Page 21 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 1 - Winter 2024

Educating the Public to Keep Forests as Forests
“As development grows, outdoor spaces become more and more limited. Then factor in how much of the land is pri- vately owned, and you realize it’s a very restricted space that the everyday person is struggling to find access to,” said Kean. “The awareness in urban pockets is so minimal of outdoor spaces, not just in terms of recreation but also education.”
To connect and educate Georgians on the importance of working forests, the Georgia Forestry Foundation (GFF) partnered with Orbis and Birds Georgia to launch Georgia Bird Bookings — a program that allows private landowners to lease their property to birdwatchers. According to Clarence Neese, co-founder and vice president at Orbis, Inc., the effort is critical to exposing the public to agriculture and forestry, while also put- ting some extra money in the pockets of the state’s stewards of natural lands — foresters and farmers.
“The intent was to help educate the public, particularly those from urban
Bringing the birdwatching community to forest landowners across the state
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Ponsse North America Inc.
614 Fortune Blvd.
Midway, FL 32343
Office: 850-513-3324 A logger’s best friend Sales: 850-408-6728 www.ponsse.com
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