Page 11 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 2 - Spring 2022

Months of design work, analysis and user feedback followed. The inaugural version of the website was rolled out in 2021 to four test counties: Emanuel, Upson, Jones and Morgan. Later in the year, Pierce, Sumter, Clinch and Screven Counties joined the pilot program.
Some of the website improvements made along the way included the addi- tion of information fields to collect landowner representative informa- tion and the requirement to include the names of public road entries and exits. An ArcGIS mapping function was removed due to security concerns. The finish line was nearing.
As a founding partner in the THN project, Legislative Associate for ACCG Kathleen Bowen expressed her confi- dence and enthusiasm just before the website went live on January 18, 2022.
“The Timber Harvest Notification website will establish statewide unifor- mity on the notification process,” she said. “Our counties will be able to keep better records, and the whole process will be more efficient.”
“Loggers are busy. It doesn’t make sense for them to drive to an office when they can do this on their mobile phone. This gives them more time to do what’s profitable for them.”
— Guy Singletary, Emanuel County Administrator
How It Works
To get started using the new system, harvesters must first create an ArcGIS account. This is done by going to GFC’s public website at GATrees.org and then to the Forest Management section to launch the THN sign-up page. The “Submit a Timber Harvest Notifica- tion” box links to the ArcGIS worldwide platform and its registration page. Once
instant registration is complete, users return to the GFC THN site to create a company account. After that informa- tion is vetted by GFC, usually within 24 hours, registrants are cleared to submit notifications. Torbett said this registra- tion process was necessary for security reasons and as a way to quickly retrieve historical data during future use.
If required by the county or city, har- vesters must submit a timber harvest
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