Page 21 - Georgia Forestry - Summer 2017

Connecting
DOTS New Tool Aids Georgia’s Small Landowners
IStory by Stasia Kelly
t takes a lot of people and systems working in
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Less Than One Acre
The Georgia Backyard Habitat Program aims to make cities a healthier place for people and wildlife. By managing the five elements of backyard habitat — invasive weeds, native plants, reduced pesticide use, storm water management and wildlife stewardship — an owner’s property can gain certification and display official Backyard Habitat signage.
More Than One Acre
The Georgia Conservation Woodland Program acknowledges communities and landowner managers
with more than one acre (and no upper limit) who practice conservation methods in their woodlands, including the care of environmentally sensitive areas and specific wildlife. As with other programs’ requirements, a management plan containing objectives and corresponding activities must be identified and augmented with certain maps and records.
One to 10 Acres
The “Small Landowner Program” guides landowners
(and community land managers) through an exercise
that helps them identify management objectives,
activities and outcomes to achieve sustainability for
their forested land. By entering information about their land’s topography and management goals, along with photographs and other components, users create a detailed written plan that is submitted to the Georgia Forestry Commission and can be printed for their own use. Plans are then reviewed by a registered forester to determine if they meet required standards.
THE
concert to sustain Georgia’s ranking as the number one forestry state in the nation. And while large timberland holdings are important, almost 75 percent of Georgia’s forest landowners have 10 or fewer acres. This ownership group is important to the state’s forest industry framework.
Smaller parcels of forestland also have an impact on, and contribute to, environmental quality all over the state. Water, wildlife and aesthetics are among the forestry benefits impacted by the activities of a small landowner.
“We realize that 10 acres are as important to the owner of that land as 1,000 acres are to the larger landowner,” said Gary White, Forest Management Chief of the Georgia Forestry Commission. “They have many of the same management concerns, yet it might be more difficult for small landowners to identify resources that could help them manage their property.”
To make it easier for owners or managers of small land parcels, including community forestland, to access perti- nent management advice, the Georgia Forestry Commission has launched an online education program at GaTrees.org/ Forest-Management. The Georgia Forestry Small Land- owner Program offers a step-by-step guide through a
Visit the online
education program at GaTrees.org/Forest-Management
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