Page 23 - Georgia Forestry - Issue1 - Winter 2021

Long, long before there were people dedicated to the sustainability of the resource, there were trees. Millions upon millions of acres, stretching beyond
the horizon in every cardinal direction. In Georgia, where longleaf and slash pine naturally grew, Native Americans made homes in the forests and tools from their bounty. European settlers followed, timber became recognized as a great source of revenue, and its value led to the creation of an industry of seemingly endless supply. That is, until cleared lands outpaced natural regenera- tion and professional forestry’s founders
took notice, and action.
Advocacy for Georgia’s forests mir-
rored a national push for organized forest management. In 1875, the Amer- ican Forestry Association was founded for the “protection, propagation, and the planting of useful trees.” By 1880, Georgia ranked first in the South in total
From top: 1950s TPO Crawler. Butts County fire tower. Georgia forester from Heard/ Troup counties visiting with a landowner.
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