Page 27 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 4 - Fall 2020

AERIAL SPECIALISTS, INC
Providing forestry, aquatic and right-of-way aerial and ground applications for over 30 years.
420 Hallman Road Ward, SC 29166 803-275-2300
President- Billy Rutland 803-480-1724
From tract evaluation to application, we handle all of your forestry needs.
Visit our website at asicopters.com
Two essential department functions that can never be pushed to a back burner are the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program and the Timber Product Output (TPO) Survey.
The GFC’s FIA foresters collect forestland data on designated plots throughout the state. Information gathered includes species, size and health of trees, ownership classes, and changes from previous years. The data is forwarded to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for analysis. Forest trend information helps resource managers, policy makers, investors and the public make decisions that affect both public and private forestlands across the country.
The annual TPO is produced by the USFS, utilizing FIA data and input from primary wood-using industries in the state. Forest Utilization staff gather information from mills and wood product manufacturers that quantifies the production of forest products and the amount of timber removals in Georgia. Surveyed industries include pulp mills, sawmills, veneer and composite panel mills and industrial products mills. According to Willard, the participation rate for the 2019 survey was the lowest ever recorded, which can be generally blamed on the COVID-19 situation.
GFC publishes a directory of primary wood-product facilities throughout the state every two years. The Georgia Wood- Using Industries Directory is designed to serve as a reference for producers seeking to market their wood products and for wood users trying to locate suppliers.
www.GeorgiaForestryMagazine.com | 25