State Forester’s Message

By TIMOTHY C. BOYCE State Forester

DON SIEGELMAN TIMOTHY C. BOYCE Governor, State of Alabama

’D LIKE TO take this opportunity to let you know about an exciting multi-media educational campaign being launched called “Alabama IForests Forever.” The Alabama Forests Forever Foundation is the chief sponsor. The foundation is comprised of the Alabama Forestry Association, the Alabama Forestry Commission and the Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. Campaign components will include television and radio spots, a promo- tional video that can be used at civic club and other types of meetings, out- door billboards and a CD-ROM with an instructional guide. The components emphasize three aspects of Alabama’s forests: environmental benefits, forest products and recreational opportunities. The primary teaching resource developed for the campaign is the interac- tive Alabama Forests Forever CD-ROM that explains the value of Alabama’s forests and why it is important to take care of them. Students are able to tour a “virtual forest” where they can learn more about the animals that live in the forest. They can also play a game, “I Wood if I Could,” in which they learn about many products that are made from trees. In addition, students will also learn about some of the techniques used by foresters and landown- ers to care for Alabama’s forests. Although it is geared toward middle school students, all ages can learn something from the exercises contained on the CD-ROM. This CD-ROM offers both teachers and their students a fun, high- tech method to learn about our forests. Along with members of the Forests Forever Foundation, the Alabama State Department of Education was instrumental in the development of the CD-ROM. The CD-ROM and instructional guide are available by calling the Alabama Forests Forever Foundation at 334-265-8733. The cost for both items is $18, which includes shipping. You can learn more about the Alabama Forests Forever campaign by vis- iting its Web site: www.alaforestsforever.org. I’m excited about this wonderful opportunity to inform the public about Alabama’s greatest natural resource–our forests.

Sincerely,

TIMOTHY C. BOYCE State Forester

2 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000

PersistencePersistence andand VisionVision TurnsTurns WastedWasted LandLand intointo aa TREASURETREASURE

By TILDA MIMS Forest Education Specialist, Alabama Forestry Commission

Three ponds have been constructed on the property and are stocked with bass.

HEN BOB MATHEWS began couldn’t get a pickup truck through it. Forests and the 1999 Helene Mosley talking to his wife Leta about They had to walk along rutted roads and Winner for the Northwest Region. buying a tract of forestland in across land thick with old logging debris. WColbert County, she was The land had been idle since a timber Getting Started reluctant. “I was never against it, I just harvest four years earlier, and the result One of the first steps Bob made was to thought we couldn’t afford it because we was rough, raw land. Yet, she too was contact then county manager Tommy had only been here a short time. We had captivated by the promise it held. “Once Patterson for assistance. They worked young children, had just bought a home he brought me to see it, I could see how together to draw up a management plan and were in the process of setting up a beautiful it was and I wanted it too,” she with primary objectives of timber produc- medical practice.” said. tion and recreation, and secondary objec- She agreed to visit the property, how- The young couple’s ability in 1976 to tives of wildlife, erosion control and aes- ever, and recalls the first time Bob took envision what the property could become thetics. Tommy also helped them sign up her out to see it. There was a huge mud with a lot of hard work resulted in one of for cost-share assistance through the puddle near the entrance, so large they Alabama’s most impressive TREASURE WRAP program in 1977.

4 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 Bob and Leta Mathews enjoy a walk.

The Mathews transformed idle land into a picturesque, productive TREASURE Forest.

In the fall of 1977, Bob signed up for FIP cost-share to establish a 73-acre pine plantation. After looking at another plan prepared by the Soil Conservation Service, he decided to scale back the pine plantation to 49 acres and devote the remaining 24 acres to wildlife food plots, green fields, a small pond and a fruit orchard. They plowed firelanes around the 49 acres and used a prescribed burn to site prep the area before planting loblolly Indian blanket is one of the many Mast-producing hardwoods provide pine in the fall of 1977. A severe winter kinds of wildflowers found on the food for wildlife. storm in early 1978 killed more than 80 property. Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 5 percent of the seedlings. Undaunted, he to provide substantial wildlife habitat walking trail with tree identification applied for additional cost-share and enhancement. “We have green plots, signs behind the lake and up toward the replanted in 1979. food plots, autumn olive and other berry- bluff. They are also continuing all pro- Some years later, Virginia pines and producing trees for quail, turkey and jects for planting, fencing, lake manage- scrub oaks in another area were cleared other species,” Bob notes. “We’ve seen ment and maintenance of existing stands. with a shear blade and replanted in pine. deer, bobcat, rabbits, doves and song- Bob and Leta are very fortunate to Unfortunately, another a severe ice storm birds. Also, big black cats. This isn’t have children that enjoy the land as much in the mid 1990s crashed it all to the hearsay, we’ve really seen big cats.” as they do. Although both children are ground. Bob recalls they had more than In addition to mast-producing hard- very busy with school and careers, they 90 trees on the roads that had to be woods, Bob and Leta have developed a love to visit the property when their cleared and 60 loads of debris to be fruit orchard with apple, peach, pear, schedules allow. hauled off. So, again, they cut, burned persimmon, pecan, hazelnuts, walnuts Their son, David, recently graduated and replanted. and filbert trees. Plots of bicolor les- from the University of North Alabama pedeza and sawtooth oak have also been with studies in history and economics. Becoming a TREASURE Forest planted, and firebreaks are planted in Brian graduated from the University of “I saw an article in the local paper wildlife foods. South Alabama Medical School in May about TREASURE Forest and got in They also cleaned up an old farm site and is beginning a residency in internal touch with the local Forestry Commission and set aside 15 acres to plant in trees medicine. His wife Scarlet is a physical office,” Bob said. “They helped me get not indigenous to Alabama or that are no therapist. started in the program and I was certified longer common here. There are chin- “Our sons have the same commitment in 1979.” The Mathews were pioneers in quapins, different types of hickories and we do,” Bob says. “We feel they will the program with TREASURE Forest a monkey puzzle tree from Chile as well want to hold on to this property and con- #72. as others. A small grove of beech trees tinue as TREASURE Forest landowners. They took the initial 232 acres of along Cane Creek is also preserved. There will be definitely be two genera- cutover land and converted it into produc- Three ponds have been constructed tions, and hopefully beyond that.” tive woodland managed for timber pro- around the property and are stocked with The promise of productive, scenic duction, recreation, wildlife and aesthet- Florida bass. Solar feeders keep them forestland has been fulfilled on Hawk ics, while keeping most of it as natural as fed and provide great entertainment for Pride Mountain under the careful hands possible. guests. of Bob and Leta Mathews. The hard- Today the tract is 412 acres and all The welcome you receive as a guest scrabble land they bought in 1976 has areas are well stocked with a diversity of of Bob and Leta Mathews is genuine. bloomed into a picturesque gem of irregularly shaped stands of loblolly pine, They like to bring children who have healthy, productive forestland filled with bottomland hardwood and an upland never really been in the woods to see the sights and sounds of the best hardwood/pine mix. Hardwood tracts are their first wild animals or catch their first Alabama forests have to offer. scheduled for harvest to provide different fish. Leta says one of their favorite age classes of timber. Den trees and things to do is invite young children out selected mast-producing trees are exclud- and tell them they are going to turn out ed from cutting. all the lights for a little while. The chil- UPDATE The rutted log road impassable in dren are always amazed at how dark it is 1976 is now part of an excellent road sys- and how bright the moon and stars are. The TREASURE Forest Program has set a goal of having 2 million tem. Early on they spent about $5,000 to acres in the program by the end of $7,000 annually on nothing but gravel Getting Assistance the year 2000. The chart below and regrading of roads throughout the Bob and Leta do the major portion of shows the num- tract. Today a network of wood roads in the work on their property. Two of Bob’s ber of acres chert or gravel, and culverts and water friends enjoy working around the place currently enrolled in the turnouts–critical on steep terrain–have and neighbors that have lived on the program. been added. mountain for years help, too. “For big The scenic, winding driveway to the projects, I call on the Forestry 2,000,000 cabin is almost a mile long. When they Commission,” said Bob. “If I were going first bought the property, it initially took to give a forest landowner one piece of 1,500,000 52 loads of gravel just to get it into shape. advice, it would be to contact the Now they have paved the drive and Forestry Commission. They’ve been very riprapped the ditches. They are adding helpful over the years. Wayne Winsted, 1,000,000 another chert road so they can travel the Johnnie Everitt and others have really whole place without unlocking a gate. helped me. Also, you need to read a lot and learn about forest management for 500,000 Wildlife Habitat Enhancement yourself.” The North Alabama terrain is hilly but Future Plans that has not impeded the Mathews’ efforts The family is developing an extensive 0 6 / Alabama’s Treasured Forests Spring 2000 6 Steps to Success Q&A About TREASURE Forest Anyone owning 10 or more acres of By TIM ALBRITTON, forestland can be considered for the Forest Operations Specialist, Alabama Forestry Commission and certified TREASURE Forest award. To be eligible, a landowner must do the PAT BUTLER, Alabama TREASURE Forest Association following with respect to all their forestland in Alabama: UESTION: My family and I have the time you inform your county Alabama Qowned a certified TREASURE Forestry Commission personnel that you 1. Identify one primary and at least one Forest for many years. However, over the want to have your land in the TREA- secondary management objective for the property based on the following list years our primary and secondary objec- SURE Forest program until you are actu- of choices: Timber Production; tives have changed. How can we change ally certified? Wildlife; Recreation; Aesthetics; our primary and secondary objectives on NSWER: The length of time to Environmental Education. our TREASURE Forest management plan Abecome a certified TREASURE and still have them acceptable with the Forest can vary depending on the 2. Possess or acquire a written multi- state TREASURE Forest committee? landowner and the amount of time it takes ple-use management plan for the prop- What is involved? to set in place the accomplishments for erty. Your local Alabama Forestry NSWER: The primary and sec- his property. The certification process has Commission office can help you identi- fy options for obtaining a written man- ondary objectives can be changed at several steps that must be followed. These A agement plan if one does not exist. any time. The landowner must still select steps can take from three to six months to one of the five objectives: Timber, complete. The TREASURE Forest 3. Actively practice multiple-use man- Wildlife, Recreation, Environmental Subcommittee meets once a quarter to agement on the property. Your local Education and Aesthetics. The easiest way review the TREASURE Forest nomina- office of the Alabama Forestry to make this change is during the rein- tions that have been submitted from the Commission can supply you with infor- spection process. A TREASURE Forest is four regions of Alabama. mation on the level of management reinspected every five years. This would UESTION: How long does it nor- activity necessary. Once these items are in place, the give both the inspecting forester and the Qmally take to get a management plan wildlife biologist an opportunity to dis- following must occur to earn the completed? award: cuss the changes with the landowner and NSWER: The workload from county possibly make some recommendations. Ato county can vary, and many times 4. The property must be nominated by UESTION: How much of my man- county personnel will be working on one someone associated with one of the Qagement plan has to be accomplished or more management plans at the same member agencies or groups of the before I can be nominated and approved time. A landowner requesting a plan may Alabama Forestry Planning Committee. as a certified TREASURE Forest by the have to be put on a waiting list for assis- You may contact them and suggest a nomination if you feel your property or state committee? tance. Depending on the size of the prop- that of someone you know qualifies for NSWER: To quality for TREASURE erty and the landowner’s diversity and the award. AForest certification, a landowner objectives, a plan can be worked out in as must have one primary objective and at little time as a week or two, or as long as 5. The property must be inspected by a least one secondary objective. With the a couple of months, once the process for registered forester and wildlife biolo- landowner’s objectives known, the natural writing the management plan has begun. gist. Your local Alabama Forestry resource professional can refer to the UESTION: If I am a certified Commission office will arrange the appropriate minimum standards and basic QTREASURE Forest landowner, am I inspection. guidelines. Though a landowner may do automatically a member of the Alabama much more than the criteria listed, certifi- 6. The nomination and inspection TREASURE Forest Association (ATFA)? report must be submitted to the TREA- cation will be determined upon these min- NSWER: No. The ATFA is a non- SURE Forest Subcommittee of the imum standards. In addition, a special cat- Aprofit organization that you may vol- Alabama Forestry Planning Committee egory called “non-objective accomplish- untarily join whether you are a certified for review and approval. ments” is listed. Regardless of a landown- TREASURE Forest landowner or not. All er’s objectives, these criteria must be met new TREASURE Forest landowners will 7. If you would like to be considered for the certified TREASURE Forest for certification. For a detailed copy of receive an invitation to join the organiza- award, or know of someone else who these guidelines, request the brochure tion. The TREASURE Forest entitled “TREASURE Forest: Program may qualify, contact your local office Subcommittee sends a list of all new of the Alabama Forestry Commission Information and Basic Guidelines” from TREASURE Forest landowners to the your local Alabama Forestry Commission or other member agency/group of the ATFA upon certification vote. The ATFA, Alabama Forestry Planning Committee. office. in turn, sends a letter of congratulations These organizations are listed on page UESTION: How long does it nor- to the newly certified TREASURE Forest 2 of this magazine. They will be happy Qmally take to go through the TREA- landowners with an invitation for them to to assist you with the certification SURE Forest certification process–from join the ATFA. process. Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 7 Alabama s Forest Health Checkup

By JIM HYLAND Forest Health Specialist, Alabama Forestry Commission

ORESTS dominate the landscape terizing air pollution exposure. change in the structure of the forest com- of Alabama. Sixty-eight percent of Mensuration provides a record of munity. Lichen communities are excel- the land is forested—some 21.9 stand dynamics: growth, mortality, and lent indicators of air quality, partially million acres. These forested acres regeneration. Mensuration is also used to long-term averages of sulfur dioxide con- F quantify each site in terms of stand vari- centrations. are diverse—hardwood forests presently count for the largest share of Alabama’s ables, such as forest types, stand age, timberland base, 45.7 percent. Only 16 size class, stand density, and disturbance Results and percent of Alabama’s forest is planted history. Finally, mensuration provides Conclusions Thus Far pine. These forestlands are owned by over the basic framework for all other indica- The overall health of the forests of 214,000 individual private landowners. tors, a description of each detection plot, Alabama is good. In spite of the relative These forested acres are important to the and it ties the FHM plots to the larger set good health of the forests, a variety of citizens of the state because they provide in Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) insects and diseases and human-caused clean air and water, wildlife habitats, plots. impacts continue to threaten the state’s recreational opportunities, and wood for Tree crown condition rating quantifies resource. The following is a list of some lumber, pulp, and fuel. Forest industry tree vigor by assessing the visible condi- of those health indicators and their accounts for 67,000 jobs in Alabama. tions of each tree–amount of crown impact, both good and bad: dieback, foliage condition, or transparen- • The stand density has increased and Forest Health Monitoring cy, and crown density. Tree damage the mean diameter of all trees also has Because forests are critical for both symptom assessments provide a record increased. This shows the trees are economic and social benefits in Alabama, of visible damage that may affect the growing—a healthy sign, but also the the health of the forests is important. In ability of a tree to survive. increased density of pine will increase 1991 the state of Alabama joined the Additionally, tree damage symptoms the hazard to Southern pine beetle. national Forest Health Monitoring pro- can be used in many cases to determine • The average number of snags per acre gram. Forest Health Monitoring is the presence of certain insects and dis- increased, which could provide for designed to annually collect, analyze, eases on a plot. increased wildlife habitat. interpret, and report on the condition of Ozone is an air pollutant found in the • In general, crown densities are high. all forests in the United States. The basis lower atmosphere formed from gases A high crown density equates to a for Forest Health Monitoring is a set of released from automobile engines and greater amount of foliage that is pre detection plots distributed on a systematic various industrial processes. Plants that sent for photosynthesis. An exception grid across the entire state. These plots are sensitive to ozone (evidenced by visi- to this was Virginia and shortleaf are visited annually and sets of core mea- ble injury) are referred to as bioindica- pines, which had lower crown densi surements are taken. tors. Ozone bioindicator plants are evalu- ties, and this lessening of “vigor” may Measurements on the Forest Health ated on or near the detection plot for the have shown up as increased attack by Monitoring detection plots include many presence of ozone injury symptoms. the Southern pine beetle. major groups or indicators. These indica- Plants that have shown to be sensitive to • Hardwoods had more recordable dam tors are mensuration (including tree ozone are blackberry, black cherry, yel- age than softwoods, with indicators of growth, mortality, and regeneration); tree low poplar, sassafras, and sweetgum. decay the most commonly recorded crown conditions; tree damage symp- The purpose of the lichen community damage to hardwoods. The most com toms; ozone; soil characteristics and indicator is to use lichen species and mon damages in loblolly pine were chemistry; and lichen communities and communities as biomonitors of change cankers and galls (fusiform rust). populations, which are useful in charac- in air quality, climate change and/or • Ozone levels on the FHM plots were

8 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 nonexistent. There were, however, Unmanaged stands are those that the and at the same time increase wildlife some levels detected on USFS ozone landowner harvests and regenerates natu- habitat and food supply. plots on National Forests. Ozone dam- rally, letting trees come back that will • When pine stands begin to close in on age is not a problem in the forests of sprout or seed in by themselves, or artifi- themselves and the Southern pine bee- Alabama. cially, by planting seedlings in rows. tle hazard increases, the stands are • Southern pine beetle continues to be Either way, nothing further is done until thinned to reduce the beetle hazard. the major problem for Alabama pines. 25 to 30 years later when the stand is cut. • During thinning, the pines with In 1999 there were 56 counties with These stands are rated “high hazard” for fusiform rust are cut to reduce future SPB infestations and 41 of those fire, Southern pine beetle, annosus root infection. counties were epidemic. Statewide rot, fusiform rust, etc. The vast majority • On sandy soils, annosus root rot pre- there were over 5,000 individual of mortality that occurs in the overall vention is used to save the remaining infested spots causing over $25 mil- forests of Alabama is usually associated trees from infection. lion in mortality. with these unmanaged stands. When these managed stands of trees • Dogwood anthracnose disease has Managed stands are those where the are combined into forests, that is when a killed the majority of the dogwoods in landowner has a written management landowner has a truly healthy forest. This the forests located in elevations above plan on property that is harvested and comes about by planning, writing a forest 800 feet. regenerated by either natural or artificial management plan that speaks to not only • Acid rain has not been found to be a means. But, unlike unmanaged stands, the timber resource but to all the other problem in Alabama. the owners install integrated pest man- resources—wildlife, water, air, aesthetics, • The average acres burned and average agement techniques. Hazard ratings are soil, etc. The goal of most managed size of fires continues to be reduced made on each stand and incorporated forests is to leave the land in better shape annually. into the written plans. And as the rating than it was found so future generations of a stand begins to climb toward high will be able to enjoy it. Summary classes, prevention techniques such as In summary, the forests of Alabama Forests are made up of stands of trees, the following are taken: are healthy and an early warning system whether pines or hardwoods. Although • Firebreaks are made to prevent fires. is in place that will allow forest landown- the forests as a whole are healthy, some • Roads are planned in advance and ers to be proactive in keeping a world stands within these forests are not kept open and grassed to allow access. class forest resource. healthy. As a rule, managed stands are • When the fuel builds up, prescribed healthy and unmanaged stands are not. fire is used to reduce the fire hazard

Promote and Support the TREASURE Forest Program Join the Alabama TREASURE Forest Association

The Alabama TREASURE Forest Association is composed of people who practice TREASURE Forest management, people who encourage others to practice it, and people who believe that management of Alabama s forestlands according to the TREASURE Forest concept is good for both present and future generations. Membership in the Alabama TREASURE Forest Association is open to certified TREASURE Forest owners (Full Members), any forest landowner who is not certified (Growing Member), and persons, companies, corporations, or organizations that do not own forestland (Associate Member), but want to support and promote the sustainable and wise use of our forest resource for present and future genera- tions. n Yes, I would like to join the Alabama TREASURE Forest Association Date: ______Name:______Address:______City:______County:______State:______Zip:______Telephone:(______)______Check each category and fill in the blanks as appropriate: n Associate Member n Enclosed is $20 annual membership fee n Growing Member n Enclosed is $25 annual membership fee n Full Member n Enclosed is $30 annual membership fee Primary objective:______Secondary objective:______

Mail to: Alabama TREASURE Forest Association, P.O. Box 145, Chunchula, AL 36521 For more information about the Alabama TREASURE Forest Association contact James Malone, Executive Director, at (334) 679-6087.

Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 9 What is a Natural Heritage Program? By JAREL HILTON Director, Alabama Natural Heritage ProgramSM

ATURAL HERITAGE PROGRAMS information in a standard way; and (3) to Programs reside as part of their state gov- are unique public-private partner- disseminate this information to a wide ernment’s Department of Natural Nships dedicated to gathering and array of users. Typical program staff may Resources, but some programs exist in maintaining the best scientific information include a director, zoologist, botanist, universities, state parks, state fish and on biological diversity to help guide con- ecologist, science information manager, wildlife departments, and a few are still servation decisions. Natural Heritage and a GIS technician. maintained by The Nature Conservancy. Programs were conceived by The Nature The Biological and Conservation Data The Nature Conservancy plays a critical Conservancy to meet the organization’s (BCD) System is computer software role in this public-private partnership need for sound science information as well designed specifically through establishment, development, and as to help guide the broader and growing for use by Natural ongoing support of the Natural Heritage public constituency interested in conserv- Heritage Programs Network. The Nature Conservancy main- ing biological diversity. In 1974 the South and Conservation tains the central databases, regular com- Carolina Department of Wildlife and Data Centers. puterized data-exchanges, training and Marine Resources and The Nature Developed by The technical support in standard methodolo- Conservancy launched the first Natural Nature Conservancy gy, database management, GIS and relat- Heritage Program. Since 1974, there are over 25 years of test- ed technologies, national vegetation clas- now over 85 programs, called Natural ing and refinement, sification, and program administration. Heritage Programs domestically and BCD is a fully relational database man- Continued development and documenta- Conservation Data Centers internationally. agement system containing 36 files and tion of standard methods including soft- These programs make up the Heritage more than 2,000 fields for linking essen- ware applications is a key role for The Network and include 50 U.S. states and tial information. Use of standard methods Nature Conservancy that helps keep the the District of Columbia, five Canadian and software allows exchange of informa- Network at the forefront of biodiversity provinces, 12 countries of Latin America tion among programs and the aggregation information technology. and the Caribbean, and a host of other pro- and analysis of data across administrative The Natural Heritage Network has grams situated in federal agencies. and geopolitical boundaries. This means become well established and responsibili- that an occurrence for a red-cockaded ties for its maintenance are great. woodpecker in Georgia is documented in Coordinating the many public-private How Natural Heritage partnerships and focusing on the mission Programs Work the same way as an occurrence for one in Alabama, which allows us to compare to supply and disseminate the best infor- Natural Heritage Programs use a stan- populations across the species’ ecological mation on the world’s biological diversity dardized information management system range. We can then target the healthiest has become overly burdensome for The to track important biological data includ- and most viable occurrences for conserva- Nature Conservancy in addition to its ing taxonomy, distribution, population tion action so that limited dollars are mission to conserve and protect the land trends, habitat requirements, relative spent in the best way possible. and waters necessary for the diversity of abundance, quality, condition, and viabili- The Nature Conservancy and the life on earth. The Association for ty. Critical non-biological information is Natural Heritage Network are currently Biodiversity Information (ABI) is an also tracked such as land ownership type, pooling information on conservation tar- international conservation organization land use and management, distribution of gets like the red-cockaded woodpecker that formed to focus on the unification, protected areas, and threats to species or across defined ecological regions. support, and representation of the Natural their habitat. The information manage- Alabama shares a portion of five of the 64 Heritage Network in the mission of col- ment system has three major components: ecological regions identified by The lecting, interpreting, and disseminating structured paper files, geographic files Nature Conservancy for the United States. ecological information critical to the con- (maps and geographical information sys- A plan for each region is being designed servation of the world’s biological diver- tems), and a computerized database that to conserve the characteristic biodiversity sity. The Nature Conservancy and ABI integrates the biological and non-biologi- of that region through an identified set of have agreed to work together to create a cal information. conservation sites. The end result will be new non-profit organization whose goal is Natural Heritage Programs have three a blueprint for conservation for our entire to become the authoritative source of broad functions: (1) to collect information country. information on the conservation of ele- on the status and distribution of species ments of biodiversity. The Nature and natural communities from as many Status of the Conservancy is providing funding, exper- sources as possible (museums, experts, tise, and biodiversity information to help field inventories, published and unpub- Natural Heritage Network lished literature); (2) to manage this Today, the majority of Natural Heritage Continued on page 13 10 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 By DAVID E. BAKER and RUSTY LEE Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia

INCE THEIR introduction, the use of all-terrain vehicles Check the following components before using your ATV: (ATVs) has increased dramatically each year. In addition to • Tires–always maintain the recommended tire pressure consis- Swidespread recreational use, the agricultural sector has real- tently in each tire. If the tires on your ATV have unequal ized the value of the ATV as a workhorse. Unfortunately, fatali- pressure, the ATV will pull toward the tire with the least air ties and injuries involving ATVs are occurring at an alarming pressure gauges will not accurately mea-sure the low pres- rate. Knowing and following a few steps for safe ATV use could sure typically used in ATV tires. A gauge designed for low have prevented many of these needless accidents. pressure should be used. Wheel lug nuts should be checked to make sure they are tight. Grasp each tire at the front and Protective Gear rear, and then try to rock the tire on its axle to check for The nature of ATV riding demands that you wear protective worn-out axle bearings and loose nuts. Always use a torque clothing. Knowing what to wear and how to wear it can reduce wrench while following the tightening procedures and speci- the chance of an injury and make you more comfortable when fications for all fasteners outlined in your operator’s manual. you ride.The following protective gear should be worn every • Throttle–Check throttle operation while moving the handle time you ride an ATV: bars fully to the left and then fully to the right. An accumula- • Helmet–your helmet is the most important piece of protective tion of mud and dirt can restrict cable movement and prevent gear for safe riding. A helmet can help prevent a serious head the throttle from closing. injury. Selecting the right helmet is important and easy if a • Brakes–Your brakes are a crucial part of riding and they few basic tips are kept in mind. Select a helmet that bears the must always be in top condition. Make sure they work label of the Department of Transportation, the American smoothly and that they are in adjustment according to the National Standards Institute or the Snell Memorial Founda- instructions in the owner’s manual. tion. The helmet should fit snugly and be securely fastened. • Light and switches–Be sure all lights are working. Check Full-face helmets protect your face as well as your head. engine stop switches by switching them off and on during the Open-face types are lighter and cooler, but should be used warm-up period. with a chin guard that will offer chin and mouth protection. • Oil and fuel–Check the oil and fuel with the engine off. • Eye protection–eye protection is a must. If an object hits you Look for fuel or oil leaks. in the face, such as a rock, branch or even a bug, it will dis- • Drivetrain and chassis–Inspect your chain for proper adjust tract you and may cause blindness if it hits you in the eyes. ment, adequate lubrication and signs of wear. If your Regular sunglasses do not provide adequate protection. The ATV is equipped with a drive shaft rather than a chain, check helmet’s face shield or a pair of riding goggles will protect for oil leaks and maintain its oil supply as outlined in your your eyes properly. Select well-ventilated goggles that can be owner’s manual. Rough terrain will loosen chassis parts. securely fastened and are free from scratches. Look and feel for loose parts while the engine is off. Shake • Gloves–gloves provide protection from abrasions and help to handlebars, footrests and other similar components before keep your hands from getting sore, tired or cold. Off-road each ride, and periodically check major fasteners with a style motorcycle gloves provide a good combination of pro- wrench. The operator’s manual should be read and under tection and comfort. stood before attempting to operate your ATV. It will contain • Boots–at a minimum, riders should wear a pair of boots that specifications and procedures that apply directly to your lace above the ankle for ankle support, with low heels to help model and should be considered as the final authority for prevent the boot from slipping off the footrests. safe operation of your ATV. Such information may include • Shirt and pants–at a minimum, a long-sleeved shirt and long tire inflation pressures, torque specifications for fasteners, oil pants should be worn to reduce abrasions on the body. types and service intervals, battery maintenance, or brake adjustment and service. Pre-ride Inspection Inspecting the mechanical condition of your ATV before each Operating Your ATV day’s use is important for minimizing the chances of injury or Turns–most ATVs have solid rear axles, which turn each of becoming stranded. The fact that you can ride farther in an hour the rear wheels at the same speed. This requires special turn than you can walk in a day emphasizes the need to maintain ing skills, which primarily involve shifting your body weight. your ATV in peak operational form. The owner’s manual should Low-speed turns require that you shift your body weight for be used to ensure proper understanding of all critical points on ward and to the outside of the turn as you turn the handlebar. your machine. The objective is to reduce weight on the inside rear wheel. For Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 11 front end of the ATV to rise. Caution should be used not to This article was adapted from University of Missouri-Columbia expect more from your ATV than it can safely provide. Extension Publication G1936, “All-Terrain Vehicles.” Reprinted Whenever equipment is added, counterweights can be used with permission. to offset the load and improve the new balance of your machine. Portions of this article are reprinted with copyright permission of Be careful not to exceed the weight limitations set forth by the the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America. ATV manufacturer. Remember, just because your ATV can pull a heavy load does not mean it can safely stop it. Additional equipment may also require additional protective gear for the operator. Examples of this include protection from Heritage objects thrown by a mower and chemical protection from the Continued from page 10 drift of sprayers. launch the organization. ABI, the current membership organiza- Training Course tion for the Natural Heritage Network, is restructuring itself to Four major U.S. ATV distributors established the Specialty become the new organization. This new arrangement will over- Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA) in 1983 to support the safe come the problems currently encountered by the fragmented and responsible use of ATVs. Current membership includes responsibilities of ABI, The Nature Conservancy, and individual Arctic Cat, Bombardier, Honda, KTM, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Network programs in developing, managing, and aggregating Yamaha, the leading U.S. distributors of all-terrain vehicles. In Network data. More importantly, it will place leadership for the 1988 the SVIA formed a new division, the ATV Safety Institute Network in the hands of an organization dedicated solely to fur- (ASI), to expand the availability of the ATV RiderCourse. therance of the Network and the application of Heritage data to ASI offers free training to purchasers of new ATVs and their biodiversity conservation. If you would like to know more about eligible immediate family. The ATV RiderCourse is a half-day, the Natural Heritage Program in Alabama contact: hands-on safety training program. The program includes pre-ride SM inspections, starting and stopping, turning, operation on hills, Jarel Hilton, Director Alabama Natural Heritage Program emergency stopping and swerving, and riding over obstacles. It Huntingdon College also covers protective riding gear, environmental concerns, local 1500 East Fairview Avenue laws, and safety techniques. The training course is taught by Montgomery, AL 36106-2148 334-834-4519 licensed instructors at hundreds of locations across the United [email protected]. States. To learn more about the Natural Heritage Network, check out the Web site at www.hertitage.tnc.org.

Figure 3. Shift into low gear and Figure 4. Keep both feet firmly on the point the ATV directly downhill when footrests and lean your body uphill descending a slope. when crossing slopes.

Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 13 Alabama’s Treasured Forests Index of Articles, Fall 1982–Winter 2000 W—Winter SP—Spring SU—Summer F—Fall TAX—Tax Supplement Example: W90-4: Winter 1990 Issue, page 4

Absentee Landowners State Forester Moody Retires ...... F93-14 Absentee Ownership ...... SP97-31 Tax Dollars at Work ...... F85-11 Tips for Absentee Landowners ...... W86-6 Training Pays Dividends ...... SP87-12 Using Marketing Research ...... W90-22 Aesthetics Autumn Color ...... F89-25 Aviation Color Your Forests ...... F83-8 Fire Detection ...... SP83-26 Oakleaf Hydrangea ...... W99-32 Helicopters in Forestry ...... W94-24 Practical Forestry Aesthetic Practices in the South ...... SP98-24 Smoke Chasing ...... F82-9 The Secret of Fall Colors ...... F91-32 Using Aviation in Fire Detection and Suppression ...... SU90-30 Transplanting ...... SP90-28 Awards Agencies/Associations/Organizations Alabama Students Excel at National Competitions ...... W99-26 Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station ...... F98-7 Alabama Prescribed Burning Law Nationally Recognized ...... W98-32 Alabama Cooperative Extension Service ...... SP91-21 Alabama Youth Teams Capture National Titles ...... SP97-23 Alabama Department of Conservation ...... F90-18 Barrow Receives Environmental Award ...... SU83-27 Alabama Forestry Association ...... SP83-15 The Best of the Best ...... SU91-13 Alabama Forestry Planning Committee ...... SU9-37 Burdette Receives Forest History Journalism Award ...... W98-11 Alabama Forestry Planning Committee Directory ...... SP96-7 Choctaw County, 1992 Forestry Capital of Alabama ...... F92-21 Alabama Forestry Planning Committee– Clay Co. Teams Earn Top Honors ...... W92-31 Unique Example of Coordinating and Planning for Action ...... SP83-12 Eighth Alabama Landowner Conference ...... W92-11 Alabama TREASURE Forest Landowners Association ...... F92-24 Eleventh Alabama Landowner Conference ...... W95-15 Alabama TREASURE Forest Association, Forming a Network ...... W00-7 Faulkner Receives Collier Award ...... F90-30 Alabama Wildlife Federation ...... SU83-14 Fifth Alabama Landowner Conference ...... F88-11 Bat Conservation International ...... SP99-30 Forestry Champions ...... F94-31 Between Rome and Dixie ...... SP94-10 4-H Wildlife Team Wins National Championship ...... W94-9 Centennial Year of the National Forest System ...... F91-7 Helene Mosley Award Recognizes Landowners ...... F94-22 Conservation Foundation ...... SP90-31 Helene Mosley Memorial TREASURE Forest Award Directory of Alabama Forestry Commission County Offices ...... F98-10 Winners 1978-99 ...... W00-12 Directory of USDA-NRCS County Offices ...... W99-11 History of the Helene Mosley Memorial Fisheries, Forestry and Wildlife Extension at Auburn ...... F92-12 TREASURE Forest Award ...... W00-13 Forestry in Secondary Schools ...... W90-14 Kelly Mosley Honored ...... SU84-28 Forest Farmers Association ...... SU88-26 Mosley Awards ...... SP88-10 LEADERS–A Growing Experience ...... F95-7 1983 Forest Festival Awards Presented at Banquet ...... SU83-27 The Longleaf Alliance: A Regional Longleaf Pine Recovery Effort ...... F99-22 1998 Award Winners ...... SU99-30 Looking for Help ...... SU84-9 Nominations Encouraged for Environmental Awards ...... SU91-32 Malone Named Executive Director of Notable Environmental Award Recipient: Sandy J. McCorvey ...... SP97-15 TREASURE Forest Association ...... SU97-19 Notable Environmental Award Recipient: Col. Jack Walls ...... SU97-30 Natural Resource Conservation Organizations for Landowners ...... W94-22 Notable Environmental Award Recipient: Robert Waters ...... W97-13 Natural Resources Conservation Service in Alabama ...... SP96-8 Seventh Alabama Landowner Conference ...... W91-14 Ninth Annual Forest Festival ...... SP83-22 Sixth Alabama Landowner Conference ...... F89-12 N.E. Alabama Landowner Association Formed ...... SU92-19 Take Pride in America Winners Announced ...... SP91-10 Programs and Services of the Natural Resources Tenth Alabama Landowner Conference ...... W94-19 Conservation Service in Alabama ...... W99-9 Thirteenth Alabama Landowner Conference ...... W97-22 The Public Needs to Know ...... W96-19 TREASURE Forest Awards Program Marks Public Protected by Foresters’ Licensing Law ...... SP95-7 20th Anniversary; 1997 Regional Nominees ...... SU97-20 Services of the Alabama Forestry Commission ...... F98-8 Twelfth Alabama Landowner Conference ...... W96-19 Showcasing Ecosystem Management: Tuskegee National Forest ...... SU96-25 W. Kelly Mosley Environmental Awards Program Soil and Water Conservation in Alabama ...... SP92-10 Celebrates 25th Anniversary ...... F97-32 The State Board of Registration for Foresters ...... SP93-10 State Soil & Water Conservation Committee ...... SP90-11 Beaver USDA-Farm Service Agency ...... SU96-10 Attracting Waterfowl to Beaver Ponds ...... SP99-22 USDA-Forest Service ...... SU90-11 Convert Your Beaver Problem into a Waterfowl Area ...... SU92-28 Leave It to Beaver ...... SP83-8 Alabama Forestry Commission Living with Beaver ...... SP94-12 Commission Assists in Poultry Cleanup ...... SP88-14 Wood Ducks and Beaver Ponds ...... SU88-30 Directory of Alabama Forestry Commission County Offices ...... F98-10 Giving Returns on Your Tax Dollars ...... SP87-13 Birds Governor Appoints New Commissioners ...... SP86-28 Amquail ...... F87-11 Hats Off to the AFC ...... SU86-27 Artificial Cavities Boost Red-cockaded Woodpecker Populations ...... W99-30 Services of the Alabama Forestry Commission ...... F98-8 Attracting and Feeding Nongame Birds ...... SP96-28 Sixty-Seven Stories of Progress ...... SU83-20 Attracting Owls ...... F91-25

14 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 Attracting Waterfowl to Beaver Ponds ...... SP99-22 SIP: A New Cost-Share Program ...... SP92-26 Bicolor Is for the Birds, pt. 1 ...... W84-24 Stewardship Incentives Program ...... SU93-22 Bicolor Is for the Birds, pt. 2 ...... SP8-49 Tree Assistance Program ...... SU93-28 Build an Easy Bluebird Box! ...... SU96-24 Uncertain Futures: CRP and FIP ...... SU94-20 Canada Geese–Going South ...... F88-8 USDA-ASCS Cost-share Programs ...... SU93-18 Commonly Asked Questions about Releasing Pen-raised Quail ...... F98-28 Wildlife Openings in CRP Pine Plantations ...... SU98-9 Convert Your Beaver Problem into a Waterfowl Area ...... SU92-28 Developing Dove Habitat ...... SP86-26 Deer Discovering Alabama’s Birds ...... F97-20 Alabama’s Deer Management Program ...... F95-15 How to Attract Non-Game Birds ...... SP89-8 Cool Season Food Plots for Deer ...... SU94-23 The Keys to Quail Restoration ...... SP99-23 Deer Antler Development ...... SP99-9 Nest Boxes for Wood Ducks ...... F84-8 Deer in Alabama ...... F84-12 Proposed RCW Guidelines for the Private Landowner ...... F93-30 Deer Management and Spiked Bucks ...... W89-18 Purple Martins ...... W87-30 Environmentally Safe Deer Waste Disposal ...... W00-30 Red-cockaded Woodpecker ...... SU89-11 Establishing Food Plots for Deer and Turkey ...... F86-18 The Red-cockaded Woodpecker in Alabama Hunter’s Choice Deer Season ...... SU86-26 New Information for Landowners ...... SU96-26 Leave It Alone–The Mother Did! ...... F89-26 Snag Management for Forest Birds ...... F83-28 More about Deer ...... W85-22 Where Have the Bluebirds Gone? ...... SP84-5 Supplemental Crop Plantings ...... F89-30 Wood Duck Hatch ...... F86-29 Watermelons and White-tails ...... SP99-18 Wood Duck Nest Boxes ...... W87-14 White-tailed Deer Research ...... SP90-10 Wood Ducks and Beaver Ponds ...... SU88-30 Woodpeckers of Alabama ...... W99-28 Economics Alabama Roads: A Network Necessary for Christmas Trees Forestry’s Economic Success ...... W98-20 Christmas Trees, a Cash Crop ...... F82-17 Alabama Stumpage Price Trends ...... SP98-20 Christmas Trees and Taxes ...... TAX-18 Alabama Stumpage: Will the Bull Market Continue? ...... F95-12 Christmas Trees Can Bring Profit ...... SP88-25 Alabama’s Timberland: Can It Support Industry? ...... SU90-27 Facts about Growing Christmas Trees ...... SP94-31 The Cost of Mismanaging Your Land ...... W86-8 Does Longleaf Make Dollars and Sense? ...... F99-26 Computers Economic Impacts of Erosion Control in Forests ...... SP91-23 Computer Technology for Forest Management ...... W96-12 FmHA Timber Loans ...... SU88-18 Computers Are Becoming Necessary Tools ...... SP89-26 Forestry Recordkeeping ...... W83-11 Fire Fighting Computers! ...... SU84-22 From TREASURE Forest to TREASURE Ship ...... SU89-25 Foresters and Computers ...... W85-27 Hardwood Chip Exports ...... SU89-13 Forestry on the Internet ...... SP97-8 Have Logs Will Travel? ...... F90-14 The Newest Forestry Tool ...... W87-9 Increased Service Is the Key to Forest Products Business ...... SP95-13 Use of GIS in TREASURE Forest Management ...... SU99-18 Investing: Forestry or Agriculture? ...... F86-22 Is the Forest Industry Really Important to Alabama? ...... SU95-12 Consultants/Foresters Lumber Substitutes Unlikely to Hurt Tree Growers ...... W96-7 Choosing the Right Consultant ...... SU83-18 Overseas Lumber Markets Rebound ...... W95-9 Do You Need Assistance from a Wildlife Biologist? ...... SU92-23 Stumpage Price Trends in Alabama ...... F89-22 Finding Help ...... W89-19 The Truth about Forest Investments ...... F83-16 Hire a Forester ...... F84-25 What Has the Pulp and Paper Industry Done for You Lately? ...... W98-10 How a Consultant Forester Can Help You ...... SU92-22 Why Is Forestry Such a Good Investment? ...... W85-16 On Being a Consultant ...... SU93-26 The Professional Forester ...... SP85-17 Education Public Protected by Foresters’ Licensing Law ...... SP95-7 Adopt-A-School for TREASURE Owners ...... SU94-14 Selecting the Right Vendor ...... F90-23 Center Provides Environmental Information ...... SU91-28 The State Board of Registration for Foresters ...... SP93-10 Conservation Education: Instilling a Land Ethic ...... SP99-20 FAWN: At Last, a Grass-roots Forestry Education Program ...... W97-23 Cost-Share Forestry Education in Alabama ...... F95-23 Alabama Agricultural and Conservation Forestry Education in Secondary Schools ...... W90-14 Development Commission Program ...... W94-7 Forestry Misconceptions, Pt. 1 ...... W95-26 Comparison of Cost-share Programs ...... SU93-14 Forestry Misconceptions, Pt. 2 ...... SP95-14 Conservation Reserve Program ...... SP86-8 Frequently Asked Questions about Forestry ...... SU96-12 Conservation Reserve Program ...... SU88-12 Future Farmers Learn Forestry Skills ...... W83-20 CRP–Herbicides, Grass vs. Trees ...... SP88-22 Glossary of Forestry Terms ...... SU91-14 CRP Thinnings to Hit Markets Sooner Than Expected ...... W98-17 License Plate Sales Fund Education Projects ...... W99-20 Cost-share Activities and Southern Pine Beetle ...... SU93-15 Mobile College Announces Forest Resources Learning Center ...... W91-28 Cross-Compliance: Does It Apply to You? ...... SU95-9 New Landowner Support Program Initiated ...... SU99-17 Decision Time Approaches ...... SP92-32 One Foot in the Woods ...... SU83-10 Drought Assistance ...... W89-10 Project Learning Tree ...... SP89-14 A Helping Hand, ARCP ...... F85-25 Project Wild ...... SP89-15 Historical View of Cost-Share Tree Planting ...... SP94-18 Selma’s School of Discovery ...... W95-25 Industry/Landowner Assistance Partnerships ...... SU93-16 Show and Tell Forest Management ...... SU83-11 Managing Your CRP Trees, Opportunity Knocks ...... SP96-22 Start Your Own Natural Resources Library ...... F98-14 New Cost-Share Program (OTP) ...... F95-20 Starting a Home Forestry Library ...... SP86-10 The 1996 Farm Bill ...... F96-11 Test Your Forestry IQ ...... SP98-26 Partnership for Restoration of Wetlands in Alabama ...... W99-10 Reforestation Incentives ...... SU87-13 Endangered Species Sign-ups for Forestry Incentives and Alabama Canebrake Pitcher Plant ...... F94-28 Wetlands Reserve Programs Announced ...... W97-31 Alabama Lampmussell and Pale Lilliput ...... W99-7

Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 15 Alabama Leather Flower ...... SP95-18 Evaluating and Managing Storm-Damaged Areas ...... W96-28 Alabama Streak-sorus Fern ...... SP97-7 Hurricane Opal: Tax Effects to Timber Owners ...... W96-25 American Hart’s-tongue Fern ...... W96-32 Tree Assistance Program ...... SU93-28 Artificial Cavities Boost Red-cockaded Woodpecker Populations ...... W99-30 Biological Diversity in the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem ...... F99-28 Forest Health Eastern Indigo Snake ...... SU97-19 Alabama’s Forests: A Health Update ...... SU96-21 Endangered Species ...... F86-26 Annosus Root Rot ...... F82-18 Endangered Species Act and the Private Landowner ...... F93-23 Annosus Root Rot–Nuisance in Alabama ...... SP86-19 Fire and Our Natural Heritage ...... W92-28 Brown Spot Needle Blight on Longleaf Pine ...... F99-32 Gentian Pinkroot ...... SU95-8 Dogwood Anthracnose: Prevention and Control ...... F93-28 The Gopher Tortoise ...... W97-25 Dogwood Anthracnose Raises Concern in Alabama ...... W91-27 Granite Pool Sprite ...... SP96-32 Fighting Fusiform with Genetics ...... SU83-25 The Green Pitcher Plant ...... F84-24 Forest Health Monitoring in Alabama ...... F91-14 Leafy Prairie Clover ...... SU99-8 Forest Health Monitoring Update, 1994 ...... F94-7 A Lost World in Bibb County, AL ...... F95-10 Forest Insects ...... SU89-23 Lyrate Bladderpod ...... W98-7 Fusiform–The Rust That Destroys Pine Trees ...... SP83-16 Orange-nacre Mucket ...... F96-7 Gypsy Moth Trapping-1990 ...... SP91-13 Proposed RCW Guidelines for the Private Landowner ...... F93-30 Gypsy Moths ...... SU90-12 Red-cockaded Woodpecker ...... SU89-11 High Tech Beetle Detection Coming Soon to Your Forest ...... SU97-8 The Red-cockaded Woodpecker in Alabama How to Grow Beetle Bait! ...... SU92-20 New Information for Landowners ...... SU96-27 Insects and Disease! ...... SP87-29 Red Hills Salamander ...... W95-28 Insects of Pine Forests ...... F98-24 Sadie Prices’ Potato-bean ...... SU98-7 Pest Alert ...... SP95-19 The Sandy-mounder ...... F92-28 Pines Rust, Too! ...... SP87-27 Threatened and Endangered Fish of Alabama ...... SP99-8 Soil and Littleleaf ...... F83-12 Tennessee Yellow-eyed Grass ...... W95-8 SPB and Annosus Root Rot Management ...... W85-17 Trumpets in the Woods ...... F97-24 Southern Pine Beetle Management ...... SU94-28 A Partnership in Pest Management ...... SP84-28 Environment Protect Your TREASURE From Pests ...... SU86-22 Alabama Water Watch ...... SP98-23 What to Do When Pests Hit Hardwoods ...... SU85-19 Earth Day, 1990 ...... SP90-26 Oceanfront Property for Sale ...... SU89-7 Forest Management Open Burning Ozone ...... F90-8 All Aged? Even Aged? ...... W85-9 Trees Used to Reduce Air Pollution in Mexico City ...... SP98-14 The Advantages of a Written Forest Management Plan ...... W97-26 What Is an Ecosystem? ...... SU95-7 Backburning: Alternative to Traditional Precommercial Thinning ...... F96-28 Chemical Site Preparation ...... W84-17 Equipment Commercial Pruning: An Economic Gamble ...... SP92-12 Forest Management on a Shoestring ...... F82-10 The Costs of Mismanaging Your Land ...... W86-8 Forest Management Tools ...... W88-31 Decision Time Approaches ...... SP92-32 Forest Tools for the “Hands-on” Landowner ...... F92-7 Do It Yourself Forestry ...... SU86-10 Make It Yourself: A Customized Biltmore Stick ...... SU86-12 Ecosystem Management ...... SU94-18 Make It Yourself (planting bar) ...... W86-27 Ecosystem Management in Alabama ...... SU94-19 Own Your Own Sawmill ...... F88-14 Firewood from TSI ...... SU92-8 Ticket to Ride ...... SP85-13 Forest Fertilization ...... SP98-9 Where to Find Forestry Tools ...... W85-25 Forest Management on a Shoestring ...... F82-10 Forethought in Forest Management Pays ...... SU87-16 Fire Growing Loblolly Pine in Alabama ...... F86-13 Burning Outdoors: What You Should Know ...... F92-32 Growing Poles and Piling ...... SP86-25 Do You Need a Burning Permit? ...... W98-24 Impacts of Forest Management on Wildlife Dry Hydrant System ...... SP90-27 Resources: Some Misconceptions ...... W97-9 Fire: Its Bearing upon Land and Man ...... SU83-21 Inferior Pines ...... W85-15 Fire’s Effect on Forest Soil ...... W83-17 It’s Your Forest: Take a Stand to Make It Grow! ...... SP83-14 Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire ...... F91-30 Longleaf Pine as a Planting Option ...... SP94-15 Longleaf Pine: Natural Regeneration and Management ...... F99-7 Fire Prevention Longleaf Pine Regeneration ...... F83-27 Festival Salutes Smokey ...... SP84-14 Looking for Help ...... SU84-9 Fire Prevention Plan ...... W88-7 Management Means More ...... SU84-7 Law Enforcement as Fire Prevention ...... W83-17 Management Opportunities in Mid-Rotation Plantations ...... SP95-31 Preventing Unwanted Fires ...... F94-8 Managing an EvenAged Forest ...... SP95-20 Smokey Bear First Day Cover ...... SU84-24 Managing Natural Stands ...... SP86-22 Smokey Bear–40 Years ...... W84-6 Managing Site Productivity ...... W94-10 Talladega Co. Targeted for Fire Prevention Project ...... SP93-27 Managing Upland Hardwoods ...... SP95-24 The Need for Forest Management ...... SU94-9 Firebreaks Plan Before You Cut! ...... SP83-20 Firebreaks Protect Forest Lands ...... F83-18 Planning Guide ...... W89-24 Firelanes Have Multiple Uses ...... F92-30 Preplanning a Multiple Use Forest Timber Sale ...... SP94-7 Permanent Firelanes ...... W89-9 Selective Thinning–A New Approach ...... W90-19 Permanent Firelanes Offer Protection and More ...... W98-14 Set Your “Sites” on the Best Results ...... W89-28 Site Preparation for the Private Landowner ...... W95-14 Forest Damage So You Want a Pine Forest ...... F84-20 After the Iceman Cometh ...... SP85-10 Thinning Pine Plantations ...... SU97-24 Disasters and Taxes ...... TAX-16 Thinning Your Timber ...... SU91-10 Drought and Forest Productivity ...... W89-31 Timber and Wildlife Habitat ...... W87-11

16 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 Timber Management Applications to Enhance Wildlife Habitat ...... SP99-7 Hardwood Regeneration Methods ...... F90-24 Tree Shelters–Magic Tubes ...... SP97-16 Hardwood Site Selection ...... SU87-26 Trees Need a Proper Home ...... SU84-16 Hardwood Timber Harvesting ...... F88-19 TSI Methods to Help Achieve Your Goals ...... F91-8 Hardwoods Improved in Four Steps ...... W83-21 Uneven-aged Management of Loblolly Pine ...... W85-12 Let’s Get Started, Regeneration ...... SU85-6 Unevenaged Management of Pine ...... SU95-26 Losing Sight of Sites ...... SU83-20 Use of GIS in TREASURE Forest Management ...... SU99-18 Managing Upland Hardwoods ...... SP95-24 Using Photography to Record Forest Management ...... SU95-14 Natural Regeneration of Upland Hardwoods ...... W86-9 Weather or Not ...... W88-24 No Freeway to Regeneration ...... F82-25 Why You Need a Forest Management Plan and Oak Regeneration by Direct Seeding ...... SU85-12 Where to Get One ...... W00-20 Oaks, Acorns and Wildlife ...... SU85-30 Yes, You Can Have It All ...... F94-26 Oaks–One of Alabama’s Handsome Hardwoods ...... SP86-11 Oh, Those Lovely Oaks ...... SU88-19 Forest Products Protecting Bottomland Hardwood Benefits ...... SU85-28 Alabama’s Forest Products ...... SU87-15 Quality: The Key to Value and Management ...... W92-22 Applying Log Grades to the Woodlot ...... F87-24 Red Oaks and White Oaks: Telling the Difference ...... W97-12 Cedar Furniture ...... SP87-25 The Sturdy Oak ...... SP93-18 Cedar Makes Scents ...... SP87-26 Upland Hardwood Regeneration ...... SU85-16 The Demand for Solid Wood vs. Fiber ...... SU99-7 Utilization of Low-grade Hardwood ...... F85-22 Europe–A Growing Market for Southern Pine ...... SU91-26 What to Do When Pests Hit Hardwoods ...... SU85-19 Forest Products ...... F87-19 From TREASURE Forest to TREASURE Ship ...... SU89-25 Harvesting Timber Gourmet Mushrooms from Alabama’s Forests ...... F91-28 The Alabama Logger, an Applied Silviculturalist ...... SP96-14 Hardwood: A Matter of Quality ...... F93-20 A Tale of Two Sales ...... SU90-9 Harvesting Pine Straw ...... W90-26 Conducting a Successful Timber Sale ...... SP93-8 How Much Does a Cord of Pulpwood Actually Weigh? ...... SP97-26 Estimating the Timber Volume of Your Forest ...... W86-13 Kindlin ...... F87-27 Hardwood Timber Harvesting ...... F88-19 Modern Timber Bridges ...... W89-25 Harvesting Upland Hardwoods ...... SU94-10 Old Keg Mill ...... SU87-23 Harvesting with a Purpose, Part 1 ...... W00-8 One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s TREASURE ...... F87-29 Helicopter Logging–A Harvesting Method for Wetlands ...... W95-18 Overseas Lumber Markets Rebound ...... W95-9 Help for Loggers in the ’90s: Professional Logging Pine Straw: An Alternative Source of Income ...... SU95-22 Manager Course ...... SP95-27 Poles: A Preeminent Crop ...... F83-15 Horse and Mule Logging in Alabama ...... SP98-18 Products of the Longleaf Pine ...... F99-20 How to Harvest Timber ...... SU90-18 Specialty Markets for Forest Products ...... W97-14 Inspecting Timber Sales ...... SU86-24 Trends in Forest Product Technology ...... F89-13 Know the Value of Your Timber ...... W95-11 Turpentining: One of the South’s Oldest Forest Industries ...... F99-12 Landowner’s Responsibility During Logging ...... SU92-25 Understanding Wood Composites and Engineered Mule Logging: A Dying Art? ...... SP92-14 Wood Products ...... SU97-21 Plan Before You Cut! ...... SP83-20 Unusual Alabama Forest Products ...... SP91-22 Practical Forestry Aesthetic Practices in the South ...... SP98-24 Utilization of Low-Grade Hardwoods ...... F85-22 Preplanning a Multiple Use Forest Timber Sale ...... SP94-7 Wood Residues ...... W94-18 Selective Thinning–A New Approach ...... W90-18 Selling Timber with Sealed Bids ...... F98-19 Forestry Planning Committee Some “Rules” You Should Know ...... SU84-15 Alabama Forestry Planning Committee ...... SU93-7 Timber Harvesting, A True Story of Multiple Use ...... SU97-10 Alabama Forestry Planning Committee Directory ...... SP96-7 Timber Harvesting: Which System Would You Select? ...... SU86-23 Alabama Forestry Planning Committees Timber Harvests: More Than Cutting Trees ...... W92-7 Unique Example of Coordinating and Planning for Action ...... SP83-12 Timber Sale ...... W83-5 Clay County Named Top Committee ...... W95-13 Today’s Logger: Ready for the 20th Century? ...... SP94-19 Cooperative Forestry at the County Level ...... W87-10 Understanding Timber Sale Variables ...... F98-22 County Forestry Planning Committees: A Success Story ...... W95-12 Understanding Your Timber: The Key to Getting the Best Price ...... W96-24 Forestry Planning Committees at Work ...... F95-24 What to Do Before Selling Timber ...... F88-23 Planning Committee Expands ...... W91-12 Reforestation–Planning Committees ...... F88-23 Herbicides Chemical Site Preparation ...... W84-17 Grazing Forest Herbicides: What, When, How and How Much ...... W96-15 Beef Cattle and Timber ...... SP84-18 Forester’s Guide to Herbicides ...... F85-17 Beef Production in Alabama’s Woodlands ...... F82-28 Herbaceous Weed Control ...... SP89-18 Goat Grazing on Woodlands ...... F84-11 Herbicide Alternatives ...... SP87-18 Integrating Timber and Cattle ...... SP86-15 Herbicides and Longleaf Pine Establishment ...... F99-14 Managing Vegetation with Goats ...... SP94-21 How Safe Are You? ...... W85-6 The Importance of Water Quality in Herbicide Applications ...... SU98-22 Hardwoods Improving Wildlife Habitat with Herbicides ...... W91-7 Artificial Establishment of Hardwoods ...... W97-19 Pesticide Labeling and Registration ...... W90-9 Bottomland Hardwood Forests of the Southeast ...... W99-14 Pesticides, Poison, Toxicity ...... W85-28 Changing Philosophies of Hardwoods ...... SU85-8 Prescriptions for Tough Vegetation Problems ...... SU99-26 Epicormic Branching ...... F92-9 TREASURE Forest and Herbicides–How Well Do They Mix? ...... SP97-14 Facts of Hardwood Management ...... W86-23 Fertilizing Native Oaks to Increase Acorn Production ...... F97-27 History Growing Black Walnut Trees ...... SP92-27 Alabama’s First Forest ...... SP89-30 Hardwood Management Alternatives ...... W92-14 Alabama’s Forests–A Timeline ...... F94-14 Hardwood Management in the SMZ ...... SP90-30 Archaeological Sites ...... SU84-20 Hardwood Regeneration ...... F82-25 Biological Diversity in Alabama Forests–

Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 17 A Historical Perspective ...... F93-10 Hendon, Tommy and John ...... W98-18 The Cradle of Forestry in America ...... SU98-28 Hill, Al and Jan ...... W96-18 Famous and Historical Trees ...... SP90-18 Holcomb Family ...... W87-4 Flomaton Natural Area: A Living Museum for Longleaf Pine ...... F99-16 Hughes, Barry ...... SU84-4 Forestry Making Significant Strides ...... F97-7 Hughes, Chip, Earl and Will ...... SP96-31 From George Washington’s Yard to Yours ...... W96-20 Hughes, James, and Family ...... F85-4, 21 History Writers of the Forest ...... SP90-9 Inge, Dr. George and Jane ...... SP93-21 Longleaf Pine: A Southern Legacy ...... SU96-8 James, Dan ...... F86-4 Preserving Native American Heritage ...... W98-22 James River ...... F92-20 Rocks of Alabama’s Forest Trails ...... SU89-9 Jordan, H.C...... SP87-4 Southern Forests, pt. 1 ...... F95-27 Jordon, Janie ...... SP86-4 Southern Forests, pt. 2 ...... W96-22 Kennedy, Susie ...... SU92-15 Southern Forests, pt. 3 ...... SP96-26 King, Barnett ...... W91-30 Southern Forests, pt. 4 ...... SU96-14 King, Barnett and Edna ...... SP98-4 Tree 249-3 ...... SP92-18 King, Jimmy ...... SU90-4 Turpentining: One of the South’s Oldest Forest Industries ...... F99-12 Langley, Jack ...... W94-20 The World That Was ...... W92-26 Lee, Horace and Faye ...... SP93-4 Lowe, Seth ...... SU94-4 Home Protection Malone, James and Joan ...... SP96-4 How Safe Is Your House? ...... W88-8 Manning, Earl ...... F91-19 House Fires! An Unspoken Fear of Rural Residents ...... SP83-24 Mason, Frank and Bess ...... SP97-19 Is Your Home in Danger? ...... SP92-24 Mathews, Dene ...... F99-31 ISO Ratings: What They Mean to You ...... W91-15 Mathews, John and Dene ...... F89-4 Log Cabin Fever ...... F85-29 Marywoods ...... F94-20 Smoke Detector ...... F82-9 McCallister Farms ...... SP92-4 They’re Our Volunteers ...... F84-23 McClendon, Ralph and Eloise ...... SP88-4 Volunteer Firefighters–The Unsung Heroes ...... SP93-31 McCollum, Dr. Jeff ...... F92-4 McCollum, W.N. and Linda ...... SU91-18 Hunting McConnell, Doug and Sara Baldwin ...... SP95-4 Before You Sign Hunting Leases ...... SU84-14 McCrary, John and Martha ...... F93-18 Fundamentals of Bowhunting Success ...... SU91-30 McCullers, Ed and Kim ...... W88-4 Hunter’s Choice Deer Season in Alabama ...... SU86-26 McGiffert Farm ...... F97-4 A Hunter’s Paradise–Cedar Heights ...... F88-27 McQuinn, Jack ...... W94-20 Landowner-Hunter Relations ...... F93-26 McQuinn, Jack and Mary ...... W97-18 Leasing Hunting Rights ...... SU89-18 McQuinn, Jack and Mary ...... W99-4 Leasing Hunting Rights: How Much Should I Charge? ...... SU92-11 Mickelson, Marion and Myra Nell ...... F95-19 Managing Wildlife for Income ...... F85-7 Middleton, Albert Morris ...... SU91-19 Organizing a Hunting Club ...... SU91-8 Mims, Dr. John ...... SU97-18 Penalties for Violating Game Laws ...... W90-8 Monette, Bob and Elsie ...... F92-23 Sport Hunting’s Effect on Wildlife ...... W87-25 Morris, George and Sandi ...... SU95-21 Tree Stands: Are They Hazardous? ...... W91-32 Mosley, Kelly ...... F82-4, 30 Mosley, Kelly ...... SU89-29 Landowner Profiles Munroe, C.B...... SP91-19 Adcox, Buddy and Gayle ...... W97-4 Neighbors, Joel and Paula ...... W91-4 Baker, Jerry ...... SP99-27 Nix, Thurston and Ava Nell ...... W86-4, 22 Batchelor, Boyd ...... W83-8, 30 Northcutt, Charles and Marguerite ...... F94-21 Bowden Farms ...... SP93-22 Ogden Management Co...... SU92-4 Brown, Bennie ...... F88-4 Owens, Bruce and Halsa ...... SP84-24 Brown, Bob and Carolyn ...... SU98-4 Owens, Mildred ...... SU83-4 Brown, R.B...... W94-4 Palisades Park ...... W95-30 Burton, Bob ...... SP99-26 Parker, Dr. Robert ...... SU93-4 Campbell, Russell ...... SP83-4, 30 Pennywinkle Farm ...... SP93-23 Childs, Dr. Hoyt and Ouida ...... W92-4 Phillips, N.W. and Lester Franklin ...... SP97-4 Clemons, Floyd and Louise ...... F90-4 Phillips, W.S...... SP92-22 Crosby, J.R. and Sarah ...... W95-4, 19 Ponder, John ...... SU96-19 Crow, Robert ...... F96-18 Price, Carolyn and Frank ...... W98-19 Cunningham, David and Dr. Emory ...... F96-4 Ragan, Gene and Marilyn ...... SU85-4, 25 Dollar, J.B...... F91-19 Reynolds, Dorothy ...... SU95-4 Dollar, J.B...... F93-4 Richey, E.B. and Tom ...... W92-21 East, Don and Lou ...... W00-4 Richey, E.B., Tom and Linda ...... F98-4 Eichold, Dr. Samuel ...... F94-4 Riverbend Wilderness Management Area ...... W92-20 Evans, Bettie Pruitt ...... SP93-20 Roberts, Sonny ...... F92-22 Fears, Wayne and Sherry ...... W92-19 Rudd, John ...... W84-4, 30 Fortenberry, Gary ...... SP90-4 Saloom, Dr. Salem ...... W92-18 Fortenberry, Gary ...... W99-22 Sellers, Aaron ...... F84-4 Gamble, Roy ...... SU89-4 Sellers, Robert and Helen ...... SU91-4 Gamble, Roy and Jane ...... F98-18 Simpson, Charlie and JoAnn ...... SU95-19 Gilliland, Allen ...... F91-18 Sizemore & Sizemore Farms ...... W95-4 Gordon, H.M...... F83-4, 30 Slay, Ozier and Dozier ...... SP89-4 Gulf States ...... SU87-4 Slingluff, Morris ...... SU95-20 Ham, Ron and Anna ...... SP95-22 Smith and Sons ...... SP98-22 Hamiter-Shanner Farms ...... SP95-23 Snoddy, Bill and Jeanie ...... F95-4 Harper, Jake and Pam ...... SU97-4 Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center ...... F99-4 Harrison, Bealie ...... W90-4 Sportsman’s Lake Park ...... F93-19

18 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 Stacey Family ...... SP94-4 Getting Boundaries Surveyed ...... F84-22 Starke, Bo ...... SU96-4 Property Boundary Surveys ...... SP96-10 Stone, Walt ...... W95-31 See the Big Picture ...... W83-22 Sudduth, Dr. Bill ...... SU91-4 Use of GIS in TREASURE Forest Management ...... SU99-18 Taylor, Dorsey and Lois ...... W89-4 A View from Above ...... F94-29 Taylor, Johnny and Beverly ...... SU99-4 Thomas, Bill ...... W91-31 Miscellaneous Trotter, Larry ...... F87-4 Alabama Forests License Plate Available in 1997 ...... W97-32 Vines, Mack and Marie ...... W91-30 Appreciation Day Held for Firefighters ...... W95-7 Watson, Jimmy and Addalyne ...... SU92-14 The Boy and the Tree ...... W85-31 White Oak Plantation ...... SP99-4 Champion Trees ...... SP90-20 White, Vivian and Mary Alice ...... SU86-4 Conservation Easements ...... SU98-15 Whited, Marvin and Barbara ...... F92-19 Discovering Pike County’s Pocosin ...... SP92-28 Whited, Marvin and Barbara ...... W98-4 Diverse Natural Wonders ...... W98-28 Wilco Properties ...... W96-4 Forestry in Hungary ...... W92-24 Wilmon Timberlands, Inc...... SU88-4 A “Forever Wild” Land Trust ...... SU92-7 Wright, George and Camille Cook ...... SP85-4, 19 It’s Time for Action ...... F96-10 Wright, Lance and Kristy ...... F97-18 Keeping Alabama Forever Wild ...... F91-12 Wright, Jr., Sim and Katie ...... SP91-4 Keeping Alabama Forever Wild ...... F97-28 Zak, Ronnie and George ...... SU98-23 Log a Load for Kids ...... SP98-7 Many Questions Answered ...... W86-12 Law Enforcement Medicinal Value of Plants in Alabama’s Forests ...... F94-10 Alabama Woods Arson Report ...... F88-10 Negotiating Utility Line Easements ...... F97-22 An Illegal Green in Our Forests ...... W84-16 New Report Stresses Importance of Nonfederal Forests ...... W98-15 Burning Outdoors: What You Should Know ...... F92-32 Perceptions of the Forest ...... F91-23 Federal Laws and Alabama Landowners ...... F95-14 The Red Imported Fire Ant ...... W96-9 Fire Bug ...... W87-29 Seeing Scenic Alabama, pt. 1 ...... W94-28 Is Your Burn Legal? ...... F82-8 Seeing Scenic Alabama, pt. 2 ...... SP94-28 Law Enforcement as Fire Prevention ...... W83-17 Small Acreage Forest Landowner Conference ...... F94-11 Penalties for Violating Game Laws ...... W90-8 Sustainable Forestry: A New Idea? ...... SP97-10 Revised Severance Tax Law ...... SU94-13 Rewards Program Revised ...... SP98-32 Natural Regeneration Timber Theft ...... SP89-10 Doing It Naturally ...... W84-18 Timber Theft ...... SU92-18 Longleaf Pine: Natural Regeneration and Management ...... F99-7 Timber Theft: Can It Happen to You? ...... F97-23 Longleaf Pine Regeneration ...... F83-27 Low-Cost Forest Regeneration ...... F97-10 Litter Natural Regeneration of Upland Hardwoods ...... W86-9 Don’t Drop It on Alabama ...... SP90-14 Regeneration of Forests–Naturally ...... SP89-20 Dumping in Alabama ...... W98-9 Garbage, Garbage, Everywhere ...... F86-30 Nurseries Litter in Alabama’s Forests ...... W88-15 Alabama’s Pine Seedling Shortage ...... W97-7 PALS Appoints Executive Director ...... F88-9 A Little History ...... W90-28 PALS Continues Anti-Litter Efforts ...... SP91-14 E.A. Hauss Nursery Seedlings ...... W00-16 PALS Is Cleaning Up Alabama ...... F89-31 The Impact of Genetics on Forest Productivity ...... SP96-19 Know Your Seed Source ...... SU91-20 Longleaf Pine North Alabama Nursery ...... SP90-15 Anticipating Good Longleaf Pine Cone Crops ...... F96-24 Nurseries Growing Super Trees ...... F82-14 Biological Diversity in the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem ...... F99-28 Nursery Program ...... SU88-10 Brown Spot Needle Blight on Longleaf Pine ...... F99-32 Nurserymen Harvest Improved Pine Seed ...... W83-7 Does Longleaf Make Dollars and Sense? ...... F99-26 Planting Acorns by the Ton ...... SP94-27 The Escambia Experimental Forest ...... W00-25 Pine Seedlings–1960 and Beyond ...... SU99-12 Flomaton Natural Area: A Living Museum for Longleaf Pine ...... F99-16 Progeny Testing Program ...... SP83-11 Herbicides and Longleaf Pine Establishment ...... F99-14 Seed Quality, a Key Cost Factor ...... SU83-8 The Longleaf Alliance: Seedlings by the Millions ...... F82-20 A Regional Longleaf Pine Recovery Effort ...... F99-22 ’Tis the Busiest Season ...... W83-25 Longleaf Pine ...... F87-15 War Against Weeds ...... W84-20 The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem: A Wildlife Bonanza! ...... W00-28 What Are Super Seedlings? ...... SP94-25 Longleaf Pine Forests… In the Mountains? ...... F99-30 Longleaf Pine: A Southern Legacy ...... SU96-8 Oaks Longleaf Pine as a Planting Option ...... SP94-15 Cherrybark Oak ...... SU91-11 Longleaf Pine: Natural Regeneration and Management ...... F99-7 Fertilizing Native Oaks to Increase Acorn Production ...... F97-27 Longleaf Pine Regeneration ...... F83-27 Northern Red Oak ...... SP93-7 Longleaf Pine–The Ultimate Survivor of Trial by Fire ...... F99-28 Nuttall Oak ...... SU92-19 Longleaf Seedlings: Bareroot vs. Containerized ...... SU94-24 Oak Regeneration by Direct Seeding ...... SU85-12 Products of the Longleaf Pine ...... F99-20 Oaks, Acorns and Wildlife ...... SU85-30 Restoring the Longleaf Pine Forest Ecosystem ...... F99-18 Oaks–One of Alabama s Handsome Hardwoods ...... SP86-11 Successfully Planting Longleaf Pine ...... F99-10 Oh, Those Lovely Oaks ...... SU88-19 Red Oaks and White Oaks: Telling the Difference ...... W97-12 Mapping and Surveying Sawtooth Oak ...... SP95-32 Aerial Photos and Topographic Maps ...... SU87-8 The Sturdy Oak ...... SP93-18 Alabama’s Forest Inventory Analysis ...... W99-12 Swamp Chestnut Oak ...... F91-24 Basic Steps in Land Measurement ...... F83-6 Water Oak ...... SU99-32 The Finishing Touch ...... F86-8 White Oak ...... W95-32

Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 19 Pine Management Horseback Riding ...... SU99-22 Anticipating Good Longleaf Pine Cone Crops ...... F96-24 Recreational Forest Trails ...... W99-23 Commercial Pruning: An Economic Gamble ...... SP92-12 Summer Is a Time for Camping ...... SU84-23 Cone Development in Southern Pines ...... SU89-30 Take a Nature Break at Tuskegee ...... SU83-30 Game Management in the Longleaf Pine Forest Type ...... SU95-28 A Trail in the Woods ...... SU91-24 Growing Loblolly Pine in Alabama ...... F86-13 Trail Maintenance and Management ...... SP97-20 Growing Poles and Piling ...... SP86-25 Trails Can Be Fun ...... SU83-26 Herbicides and Longleaf Pine Establishment ...... F99-14 Using Photography to Record Forest Management ...... SU95-14 Inferior Pines ...... W85-5 Loblolly Pine ...... W99-8 Reforestation Longleaf Pine ...... F87-15 Alabama’s Pine Seedling Shortage ...... W97-7 The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem: A Wildlife Bonanza! ...... W00-28 Anticipating Good Longleaf Pine Cone Crops ...... F96-24 Longleaf Pine Forests… In the Mountains? ...... F99-30 Burning for Site Preparation ...... SU88-8 Longleaf Pine: A Southern Legacy ...... SU96-8 Checking Seedling Survival ...... SP85-24 Longleaf Pine as a Planting Option ...... SP94-15 Containerized Seedlings Offer Alternatives ...... W91-26 Longleaf Pine: Natural Regeneration and Management ...... F99-7 Doing It Naturally ...... W84-18 Longleaf Pine Regeneration ...... F83-27 Don’t Let Them Die ...... W86-26 Longleaf Pine–The Ultimate Survivor of Trial by Fire ...... F99-28 Evaluation of the Planting Job ...... F90-7 Longleaf Seedlings: Bareroot vs. Containerized ...... SU94-24 Herbicides and Longleaf Pine Establishment ...... F99-14 Restoring the Longleaf Pine Forest Ecosystem ...... F99-18 How to Grow Beetle Bait! ...... SU92-20 So You Want a Pine Forest ...... F84-20 Inferior Pines ...... W85-15 Southern Bread and Butter ...... W84-11 Low-Cost Forest Regeneration ...... F97-10 The Southern Pine ...... SU84-25 Make it Yourself ...... W86-27 Successfully Planting Longleaf Pine ...... F99-10 Oak Regeneration by Direct Seeding ...... SU85-12 Thinning Pine Plantations ...... SU97-24 Partnership for Restoration of Wetlands in Alabama ...... W99-10 Uneven Management of Pine ...... SU95-26 Plant Your Forest Correctly ...... W94-8 Planting Containerized Seedlings ...... F86-20 Pond Management Planting Southern Pine Seedlings ...... W87-23 A “Reel” Adventure ...... W84-8 Planting Trees?–Standards Can Help ...... W88-21 Clearing Muddy Ponds ...... F91-26 Pine Seedlings–1960 and Beyond ...... SU99-12 Considerations Before Building a Pond ...... SU99-10 Prepare Now for Planting ...... SU83-9 Managing Aquatic Weeds in Ponds ...... F91-27 A Reforestation Survey of Butler, Wilcox and Monroe Counties Managing Ponds for Better Fishing ...... F96-13 Using Satellite Remote Sensing ...... F88-12 Pond Construction ...... SU96-28 Reforestation Vendor Service ...... SP87-31 Ponds: Popular Recreation ...... F87-13 Seedling Handling ...... F89-27 Take Control of Weeds ...... SU90-24 Seedling Survival– How Is Alabama Doing? ...... F90-31 What about Pond Management? ...... W89-14 So You Want a Pine Forest ...... F84-20 Starting from Scratch–Direct Seeding ...... SP85-12 Successfully Planting Longleaf Pine ...... F99-10 Prescribed Burning Tree Planter for Marginal Land ...... F84-18 Alabama’s New Prescribed Burning Act ...... SU96-18 Tree Planting–It’s Worth Doing Right ...... F88-29 Backburning: Alternative to Traditional Tree Planting: Success or Failure Depends on You ...... F96-19 Precommercial Thinning ...... F96-28 You Reap What You Sow ...... W88-28 Burning for Site Preparation ...... SU88-8 What Are Super Seedlings? ...... SP94-25 Controlled Burning Users in the Wiregrass Region ...... W91-24 Fire and Our Natural Heritage ...... W92-28 Safety Is Your Burn Legal? ...... F82-8 Longleaf Pine–The Ultimate Survivor of Trial by Fire ...... F99-28 Chainsaw Safety Is No Accident ...... F94-19 Open Burning and Ozone ...... F90-8 Chainsaw Safety, It’s No Accident ...... F84-25 Plan Management Around Control Burning ...... W86-24 Common Poisonous Plants ...... W90-12 Plan Now for Winter Burning ...... F83-22 Don’t Be Afraid–Be Cautious ...... F89-18 Plan Prescribed Burning Now ...... F85-13 Don’t Let It Bug You! ...... SU87-27 Prepare Now for Prescribed Burning ...... F98-11 Gun Safety ...... F87-7 Prescribe Burning in Pine Stands ...... SP87-11 Herbicides–How Safe Are You? ...... W85-6 Prescribe Burning–the Safe Way ...... SU90-7 How Safe Is Your House? ...... W88-8 Prescribed Burning–Useful Tool ...... SP83-28 Lyme Disease ...... SU90-25 Prescribed Burning: What Can You Expect? ...... W89-11 Pesticides, Poison, Toxicity ...... W85-28 Prescribed Burning–What Is It? ...... W83-16 The Poisonous Threesome ...... SU99-14 Prescribed Fire in the Summer: Another Tool ...... SU97-28 Rabies ...... F90-12 Smoke Management Considerations for Prescribe Burners ...... W97-8 ROPS and Seat Belts Can Save Lives ...... SU98-21 Tame Fire Can Aid Our Forests ...... SP83-29 Safe Tractor Operation ...... SU98-20 Where There’s Fire There’s Smoke ...... W87-28 Safety Comes First (chain saw) ...... W91-13 Where There’s Smoke There’s Ire ...... F91-30 Smoke Detector ...... F82-9 Smoke Management Considerations for Prescribe Burners ...... W97-8 Tractor Safety ...... SP87-31 Pruning Tree Stands: Are They Hazardous? ...... W91-32 Commercial Pruning: An Economic Gamble ...... SP92-12 How to Prune Trees ...... SP83-21 Soils Pruning: A New Look at an Old Practice ...... SU94-7 Considerations for Forest Management on Alabama Soils ...... F94-12 Controlling Erosion ...... SU86-29 Recreation Defining a Wetland ...... F93-7 Camping Green ...... SU97-7 Dollars in Your Dirt ...... SP84-20 Developing Forest Trails ...... F95-25 Fire’s Effect on Forest Soil ...... W83-17 Forest Photography ...... SP84-27 Forest Management Begins with Soil ...... SP85-9

20 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 Know Your Wetlands ...... SU90-8 IRS, the Helping Hand ...... TAX-30 Losing Sight of Sites ...... SU83-20 Management Can Save Tax Dollars ...... SU88-28 New Federal Guidance for Managing Forested Wetlands ...... W97-28 Managing Under New Tax Laws ...... W87-8 100 Years of the National Cooperative Soil Survey— New Capital Gains Rules ...... W98-13 and Still Learning ...... W00-10 Now Where Did I Put That? ...... W92-10 Planning Soil and Water Quality ...... W83-18 On Being Partners with Uncle Sam ...... TAX-26 Set Your “Sites” on the Best Results ...... W89-28 One Man’s Misfortune May Be Only That… Disaster Taxes ...... TAX-16 Soil and Littleleaf ...... F83-12 Passive, Active, or Just Confused ...... SU93-20 Soil Compaction, Hardpans and Tree Growth ...... SP93-24 Preserving Your Family Forest by Estate Planning ...... SP93-12 Soil Erosion–Our “Hidden” Legacy ...... F97-8 Revised Severance Tax Law ...... SU94-13 Soil pH in Forestry ...... F83-12 Tax Tips ...... F90-10 Soil Survey ...... F83-12 Taxes, the Silent Partner ...... TAX-4 Timber Production on Marginal Cropland ...... F85-28 Timber Account Depletion ...... TAX-5 What Part Does Soil Play in Your Plan? ...... W98-25 Tips for Forest Landowners ...... SP88-12 Valuation of Forest Lands for Estate Tax Purposes ...... TAX-7 Southern Pine Beetle A Year in the Life of a Taxpayer, pt. 1 ...... SU97-12 Combating the Beetle ...... SP84-16 A Year in the Life of a Taxpayer, pt. 2 ...... F97-12 Control the SPB ...... F83-23 A Year in the Life of a Taxpayer, pt. 3 ...... W98-12 Cost-share Activities and Southern Pine Beetle ...... F93-15 A Year in the Life of a Taxpayer, pt. 4 ...... SP98-12 Hazard Rating ...... W83-26 A Year in the Life of a Taxpayer, pt. 5 ...... SU98-12 High Tech Beetle Detection Coming Soon to Your Forest ...... SU97-8 How to Grow Beetle Bait! ...... SU92-20 TREASURE Forest Insects and Disease ...... SP87-29 Alabama TREASURE Forest Association, Sawing is Salvage ...... SU84-12 Forming a Network ...... W00-7 Southern Pine Beetle Alert ...... SP86-24 Alabama’s TREASURE Forest Landowners: Southern Pine Beetle Management ...... SU94-28 A Valuable Human Resource ...... F96-27 SPB and Annosus Root Rot ...... W85-17 Anniston Teacher Wins State Honors with SPB Battle Continues ...... W89-12 TREASURE Forest Project ...... W99-25 Where Did Those Beetles Come From? ...... F85-9 Awareness Campaign Launched ...... F94-27 Will the Beetle Be Back? ...... W88-29 Become a TREASURE Forest Landowner: 6 Steps to Success ...... SP98-23 Squirrels Becoming a TREASURE Forest Landowner ...... W00-22 A Fly-by-night Operation ...... SP93-28 Crying Indian Smiles about TREASURE Forest ...... SP85-28 Auto Tires Make Dens ...... SU91-21 Enjoy Your TREASURE Forest ...... W99-15 Gray Squirrel ...... SP85-14 Landowner Questions Concerning the Observing Squirrel Signs ...... W83-29 TREASURE Forest Program ...... SU99-9 Not in It for the Money ...... SU90-14 State Lands Pass It On ...... F98-26 Alabama Forestry Commission: Path to TREASURE Forest ...... SP90-7 Practicing What It Preaches ...... SU94-8 Perspective on TREASURE Forest ...... F88-7 Choccolocco State Forest ...... W83-24 Pineland, a Second Look ...... SU89-29 Practicing What We Preach ...... F82-29 The Road to TREASURE ...... SU86-28 A Recreational Opportunity ...... SP91-26 Signs of the Times ...... SP90-25 State Owned TREASURES ...... SP92-23 Statistics TREASURE Forest and Tree Farm ...... F85-16 Alabama Resource Information ...... W89-7 A TREASURE Forest–for Love and for Money ...... SP91-18 Alabama’s Forest Inventory Analysis ...... W99-12 TREASURE Forest Gems ...... F96-12 Alabama’s Fourth Forest ...... SP88-29 TREASURE Forest Goes Nationwide ...... W90-15 Measuring the Wealth of Alabama’s Forests ...... F89-10 TREASURE Forest Landowner Creed ...... W84-29 1990 Alabama Forest Survey ...... W91-10 TREASURE Forest Memorabilia Donated to AU Archives ...... F92-8 Snapshots of Alabama’s NIPF Landowners ...... SP93-26 TREASURE Forest Program ...... W83-23 Southern Annual Forest Inventory System: The TREASURE Forest Program in Alabama ...... SU93-29 A New Partnership ...... SU97-14 TREASURE Forest–The First Step ...... SP92-7 What Is Alabama’s Fourth Forest? ...... W88-10 TREASURE Forest–The Parts of the Whole ...... F97-14 Who Owns Alabama’s Forest? ...... SU91-7 TREASURE Forests: A Haven for Wildlife in Alabama ...... W88-14 2 Million by 2000: Are You Ready for a Challenge? ...... W97-24 Taxes View on TREASURE Forest ...... F89-7 Acreage Assessment for Alabama ...... W90-7 When Managed Properly All the Pieces Fit ...... W85-26 Alabama Severance Tax ...... SU94-12 Why TREASURE Forest ...... SP85-25 Approved Amendment Will Provide You May Have a Buried TREASURE ...... SP92-9 Funding for Firefighters ...... SP94-32 Changes in Estate Taxation ...... SP83-6 Tree Identification Christmas Trees and Taxes ...... TAX-18 Selecting a Tree Guide ...... F94-23 Current Use Taxes ...... SP96-12 Tree Identification ...... SU83-19 Death and Taxes ...... TAX-13 Deductible Expenses and Carrying Charges ...... TAX-20 Tree Species Profiles Estate Planning ...... SU87-9 American Beech ...... W00-19 Federal Forestry Cost-share Programs Outlook ...... SU93-24 American Chestnut ...... SU94-22 Forest Product Severance and Privilege Taxes ...... TAX-23 American Hornbeam ...... W94-32 Forest Severance Tax ...... SP89-11 American Sycamore ...... W96-10 Forestry Recordkeeping ...... W83-11 Bald Cypress ...... F94-25 Hurricane Opal: Tax Effects to Timber Owners ...... W96-25 Bigleaf Magnolia ...... W98-8 Income Tax Treatment of Reforestation Costs ...... TAX-10 Black Cherry ...... SP97-25

Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 21 Black Walnut ...... F82-16 Trails Can Be Fun ...... SU83-26 Blackgum ...... SU96-7 Water Issues Facing Forestry in Alabama ...... SP95-10 Cherrybark Oak ...... SU91-11 Water Quality ...... SU86-8 Crab Apple ...... SP99-32 Water Quality Act of 1987 ...... SP88-28 Cypress, a Tree to Consider ...... W86-25 Water Quality Is Affected by Quality of the Woodland ...... SP83-23 Eastern Redbud ...... SP98-8 Wetlands–Functions and Values ...... SU95-11 Eastern Redcedar ...... SU97-32 Ginkgo ...... SU98-8 Wildfire It’s Poplar ...... SU84-19 After the Fire ...... SP87-9 Loblolly Pine ...... W99-8 Aviation in Fire Detection and Suppression ...... SU90-30 Northern Red Oak ...... SP93-7 Cooperation Makes a Difference ...... F84-29 Nuttall Oak ...... SU92-19 Fire Bug ...... W87-29 Paulownia ...... F90-27 Fire Detection ...... SP83-26 Pecan ...... F98-13 Is Your Home in Danger? ...... SP92-24 Persimmon ...... F93-32 Residential Wildland Interface ...... W90-24 Red Maple ...... SP96-25 Using Tools for Fire Control ...... SU88-7 Sawtooth Oak ...... SP95-32 Wildfire: A Threat to Southern Forests ...... SP85-26 Shagbark Hickory ...... F96-32 Wildland Urban Interface ...... W96-11 Swamp Chestnut Oak ...... F91-24 Woods Arson Report ...... F88-10 Water Oak ...... SU99-32 White Oak ...... W95-32 Wildflowers Yellow Poplar ...... SU87-24 Go Wild! ...... SP95-28 Yellow Poplar: A Tree of Beauty and Benefit ...... W92-32 Wildflowers ...... SP87-8 Wildflowers for Alabama ...... SP89-28 Turkeys Wildflower TREASURES ...... F89-9 Chufas ...... SU88-23 Woodland Wildflowers ...... SU98-24 Building a Turkey Feeder ...... W91-23 Establishing Food Plots for Deer and Turkey ...... F86-18 Wildlife Growing Chufa for Wild Turkeys ...... SP92-30 Alabama Black Bears ...... F90-9 Planting Supplemental Foods ...... SP84-7 Alabama’s Deer Management Program ...... F95-15 Turkey Management Basics ...... SU97-25 Animal Inns ...... F89-7 Artificial Cavities Boost Urban Forestry Red-cockaded Woodpecker Populations ...... W99-30 Cities Recognized for Tree Programs ...... SP90-12 Attracting Owls ...... F91-25 The City Forest Needs Managing Also ...... SP89-25 Attracting Waterfowl to Beaver Ponds ...... SP99-22 Envisioning an Urban Forest ...... SP93-30 Auto Tires Make Dens ...... SU91-21 How to Prune Trees ...... SP83-21 Beauty in Flight ...... SP91-28 Keeping Our Cities Cool ...... F96-8 The Black Bear in Alabama ...... SU99-24 Managing an Urban Forest ...... SP85-6 The Boone and Crockett Club ...... SU98-18 Oceanfront Property for Sale ...... SU89-7 Building a Turkey Feeder ...... W91-23 Stewardship in the City ...... SP92-31 Commonly Asked Questions about Suburban Forestry ...... SU84-29 Releasing Pen-raised Quail ...... F98-28 Which Trees Do I Save? ...... W84-14 Convert Your Beaver Problem into a Waterfowl Area ...... SU92-28 Urban Development and Water Quality ...... SP91-7 Coyote: Predator on the Rise ...... SU91-29 Deer in Alabama ...... F84-12 Vegetation Problems Deer Management and Spiked Bucks ...... W89-18 Arrest Kudzu ...... SU83-28 A Fly-by-night Operation ...... SP93-28 Cogongrass: Problem and Solutions ...... F95-8 Foxes in Alabama ...... SP91-25 Options for Kudzu Control ...... W90-30 Game Management in the Longleaf Pine Forest Type ...... SU95-28 Prescriptions for Tough Vegetation Problems ...... SU99-26 Gopher Tortoise ...... SP86-29 Gray Squirrel ...... SP85-14 Water Quality A “Hare” Raising Adventure ...... W84-27 Alabama Forestry BMP Manual Available ...... SP93-14 Hunter’s Choice Deer Season ...... SU86-26 Alabama Water Watch ...... SP98-23 Impacts of Forest Management on Best Management Practices ...... SU84-17 Wildlife Resources: Some Misconceptions ...... W97-9 Best Management Practices for Forested Wetlands ...... F92-13 Imported Fire Ants and Wildlife Populations ...... W96-8 Best Management Practices, Update ...... SP89-7 Improving Wildlife Habitat with Herbicides ...... W91-7 Clean Water and Forest Management ...... SP91-9 The Keys to Quail Restoration ...... SP99-23 Coastal Zone Management Act Leave It Alone–The Mother Did! ...... F89-26 Management Measures for Forestry ...... W94-14 The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem: A Wildlife Bonanza! ...... W00-28 Defining a Wetland ...... F93-7 Management of Mourning Doves ...... SU95-22 Don’t Get in a Rut ...... SU83-16 Managing Forests for Wildlife pt. 1 ...... F93-12 Forest Roads ...... W92-12 Managing Forests for Wildlife pt. 2 ...... SP94-22 Forest Roads and Water Protection ...... F95-28 Managing Wildlife for Income ...... F85-7 Hardwood Management in the SMZ ...... SP90-30 More about Deer ...... W85-22 New Coastal Zone Management Guidelines ...... W94-13 NineBanded Armadillo ...... SP91-20 New Federal Guidance for Managing Forested Wetlands ...... W97-28 Non-Game Program Makes Strides ...... TAX-29 Planning Soil and Water Quality ...... W83-18 Observing Squirrel Signs ...... W83-29 Status Report on Water Quality ...... W94-26 Penalties for Violating Game Laws ...... W90-9 SMZs for Wildlife ...... W92-8 Pine Silviculture and Wildlife ...... SP88-7 Stream Crossing in a Basket ...... SP97-28 Predator Control ...... SP97-12 Stream Crossings ...... F91-20 Red-cockaded Woodpecker ...... SU89-11 Streamside Management Zones ...... SU91-22 Red Hills Salamander ...... W95-28

22 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 The Sandy-mounder ...... F92-28 Bicolor Is for the Birds, pt. 2 ...... SP84-9 SMZs for Wildlife ...... W92-8 Chufas ...... SU88-23 Snakes of Alabama: Fact and Fiction ...... SP98-28 Cool Season Food Plots for Deer ...... SU94-23 Sport Hunting and Its Effect ...... W87-25 Establishing Food Plots for Deer and Turkey ...... F86-18 Threatened and Endangered Fish of Alabama ...... SP99-8 Fertilizing Native Oaks to Increase Acorn Production ...... F97-27 Timber Management Applications to Enhance Wildlife Habitat… ...... SP99-7 Food Plots Can Enhance Wildlife Management ...... SU96-20 Timber and Wildlife Habitat ...... W87-11 Growing Chufa for Wild Turkeys ...... SP92-30 TREASURE Quail Management ...... F96-22 Managing Natural Food and Cover for Wildlife ...... SP95-8 Turkey Management Basics ...... SU97-25 Maximizing Benefits from Tree and What Is a Wildlife Opening? ...... SP99-12 Shrub Plantings for Wildlife ...... F95-21 What’s So Bad about Bats? ...... SP99-28 Oaks, Acorns and Wildlife ...... SU85-30 White-tailed Deer Research ...... SP90-10 Supplemental Crop Plantings for Deer ...... F89-30 Wildlife Openings in CRP Pine Plantations ...... SU98-9 Watermelons and White-tails ...... SP99-18 Wildlife–Managing for Profit ...... F88-18 Wildlife Foods ...... F87-8 Woodpeckers of Alabama ...... W99-28 Yes, You Can Have It All ...... F92-6 Wood Energy Energizing the Middle Story ...... SU83-22 Firewood As a Business Venture ...... F82-12 Wildlife (Foods/Plots) Firewood from TSI ...... SU92-8 Amquail ...... F87-11 Often Neglected As an Energy Source…Wood ...... F84-27 Autumn Olive ...... F90-32 University Turns to Wood Energy ...... SU83-23 Bicolor Is for the Birds, pt. 1 ...... W84-24 Wood–A Source of Energy ...... W83-14 Industry Leaders to Award Farmers 17th Annual for Wildlife Stewardship Practices Alabama Landowner Four leaders in the outdoors industry acres or smaller. “The farmer has long and TREASURE Forest have teamed with Progressive Farmer/ been the unsung hero in the field of Conference Rural Sportsman magazine to recognize wildlife management,” said Fears. “Many the contributions of private landowners to landowners and leaseholders serve as October 5-6, 2000 the future of hunting and fishing. wildlife stewards and work hard to pass Simmons Outdoor Corp., Wrangler, on these renewable resources to future Governors House Hotel Stren Fishing Lines and Benelli are the generations. It’s time they received the 2000 category sponsors of the Wildlife recognition they deserve.” and Conference Center Stewardship FarmTM Awards Program. Eligible entrants will be the actual Montgomery, AL The awards were established to identify stewards of the lands, those responsible farms where lands and lakes/streams are for planning and implementing manage- Mark your calendar! managed to benefit wildlife and made ment practices whether or not they own Details and registration form available for public use. the land. A farm or ranch may be entered in the summer issue of A “Farm of the Year” will be honored into one or more categories. Alabama’s TREASURED Forests for exemplary wildlife and habitat man- To enter the awards program, the agement in each of four categories: Big steward must complete an entry form Game, sponsored by Simmons; provided by Rural Sportsman and submit Waterfowl, sponsored by Benelli; Farm photographs that illustrate the manage- Pond/Stream, sponsored by Stren; and ment practices. Entries must be received Upland Game, sponsored by Wrangler. by Rural Sportsman no later than May Any farm or ranch in the U.S. that allows 31, 2000. Winners in each category will hunting and fishing by the public on receive products from the sponsoring MEMORIAL some basis, either commercially or other- company, a plaque, a farm sign, and an Lee W. Pershke, 49, of Killen, Ala., wise, may be entered. expenses-paid trip for two to passed away February 17, 2000. Rural Sportsman editor J. Wayne Birmingham, Alabama, for an awards He was a true friend to the forestry Fears points out that an estimated 66 per- presentation. community. Lee was employed by cent of wildlife habitat is privately To request further information and DuPont as the forestry representa- owned, with 80 percent of the wildlife entry forms, write to Becky Granzow, tive in several states. He will be found on that 66 percent. Also, private Rural Sportsman, P.O. Box 2581, greatly missed by his family, lands are home to an estimated 2.5 mil- Birmingham, AL 35202; fax to friends and co-workers. lion ponds. In 1991, 10.6 million anglers 205-877-6860; or e-mail to fished on private ponds measuring 10 [email protected]. Visit the Alabama Forestry Commission Web Page: www.forestry.state.al.us Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 23 Harvesting with a Purpose Part II: Final Harvests By BILLY RYE, R.F. Forest Management Specialists, Florence, Alabama

Editor’s note: Part 1 of “Harvesting with and site quality will be the ones that win lightning and wind throw. It is also a Purpose” appeared in the Winter 2000 this race. Trees that do not have the impossible to control the stocking of the issue of Alabama’s TREASURED Forests. genetic potential to grow fast or out com- seedlings that become established, and pete other trees for sunlight do not sur- money must often be spent to conduct a S WE DISCUSSED in “Part 1: vive or become suppressed. Over time, pre-commercial thin to reduce the num- Intermediate Harvests,” it is recom- this method has the potential to improve ber of seedlings per acre. Amended that all harvesting efforts both the quantity and quality of wood Shelterwood–This method is similar be coordinated by a written forest man- present within a forest. Forests managed to the seed tree method with the excep- agement plan. This plan should be pre- under even age systems also tend to yield tion that the old stand is removed in a pared with the landowner’s best interests higher rates of return than those managed series of harvests. Under the shelterwood in mind by a competent resource profes- as uneven aged. Therefore, the even age method, trees are removed in a series of sional, and should be customized to meet system is the most common management three to four harvests. While this type of the individual landowner’s unique combi- system in the South. There are three harvest/regeneration has been successful- nation of objectives and resources. In this types of harvesting used to establish an ly implemented in Southern yellow pine, article, we will focus on the types of final even age system: 1) Clearcut, 2) Seed it is most often successful in establish- harvests available to forest landowners. tree, and 3) Shelterwood. ment of bottomland oaks. The U.S. Clearcut–A clearcut occurs when the Forest Service has successfully utilized Final Harvests entire stand is removed in one cutting. the shelterwood method in Crossett, The timing and method of final har- Clearcutting is by far the most common Arkansas, and the Wheeler Wildlife Ref- vest is arguably the most important deci- method of harvesting used in the South. uge in north Alabama has had success sion that a landowner will make during A silvicultural clearcut occurs when with establishing Nuttall oak using this the life of their forest stand. This is due all trees larger than 1 inch in diameter method. to the fact that the final harvest usually are removed to facilitate regeneration of yields more money than intermediate har- the next stand. A commercial clearcut Uneven Age vests and that the quality of final harvest occurs when only the merchantable prod- With this silvicultural management will determine the quality of the next ucts are harvested. However, with system, the mature timber is removed– stand. The type of final harvest imple- improved utilization, enough trees are usually the oldest or largest trees–either mented in a forest also determines the normally removed during most commer- as single scattered individuals or in small age structure of the trees present in the cial clearcuts to facilitate regeneration of groups at relatively short intervals, next stand. Foresters refer to this age the next stand. repeated indefinitely. This way the con- structure as a silvicultural management Seed tree–Another method of estab- tinuous establishment of reproduction is system. Silvicultural management sys- lishing an even age stand is by conduct- encouraged and an uneven aged stand is tems are classified as either even age or ing a seed tree harvest. Under this type maintained. Under this type of manage- uneven age. of harvest, the old stand is removed in ment system, trees from each diameter one cutting, except for a small number of class must be removed in proper propor- Even Age seed trees evenly distributed across the tions and at regular intervals. Under the even age management sys- stand. In the South, this method is most Landowners using this method of tem, most of the trees in the upper often used to regenerate Southern yellow management should seek the assistance canopy are the same or almost the same pines or other light-seeded species. Six to of a professional forester to mark the age. Forests in our area tend to occur nat- 10 of the best trees per acre are retained trees to be removed and monitor the har- urally in even age systems. Usually there to establish seedlings and a prescribed vesting activities. is some type of disturbance (wildfire, burn is usually conducted to prepare the Stands managed under the uneven wind storm, flood, etc.) whereby all or seedbed. Seed trees are usually retained aged system will typically yield lower most of the forest canopy is destroyed. for two to four years or until an adequate timber revenues and will incur greater Trees that originate from seed, stand of seedlings is established, at costs over the life of the stand. All of this seedlings already in place, or sprouts which time they are removed. The advan- adds up to lower rates of return when then “battle it out” to determine which tage of this method of regeneration is compared to even age management sys- trees will occupy the canopy of the next that it has no direct cost. However, there tems. If an economic rate of return is not forest. Theoretically, the trees that have are indirect costs associated with this a primary objective and a landowner has the best combination of genetic capability method, such as the loss of seed trees to access to a professional forester who is 24 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 Clearcutting is the most common method of harvesting used in the South.

familiar with this type of manage- and income would be realized at regular ment system, uneven aged stands intervals rather than once every 40 can be accomplished and success- years. While this method sounds logical, fully maintained in most areas of it tends to work against the forest’s natu- the South. ral tendency. Forests in North America Landowners should be cau- tend to be even aged (recall the earlier tious of the “diameter limit” discussion). Most of the trees that are method of harvest. Under this larger are not older; they simply have a method, only trees of a predeter- better combination of genetic capability mined size or larger are removed. and a quality site.Therefore, if the trees According to the forest inventory with the best genetic potential are conducted by the U.S. Forest removed repeatedly, the potential for the Service, the amount of land clas- forest to produce quality timber dimin- sified as “hardwood” in the ishes with time. This type of harvesting Tennessee Valley has increased is known to foresters as “high-grading” over the last 60 years. and is not recommended. However, the amount of quality hardwood has decreased. While Summary widespread uncontrolled burning Harvesting can either be applied to an of Southern forests has contribut- existing stand or used to establish a new ed to this phenomenon, most one. The best method and timing of har- foresters believe the primary vesting is dependent upon a landowner’s cause for the reduction in quality objectives and the resources that are is the diameter limit harvesting available. By understanding the various method. types of harvesting and obtaining a writ- Until the mid to late 1980s, ten forest management plan, a landown- the primary harvesting method in er is much more likely to “Harvest with the Tennessee Valley was a selec- a Purpose.” tive harvest (diameter limit). Typically, a timber purchaser would convince the landowner to Reference harvest the larger, older trees and Smith, David M. The Practice of In a seed tree cut, six to 10 of the best trees the smaller, younger trees would Silviculture: 8th Edition. New York: per acre are retained to establish seedlings then be free to grow and take John Wiley & Sons, 1986. and a prescribed burn is usually conducted their place. Using this rationale, to prepare the seedbed. there would be a perpetual forest Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 25 Recovering from Drought Preparing for the Next

By TILDA MIMS Forest Education Specialist, Alabama Forestry Commission

HEN FALL RAINS began in tree seedlings may qualify for a business freezing when transporting and in 1999, firefighters in the loss deduction. The loss is deductible in the field during planting. Forestry Commission, forest the year the seedlings died. • Planting at the correct time of year. Windustry and volunteer fire Research has proven that late fall departments across Alabama breathed a Drought Strategies and dormant season planting gives sigh of relief. After many weeks of wild- and Planning superior results. If you must plant in late spring or early summer, con- fires fanned by dry winds and low mois- Drought often prompts a crisis man- tainerized seedlings result in better ture, rainfall signaled the official end of agement, rather than risk management, survival than bare-root. the Drought Emergency declared by approach. Today, however, many forest • Avoiding reforestation immediately Governor Seigelman. managers are taking a proactive approach following a clearcut to avoid risk of While wildfire risk was relieved by by incorporating strategies to minimize pales weevil. adequate precipitation, the most damag- drought damage when developing man- • Planting during optimum conditions ing effects of drought take longer to agement plans. By anticipating the of temperatures between 35 and 60 appear. Drought-stressed seedlings may inevitable–that drought will come and degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidi- die outright, or be weakened and attacked go–forest landowners may minimize its ty above 40 percent, and wind speed by insects or diseases. Stressed seedlings damaging effects. less than 10 mph. grow slowly and are often less effective Healthy stands are your best defense than surrounding vegetation at competing against drought. Forest landowners that Established Stand Management— for limited moisture. Established pine seek professional forestry assistance and Research has found that drought is often trees stressed by drought are more sus- follow a sound forest management pro- the final stress factor that weakens over- ceptible to attack by Southern pine beetle, gram realize more net profit and incur stocked or overmature stands so severely as well as many other insects and dis- less loss. that trees cannot fend off insect or dis- eases. ease attack. Regular prescribed burning Stand Establishment—While an and timely thinning will reduce competi- extreme drought may kill young Drought Recovery tion and facilitate vigorous growth in pine seedlings, total failure usually results There are few immediate solutions for stands. Healthy trees can often resist or from a combination of factors including drought damage to newly planted stands. rapidly recover from such attacks. poor site preparation, poor seedling quali- You may, however, receive help in refor- Forest landowners should inspect their ty, poor seedling handling practices, lack estation costs. If you planted trees under a forests frequently and move quickly to of competition controls, improper plant- cost-share program and the seedlings died salvage or renovate stands where exces- ing, or planting the wrong species on a due to drought, you may apply for addi- sive mortality has occurred. Timber killed given site. tional cost-share assistance for reforesta- or weakened by insects, diseases, drought For best results a forest management tion. Contact the Natural Resources or all three may be sold in a salvage sale. plan should include: Conservation Service for information on While forest landowners need to salvage • Improving soil moisture conditions Forest Incentive Program (FIP) funds and quickly because insects and fungi cause by eliminating competing vegeta- contact your local Soil and Water rapid deterioration of wood quality, a tion. Conservation District for cost-share hasty decision can also be a costly one. • Selecting species well adapted to through the Alabama Agricultural and Consult a professional forester before the geographic area and soil type. Conservation Development Commission marketing timber under any circum- • Obtaining high quality seedlings Program (formerly ARCP). stances. from a reputable source. Seeded You may recover some of your plant- stands are more susceptible to ing expenses by reporting the loss on drought and early competitions than Planning for Change your income tax. The “Forest Owner’s stands planted with seedlings. The Old Farmers Almanac 2000 pre- Guide to the Federal Income Tax” states • Protecting unplanted seedlings from dicts drought in parts of the Deep South that drought-induced losses of planted direct sun, high temperatures and for April and May, above normal rainfall

26 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 in September and a return to drier than to stay healthy enough to resist damaging Agricultural and Environmental normal conditions for October. The effects of change. The forest landowner’s Sciences Georgia Cooperative Climate Prediction Center of the Ntional best insurance policy is to seek profes- Extension Systems Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sional forestry assistance, develop a Forest Owner’s Guide to the Federal also reports that drought is expected to sound management plan and follow that Income Tax 1995 continue through mid-2000. plan “come rain or come shine.” North Carolina Cooperative Extension A forest’s best bet for surviving too Service publication numbers AG-519- little rain, too much rain, ice storms, tor- Sources of Information 9, AG-519-3, AG-519 and AG-518-2 nadoes, wildfires, insects and diseases is University of Georgia College of Old Farmer’s Almanac 2000

Educational Grant Proposals Being Accepted Forestry tag sales continue to be successful, which results in monies available to fund forestry education- al projects. The Forest Stewardship Education Committee is now accepting grant proposals through May 25, 2000. Grant proposals must be post- marked no later than May 25, 2000. Since the forestry tag went on sale January 1, 1997, the Committee has approved more than $480,000 in grants for various forestry projects throughout the state. If you know of groups or orga- nizations that need financial assistance in implement- ing forestry programs, you can request a grant pro- posal form by sending your name and address to Anita W. Benton, Forestry Tag Coordinator, P.O. Box 302550, Montgomery, AL 36130, or you can e-mail her at [email protected].

NEWS BRIEFS

USDA-NRCS Robert N. Jones has been selected The name change was made to more Freshwater Fisheries. Pugh, who had State Conservationist for the USDA accurately reflect the work performed served as assistant director since 1993, Natural Resources Conservation Service by the division. For many years the replaces long-time director Charles Kelly, (NRCS) in Alabama. In the position, division was involved primarily with who retired last year. Jones will be responsible for the agen- enforcement, game management and cy’s natural resource conservation activi- restocking programs. Today, they are USDA-Forest Service ties in partnership with Alabama’s 67 involved in nongame protection and Jim Gooder, a 22-year veteran of the soil and water conservation districts. proliferation, conservation education Forest Service, has been named as the Jones replaces Ronnie Murphy, who and outreach programs, hunter safety new forest supervisor for the National retired from the agency in October 1999. education and many other projects. Forests in Alabama. The National Forests Since the division is not involved in in Alabama includes the Bankhead, Alabama Department of saltwater fisheries management, the Conecuh, Talladega and Tuskegee Conservation and Natural distinction needed to be made between National Forests. Gooder replaces John Resources fresh and saltwater fisheries. Yancy, who accepted a position with the The Game and Fish Division has offi- In another announcement, M.N. U.S. Park Service last year. cially changed its name to the Division “Corky” Pugh has been named as head of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. of the Division of Wildlife and Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 27 Cabin Reveals Durability of Natural Resources

By JOEL D. GLOVER Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

F YOU TRAVEL through eastern Coosa County on Alabama Highway I259, you might see a log cabin sitting just off the road with a sign that reads: “Adams Hunting Club.” As you might guess, it is not at all unusual to see hunt- ing camps in this rural county, which is abundantly blessed with natural resources. This hunting camp sits on and is surrounded by the J.P. Adams Estate TREASURE Forest. That in itself is not unique, but the cabin is. The cabin is constructed of heart pine, which was a common building material in this area many years ago. This cabin, however, was constructed in 1997. Did the owner find the lumber drying in a barn somewhere? No, these logs are well traveled and if they could talk they would Before being used for this have an interesting story to tell. cabin, the wood was once a Running across the Adams property bridge, a smokehouse and a and under Highway 259 is the historic corncrib. Oakachoy Creek. In 1889 the creek decided it would flood the road and decided to take the heart pine bridge with Today the Adams hunting it. The logs were carried downstream and camp occupies a place of honor deposited there. Shortly thereafter Mr. on the J.P. Adams Estate. The Acie Adams pulled the abandoned logs camp house stands as a testimo- from the stream and used them to build a ny to the durability of our natu- smokehouse. The large timbers weren’t ral resources and as a reminder easy to handle, but once built, the smoke- that if we will take care of the house functioned well for many years. land, the land will take care of The fine heart pine outlived the useful- us. Of course, this is also the TREA- shared with me that his earnest hope was ness of the smokehouse and in 1928, SURE Forest message. Proper man- John Preston Adams converted the old that the younger members of the family agement of our natural resources will would develop a love of the outdoors and smokehouse into a corncrib. The heart provide for many generations to come. pine corncrib served the Adamses well nature like he possessed. I was delighted Sadly, John Neal Adams passed away that many of the family members were until their vocations changed and it was last year. Mr. Adams had been an no longer needed. It stood dormant for present when we awarded their TREA- active member of the Coosa County SURE Forest certificate and sign in many years until another Adams, John Forestry Planning Committee for sev- Neal, decided it would make a good hunt- 1997. It is my earnest hope that each eral years. He was the driving force TREASURE Forest landowner will share ing cabin. He contacted Ronnie Joiner, a that resulted in the certification of the local restorer of old structures, and con- with their younger family members what Adams Estate as a TREASURE Forest. it means to properly care for our natural tracted with him to create the Adams His driving force was the future gener- hunting camp cabin. resources. Do it today, while you have ations of his family. He had repeatedly the chance! 28 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 exploited by nurseries. Other factors were habitat destruction, invasion by Rare Orchid kudzu and browsing by deer and feral hogs. Further complicating the problem Finds Safe is the orchid’s dependence on a single fungus species (sphagnum moss) to com- Haven plete its life cycle in the natural habitat.” By TILDA MIMS A perennial herb that grows from a Forest Education Specialist single tuber, it has two to three large Alabama Forestry Commission strap-shaped leaves, largest at the base and then decreasing in size as they ascend to the smooth light green stem. White flowers grow in a loose, round to HE WHITE FRINGELESS or “mon- elongated cluster at the top of the stem. key-face” orchid (Platanthera inte- There are normally six to 15 flowers in Tgrilabia) is native to the southern each cluster. Flowers are white with a Appalachians and is considered one of distinctive smooth lip and very fragrant North America’s rarest terrestrial orchids. sweet scent. For terrestrial orchids, the soil means This orchid is typically found in red the difference between life and death. maple/black gum swamps and along The white fringeless orchid prefers an sandy, damp stream margins; also on The white fringeless orchid is one of area with black, mucky, acidic, organic seepy, rocky thinly vegetated slopes. soil found most frequently in bogs at the North America’s rarest terrestrial orchids. Leaving a streamside management zone head of streams or seepage slopes. These when harvesting timber is critical to its mucky areas need to be wet nearly all of habitat. the year and over most years. Wayne Holcombe’s 80-acre TREA- On the August day that County SURE Forest is southwest of Hackleburg Manager Tony Avery and I visited Wayne in the Rocky Top community. Purchased Holcombe’s TREASURE Forest in in 1995, it is part of the original home Marion County, Alabama was suffering place and adjoins his parent’s TREA- from another sweltering summer day of a SURE Forest. It had been cutover when drought. Sun-baked roads and a dry creek he bought it, so an aggressive manage- bed did not bode well for the rare orchid ment plan was in order. He now has a discovered a few years earlier on healthy combination of pine plantations, Wayne’s place. mixed hardwood stands and several acres However, as Tony cut a path through of food plots, SMZs, roads and firelanes. dense foliage, we noticed the ground Wayne Holcombe with Marion Timber is his primary objective and becoming spongy, mossy and thick with County Manager Tony Avery. wildlife habitat enhancement is sec- moisture. As we stepped under a canopy ondary. of deciduous trees with filtered sunlight, On that hot August afternoon, Mr. we were soon rewarded with the unex- site-specific plant was spared in Marion Holcombe was pleased to see that the pected beauty of the white fringeless County only because a prior landowner delicate plants were not only surviving orchid in bloom. found the land too wet for logging equip- the drought, but also were blooming Finding the orchid on his property was ment. abundantly. Though not required to pre- a “pleasant surprise,” said Holcombe. Known in the Cumberland Plateau as serve the plant, he is easily able to pro- Tony had been reading about the plant “Ole Monkey-face,” the plant was first vide it safe haven simply by following and thought there was a good possibility recognized as a distinct species and Alabama’s Best Management Practices that it existed in the swampy area on genus in 1941, when Dr. Donovan Correll for Forestry, which recommend adequate Wayne’s TREASURE Forest. He talked published “Two New American Orchids” streamside management zones in all to Wayne about it and, sure enough, they The new identity contributed to its first future thinnings and harvests. found a healthy population there a few brush with extinction as botanists rushed SMZs are buffer zones of vegetation years ago. to collect hundreds of flowering speci- along water bodies that collect sediment A status survey of the plant in 1991 mens of the “new” plant for herbariums. from soil disturbance, keep water shaded found only 30 populations remaining In a February 1996 Orchids magazine and provide shelter to wildlife. Voluntary from the original 65 sites first identified article, Dr. Lawrence Zettler discussed compliance with this practice will pay from literature and herbarium specimens. the mystery behind the disappearance of great dividends to any forest landowner These 30 populations are in five states: the white fringeless orchid. “By 1950, the and may offer protection to a true Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South orchid had become noticeably scarcer “Hidden Treasure” on your property. Carolina and Tennessee. Ironically, the and during subsequent decades had been Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 29 Hill this year to seek an increase of just over $7 million for the Forest Stewardship Program in fiscal year 2001. The state foresters feel that a level of $36.5 million better meets the needs of the over 9 million non-industrial private LEGISLATIVE • ALERT forest landowners in the country. Stewardship Incentives Program The Stewardship Incentives Program is the cost-share compliment to the FSP. SIP is structured to provide incentive for By JAY JENSEN landowners to implement conservation Washington Office practices to reinvest in, reforest, and National Association of State Foresters manage their lands. Pressures from devel- opment, land cost increases and the fre- quently associated tax increases, and pressure to meet the market demand for wood products in the wake of supply reductions from federal public lands are HE battle for next year’s federal The figure is somewhat surprising all converging on private woodland own- appropriations has begun on Capitol considering the findings of a recent study ers. These factors all encourage the THill. The President released the conducted by Northern Illinois landowner to make poor land manage- administration’s budget for fiscal year University, “Evaluating the Forest ment decisions that could potentially lead 2001 in February, which included some Stewardship Program through a National to resource impairment that can take promising numbers related to the USDA- Survey of Participating Forest Land decades to repair. Forest Service’s State & Private Forestry Owners.” The study surveyed over 1,200 Unfortunately, support for SIP in programs. landowners that have participated in the Congress and the administration has Unfortunately, the administration did FSP and have a stewardship plan in dwindled over the past two years and has not propose an increase for the primary place. In the words of the study’s lead resulted in the zeroing out of the pro- forest landowner assistance program in author J. Dixon Esseks, “The bottom line gram. Although the administration has the country, the Forest Stewardship here is that we have a program that seems chosen to support the program at a woe- Program. The two other forest landowner to work!” fully inadequate $3.25 million in fiscal assistance programs vital to the non- The primary finding of the study is year 2001, the state foresters will be industrial private forest landowner, the that the program encourages landowners directing energy toward the formulation Stewardship Incentives Program and the to more actively manage and invest in and development of a new nationwide Forestry Incentives Program, are both their forestland. With the technical and cost-share program. In the meantime, the struggling to stay above water. cost-share assistance provided through state foresters will continue supporting the program, it was found that landown- the Forestry Incentives Program. Forest Stewardship Program ers were three times more likely to begin Forestry Incentives Program The Forest Stewardship Program implementing the FSP plan and one-and- (FSP), delivered through the state a-half times more likely to apply new The Forestry Incentives Program foresters, provides technical forest man- conservation practices they had not (FIP), used primarily in the Southern agement assistance to the non-industrial implemented on their lands before. The U.S., has limped along near the $6 mil- private forest landowner. In other words, study also found that, on average, lion level for the past few years. Support FSP gives the private forest landowner landowners were willing to invest more in Congress, and in particular the admin- access to a forester who will draft a for- of their own money into land conserva- istration, remains disappointing and FIP est management plan according to the tion measures on their property. survives only with the help of a few key landowner’s priorities and objectives. In The study shows that federal money Southern legislators. In Fiscal Year 2001, Alabama, the Forest Stewardship invested in helping private landowners the administration has not proposed any Program is called TREASURE Forest. leverages significant state AND private funding, even though a significant cus- The national program has seen slow resources to accomplish private landown- tomer base exists for this timber cost- but steady increases over the past couple er objectives. These objectives benefit the share program. Again, the state foresters of years and now stands appropriated at nation as a whole with an increased avail- will be seeking to incorporate a new cost- $29.43 million for fiscal year 2000. The able timber supply, cleaner air and water share program in the 2002 Farm Bill that administration is supporting the same fig- and more abundant wildlife. The state will provide the reforestation flexibility ure for FY 2001. foresters will take this message to Capitol that FIP has provided to its customers.

30 / Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Spring 2000 Partnership Formed to Assist Private Landowners with Wildlife Management

NEW Land Stewardship • Supplemental planting evaluation/ be a non-TREASURE Forest Biologist position has been filled troubleshooting. landowner and own 10 or more acres Athrough a partnership between • Treatment recommendations suffi- of forestland. the Alabama Forestry Commission, the cient for inclusion in TREASURE The Alabama Forestry Commission is Alabama TREASURE Forest Association Forest management plans. excited about this partnership and we (ATFA), and the Alabama Wildlife • Completion of appropriate portions recognize the tremendous benefits all Federation (AWF). Claude Jenkins, for- of TREASURE Forest nomination Alabamians receive from wildlife. If you mally of Petal, Mississippi, has been forms for qualified candidates. meet the criteria and would like assis- hired to fill this position. Claude holds a • TREASURE Forest inspections. tance from Claude, please complete and B.S. degree in Wildlife and Fisheries To be eligible for assistance, you must mail the form below. Science from Mississippi State University and an A.A.S. degree in Forestry Management Technology from Jones County Junior College. The purpose of the partnership is to promote natural resource stewardship and encourage participation in the TREA- SURE Forest Program. Also, the ATFA and AWF will use this new position to increase involvement in their organiza- tions. Claude’s primary responsibility will be to provide on-site wildlife manage- ment assistance, free of charge, to private landowners. Some examples of the man- agement assistance Claude can provide are the following: • General property/tract wildlife habi- Wildlife biologist Claude Jenkins, left, meets with Colbert County tat and management assessments. landowner Robert J. Osborne, Jr.

Request for Wildlife Assistance

Name: ______

Address: ______

City/State/Zip: ______

Day Phone: ______Evening Phone: ______

Fax: ______Email: ______

County where land is located: ______

Mail the form to: Alabama Forestry Commission Attention: Tim Albritton P.O. Box 302550 Montgomery, AL 36130-2550

Spring 2000 Alabama’s TREASURED Forests / 31 CHINESE TALLOWTREE By TIM ALBRITTON, Forest Operation Specialist, Alabama Forestry Commission

HE CHINESE TALLOWTREE can be an asset in an urban setting. Its fast (Sapium sebiferum) was intro- growth and colorful leaves are characteris- duced as an ornamental. tics most people want in an ornamental. TAlthough native to China and The tallowtree is also tolerant of droughts Japan, this tree has naturalized in the and other extreme conditions. And since it Southeast from South Carolina to Florida seeds in naturally, you can find it growing and as far west as Louisiana and in many yards. Southeast Texas. When I lived in Pensacola, my mother This is a moderate-sized tree usually transplanted a tallowtree sprout, about 4 reaching heights of 30 to 40 feet. The feet tall at the time, to a sunny space in leaves usually turn a beautiful red or yel- the yard and began watering and nurturing low color in the fall. The fruit is a round- it. Within three to four years, it had grown ed three-lobed capsule that splits open in approximately 30 feet, providing shade the fall revealing three white, waxy-coat- and color to our yard. Every October my ed seeds. From a distance they resem- family enjoys the brilliant red color of a ble—you guessed it—popcorn; thus, the tallowtree in our front yard in Elmore tree has become known by the common efforts have been tried. When managing County. name “popcorn tree.” your forest for pines, the tallowtree can be Tallowtree can also be a liability in an The sandy soils and warm climate of controlled with a variety of herbicides. open field or in forestland settings. Be- the coastal plains make an ideal habitat Arsenal and Roundup are two popular her- cause of the poor commercial viability of for this fast-growing weed tree. The tal- bicides that are effective in controlling tal- the tree it becomes a problem, forcing the lowtree can become readily established lowtree. However, most of the chemicals landowner to consider some type of con- on a site and root sprouts usually help it that work well on the tallowtree also kill trol measure to recapture the site. And in to dominate an area. many other primary hardwoods, making most cases the sooner the tree is con- This tree has very little, if any, com- control more difficult when managing for trolled, the better. mercial value and can pose a problem if hardwoods. So take a look around your neighbor- it becomes established, forming thickets. The tallowtree can be an asset or a lia- hood; chances are, there’s one “popping” In Florida some extensive eradication bility depending on where it sprouts up. It up near you.

Alabama’s TREASURED Forests Bulk Rate 513 Madison Avenue U.S. Postage P.O. Box 302550 PAID Montgomery, Alabama 36130-2550 Permit No. 109 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Montgomery, AL