Page 26 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 1 - Winter 2022

THE GFC AT 100
A Look Backward
& Forward
Since its inception by the Georgia General Assembly 100 years ago, the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) has faced many threats and challenges. This past year, however, has been uniquely difficult.
The confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic, political and financial uncertainty, and supply chain challenges were just a few of the hurdles we faced. Add the onboarding of a new director, and things could have been bumpy. I am so proud to say I couldn’t be more pleased with the strength and resilience the agency has demonstrated, and that I have been priv- ileged to witness.
As the pandemic unfolded, GFC care- fully implemented best management practices to keep our team members safe while at work. With changing protocols, we were able to be flexible while protect- ing ourselves and our customers from a foe with whom we were quite unfamiliar.
In the early parts of 2020, GFC temporarily
suspended the
delivery of services, due to the uncertain- ties of COVID-19. The number of forest landowners’ unfulfilled service requests accumulated. Due to the volume of pending requests, local and area GFC resources around the state were unable to provide services at sufficient levels to meet the demand. GFC leadership, rec- ognizing the importance of providing these services to the state’s forest land- owners, developed a statewide strategy to deploy GFC resources into counties with the highest number of pending requests, providing services in a short time frame. We’re proud of the results. Efficient allocation of GFC personnel resources to deliver services
will be a priority going forward.
By GFC Director Tim Lowrimore
GFC Director Tim Lowrimore tours Flint River Nursery in Byromville, GA. Left to right: Russell Ayers, GFC Flint River Nursery Coordinator;
Ben Cobb, GFC Flint River Nursery Technician; Lowrimore; and
Anita Johnson, GFC Arrowhead Seed Orchard Supervisor.