Georgia Forestry Commission

Transcription

1 Georgia Forestry Commission GLYNN COUNTY ANNUAL REPORT for FISCAL YEAR 2013 Vision Healthy, sustainable forests providing clean air, clean water, and abundant products for future generations. Mission To provide leadership, service, and education in the protection and conservation of Georgia s forest resources. 1

2 I. Unit Personnel Wes Merkison Chief Ranger Jason Harris Ranger II/Forest Technician Timothy Redick Ranger I Matthew Laricos Ranger I William(Bill) Harvey Forester II. Administration It is our goal to provide the best quality service possible, while keeping cost as low as possible. Due to the variety of skills our employees have, we feel that we have saved thousands of dollars in labor and other fees. When it is possible to make or repair items, we do so ourselves before we buy new items or pay someone else to do the work. We still strive to be fiscally responsible and reduce cost whenever possible. County Costs for Fire Protection Glynn County Expenditures: $13, (Fire per Forested Acre) Glynn County Forestry Budget: $23, III. EQUIPMENT 2003 Sterling Transport 1998 International Transport 2011 Freightliner Transport 1998 John Deere 750 C 1998 John Deere 650 G 2004 John Deere 700 H LGP 2007 Ford Ranger 4X4 pickup *2011 Ford F550 Type 6 Engine 400gal water capacity (* new equipment added this year) 2

3 IV. FOREST PROTECTION 2007 Waycross Fire 2007 Waycross Fire This past year Machine Use was the number one cause of wildfires, with debris burning and incendiary close behind. In addition, personnel from our unit assisted with 11 fires outside Glynn County. Personnel also were deployed to the Honey Prairie fire a total of 4 times accounting for a total of 8 weeks. Numbers of Fires Cause of Fire Machine Use 0 Lightening 0 Rail Road 0 Camp Fire 1 Smoking 0 Debris Burning 2 Incendiary 4 Children 1 Misc. 1 Total Fires 12 Total Acres Burned Average Size for County 4.15 Firebreaks and Burning Assistance Number of Plowing Assists: 5 Miles of Plowing/Harrowing: Out of county Plowing assists: Number of Burn Assists: Out of County Burn Assists: 25.5 miles 5 for 19.5 hours 3 for 305 acres 4 for 125 acres Number of Permits Issued:

4 V. EDUCATION A concerted effort has been made to contact as many people as possible through community involvement. Glynn County participated in 30 community programs. We attended CoastFest to educate and teach the importance of forestry and wildfire prevention. We also visited elementary school presenting our Smokey Bear fire prevention message. At Goodyear Elementary students learn about Fire Prevention. In addition Glynn County personnel participated in community activities such as the Georgia Farm Bureau Convention, FFA field days, outdoor class rooms, LEPC meetings, CWPP planning and other land owner programs. Through all of our community efforts we reached an estimated people and invested man hours. TRAINING Training continues to be a top priority in the Forestry Commission. This past year Glynn County employees spent a total of hours in training exercises. Some of these exercises include engine operations, tractor plow operations, safety, and various ICS classes. These numbers are almost triple last years totals. 4

5 VI. RURAL FIRE DEFENSE GFC Supplied # Wild Fire Responses by # Acres Average Size Vehicles GCFD Burned Fire The RFD Program was originally created to assist unprotected rural communities in establishing an initial fire protection program, reinforcing existing fire departments and equipping them for fighting rural fires, and providing the Commission with a back-up force of equipment and trained people for emergency forest fire use. Currently, the Glynn County RFD possesses 2 pieces of leased equipment. A Georgia Basic Wildland Firefighter (GBWF) course. VII. FOREST MANAGEMENT One Forester and 1 Forest Tech is assigned to Glynn County to provide assistance and advice to landowners in managing forestlands. They are also responsible for providing assistance to the urban community as well as ensuring that landowners follow state and federal guidelines when participating in cost-share programs such as; the Southern Pine Beetle Program (SPB). Detailed management plans, called Forest Stewardship Plans, are also written for landowners who wish to intensively manage their property. 5

6 Approximately 29 landowner visits and correspondents were made in Glynn County last year. These meetings primarily consisted of rural forestry assistance, urban forestry assistance, cost-share and prescribed burn assistance. This is double last years visits (PLANTED LONGLEAF ON THE LEWIS PROPERTY) IIX. REFORESTATION As you well know forestry in Georgia and Glynn County is still big business. With over 23 million acres of commercial forestland in the state, our forest industry directly contributes over $19 billion to the states economy annually for a total impact of over $25 billion. The state s forest industry employs (direct and indirectly) a total of 169,000 Georgians. Consequently, promoting Georgia s renewable natural resources is a top priority. The Glynn County Unit sold approximately 15,050 seedlings sold last year. This is almost triple last years numbers. In order to provide an adequate supply of future seedlings, the unit usually collects seeds in our county for future tree sales. Glynn County collected 2.5 gallons of Wax Myrtle. VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT 6

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