Page 21 - Georgia Forestry - Winter 2019

A Statewide Effort
Since 1977, Georgia EPD has partnered with GFC to develop, educate, imple- ment, and monitor the use of BMPs, which are focused on minimizing erosion and stream sedimentation that could potentially result from forestry operations, such as harvesting, road construction, stream crossings, and other forestry practices. Developed by GFC and approved by EPD, the BMP manual pro- vides specific, scientific guidelines for loggers and landowners when conduct- ing forest operations near wetlands and streams of different sizes and/or flow characteristics.
GFC’s Water Quality Program, managed by Thackston and supported by GFC foresters spread across the state, is highly focused on educating a broad group of stakeholders about BMPs to ensure that they are implemented cor- rectly, and so the public has a base level of knowledge about the program and its benefits. Over the years, GFC has built an outreach network consisting of govern- ment agencies, forestry organizations, environmental/conservation NGOs, and others. In addition, this educational effort is critical to ensuring that all forestry operations conducted in the state are in compliance with BMPs.
The Industry’s Role in Sustainability
In Georgia, approximately 28 of the largest forest product manufacturers (or wood-using facilities) are voluntarily certified to the Sustainable Forestry Ini- tiative’s (SFI) Fiber Sourcing Standard. Through this standard, each manufac- turer must show that the raw material in their supply chain comes from legal and responsible sources, whether the actual forested land is certified or not.
As a result, these SFI mills require loggers who deliver forest products to their facilities to be Master Timber Harvester (MTH) trained. MTH train- ing is an intensive educational process that includes instruction in water quality protection and BMPs among other wood sourcing guidelines. The program is offered by the Harley Lang- dale, Jr. Center for Forest Business at the University of Georgia and the Georgia SFI Implementation Committee, in coopera- tion with the GFC, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Department
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