Page 27 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 2 - Spring 2021
P. 27
“Even if you could get your trees har- vested, the mills couldn’t handle the volume,” he said.
Emmons credited GFC for moving quickly to clear roads and debris, then following through with landowners and legislators to fast-track relief with the FDMP.
“I’m pretty proud of what every- body did,” he said, “from the timber buyers to the loggers, consultants, state legislature and GFC. It was a cooperative effort and each was a cog in the wheel with a different job to do. All the cogs worked well in Georgia.”
Patricia Middleton
When daybreak came and Patricia Middleton stepped outside, she, like her forest landowner
neighbors, could hardly believe her eyes. Her driveway and roads were blocked by downed hardwood and pine trees, destruction was everywhere and her dam was buried under tons of heavy, fallen debris.
“My first call was to Steve Martin, the GFC forester for Early County, who had helped me with my conservation and stewardship plans,” Middleton said. “He came and assessed the damage, and told me ‘next steps.’ Everything was expe- dited and I got the money I needed to do what needed to be done.”
Middleton’s management objectives include wildlife habitat and aesthetics as top priorities. She speaks proudly of the tortoises, deer, turkey, quail and scores of bird species that call her land home. In addition, the environmental services that forestland provides were critical concerns in restoration decisions. Mid- dleton conducted her own prescribed burning, had sites prepped and recently planted some 30 acres of longleaf pine seedlings.
“It’s not just to make the land pretty or sell timber,” she said. “It’s carbon capture! I plant trees to help capture carbon and support wildlife. When I look out there now and see those seed- lings, it fills me with gratitude. The trees are back! The legacy continues.”
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THAT MEET
YOUR OBJECTIVES.
Fifty Years and Growing
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