 2019

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plan guided by GFC Forester Stephen Martin. “He’s come out to talk to me two or three times already. There are a lot of decisions to be made.”
On a bumpy ride along sandy lengths of firebreaks, Middleton and Martin gauged conditions and somberly acknowledged previous work forever ruined. They settled on a plan to “clear cut, spray, burn and plant,” with special care to preserve the burrows of her beloved gopher tortoises.
“I love my land and I love my trees,” she said. “This is heartbreaking.”
Similar tours on Mark Coffman’s acreage across the county showed total destruction of a tract of big timber that was set to be clear-cut, until Michael upset the plan. Coffman was fortunate to move some timber out fairly quickly.
“But the mills are just not designed to absorb this kind of shock,” he said.
Matthew Ferguson of Coastal Tim- berland in nearby Havana commiserates with landowners in need — but, “There’s no earthly way we could help everyone get their wood up,” he said. “Unfortu- nately we had to pick and choose and help our long-term customers who’d consistently supplied us with wood.”
Facing Future Possibilities
As recovery phases continue to evolve, the GFC is analyzing the Michael expe- rience to plan for “next time.” Recently, a day-long “After Action Review” pro- duced detailed documentation of the agency’s response that covered logis- tics, human resources, administration and communication issues. A number of suggested improvements are being implemented or considered.
GFC specialists are focusing on storm after-effects that could impact weather, fire and pests. Fortunately, drenching rains that hampered debris removal early in the year have eased off, and the outlook for fire is “low to normal,” according to Frank Sorrells.
“We know there’s a lot of fuel on the ground,” Sorrells said, “so we’ll be monitoring conditions closely. We’re encouraging more prescribed burning in the area, and debris burning with a permit. We want people to clean up as much as possible.” Sorrells added that should fire risk increase, GFC air support and additional equipment would be stra- tegically relocated for quick dispatch.
Because wind-damaged pine trees are a big draw for insects, GFC’s Forest Health team is watching for early signs
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22 | GEORGIA FORESTRY