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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1970 Society of American Foresters NewsletterGULF STATES SOCIETY OF TEX. ) U L NE WILL E TTER Vol. X11 Third Quarter ANNUAL MEETING- POSTMORTEM ON CAMILLE 1970 ANNUAL MEETING REPORT by Dan Schmitt, General Chairman The Armual Meeting of the Gulf States Section of the Society of American Foresters was held May 7 -8 at the Buena Vista Hotel in Biloxi, Mississippi. Total attendance was 231, includ- ing 58 ladies and 12 students. The General Session opened with a discussion of the origin and history of hurricanes on the gulf coast by Mr. Clyde Conner of the U.S. Weather Bureau. The keynote speech, delivered by Bob Nonnemacher of International Paper Company, was a graphic account of the impact of Hurricane Camille upon the community and professional activities in the affected as well as neighboring areas. Though pointing with pride to effective solutions of pressing forestry and forestry related problems Bob suggested that the Section and the Society could play a useful role in developing planning and operational procedures to handle similar emergency situations. The General Session was followed by luncheon where Jim Mixon introduced student members from L.S.U., Louisiana Polytech, Mississippi State and Stephen F. Austin. After the introduc- tion of student members, distinguished forestry awards were presented to Bob McDermid, Loui- siana Chapter, Bob Tobermann, Mississippi Chapter, and Andy Anderson, Texas Chapter. The awards luncheon was attended by 172 men and 49 ladies. The Technical Session delved into particular problems related to hurricanes or crucial prob- lems facing foresters. Papers were delivered by Joe Christopher and Herb Sternitzke, U.S. Forest Service, on timber damage; by Bill Echols, Mississippi Forestry Commission, on the de- velopment and organization of the Governor's Emergency Council; and by Jim Vardaman, Mississippi Forestry Association, on tax prob- Isms related to timber damage. Earl Stephens, U.S. Plywood- Champion Papers, closed the Tech- nical Session by identifying critical problem areas looming before the profession. The first day of the meeting closed witha sea- food jamboree, more properly, seafood un- limited, which was attended by 137 men and 57 ladies. The ladies, in the afternoon, divided more or less equally into two groups, one touring a nearby shopping mall, and the other, the Gulfport docks, where unexpectedly, they found them- selves the guests of the captain of the German freighter discharging bananas at the time. The following morning they visited Beauvoir, the home of Jefferson Davis, followed by lunch at a well -known Biloxi restaurant, where, as it hap- pened, Fred `Haise,lunar astronaut, also lunched. Friday, May 8, the meeting terminated with the Society Affairs and Business Session. The former was highlighted by Don Theoe of the Washington Office presenting a discussion of the staffing arrangements there. Society Vice Presi- dent, Ben Meadows, and Councilman Sid McKnight urged participation in the Forestry Fund and presented additional information from the Wash- ington Office. Frank Davis, St. Regis Paper, gave a provocative talk on the forester's image and what to do about it. The meeting closed with a tour that illustrated various effects of Hurri- cane Camille upon the forest in the affected area and prompted discussions of hurricane generated problems and their solutions. The Chairman of the Annual Meeting Com- mittee wishes to express his gratitude to the committee members who gave so generously of their time and talent and also to program members, speakers and moderators for a job well done. Financially, the meeting was amodest success with a slight surplus ($113.28) which has been turned over to the Section Secretary - Treasurer. iJ411d•P1? It is a real pleasure for me to welcome you to Mississippi and especially to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We are particularly pleased to welcome our ladies - you brighten up the place. To our guests we give a special welcome. We are glad that you are here, forestry is your concern too. As you can see, we suffered a terrible disaster last August when Camille frowned on us. But we are building back and we promise that the Gulf Coast will be better and more delightful than ever. The Gulf Coast will again be a top vacation area of our nation. There is much to see and do along the Coast. We have many historical attrac- tions. I am told there are some attractive "attractions" along the strip -- that's what I have been told. You will have an opportunity to judge that for yourself tonight. If yo need anything, let some of us know. We think tZat we have a good program planned for you. But before I intorudce our program chairman, let me call your attention to the desk outside with the "Foresters Fund." We urge you to stop by and talk with the one at the desk and make a contribution. This is our opportunity as foresters to help the public to understand the forestry profession. The General Chairman of the 1970 Annual Meeting Committee is well qualified to chair this committee, especially when we consider the theme of our meeting - "The Storm and the Forester." He is a forester and he weathered the storm. He rode it out in his apartment just a few blocks west of here. If you can get him stopped long enough, he can tell you some real stories; Dr. Dan Schmitt, Director, Forest Ge- netics Institute, U. S. Forest Service. • SECTION FOR STORM AND THE FORESTER Bob Nonnsmacher I. P. Co. No.3 1C Keynote Address This is C 503 to Moss Point -come in, please. This is C 503 to Wiggins - come in, please. This is C 503 to any unit - come in, please. This is Darrell Zwick - Clarksville, Texas - can I help you? That simple inquiry and direct offer to help a storm shocked and bewildered forester in the first light of morning on August 18, 1969 started a chain of events which continues even to this minute in time on this spring morning of May 7, 1970. The ensuing activities between these two points of time will be the subject of conversation by several people who were intimately involved with the storm. It is always difficult for a so- called "Keynote Speaker" to judge how generalized his remarks should be in order not to infringe on the specifies which will be covered by other spreakers. In this light, I have looked at the title of my presentation as it appears on your (Continued on Page 2, Col. 1) DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS Gulf States Section Distinguished Service Awards were presented to D. A. Anderson of Texas; James R. Tobermann of Mississippi; and Robert W. McDermid of Louisiana. In above photo, left to right, are Andy and his wife, Toby, and Missie and Bob. The awards were presented at the first day luncheon by last year's recipients of the separate states. Ed Wagoner presented the award to Andy, Bob Clapp the award to Toby, and Ralph Wall the award to Bob McDermid. STORM AND THE FORESTER (Continued from Page 1, Col. 3) program and have decided to take itquiteliteral- ly -- "Impact on the Forester, Bob Nonne- macher." Perhaps in reviewing some of my activities since last August 17th, we may show some of the events which had an impact on one forester and his relations with other foresters; that vast host of people we call "the public "; government agencies of various sorts; corporate structures; state, regional and national associations; and perhaps touch on his professional society -- the Society of American Foresters. The small melodrama with which I opened this subject Went on without my knowledge at thetime and perhaps I should interject at this point one important conclusion I have reached con- cerning an event of this nature. It is of such overwhelming importance to know what is going on in order to act and react properly to such an event that communications must be planned, maintained and utilized to the highest degree possible throughout every stage of the event if you expect to achieve a creditable level of at- tainment in handling the problem. Now to the Storm. While they named her "Camille," she was something less than a lady. My wife, my daughter and I secured everything we could think of around our home in Mobile about noon on Sunday, August 17: The Weather Bureau at that point was predicting a landfall right in Mobile about midnight with downtown Mobile to be inundated. At ten o'clock that night, winds of over 100 miles per hour were bringing down trees with accompanying power failures of real magnitude all around us. It was hard to believe our radio, that the main brunt was some 75 to 100 miles west of us with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour and tides considerably over 20 feet expected. The next morning, with great difficulty, I picked my way through debris laden streets to my office to fact the first question of the day: "What is our situation -- how much damage have we suf- fered in our woodlands ?" Before I could begin to address myself to this question, the roof figuratively fell in with pieces of information and requests for information. From Moss Point: "The roof was blown off the power plant at our mill; all electricity in the town is disrupted, communications are out -- can Wood- lands supply two -way radio communications be- tween Moss Point and Division in Mobile? Can Woodlands dispatch men with saws, axes, trac- tors, loaders and trucks to clear debris in Moss Point? Can International supply cartoned pure drinking water to strickened communities ?" They were coming faster than we could think up answers -- we in IP Woodlands began to realize we had -- well, let's say "a problem" If we hadn't reached that conclusion at that moment, the next few minutes would have been the clincher: "This is Mr. X, International Pulp Sales in the New York Office -- we've had several calls from steady customers inquiring as to our ability to furnish their paper requirements in the face of the Camille disaster -- what can we tell them ?" Frankly, I felt like telling him to tell them to go to h - - -. I didn't even know how many funerals I had on my hands, let alone trees left standing. And yet I recognized that this was real life -- paper customers, the stock market and stockhol- ders would need to be informed. We immediately went into executive session and came out with some clear -cut directives. First, we must ascertain the welfare of our own people and alleviate their hardships to the greatest degree possible. Second, we must offer every resource our company had to the relief of community and per- sonal life endangerment. Third, we must measure the damage to company manufacturing and woodlands properties, and a. Make manufacturing facilities operative as promptly as possible; b. Survey damage to company timberlands and make plans for salvage and rehabilitation as expeditiously as we could. In the first instance, I am eternally grateful to report that, while we had scores of Woodlands personnel in the immediate impact area, we suffered no fatalities. There were, as you know, some two hundred or so killed. I subscribeto the theory that foresters and related personnel have an above average knowledge of and appreciation for the elements of nature and took the greatest precautions possible within their means. Several of our people did lose their material wealth and steps were taken to alleviate this as much as possible, both by corporate and personal concern. In the second instance, we trucked uncounted gallons of pure water to endangered communities in a pre - planned program you should knowabout. My company, and perhaps others, maintained an emergency supply of milk carton stock at strategic locations. In cooperation with p a r t i c i p a t i n g dairies, we are in a position to momentarily suppy pure water to communities throughout the United States which have endangered water sup - plies for whatever the reason may be. Again, in our concern for people, the freak radio skip that let our mobile set near Bay St. Louis talk to our forester in Texas allowed us to relay messages by way of telephone from Texas to literally scores of relatives of our storm battered neighbors in Mississippi to reassure them that they had survivied the ordeal. The third phase started out fairly easily. As- certain manufacturing facility damage and return to operation as promptly as possible, The Moss Point Mill was made partially operable within a few hours and was back in full operation Dn Wednesday, August 20th. 3 days later. The next and last part of our corporate effcrt is of course, where my responsibility lay heavily. We attempted to ascertain the impact of tie storm on company timberlands and to plan for salvage and management. All of this sounds very concise and methodical, but we are now up to Friday, August 22, five days after the storm, and we were just beginning to get scattered reports. Roads are so blocked with trees, power lines -- even homes -- that it is virtually impossible to traverse the storm area, let alone estimate timber damage. Damage re- ports started coming in from the less severely hit areas as far north as Rankin County, Mis- sippi -- heavier around Hattiesburg -- total destruction in five countries on or near the coast west of Gulfport. Again we gathered as a Woodlands team and looked at the problem as related to International Paper Company. The urgency of getting out a statement covering our damage and future plans was pressed upon me. At this moment, I received a call from the State Forester's office in Jackson, Mississippi. Colonel Lack was calling a meeting of interested parties to discuss the timber aspects of the havoc in south Mississipoi. From that conversa- tion, I got the first inkling that we faced a major catastrophe in the timber industry unless we could mount a massive attack on the problem before us. On Monday, August 25, a public meeting was held in Jackson to discuss the problem. Two days later the Governor of Mississippi announced the appointment of a 14 member Forest Disaster Salvage Council to cope with the problem. Under the chairmanship of W arren Hood, prom- inent industrialist in the forest products business in Mississippi, this Council met and immediately formed several sub - committees. They included committees on Transportation, Utilization, Legislation Publicity, Interest Rate and Inspec- tion. As chairman of the Utilization Committee, I called a meeting for August 28th -- the next dayl It is a constant source of amazement to me to reflect on the attendance. At that meeting and the numerous ones that followed in rapidsucces- sion, the participation of the sawtimber, plywood and pulpwood segments of our industry was a job to behold. It really made me feel like we must be a great big regular American family. We indulge ourselves with daily fights within the family, but apparently we can rise to the occasion and take on all comers if we're threatened or chal- lenged from without. Perhaps at this point I should relieve your con- cern, lest you begin to think I'm going to relive - this episode on a day by day basis for nine months. Frankly, even if I were inclined to, the days and meetings and field inspections gathered such momentum that they began to take on the aspects of a kaleidoscope. Only by the skillful insistence of Chairman Hood and the tremendous capabilities of the people serving either officially or in an advisory capa- city to the Council were we able to bring or- derliness to the program. Three things were required of each commit- tee at every report meeting: 1) A statement of plans to be initiated; 2) An outline of the action or procedure to be followed; 3) Results to date. Our Utilization Committee early recognized the need for a preliminary or cursory estimate of the timber volumes which were damaged and the conditions involved. The United States Forest Service, in an aerial survey with some ground reconaissance, initially estimated 1.8 billion board feet of sawtimber size material and 1.4 million cords of pulpwood size material damaged. Several months later these estimates were revised downward to 1.2 billion board feet of sawtimber and 900,000 cords of pulpwood. In either estimate it was recognized that the ability to produce or consume such volumes were totally outside the capacity of the local labor and mill capabilities. At my invitation, forest products industryrep- resentatives, including as many as 14 pulp mill delegates and many sawmill and plywood opera- tors, met to explore means and methods of ac- complishing the task of the Ubilization Com- mittee. One of the peculiar things we had to face here was the possibility of somewhere in the future facing collusion charges by the Federal govern- ment. The Attorney General of Mississippi gave reassurances of the propriety of our conferences and consistently helped to alleviate this possi- bility. We further guarded against this possible accusation by having representatives of both State and Federal Forest Services in attendance at all meetings. Probably one of the most fortuitous circum- stances at this time was the prevailing extremely low inventories of pulpwood at almost every mill from Alabama eastward to the Atlantic seaboard. These mill representatives agreed to a plan which, for lack of a better term we began to call the rippling effect. In simple language, it meant production in Georgia was forwarded to miles in the Carolinas, production in Alabama was sent to Georgia and Florida mills, and Mississippi pro- duction went to Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee mills. Again, in retrospect, this sounds easy and sim- ple but every mill procurement man had to tackle his management and explain the dire necessity of cooperating to save this tremendous volume of timber and then work with other companies and transportation systems to make this twentieth century miracle come true. The Transportation Committee was successful in negotiating emergency sawlog rail rates which allowed us to ship logs to distant mills normally outside the range of economical transportation. The United States Forest Service, State Forest Services, Boards of Supervisors involved with 16th Section lands, and forest products companies owning t mberlands assured operators of exten- sions on contracts if they would desist from cut- ting sound timber in or out of the storm area and move in on salvage operations. Paper companies closed wood receiving yards outside the storm area and utilized the operating crews and equipment at temporary locations within the storm area. Water spray storage facilities were set up at several points and timber put into storage when it became obvious that rail transport could not keep up with the productive capacity of crews brought into the area. Supplemental truck fleets were brought into operation -- many of 100 plus mile hauls. The Mississippi Motor Vehicle Comptroller allowed special emergency consideration on weights and licensing provisions. And here full credit must (Continued on Page 3, Col. 1) LEONARD H. THOMAS Forest Consultant & Realtor Management — Sales — Appraisals — Services of Timber — Timber Lands — Rural Real Estate Phones: P. 0. Box 289 Office 8266 DeRidder, Louisiana Home 9506 70634 STORM AND THE FORESTER (Continued from Page #, Col. 3) go to various public officials such as sheriffs and Boards of Supervisors who recognize that the welfare of the thousands of small timberland owners hung in the balance. Their understanding and cooperation was outstanding. Paper companies quickly announced that they would hold to their current purchase prices to forestall any criticism by landowners or the gen- eral public for lower prices. This turned out to be one of the most difficult assignments of the Disaster Council. How do you explain to a landowner who last week was offered $50 per thousand or $6 a cord, that his wood fiber is worth half that much or less after a hurricane? Obviously, the shattered condition, the inaccessi- bility, the tremendous quantity being thrown on the market to a limited number of producers has a tremendously depressing effect on value. To explain this to a disheartened buffeted person with scores of pressing personal problems would challenge Solomon himself. It is a subject I would like to address to your attention in a few moments. The Publicity Committee found this to be just one of their chores. How do you advise a land- owner under these circumstances to be calm and not panic? Tell him to sell his damaged timber promptly to avoid deterioration and insect damage but tell him not to be stampeded into giving it away to some fly -by -night attracted to the area for a quick buck. How long will down timber last in Mississippi in August -- will we have an early, cool fall to help us or an early wet winter and warm spring to hurt us -- as the )ate Barnum used to say, "You pays your money and you takes your chances." I believe I have given you a feel for this storm and how it affected one forester. Perhaps one short resume of the accomplishments and then a challenge is in order. Despite the adversities of constant rail car shortages for the movement of pulpwood, which continued to be the prime limiting factor to our salvage operations, we have salvaged over 850,000 cords of pulpwood from this area in nine months. Much of the remaining pine is now deteriorating past a useful point. There will continue to be a major salvage of hardwood throughout the sum- mer. Not so peculiarly, the hardwoods suffered more windthrow than breakage. The typical clay root upheaval has kept this material merchang- able. At last count well over 100 million board feet of pine had also been salvaged as sawtimber and plywood material, although the typical shake and twist of hurricane and tornadic winds really clobbered this material and blue stain finally halted salvage for this purpose. In retrospect, I can think of few things we would do differently if we had to do it over. But herein lies the challenge. Why should we, as professional foresters, be caught up in such a desperation effort? Do we not know that natural catastrophies happen toour timberlands on an unscheduled and yet very frequent regularity? Some of us remember studying about the great Tillamook Burn out west, the hurricane which hit the New England states about 30 years ago, and these may seem remote. But to a Gulf States forester, Hazel, Betsy, Camille, the Mississippi ice storm of 1951, and hail in Arkansas and the Carolinas all within short memory, should con- vince us we've got Mother Nature to contend with. I chink it is an absolute must for State Chapters, Regional Sections, and even larger units of the Society to act as the catalyst in drawing up care- fully conceived plans for coping with forest disasters wherever they may occur. Please note that I recommend our role be that of a catalyst. Who more than a professional forester, who has claimed for himself the role of peer -- if not seer -- in handling our natural resource planning, should accept this responsi- bility. I suggest that every State Chapter should re- quest conferences with state government officials and forestry association leaders and proceed to draw up provisional master plans for state forest disasters. Sections should review the plans of states and confer with regional organizations such as the Southern Forest Institute, Southern Forest Prod- ucts Association and the Hardwood Dumber Manu- facturers Association. This list is obviously not meant to be exclusive but merely a suggestion of the types of people who must be involved. The State and Federal Forest Services will, in most cases, be the vehicles under which dis- aster programs will be administered most ef- fectively. Mechanics could be set up whereby the parent Society was the original contact point between a local or regional disaster group and such na- tional organizations as the National Forest Prod- ucts Association, the American Forest Institute and the American Pulpwood Association. Believe me, all these and others were brought into play in the Camille storm salvage and used where possible. CAMILLE'S IMPACT ON GULF STATES TIMBER SUPPLY`f By Joe F. Christopher and Herbert S. Sternitske Southern Forest Experiment Station Foresters generally recognize that damaging tropical storms are one of the hazards in growing commercial timber crops in the Gulf South. Hur- ricane Camille was certainly one of the most damaging of such storms ever to rip through the Pineywoods. As part of its task of appraising the forest resources in the South, the Forest Survey or- ganization of the U. S. Forest Service has for many years cooperated with other agencies in making damage appraisals as a basis for aiding post- hurricane timber salvage efforts and for guiding long -range resource management plan- ning. The Forest Survey findings concerning "Ca- mille" that will be discussed here this afternoon were secured by a systematic sampling method consisting of on -the- ground measurements of trees at sample locations. At each sample loca- tion, paired points 117.8 feet apart were es- tablished. Tally trees were selected with a 3.03 diopter prism (that is, BASAL AREA factor 10). A total of 682 point samples were measured between September 3 and 17. The data were then summarized with computer facilities of the Na- tional Aeronautics and Space Administration in New Orleans. Statistical analysis of the data in- dicates a sampling error of plus or minus 4.6 percent per billion cubic feet or reported inven- tory damage. Before turning to "Camille" in detail, I think we can gain some perspective on the situation by looking at the distribution of Gulf States forests and, secondly, by reviewing the impact of other recent hurricanes on the Gulf States timber supply. (SLIDE #1) Type map Here is a bird's eye view of the distribution of major forest types in the South today. We are, of course, concerned only with the Gulf States portion from Mississippi westward to about the 96th meridian in Texas. The light green repre- sents areas characterized by oak - hickory and the dark green, oak - gum - cypress. The other colors represent various pine types that also support subs antial volumes of upland hardwood. It will be noted on the map that most of the coastal countries west of the Mississippi River have little or no forest acreage. Here hurricane force winds must move overland for many miles before striking large wooded areas. But to the east, forests of longleaf and slash pine occur right down to the water's edge. Harrison County, where we are presently meeting for example, J Presented May 7, 1969, Gulf States Section, Society of American Foresters, Biloxi, Miss. I would suggest that some funding from the Foresters Fund would be well spent by the parent Society to make a study of past handlingof forest disasters. The object of such a study would be to pass on to state groups the successful tech- niques employed and the pitfalls to be avoided in setting up disaster plans. Do you remember the high school and sandlot amateurs who make every play seem like a breathless escape from disaster? Do you remember the real "pro" who makes the most difficult plays look well within his capabilities? Too often in the past nine months have I felt like an amateur and observed my fellow foresters looking like amateurs in handling a forestry problem. Next time around, let's look professional -- let's have a plan, let's execute it, let's get the results and let's earn the right to be called a professional forester. is three - fourths forested. In brief, the potential hazard to forest land from tropical storms varies considerably in different coastal areas of the Gulf South. (SLIDE #2) 5 Hurricanes During the past dozen years several tropical storms have smashed into the mainland from Mississippi South to Galveston Bay. Of those that preceded Camille during this period, only Audrey and Betsy caused appreciable damage to commercial forest areas in the Gulf States. (SLIDE #3) Audrey On June 27, 1957 Hurricane Audrey hit western Louisiana. The principal damage zone extended from the coastal marshes northward to Winn Parish Based upon ground sampling by the For- est Survey, it was estimated that Audrey dam- aged some 30 million cubic feet of pine and hard- wood growing stock- -that is sound well- formed trees at least 5.0 inches in diameter that are found on commercial forest land. In terms of the total timber inventory in the damage zone, the hurricane affected about 3 percent of the growing stock. Despite the temporary impact of Audrey, a reinventory of Louisiana forests in 1964 revealed that pine volume had increased sharply since that pine volume had increased sharply since 1954 in the southwestern part of the State. (SLIDE #4) Betsy Louisiana forests were hit by another big wind in 1965. This time the eastern part of the State was the victim. Hurricane Betsy struck the Louisiana coast on September 9, 1965. The storm moved in north- westerly direction from the mouth of the Mis- sissippi River toward Baton Rouge. North of Baton Rouge, the intensity of the storm dimin- ished rapidly. Storm damage to woodlands ex- tended from the Florida Parishes of southeastern Louisiana westward to the Atchafalaya Floodway. Within the damage zone, timber inventory losses were heaviest in Livingston Parish. Overall, it was estimated that more than 40 million cubic feet of growing stock were damaged. Fortunately, large -scale timber salvage operations helped greatly to minimize Betsy's impact. (SLIDE #5) Camille And then came Camille. Hurricane Camille smashed into the Gulf Coast on August 17. As the storm moved inland, its path roughly paralleled the Pearl River - -the western bound- ary of the southernmost portion of the State. Some damage to trees, of course, also oc- curred outside of the two zones shown on this map. But such occurrences were too sparadic to show graphically. Based upon aerial reconnais- sance shortly after the storm, it was concluded that the fifteen counties shown here had sustained sufficient damage to justify detailed ground measurement, as described earlier. (SLIDE #6) Stand damage Timber of all sizes was affected by the storm. In order to classify the type of damage, injured trees at sample locations were grouped into three broad classes. These were: (SLIDE #7) Broken stem (1) trees with broken stems, (SLIDE #8) Blown down (2) wind - thrown or blown -down timber, and (SLIDE #9) Leaning (3) trees leaning as a result of the storm and with apparent disturbance of the root system. Moreover, our damage assessment was limited (Continued on Page 4, Col. 1) HENRY L. BANGO Consulting Forester P. 0. BOX 5041, PHONE (318) 861 -1484 SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA 71105 Frank Goenseha(s, Staff Forester Edward G. Roper, Forester CAMELLE'8 IMPACT ... (Continued from Page 3, Col. 3) to trees of merchantable size- -that is, at least 5.0 inches in d.b.h. (SLIDE # Fig. ft. 3 damaged vol. In all, the Forest Survey found that Camille snapped and leveled about 290 million cubic feet of timber in 15 Mississippi counties. This chart shows the distribution of the damaged volume by county. Four counties - -Pearl River, Harrison, Hancock, and Lamar -- absorbed the brunt of the destructive winds, sustaining more than two - thirds of the entire damage. (SLIDE #11) Fig. T. damage vol. This chart is similar to the previous one, ex- cept that the damaged volume is expressed here as a percent of the standing inventory prior to the storm. Note that Harrison County, for ex- ample, which ranked second in terms of absolute volume damaged, ranks fourth in terms of the proportion of inventory damaged. But as with the previous chart, it is apparent from this illustra- tion that the four counties mentioned sustained the bulk of the timber damage. Overall, the loss in growing stock amounts to approximately one - tenth of the timber inventory in the 15- county area before the storm. (SLIDE #12) Fig. sp. damage ft. 3 Of the 290 million cubic feet of growing stock damaged by Camille, 213 million or nearly three - fourths was pine. Field estimates based on sample plots indicated that about 95 percent of the total damaged volume was physically salvable for pulpwood. Stem breakage destroyed some poten- tial saw logs, but 85 percent of the sawtimber volume was also salvable. In sawtimber -size trees, there was about 20 million cubic feet of material suitable for pulpwood in addition to the 85 percent that could have been made into saw logs. (SLIDE #13) Fig. d.b.h, damage swd. Here is the distribution by diameter class of the 216 million cubic feet of damaged softwood growing stock. Trees of all diameters sustained damage. But some three - fifths of damaged volume was in the 10- to 14 -inch classes inclusive. This loss is indicative of the stand structure in the damage zone and does NOT reflect any difference in hurricane resistance within certain diameter classes. (SLIDE #14) Fig, type damage swd. Three - fifths of the damage to softwoods was breakage. Wind -torn pines made up another third of the damaged volume. Most of these trees were completely down. Trees that had sustained root damage and were simply leaning were classed separately. As can be seen from the chart, such trees did not make up a large share of the volume classified as damaged. Although the interval between the storm and Forest Survey's field investigation was only a few weeks, some hurricane- damaged timber had already been harvested on our sample plots. Thus, the volume shown in this chart as "SALVATED" includes only material harvested prior to our field investigation. At this time, we do not know how much of the total reported damaged volume has been utilized. The Forest Survey, however, has just initiated a special reinventory in the ten most heavily damaged counties. It is hoped by early summer, therefore, that we will have a reliable estimate of how much of the damaged volume still remains. (SLIDE #15) Mesa. stump Additionally, we will have an estimate of timber cut since the hurricane. But as you know, we cannot look at a stump and tell whether or not it supported a damaged tree or a good live one. Thus, we will only be able to estimate the total volume that has been harvested. (SLIDE #16) Fig. pine stem damage As mentioned earlier, stem breakage was the main cause of damage in pines. In all, such loss amounted to 121 million cubic feet. This chart shows how that volume was distributed. About 20 percent of the reported breakage occurred in trees classed as poletimber- -that is, pines below sawtimber size or less than 9.0 inches in diameter. Breakage in sawtimber trees was further classified as to whether it occured within the saw -log section of the tree or above the saw - log section- -that is, within the upper stem por- tion suitable for pulpwood. It is apparent that the bulk of the breakage occurred in the lower portion of the bole, most commonly 6 to 20 feet above the ground. (SLIDE #17) Fig, d.b.h, damage hwds. The diameter class distribution of the 23 mil- lion cubic feet of damaged hardwood is similar to the pine distribution shown earlier. Although all sizes received some damage, more than two- thirds of the hardwood damage was in the 12- th 16 -inch diameter classes. The indicated dam- age, of course, includes both low -value upland hardwoods as well as preferred lowland hard- woods. (SLIDE #18) Fig, type damage hwds. Hardwoods were affected differently than pine by the storm. As discussed earlier, pine damage was largely due to breakage. But as shown here, blow -down was the leading cause of hardwood damage. All together, uprooting accounted for three - fifths of the damage to hardwoods. In bottomland areas with moist, soft soils, blow - down was especially conspicuous. Those hard- wood sawtimber trees that were broken received more damage above the sawlog portion than below. (SLIDE #19) Fig. damage by ownership Broadly speaking, the distribution of storm damaged inventory approximates the pattern of stumpage ownership in southern Mississippi. That is, about one - fourth of the total damaged volume is on public and industrial holdings; the rest is on private, nonindustrial woodlands. It is interesting to note, however, that the latter hold- ings encompass 90 percent of the damaged hard- wood but only 70 percent of the damaged pine. (SLIDE #20) Leveled trees Just what was the overall impact of Camille on the timber supply? The answer, of course, depends upon the scale at which you view the situation- -that is, whether we examine individual counties or whether we look at the entire State. (SLIDE #21) Airshot (SLIDE #22) Broken stems In four counties that sustained more than two - thirds of the reported damage -- Hancock, Harri- son, Lamar, and Pearl River - -it will obviously be a sizable undertaking to rebuild the local timber inventory. Viewing the situation statewide naturally affords a somewhat different perspec- tive. The volume damaged by Camille is equal to a scant 2 percent of the statewide timber inventory reported in the last forest survey of the State. (SLIDE #23) Lbr. Jack In terms of timber drain, the damaged inven- tory is equal to about half of Mississippi's an- nual timber harvest. (SLIDE #24) Loading stems Rurthermore, the loss of damaged volume is being minimized by large -scale salvage opera- tions. As you may recall, the last official forest survey of Mississippi indicated a 1967 inventory of 6.6 billion cubic feet of softwood growing stock. It will be several years before a new statewide survey is conducted. But as a basis for developing interim estimates of resource trends, we have devised a computerized method- ology for updating timber resource statistics at the county level. (SLIDE #25) Timber stand Based upon these interim data, it can be stated that despite Camille Mississippi forests support more pine today than they did at the time of the 1967 forest survey of the State. Moreover, it can be reasonably expected that the reinventory of the mid - seventies will reveal an even bigger pine supply in Mississippi than we have today. I think it is well within the capability of the men and organizations represented here today to in- sure the accuracy of this prediction. EMERGENCY PLANNING AND COORDINATION By H. W. Echols As a representative for the State Forester,I welcome this opportunity to discuss EMERGENCY PLANNING AND COORDINATION, following a forest disaster. I shall cover within my topic disaster plans and the development and work of the governor's forest disaster salvage council in Mississippi, following Hurricane Camille. We all will agree that there are generally three main types of forest disasters; they are: fire, insect and disease epidemics, and cyclonic weath- er. Since January last year we have witnessed an ice storm and a hurricane in the southeast. There have been approximately eleven storms in our region since 1960. All required some de- gree of emergency action. This does not include insect epidemics or fire. Some states have been plagued with insects or fire or both. Salvage from these disturbances, in some cases, was ac- complished by the trial and error method. We know in one instance where there was no co- ordinated effort to salvage the damaged timber. Recovery was on an individual basis, and it was a failure. Do we leave individual ownerships to shift for themselves following a disaster? Do we as public and private agencies go our independent way to provide assistance to these people? Under such a set -up, would there be adequate planning and coordination to get a recovery program started? This, gentlemen, is the crux of our discussion. We realize that the magnitude of the disturbance will dictate the amount of work needed to have a successful operation. Now then, what constitutes a serious problem or a disaster. By definition, it is when a loss has occurred which will require emergency plan- ning and A COORDINATED effort. This is when the area and amount of destruction, or potential destruction are of such magnitude that local in- terests are inadequate to salvage or provide control It is the responsibility of all agencies, or- ganizations, and other interests to assist in the earliest possible detection of any forest disaster, and to report it immediately to the state forestry agency. In most states the State Forester,direc- tor, or whatever his designation, declares when forest disaster has occurred. The burden of developing a coordinated salvage plan falls on the State Forestry Agency, with the State Forester initiating emergency action and coordinating its completion. He also declares when the disaster is over. You realize, however, that this procedure may vary from state to state. What is the situation here in the southeast; do we have plans to meet emergency conditions? Are there objectives and guide lines drawn up to have a coordinated effort to combat disasters, which may come at a moments notice? Only re- cently have we begun to take a hard look into this matter. A survey in early August 1969, by the southern forest insect work conference, disclosed that only South Carolina and Florida had formal disaster plans. This survey was stimulated as a result of the ice storm, last year, in North and South Carolina. Since then, however, a plan has been made for Mississippi, and Georgia is de- veloping one. There has been some suggestions to the development of regional disaster plans. To my knowledge industry has no plans to cover such emergencies. What about formal plans to cope with the dis- asters we may encounter? Are they needed? It is generally felt that they are needed and can be of assistance and guidance in a salvageprogram. There are a number of aspects to be considered in order to have a successful plan. A plan should establish the cooperative action of all state and federal agencies who would be involved, and co- BLACK ... THE COLOR FOR NULLIFYING OLD MARKS . has now been added to NELSON'S TREE MARKING and AERO SPOT paint colors. A spot of BLACK sprayed over the previous spot with NELSON AERO- SPOT or the NEL -SPOT GUN, com- pletely obliterates old marks! FOR BETTER TREE MARKING LOOK TO NELSON FOR LEADERSHIP THE NELSON PAINT COMPANY THREE PLANTS TO SERVE YOU Box 349, Iron Mountain, Michigan • Box 1892, Mont. gomery, Alabama • Box 402, McMinnville, Oregon (Continued on Page 5, Col.1) EMERGENCY PLANNING ... (Continued from Page 4, Col. 3) ordinate the voluntary assistance of industry and interested landowners. Plans should be designed for containment of epidemics and fires and for salvage and utilization of damaged forest prod- ucts. Regardless of how well plans may be pre- pared there may be a real problem in the utili- zation of large volumes of timber. Plus, one limiting factor that may face such an effort is the economic situation ar the time of a disaster. There is always the possibility of side- effects following forest disturbances. The fire hazard is generally increased as a result of added fuel from broken and /or dead timber. Natural disasters have resulted in subsequent insect epidemics. The recent southern pine beetle epidemics in Texas and Mississippi are two examples. After Hurri- cane Camille there was a serious fire hazard and now we are in watch for insect problems. There- fore, there are secondary effects to consider. Let's take a look at what happened in Missis- sippi after Hurricane Camille. Here you will get an insight of what is involved in emergency planning and coordination. We had no emergency plan to coordinate recovery from such a disaster. Through the leadership of the State Forester, the Governor's forest disaster salvage council was formed. This was organized and in gear within seven days following the storm. The council was composed of seventeen men, from forest industry, forestry associations, state and federal agencies, the state legislature, and private landowners. To coordinate the salvage program six committees were established. They were: transportation utilization, inspection, informa- tion, interest rates, and legislation. Assistance to the council was provided by public and pri- vate agencies, forest industry, and interested landowners. During the organizational phase the State For- ester requested assistance of the forest service to make two surveys. The state and private forestry, pest control division, made an aerial survey to determine the area damaged. The southern forest experiment station determined the volume damaged. This was accomplished through cooperative agreement between the two agencies. Time will not permit me to go into specific details of the work done by each committee. All council and committee members donated their time to this task. The executive secretary, through the cooperation of the southern pine association and Mississippi pine manufacturers association has spent almost full time on council work since the storm. Council and /or committee meetings were held almost weekly in Jackson duringthe first couple of months and thereafter onamonth- ly basis. The council received splendid coopera- tion from everyone concerned. The council s first action was to call together all interested forest industries and associates to inform them of the situation and the job that lay ahead. Industry began to move additional crews and equipment into the storm area. This mobilization came from a six -state area. Some operations in other states were closed down. In order to meet the need for assistance, extensions were made on contracts and in some cases contracts, by mutual agreement, were cancelled. As additional crews moved in industry provided them with shelter. Many smaller private pro- ducers and haulers moved in to assist; but many of these men had to provide their own living accomodations. Some had mobile trailers or modified school buses -- others slept inauto- mobiles or trucks. Industry and private landowners were requested to curtail cutting undamaged timber in and out- side the disaster area and concentrate procure- ment activities in the storm area. This they did. Companies were urged to try and maintain their price structure for damaged wood as before the storm. This they did. The council was successful in getting truck weight limits lifted to 100,000 pounds and no restriction on licenses for out -of -state trucks hauling storm wood. Some buyers converted from "weight to scale" purchase when pine pulpwood began to lose weight. It soon became apparent that there was a severe shortage of pulpwood rail cars. Through the interstate commerce commission, associa- tion of American railroads, and our congres- sional delegation in Washington some one thou- sand additional rail cars were obtained. A shuttle system was established to relay wood to out -lying plants, and thus creating a vacuum within the storm area. This required consider- able effort and planning across several states. One railroad company set up a special line which made a daily wood haul. Many additional trucks were added to off -set the rail shortage. Also several barge landings were established. Still all of this was not sufficient to move the wood as it was harvested. The council was able to get a reduced freight rate on a per car basis for hauling sawlogs. Pulpwood was stock piled at wood yards and additional crews were trained to load rail cars. The forest service and interstate commerce com- mission assisted in the training. In an effort to salvage sawlogs, lumber and pulp mills stored logs under water sprinkler systems. Because of their damage many sawlogs were cut for pulpwood. The council was concerned about getting cor- rect information to the proper people and to in- form the public of salvage accomplishments. This was done by working through the Mississippi Forestry Association, the Forestry Commis- sion, the Extension Service, the Forest Service, and Forestry Industry. Through the local office of the American Pulpwood Association a re- porting system was developed to keep everyone informed of the salvage accomplishments of the pulpwood industry. One of the first concerns of the Mississippi Forestry Commission was assistance to human needs. To assist in this need the Commission sent 35 crews with equipment to the coast to open up highways and streets and to clear trees and debris from utility and power lines. This was coordinated through the State Civil Defense. Because of the increased fire danger it was necessary to move additional fire crews and equipment into the area -- also additional aerial fire patrols. There was an accelerated fire danger publicity campaign as well as increased efforts in law enforcement. Preparations were made with neighboring states for assistance in fire control should the need arise. Fortunately this assistance was not required. To facilitate contact between landowners and buyers the commission set up an office in each county within the storm area. Each office kept an up -to -date list of all buyers operating in that area and the type of wood they wanted: then buyers contacted the owners and sale arrange- ments were made. The extension service SCS, and ASCS assisted in this work by contacting landowners, gathering information, and funneling it back to our people. Absentee owners were also handled through the county office. News releases were made to inform everyone of this service. The commission has provided additional as- sistance by: insect and disease detection and evaluation, increasing nursery production to meet the need for planting stock, and promoting forest management practices. As you can see there has been atremendous Past Chairman Rodney Foil, right, presents desk set to outgoing Chairman Ralph R. Robertson as a gesture of appreciation by the Gulf States Section for the outstanding and devoted service Ralph has given to the Section during the past year as Chairman. amount of effort and work involved in the re- covery following Camille. In conclusion, we realize that in order to cope effectively with an emergency situation, such as that created by a storm, definite plans must be es- tablished and carried out. The degree of plan- ning and the extent to which these plans are to be implemented should be scaled to meet the needs of the emergency. However, if definite plans are made prior to the emergency, even though they may require adjustment, they will serve as a basis for action should an emergency occur. This advanced planning would also allow for a more rapid implementation of the recovery effort. Even though we in our profession have the leadership and personnel to coordinate such plans, a disaster like Camille was of such mag- nitude that NO one individual or individual organization could have accomplished the task alone. It had to be a coordinated effort. In this most recent emergency, everyone rallied to the causel WHAT HURRICANE CAMILLE TAUGHT US ABOUT TREE FARM BUSINESS MANAGEMENT By Jim Vardamann Hurricane Camille, by her unprecedented fury, focused attention on certain principles of tree farm business management that many tend to overlook in normal times. Everyone is concerned about the damage caused by fire, insects, fungi, winds in summer thunderstorms or tornadoes, and flooding by beavers, but these agencies are always with us and lack the drama of a monster like Camille. By dramatizing these losses and forcing all landowners to think about them, Camille may, in the long run, turn out to be a major constructive force. On the morning of last August 18, Mississippi landowners began the tremendous job of sal- vaging a whole countryside of timber on the ground. They realized that shattered, splintered trees were worthless, but they hoped that other trees would be suitable for sawlogs and that the remainder could be used for pulpwood. Wood - using industries reacted with speed and vigor; Governor Williams' Forest Disaster Salvage Council, under the outstanding leadership of Warren A. Hood, mobilized an army of men and machines and succeeded in recovering an un- believably large percentage of the down timber. Nevertheless, they could not prevent severe financial losses by landowners. (Here and else - where in this talk, I am talking about private landowners, but most of what I say applies equally to industries.) Logging costs soared be- cause of labor shortages and the tangled debris in the woods; the deluge of timber far exceeded the manufacturing capacity of mills in and near the area; insects and fungi won the race to many trees; scattered trees had to be ignored. Con- sequently, stumpage prices plummeted; trees that might have sold for $50 /MBF in late July often sold for $15 or $10 or less in late August. Failing to recover much from salvage sales, landowners looked for other ways to lighten the blow. Many thought of claiming a casualty loss to offset against income from other sources; al- though they had taken a beating, at least they thought they wouldn't have to pay as much income tax. Here the news was bad again, and, to see why, let us run over some forestry accounting. Jones, a typical landowner, bought his land in 1940 for $1,100 and was willing to pay this price because he thought the land was worth $100 and the timber $1,000. Land cost him $100. and timber cost him $1,000; in other words, his cost basis was $100 in land and $1,000 in timber. The day after he bought the tract, he sold all his timber for $1,000 and depleted his timber account by this much. He made no taxable gain in the transaction; one day he had $1,000 in cash, the next day $1,000 in timber, and the third day $1,000 in cash again: - .sa fourth day, however, (Continued on Page 8, Col. 1) CoWI.ETE DIRECT SEEDING SERVICES: Contractual cone drying and seed extracting Seed dewinging and cleaning Cold storage of seed Seed stratification Treating of seed with all types of repellents Contractual direct seeding Reforestation consultation, specializing in direct seeding. cone handling and seed processing SUPPLIES: SERVICE All species of Southern pine seed in any quantity. large or small Chemical repellents for seed Chemical stickers for seed Other forest chemicals � r • WOODWORTH, LOUISIANA 71485 q (318) 443.7535 CHAIRMAN'S GIFT NEW STUDENT CHAPTERS H TEXAS CHAPTER REPORT By Charles Franklin Last year Chapter Chairman Bob Baker, stressed continuity in operation of the Chapter. I have attempted to implement this. The Pro- fessional Policy Committee was re- appointed intact, and also the student recruitment com- mittee. Some of the committees must be com- posed of different members each year in ac- cordance with procedure set out in the Bylaws. I hope that whenever possible at least one working member of each committee will serve again next year. My pet project has been improvement in com- munications among the Groups and between the Groups and the Chapter officers. I asked each Group Chairman to have the Secretary send meet- ing notices to all other Groups and to Chapter officers. This has helped each Group to keep in- formed about what others were doing and it has eased the chore of providing good programs at meetings since ideas are exchanged. I also re- quested that an Information and Communications Chairman be appointed for each Group to handle news released about Group activities and indi- vidual foresters' newsworthy community activi- ties. We need all the good publicity we can get. The Cahpter again co- sponsored "What's New In Forestry" with the School of Forestry of Stephen F. Austin State University. This pro- gram was presented by members of the faculty at S.F.A. on January 13, 1970. Another project adopted by the Executive Committee is co- sponsorship, with the Texas Forestry Association, of an annual director of Texas Foresters, which has been published for 1970. The Foresters' Fund Drive in Texas produced (Continued on Page 9, Col. 2) SECTION CHAIRMAN'S REPORT By Ralph R. Robertson The Gulf States Section, Society of American Foresters, is strong, solvent and we are still growing. The treasurer's report shows that we are still on sound financial ground. The mem- bership records show that since May 12, 1969, to the middle of January 1970, our membership grew from 1,133 to 1,309 members. This is better than a 10 percent increase in membership for that period. While many of us feel that maybe the Society is not doing everything to suit us, we recognize that the Society is the only organiza- tion dedicated to protecting and advancing the profession of forestry and - -it is only through an organized effort can we reach our goal -- true professionals in an extremely complex society and profession. Our Section was well represented, in numbers at least, at the National meeting of the Society of American Foresters in Miami, Florida, last October. Your chairman and chairmen -elect at- tended as your official and alternate delegates. Several members of the Gulf States Section ap- peared on the program or served as moderators. It is a rewarding experience to attend a National meeting. Make your plans to attend one -- it does something for your ego. The Florida Section did a wonderful job in hosting the 1969 meeting. In 1968 the House of Section Delegates and Subject - Division Chairmen appointed a Commit- tee chaired by our own Councilman J. S. McKnight to study the committee structure and at the National Meeting endorsed the idea of holding Regional Technical Meetings. A committee rep- resenting the Gulf States, Appalachian, South- eastern, Ozark, Tennessee- Kentucky and Florida Sections was appointed to study and make plans for holding Regional Technical meetings. These meetings would enable foresters to ge together, study, and learn about problems that are common to all foresters at a meeting. Many foresters feel their time is not being used to its fullest when listening to a discussion of a subject that is not applicable to them or their area. Bob Merrifield, Chairman- elect, and I attended the organizational, meeting while at the National meeting. This committee, after being invited by Florida, recommended that the first Regional Technical meeting be held in conjunction with the 1971 Florida Section April meeting. It is the plan that subsequent meetings will be held in conjunction with other Section meetings in the following years. Your Executive Committee has endorsed the idea. The Council endorsed the idea at its meeting in October. We are asking for your support in this effort. George Richmon is the Gulf States Section representative on the Southern Regional Technical Committee. The Council of the Society of American For- (Continued on Page 9, Col. 1) LOUISIANA CHAPTER REPORT By Don Brown FINANCIAL: Began with $2,240.58. As of date of the last report (March 24, 1970) $2,086.58, the decrease being caused mainly by balloting expense in connection with Licensing. MEMBERSHIP: Definite figures not at hand but a slight increase in membership (less than 5 %) was experienced in the past year. NEW OFFICERS: James A. Gayle, Area Su- perintendent, International Paper Company, Natchitoches, Louisiana Chairman ... William C. Ruffin, Louisiana Forestry Commission, Natchi- toches, Louisiana Vice Chairman. FORESTERS FUND: Was publicized but cam- paign results left much to be desired. MISCELLANEOUS: Sponsored 5 bill boards, one in each group area. These boards were so drawn as to publicize the contributions to the general economy by the forest industry. Authorized and paid a $50 annual subsidy to each of the five groups to assist in operating expenses. Continued the practice of giving $50 to each of the four Forestry Schools in the state, this being a contribution to expenses for students who attend the annual meeting of the Gulf States Section. This is given upon request. This prac- tice has been the subject of a study by Ed Burns and Hans Enghardt, who have submitted recom- mendations to the Chapter Executive Committee for action at next meeting. Authorized annual expenditure of $200.00 for publicizing the Chapter Annual Meeting and Chapter Executive Committee Meetings. (Continued on Page 9, Col. $) NEW SECTION OFFICERS Lek to right: Richard L. Bury, Secretary - Treasurer, Gulf States Section, Department of Recreation & Parks, Texas A & M University College Station, Texas 77843; Robert G. Merrifield, Chairman, Gulf States Section, Department of Range Science, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843; and Edger C. Wilkins, Vice- Chairman, Gulf States Section, 502 Willow Oak, Lufkin, Texas 75901. LA. TECH STUDENT CHAPTER Section Chairman Ralph Robertson presents charter for Louisiana Tech. Student Chapter, Society of American For- esters to Student Chapter Chairman Don Frazier in the presence of Faculty Advisor Dr. Ed Carothers; William Nettles, Student Chapter Vice - Chairman; and Daphne Cooper, Student Chapter Secretary- Treasurer. The Louisiana Tech. Student Chapter was the first Student Chapter approved by the Section Executive Committee. Student chapters were authorized by the National Council at the annual meeting last year in Miami. (See Installa. tion, Page 12.) GHLIGHT SECTION AFFAIRS NEWSLETTER REPORT By Ralph Wall SOCIETY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORT By Beryl Toler POLICY COMMITTEE REPORT By Bill May Thanks for all the pictures and Chapter and Group news. We lost three advertisers last year. We try to have ten. We want only enough money to pay printing cost. It has been felt that the Section can pay postage. We have now fallen considerably below printing cost which is about $235 for the 1st and 4th Quarters and $300 for 2nd and 3rd Quarters...Just before and just after the annual meeting. We would appreciate at least 3 more advertisers. The Society Affairs Committee, at the request of Ralph Robertson, reviewed the proposed Bylaws for a Student Chapter to be established at Stephen F. Austin State University. The proposed Bylaws were distributed to the committee membership by mail. Attached, there- to, were comments relative to minor changes needed. The committee concurred with the changes proposed and they were forwarded to the Section Chairman. The proposed bylaws were changed to conform with this committee recommendation; and there- fore, we hereby recommend executive committee approval. The Policy Committee for Gulf States Section met in one call session in Shreveport, 1969, to discuss policy points suggested by the Chairman and Executive Committee. It was concluded that guide lines for the Section should be prepared with the framework of the policy of the Parent Society for consideration of the Executive Com- mittee and Section for some later date. These guidelines are under study at this time and will be submitted later at an appropriate time. At least one member of the Policy Committee at- tended all Executive Commirtee sessions during the year to advise the committee on Policy matters. This is recommended to the group as a continuing practice because of the increased interest in public affairs that the membership seemed to desire and inherent difficulties that can result from ill advised public affairs cam- paign. REPORT FROM BEN MEADOWS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE S.A.F. MISSISSIPPI CHAPTER REPORT By Don ltinehart Chairman Robertson, officers and members of the Gulf States Section, particularly you most welcome members from our sister State of Loui- siana and the great State of Texas, the Missis- sippi Chapter welcomes you to the Gulf Coast Of Mississippi -- a little battered, but proud and building. I want to report briefly on the activities of the Mississippi Chapter. This year has been one of change -- the discarding of some programs, the combining of others, and the initiation of some new activities. The programs we discarded are just that, and we need not dwell further in that regard. We combined some committees and they functioned admirably throughout the year. We embarked on an informative program regarding the registration of foresters -- Beryl Toler and his "Flying Squad" presented this information, pro and con, to our six groups in two combined programs. (A first) The vote is in on the regis- tration and the tally was 133 for and 40 against, 21 no opinion and some 218 professional foresters in Mississippi, not voting. We have made gigantic strides towards the development of a Mississippi Directory of For- esters -- the development of career brochures for prospective forestry students and guidance counselors, both through the efforts of Mr. Rodney Foil. Bill Colvin, Information and Communications Committee, began a fine public relations program by replacing some 7,000 trees on grounds at Beauvoir, a State Shrine just down the highway, and is handling the publicity for this meeting. (Newspaper, radio, and T.V. shows -- "Just Coasting ' and "Mississippi R.F.D." on which some of you have made an appearance.) Awards and Memorial Committee made an ex- (Continued on Page 9, Col. 2) The Society is "our Professional Home" - we need to get to work. Hardy Glascock is doing a fine job. So are Al McClure - Public Affairs officer, Don Theoe - Professional Development, and Fred Brooks - Editorial Department. Our national office has been using retired USFS personnel in Washington area with fine results at relatively little cost. The Washington office has been remodeled. Communications is our big problem. Will have one member of Council and one of Staff at each Section meeting. Journal constantly being improved. Letters to editor are sought after and will be published. Foresters Fund contributions by membership have been "long - disgraceful ". We have tride to give new direction to the Fund to raise the stand- ards and professional status of the profession and the Forester. Next project - spot announcements on what a Forester is -- how he's educated and what posi- tion he has in the economy of our nation. Funds available to spend on projects -- about $4,500.00. The EMPLOYMENT REFERRAL SERVICE is showing good results and increased use. It costs members $5.00 for each referral and $25 to each industry or agency which uses it. In March we had $85,000.00 in Forester's Fund. A $10,000 contribution will be made by an industry over the next three years. Severalother industries have given amounts such as$2,500.00, $1,500.00 and 2,000.00, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STUDENT CHAPTER Section Chairman Ralph Robertson, right, presents charter to Chairman Fries of the newly formed SFA Student Chap. ter, SAF. Witnessing the formality are faculty advisor Bob Baker and John Norris, member of the Chapter Executive The ceremony was impressive and before the membership in attendance at the business session. A number of student chapter members were present in the audience. OUTGOING SECTION OFFICERS James R. Tobermann, left, outgoing Secretary- Treasurer; Ralph R. Robertson, center, outgoing Chairman; and Plato Touliatos, right, outgoing Vice - Chairman were commended by the Section Executive Committee for their outstanding service during 1970 -71. Formal appreciation was extended at the change -over meeting July 1 in Baton Rouge. WHAT HURRICANE CAMILLE TAUGHT US (Continued from Page 5, Col. 3) his cost basis in land was still $100, but his cost basis in timber was zero. For nearly thirty years Jones did nothing about his tree farm. It re- seeded naturally, and the young trees, protected from fire by the tender, loving care of the Mississippi Forestry Com- mission, grew rapidly into merchantable timber worth $150 per acre. When Camille blew it all down and the bugs ate it all up, he unquestionably suffered an economic loss of $150 per acre. For tax purposes, however his loss was zero because his cost basis in timber was zero; if what he lost hadn't COST him anything, he couldn't show that he really lost anything. In fact, if he had been able to salvage any damaged timber, proceeds from the salvage would have been taxable as a long -term gain. Operating a tract as a tree farm usually causes a steady drop in cost basis for timber, and the plight of Jones was common in the Camille area. For tax purposes, it didn't matter what the dam- aged timber was or had been worth on the market; the important thing was what it was worth on the landowner's books, and far too often this was near zero. Camille taught us the importance of accounting and cost basis, and, in the future, more of us will keep records good enough to substantiate losses from hurricanes of fires or insects or what have you. Cost basis arises in many ways: actual pur- chases as just illustrated, exchanges, valuation of gifts and inheritances, or dissolutions of partnerships or corporations. Many were es- tablished by an event of long ago, such as a death in the family and can be determined only with great difficulty. Camille victims can tell you a lot about this. If you know a tree farmer who is uncertain about his cost basis, you might suggest that he begin to search promptly; the search gets harder with the passage of time, and the Internal Revenue Service understandably be- comes more skeptical as more guesswork is necessary. Knowledge of the cost basis is also essential to determine gain on timber sales, and sales are far more common than casualty losses, fortunately. Clobbered by Camille, hurt by the difficulties of salvage, and sobered by the tax laws, we began to take a new look at the whole business of tree farming, to figure ways to lessen our exposure to such disasters, to see what changes in forest management might be advisable. What you might call an agonizing reappraisal taught us several more lessons, and, for this reason, Camille may eventually prove to be a boon. To many observers, it seemed that heavy stands of trees were better able to resist the winds. Widely spaced trees, especially those whose spacing was a result of recent thinning, appeared to suffer most. I don't suppose we can ever verify these conjectures by scientific ex- periments, but about one matter there is less guesswork: it was much easier to get salvage crews to work on tracts with a high volume per acre. If some of your trees were going to be blown down anyhow, you stood a much better chance to salvage them if they were concentrated on 10 acres instead of scattered over 100 acres. These conjectures and facts led us to believe that even -aged management might make us better able to cope with disaster. A more important lesson we learned was that we had probably not given sufficient weight to risk in appraising investments in timberland. Camille, by flattening a whole countryside, was a spectacular example of risk, and anyone who was completely wiped out in a few hours will not re -enter the business without keeping risk always in the back of his mind. Tree farmers had not seen such a disaster for many years and had been lulled into believing that tree farms rose steadily in value, were relatively safe, and could be considered good investments if they doubled in value every 10 years or so. In the spring of 1970, these beliefs are less common. Hence- forth, many tree farmers will insist on the pros- pect of higher earnings to offset risk, and, if these earnings appear to be in doubt, they will shift their capital into more productive ventures. Along this same line, we also learned that the present is much more important than the future, because the future may never come. Foresters have long been familiar with discounting future incomes; Camille victims are now experts onthe principle. Once timber reaches merchantable size, the incentive of holding it must get stronger and stronger, because the risk of losing it all gets larger and larger. Not only does sawtimber fluctuate more in price than does pulpwood, but also it may be converted back into pulpwood by a Camille. Nobody likes to pay taxes even when they are calculated at capital gains rates, but we found out that taxes can be much the lesser of two evils. It is far better to sell timber and pay taxes on the gain then it is to hold timber and later watch it be reduced to splinters. Looking back on what might have been is doubly painful because of conditions in the money market; at the very time we were holding trees growing at 6% or 8 %, yields on top- quality industrial bonds were 8% or 97 and on some tax -free municipals rated ` A or better were over 7 1/457,. Finally, Camille taught us the most important lesson of all; she taught us what kind of asset a tree farm really is. A tree farm has been likened to a savings account, and many tree farmers have more or less set them aside for the educa- tion of children or for addi ions to income after retirement. Although annual growth on a tree farm is quite similar to annual interest on a savings account, the net worth of a tree farm is hard to determine, may be very difficult to translate into cash, and cannot easily produce a predic- table annual income. Camille was one example of unpredictability; a study of market prices for stumpage will provide another. Looking upon tree farms as savings accounts leads their owners into a serious mistake. They (Continued on Page 19, Col. 3) PROPOSED BUDGET GULF STATES SECTION SAF July 1, 1970 to June 30, 1971 Estimated Income Membership Dues, 1,309 @ $3.00 $3,927 Expenses Newsletter and Postage Chairman Vice - Chairman Secretary- Treasurer I. & C. Committee Technical Committee Society Affairs Committee Professional Policy Committee Annual Meeting (Advance) Travel Executive Committee Supplies, stationery Postage TOTAL Balance FINANCIAL STATEMENT Gulf States Section — S. A. F. July 1, 1969 — June 8, 1970 Balance in Checking Account 5/6/70: Cash Receipts: Newsletter Ads $ 163.45 Refund of Annual Committee Meeting 300.00 Total Receipts Total Cash Available Expenditures: Gift for Section Chairman 32.04 Acme Photo Service Inc. (Distinguished Service Award Photo) 24.75 Standard Photo Co. — Photo Suppliers — Colvin 7.97 Campus Jewelers — (Distinguished Service Award 63.00 Stamps — J. R. Tobermann $ 6.00 Bill Colvin 2.00 R. Robertson (phone) 15.00 23.00 Secretary Help — Lucy Montgomery Linda Hedglin Newsletter — Instant Printing Serv. Farris Bryan, Inc. Admin. Service Total Expenditures Cash Balance in Checking Account Invested Funds: $ 25.00 25.00 50.00 $399.00 6.00 155.00 560.00 $830 100 50 200 250 100 100 100 300 400 100 300 400 $3,230 $697 $3,496.02 463.45 $3,959.47 $ 760.76 $ 3,198.71 USA Treasury Bills $3,784.10 (Face value $4,000) USA Treasury Bills 965.39 (Face value $1,000) Total Invested Funds Total Section Assets J. R. Tobermann Secretary- Treasurer $4,749.49 $7,948.20 FRED S. HARRIS Consulting Forester Timber Estimates and Appraisals Forest Land Management C.F.I. Installations and Remeasurements Feasibility Studies for Wood Using Industry Forest Land Acquisition Data 107 Kimball Avenue Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39401 Have Experience — Will Travel Phone 601/582 -7605 — Anywhere — Any Time SECTION CHAIRMAN'S REPORT (Continued from Page 6, Col. 1) esters renamed the SAF Endowment Fund to "The Foresters Fund" in 1969. In the opinion of many foresters, this Foresters Fund could be the best thing that has happened to the Society and the forestry profession. The income from this fund is dedicated to advancing the forestry profession. Our contribution will assure the fi- nancing of projects that will help the public understand the profession of forestry. Your entire Executive Committee endorsed the For- esters Fund campaign with contributions. Bill Mann agreed to serve as Chairman of the For- esters Fund campaign and has worked veryhard. Your State Chapter Chairmen can attest to that. All of the results of the drive are not in, but Bill advised me that as of about the middle of April the Gulf States Section has contributed almost $1,000. We urge you to contribute what- ever you can. You can make a contribution while you are here. A table has been set up outside for that purpose. Somebody will give you a re- ceipt and will assure you that you will be ac- credited with a contribution. I contributed be- cause as I think about the future status of the forestry profession, if it's not what I want it to be it won't be because I failed to contribute. The Society of American Foresters has always been interested in students of forestry. We, in the Gulf States Section, have always encouraged students to attend our meetings and participate in our affairs, in October of last year the Coun- cil ammended the National Bylaws to authorize Student Chapters at accredited or affiliate for- estry schools. Two schools in the Gulf States Section have petitioned the Gulf States Section Executive Committee to authorize Student Chap- ters. The Executive Committee, by letter ballot, authorized the Louisiana Tech Student Chapter in February and the Stephen F. Austin State Uni- versity Student Chapter in April. The students and faculty in hese two schools are to be com- mended for their effort. They have our support. Your Executive Committee has been active and has been busy during the past year. It has met three t-.mes and will meet again following this meeting at 12:00 o'clock. We have had an atten- dance of eleven members out of 13 at each of our meetings. All members have attended two or more sessions. These people have attended these meetings on their own time and at their own expense at considerable sacrifice. They have not taken their responsibilities lightly. Lloyd Blackwell has contributed much by serving as parliamentarian for the past year. The Gulf States Section Bylaws have been amended twice by letter ballo during the last ten months. The first amendment was concerned with making our Bylaws conform with the National Bylaws so that we could qualify for 'tax exempt" status. The second amendment deals with amend- ing our Bylaws to allow the Section Executive Committee to authorize Student Chapters in the Gulf States Section. I know that you, the membership, and the next Executive Committee will give Bob Merrifield and the other new officers he same cooperation that you have given the present officers. There are some people that need special rec- ognition and I know that I am treading on "never, never land" when I start recognizing people. I am bound to leave out someone that should be singled out. Our secretary - treasurer has done an outstand ng job. He has made several mailings to the entire membership. It takes a lot of licking to seal and put stamps on 1,300 envelopes, We thank him and his employer, the International Paper Company, Plato Touliatos has served well as Vice - Chairman and has been a main stay of strenght all the way. Bill Mann deserves a special vote of appreciation. Immediately after he accepted chairmanship of the Gulf States Section Foresters Fund Drive, he suffered an accident that put him out of action for several months, but he did not let that stop him. He con- tinued on and has offered to continue to work in behalf of the Forester's Fund. The entire membership is indebted to Ralph Wall, our Newsletter Editor. Our Newsletter is the best in the Society. It may not be the biggest but it's the best. This newsletter is a true in- dication of Ralph's love and respect for the pro- fession of forestry. We appreciate the work of Dr. Dan Schmitt and the other members of the Annual Meeting Com- mittee have done in planning and staging this Annual Meeting. Dan, you and your committee have done a good job. I would like to thank all of the people who have appeared on this program and those still scheduled to appear. You have made thi a meeting a success. Ralph Robertson Chairman LOUISIANA CHAPTER REPORT (Continued from Page 6, Col. 2) LICENSING OF FORESTERS: Each Group was polled last summer on whether or not the question of licensing should be considered, and an affirmative answer was given. Each group was asked to submit suggested changes toabasic bill. These suggestions were returned to the Licensing Committee where they were screened and incorporated into the bill to the best of the ability of the committee. The bill was then submitted to the membership in mail ballot and produced a return of 6297, of the mailout. The vote was also 627 affirmative on the bill. The Chapter Legislative Committee, composed of Printis Murphy (Chairman), Frank Bennett, J im- my Broughton, J. H. (Jim) Kitchens, and Joe Burns, is presently engaged in the task of having the Bill introduced in the 1970 Session of the Louisiana Legislature. Donald E. Brown TEXAS CHAPTER REPORT Chairman (Continued from Page 6, Col. 3) poor results. Although considerable time and effort was spent on organizing and publicizing the Drive, we failed to sell it tothe membership. The Chapter Chairman has met with all four groups this year and has found them to be active, meeting regularly with good programs. The Texas Chapter Annual Meeting was held at the Holiday Inn in Huntsville, Texas, on March 6, 1970. The theme of the meeting was "Our Changing Environment ". We had three well qualified speakers on the National, State and Local levels. This meeting was highly success- ful from the business session in the morning through the banquet and dance in the evening. There was a record attenance of approximately 200 men and 100 ladies. The Chapter Professional Policy Committee worked diligently and developed a statement of Professional Forest Policies which was approved by the Executive Committee and accepted by the membership by a referendum. The Texas Chapter membership is at an all time high with 386 members reported by our membership chairman at the Annual Meeting. This is up 60 from the same time last year. To sum up, I think the Texas Chapter has had a good year. All committees have functioned well and the Chapter is in good shape professionally and financially. I want to thank Bob Baker for preparing the Manual of Procedure for the Chapter Chairman. This has been a great help to me and I know it will be to those who serve in the future. Charles R. Franklin Chairman MISSISSIPPI CHAPTER REPORT (Continued from Page 7, Col. 1) cellent selection in this year's Outstanding For- esters Award -- in James "Toby" Tobermann. Membership Report We are most pleased to have with us three forestry students from MSU. Mississippi Chapter contributed a portion of their expenses to en- courage their participation in this meeting. Endorsement by the Mississippi Chapter of SAF of University of Mississippi Summer Course on conservation initiated last year, through the direct assistance of some of our members, notably, Mr. R. M. Conarro and Don Bell. This was a very productive spin off of our College Lecture Series which has been in effect some 4 -5 years. Special recognition should go to some of our members. Dan Schmitt - Annual Meeting Committee Chairman and the excellent committee working for him. Ralph Robertson - who has gone the extra mile on every activity, section and chapter. Tobermann - has already received a portion of his just dues. Plato Touliatos, Ralph Wall, Hollis Ishee, Bill Linkenhoker, Guy Davis -- these men and many more have made this a very rewarding year for me personally and the chapter collectively, FORESTERS' FUND About the middle of September this year a re- cording of spot announcements will hit some 800 radio stations in the top 100 market areas of the United States, The announcements will be short, provocative comments about forestry and the work of professional foresters. Nationally known personalities will be featured and listeners will be invited to write the Society of American Foresters in Washington, D. C. for additional information on these important subjects. Producing and marketing such radio spots re- quires high quality organization, talent, super- vision, and lots of hard work. And, costs lots of moneyl A highly reputable firm in Washington, D. C. which specializes in producing radio and tele- (Continued on Page 12, Col. 2) ANDRULOT RETIRES Edward R. Andrulot, Associate Professor of Forest Management in the Forestry Department of Louisiana Tech University, received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University on 30 May 1970. Dr. Andrulot came to Louisiana Tech in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry degree from the University of Michigan. In 1960 he received the first Master of Science degree from the School of Agriculture and Forestry at Louisiana Tech. With the beginning of the 1970 fall quarter he will become Professor of Forestry Management. The title of his doctorate dissertation was "Effects of Thinning on Yield of Loblolly Pine in Central Louisiana' which is a re- port on research work done at Urania, Louisiana, by Yale University and Louisiana Tech since 1930. This work will be published by Louisiana Tech during the fall of 1970. EMBATTLED FORESTER AND AGE OF AQUARIUS Earl P. Stephens A few weeks ago I was asked to submit a title for the paper I was to present at this meeting, Dutifully, I sent in the title "THE AGE OF AQUARIUS ". Yesterday evening when I registered and received a program, I learned that I was to speak on the subject of "THE EMBATTLED FORESTER "I So last night I rewrote my paper and am calling it "THE EMBATTLED FORESTER AND THE AGE OF AQUARIUS "11 This is what I call being UNDERSTANDING and open to CHANGE - an attitude that I must achieve more and more in the future. We have heard today about the tremendous damage wrought by Hurricane Camille and the impact it has had on the Forester. Certainly, if you arrived here yesterday before dark you ob- served the awesome destruction. I have been asked to speak on another kind of storm: PROB- LEMS. PROBLEMS, some of which confront our profession already, and, some others that are appearing on the horizon and could be with us this decade. PROBLEMS, any one of which could be as devastating to the practice of forestry as Camille herself. I remember vividly the furor in the United States caused by the "Sputnicks" and the clamor of our colleges to emphasize the physical sciences in their curricula. I recall also the almost monotonous manner the 20th century has been labelled as the "Age of Technology ". I saw in the paper the other daythat during the "horse and buggy days" in New York City the average speed attainable was five miles per hour. Today, the average speed attainable is STILL FIVE MILES PER HOUR the difference being, however, that back in the f 'horseand buggy days" YOU COULD SEE WHERE YOU WERE GOING. Today, we are experiencing a "Sociological Revolution ", the beginning of the "Age of Aquarius ", and rightfully so. And, I suggest that "PEOPLE PROBLEMS" will demand more attention of our profession than "TREE TROU- BLES" during the next few years,. 1. Stream pollu ion 2. Air pollution 3. Insecticides 4. Herbicides 5. Shearing, windrowing and burning prepara- ory to forest regeneration. 6. Recreation 7. Prescribed burning 8. Girdling of "Wolf Trees" 9. Labor in the woods 10. Green belts 11. Roads 12. Harvesting, indeed, even cutting the mer- chantable trees 13. Ecology 14. Environment 15. Ad valorem taxes 16. Cost of wood as a raw material and others I am sure you could add to the list - these are "PEOPLE PROBLEMS ". If I understand correctly, CHANGE and UN- DERSTANDING are keynotes of the "AGE OF AQUARIUS ". Also, if I understand correctly, ours is a HANDBASED PROFESSION and this is where many of our "PEOPLE PROBLEMS" originate. Whether we want to admit or not to the "AGE OF AQUARIUS" I strongly suggest we be more open to "CHANGE" and that we do our utmost to achieve an "UNDERSTANDING" with SOCIETY. Allow me to cite a few examples of what I mean. First, I suggest we begin to take the "offensive" "LET'S BEAT SOCIETY TO THE PUNCH ". This would really be a CHANGEI If we do not, I PREDICT THE LAND WILL BE CLASSIFIED RIGHT OUT FROM UNDER US AND THEN, WE CAN ALL BECOME HISTORIANS AND WRITE OUR MEMOIRSI Next, I suggest we establish the INTEGRITY OF OUR LAND for the use of wood production; that we develop degrees of integrated land use that not only can be merely defended by our profession but also will become recognized by Society as essential parts of its way of life. Solid wastes present one of the most trying problems confronting Society today. I believe the wood using industry is in an eminent position to help alleviate this problem. We cannot solve the whole problem, but I think we can help signifi- cantly. The Industry is one of the largest of our private landowners. Furthermore, the distribu- tion of its land ownership coincides closely with the distribution of our people population. WHAT MIGHT BE THE RESULTS IF WE WERE TO GO TO THE CITY COUNCILS AND COUNTY COM- MISSIONS TO ASCERTAIN WHERE OUR ACRE- AGE MIGHT BE USED FOR DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTES IN THE FORM OF LAND FILL? We have at least one city offJcial, a mayor, in our midst today because I saw him last night. I wonder what he thinks of this? How many cities and towns do you know where solid waste disposal is getting to be a real problem? If the land filling is done properly, we could provide land for this purpose, AT A FAIR COST, and produce wood on it practically at the same time. This is the kind of integrated land use that SOCIETY could understand and it could contribute to the integrity of our land. Sanitary sewage is another problem are, and I suggest that we could use this on some of our acreages as a means of irrigation and increasing production. Some industries are contemplating this. I believe the wood using industry could be a leader in this service, FOR WHICH IT WOULD RECEIVE A FAIR RETURN, and we should take advantage of it. I believe AD VALOREM TAXES to be at least one of the indications of the degree of INTEGRITY OF LAND USE that we are able to establish and its acceptance by Society. We own some acreage in a major river valley in Texas. This land was being used for the production of cotton and grain sorghum at the time we purchased it. It is extremely fertile land, is irrigatible, and with water is one of the most productive sites in the world. Agriculture is the major land -based industry in the river valley. The market value of this acreage is $600.00 to $700.00 per acre. The ad valorem taxes on it are less than $2.00 per acre. This is what I call INTEGRITY OF LAND USE. Society recognizes the use of this land as anessential part of its way of life. I am confident that you can think of other and better ways of "initiating changes" in our pro- fession, of "achieving understanding" with so- ciety, and of generating net income via INTEGRI- TY OF LAND USE. During this AGE OF AQUARIUS, therefore, I strongly suggest that the forestry profession address itself vigorously to the PEOPLE PROB- LEMS. In final analysis the battle willbeWAGED and WON or LOST on the economic front of the market place. The cost of wood as a primary source of raw material and the margin of profits could be the deciding factors of the role that foresters will play. THE FORESTER'S IMAGE By Frank Davis Gentlemen, when I took the assignment to speak on this subject several thoughts ran through my mind. What really is "image" anyhow? Does the forester really have a public image? If he does, how did he get it? What kind of image is it? Is it good, bad, or indifferent? You can't think about this subject either without thinking about the growing public concern about our environment and the mounting criticism of the Forest Service and Forest Industry for al- ledgedly destroying natural beauty and adding to air and water pollution. Is it possible that what was once a good image as protector of the forests is now changing to one of "spoiler "? If it is can we do bomething about it. Mr. Webster defines image, among manyother definitions, as "a mental conception held in com- mon by members of a group and symbolic of a basic attitude and orientation'. I guess that'sthe image we are talking about. Webster also says, "a reproduction or imitation of the form of a person or thing ". If this is what we are talking about then I guess Smokey Bear is our image. But Smokey might be changing into a mean and ruthless Paul Bunyon. Funny, isn't it, the old Paul Bunyon with his double bited ax and his blue ox Babe is a folk hero. The new Paul Bunyon with his chain saw and diesel skidder is a villain. Why the difference? Where do we get our image? Individually, we get it from the people we know, the people we work with and the people who see our work. As a group or a profession we get our image again from the foresters that the public has known and from what the public sees of our work. National- ly, we get our image this way except that I sus- pect that a large part of our national image is based upon what people SAY we do. People who live in the cities of this nation probably form their image of the forestry profession largely by what they see on TV, hear on the radio or read in papers and magazines. If they do we might not have a very good image. Or we might just be a bunch of Stookey Bears. A civil engineer who spoke to our National Convention in Miami pointed out that many, many people still think an engineer runs a train and carries a good pocket watch. He said that only one person in a relatively large number (I believe it was nine or ten) ever even meets a professional engineer in their lives. Since there are many fewer foresters than engineers it stands to reason that an even smaller portion of the population ever has the wonderful and unforgetable ex- perience of meeting a forester, and certainly only a very small minority of the public ever really understands from first hand experience just what forestry is and what foresters do. How many times have you been asked if you have to go to school to he aforester, or maybe it was "reforester ". Have you ever been asked if it wasn't boring sitting in that little tower all day? The public doesn't understand us because they don't know us. They can't even know us first hand because there aren't enough of us and we, generally speaking, don't live and work where the people are. The song says, "I Think the Lord Must Live in New York City ". Maybe He does, but we don't -- we don't live in Chicago or Philadelphia or Los Angelse either. Usually, when foresters get together and talk about image they invariable talk about otherpro- fessions. Doctors and lawyers are always prom- inently mentioned. But their professions are people oriented. Can you imagine a person in today's society who has never met a doctor or who is not thoroughly familiar with what adoctor does. Everybody knows a lawyer and everybody knows what lawyers do. The same is not true with our profession and can not be. It's kind of like the cigarette -- if you want a doctor's image you'll just have to be a doctor. All doctors don't have the best images either. Neither do all lawyers. Nevertheless these professions are prestigious and will continue so mostly because they are people oriented. Every profession in- cluding ours has good, average and poor members; every profession has bad apples, but generally speaking the professional image of any group is based upon what the public thinks of the work done by the profession. The more the public knows about that work the stronger the image will be. What about money? People with money -- lots of money -- are usually accepted in the better social circles. Education doesn't make much difference; neither does profession. In- herited money is as good -- maybe better -- than money made in oil, or real estate or lumber, or law or medicine, or agri- business. But this is not really image -- it is status. Sometimes when I hear foresters talking about image I think what they really want is status. Remember Billy Sol Estes? He was once named by the Jaycees as one of the nations ten out- standing young men. This type of recognition or acceptance or status what ever you want to call it comes with money but it has to be a lot of money -- not just a good salary, and it is status and not image. Electricians, plumbers, truck drivers all make good money -- more than a lot of foresters -- more than a lot of young lawyers -- more even than some doctors. Incidentally, how about preachers? They have a pretty good image; are socially accepted and highly respected members of the community, but you hardly ever hear foresters comparing their image with preachers images -- it's always doctors and lawyers. How (Continued on Page 11, Col. 1) RNROIINCEMENT Forestry 1S Suppliers, Inc. QUALITY FORESTRY, ENGINEERING & INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES �r WbWa d... z. whtyou- ..d,wne y—n—dt New, larger, more com- plete Catalog 18 is now being distributed. If your copy doesn't come soon write us It's free. 4 Forestry Suppliers, Inc. BOX 8397 / 205 W. RANKIN ST. JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 39204 10 THE FORESTER'S IMAGE (Continued from Page 10, Col about teachers they have pretty good images too. Let's be honest with ourselves; is itreallyimage we gripe about or is it status? We do have an image problem, gentlemen, but it is not because we don't make enough money. It's because we don't know enough people and people don't know enough about the profession of forestry. Just in case you don't think we have problems let me quote a few brief articles and statements taken from recent literature. From a letter quoted from Mike Frome's colume in AMERICAN FOR- ESTS magazine. "The Forest Service, it appears, has gone completely mad and is destroying our once beautiful montains with a vengeance. The country is being torn apart by logging roads and clear cutting of the forest. Sadly, there seems to be no end in sight. If the Forest Service has its way, the process will be speeded up". Also from Frome's article: "In Oregon a substantial body of citiziens has been objecting to proposed logging of the scenic French Pete Creek drainage of the Willamette National Forest. To express their viewpoint they conducted summer marches before the regional headquarters in Portland; inNovem- ber a thousand persons demonstrated before the national forest office in Eugene, known in other days as 'logging capital of the world'. Conserva- tioti organizations paid for newspaper advertise- ments, complete with coupons for mailing to members of the Oregon Congressional delega- tion". He goes on to say that as a result the Secretary of Agriculture agreed to delay any timber sales until time has been given for more public discussion. I don't know what ever hap- pened. Maybe they made the sales maybe not, but the important point is that more and more public pressure is being brought to bear on de- cisions made by professional foresters. Decisions which would not have been challenged a few years ago and decisions which are probably completely sound from a silvicultural standpoint. In this same article the following statement appears: "Forest officials, for all practical purposes, ignored citi- zen protests; they insisted upon the infallibility of their professional judgment, a habit to which too many land managers are hopelessly addicted." Now, these things came out of AMERICAN FORESTS magazine the publication oftheAmeri- can Forestry Association, an association that is usually friendly to the professional forester. Reported in the National Outlook section of the February JOURNAL are the following two para- graphs: "Various individuals and groups empha- size different phases of environmental qual- ity, but some are beginning to hold that the cutting of timber is inimical to the environ- ment. The suit filed in Colorado to stop har- vesting of national forest timber, the attempt of a group of people to impede log trucks in California, and a student parade in Oregon protesting national forest timber cutting are manifestations of public reaction to the har- vesting of timber. Some industry spokesmen have warned that companies would do well to pay more atten- tion to environmental considerations in their timber operations. The U.S. Forest Service, caught in the middle between the pressures of preservationists and the demands of in- dustry for more timber, is having a tough time maintaining its multiple use balances." Now, I could go on to Sierra Club publications, etc. and really show you some image problems but you know what they would say and time won't permit me to do that anyway. Why is it though that Paul Punyon is a hero and Johnny Lumberjack is a villain? Paul is a hero because he operated in an age when timber was in the way of progress -- Agriculture was the big thing. We were a nation of farmers -- family farmers. Daniel Boone and his kind prob- ably destroyed, or caused to be destroyed more quality hardwood timber than the soybean people are causing today, but it wasn't destruction or waste then; it was progress; it was opening up the frontier; it was the forming of a new nation out of the wilderness. Today things are completely different. Timber is looked upon either as a natural resource to be managed and used, or, as seems to be in- creasingly the case, it is looked upon as a thing of beauty which should be left alone by man and enjoyed for its esthetic qualities and its value as wild life habitat and watershed protection. Most people seem to realize that we need lumber, paper, plywood and other products of the forest, but they don't want their trees cut (I mean the trees that are close to them or that they are familiar with -- not trees that they actually own). Cut some somewhere else. Cut someone eles's trees. Fortunately, this problem is rela- tively minor here in the South, but it is a real problem in parts of the West and even in Alaska. There is an increasing belief that timber cutting is evil, wrong, detrimental to the environment. Foresters, being associated with timber cutting, are getting a poor image. When I say this problem is minor in the South I don't mean that it doesn't exist -- it does -- especially in areas where even aged management has recently been sub- stituted for all aged management. What can be done about our slipping public image? As I said before we have two images -- our individual image and our group image. I re- member when I first went to work as a forester my job was at least 90% in the field. I wore field clothes and rough boots; drove a jeep; left town early and came in late. To the people in the cafes and on the street could have been an oil field worker, a power company employee or any- thing else. Anything else that is except a college graduate practicing a profession. I did not have that doctor - lawyer image. I did not have the preacher - teacher image either. Probably this is true of most young foresters and maybe there is not much that can be done about it. There is something that foresters can do though as they settle down in one place and as- sume responsible positions in forestry organiza- tions. They can, and I think should, make a special effort to take part in community activities. Join a civic club. Sure it's hard to make a luncheon meeting each week but in my opinion it is well worth the effort. My company feels that it is worth it to them as well as to the man and the profession of forestry. Most companies I am sure feel the same way. Become known in your town. Let people find out through you that for- esters are intelligent, educated people and not just fire fighters and tree planters. And perhaps most important of all, not thoughtless and ruth- less destroyers of the woods. If people know you they will ask you why you clearcut instead of selectively cut; why you burn the woods when forest fires are supposed to be bad; why you closed a certain area to hunting when it had been open before. If they do not know you they will not ask. They will form their own opinions and they probably will not be good. Another thing, when you are asked to bring a program to some civic club or other organiza- tion do not just show a film or a canned slide show. These are good, do not misunderstand me, but take time to prepare a talk in addition to the slide show if it is only five minutes long. Discuss something that you feel is misunderstood; try to help them understand multiple use or sustained yield or anything else that you feel is important. You will help your image and the profession's image. I know these things are not always easy for foresters to do. As a group we are probably more introverted than extroverted. There are not many of us who like to make talks, but we should do it. If we want to improve our image we must do it. We must meet and talk to people. Our company has one forester who is an alderman in a town not far from he He was recently elected, un- opposed, to his second term. We have another who ran for mayor in a small town and lost by only a handful of votes. Another one of our for- esters was recently voted, by the Jaycees, outstanding young man of the year in his town (I hope he doesn t turn out like Billy Sol). This same man has served as president of his Lions Club. Now, these people were not elected to these positions or given these honors because they were foresters. They received their votes and their honors because they were known and respected as men of intelligence and ability. But because they are foresters they have helped the image of our profession. There are lots of for- esters in our Section who serve on school boards, who are presidents or past presidents of civic clubs, and who have run for public office. But there are, I am sure, many other foresters who have not done any of these things not because they were not capable of doing them but because they just did not want to. Now this is O.K. It con- cerns your personal image more than your pro- fessional image, but if you have refused positions of responsibility In your community don't com- plain about the forester's image. If you don't do your part can you blame others for not doing theirs? Remember this image is what people think of us. Another thing that we should do is pay more attention to questions and requests from the public. I don't mean we should give a lot of free forestry advice. If a person has timberland and wants advice refer him to a state agency or a consulting forester. What I am talking about is the neighbor who asks you to come over and tell him why his pine tree is dying; the garden club lady that wants you to identify some shrub she found in the woods or wants to know when is the best time to transplant dogwood. Tell the neighbor that when he built his new patio he cut the roots of his pine weakening it, allowing black turpentine beetles to invade the tree. Tell him how to treat the tree if it is not too late or explain to him that the tree is already dead. Chip off some bark and show him the galleries and blue stain. Offer to give him a few seedlings next planting season if he wants them. Don't tell the lady that you have forgotten most of the shrubs and that unless it grows big enough to make pulpwood it is just brush to you. Key the thing down in GRAY'S MANUAL or some other reference book and give her an answer if you can. Remember, this might be the only time in their lives that these people will have an op- portunity to judge what they consider to be the professional competence of a forester. Sure, it is a nuisance and takes time, but if you are really interested in the forester's image it is time well spent. These are things that we as individuals cando. What can we do as a professional group? We can sponsor and try to pass licensing bills, can't we? But will that really improve our image? In my opinion it won't. A licensedplumb- er, is still a plumber, a licensed electrician is still an electrician. As I wrote to Bob Tobermann some time back, I have heard that in Nevada they license prostitutes but I never heard that it did much for their image. Now, public protection is another matter. Li- censing might have merit in protecting the public but I, for one, don't believe that it has anything at all to do with image, The Top of the Mart in New Orleans has a license to sell liquor -- so does the Castillo de lost Marinos on the water front but for image and protection I think I will stick to the Top of the Mart. There is one thing we can do though. We, through group action, can take our story to the people that we would not ordinarily reach. Our Society can prepare tapes, films, articles, and can supply speakers to reach the people in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles. How can we do this? Through the Forester's Fund. Yes, you say, but that takes money. Yes, it takes money and the money must come from individuals. Group action is nothing but the sum of individual actions. If you want something done about the forester's image you are going to have to do something about it yourself and I think one of the best things you could do would be to donate to the Forester's Fund as soon as possible. You can also take an active interest in this Society and strengthen it in every way that you can. If we are going to build a better image the Society of American Foresters is the organization that can do the most to build that image and you, in- dividually, must do your part. NATHAN D. (Don) CANTERBURY Consulting Forester Timber and timber lands bought, managed, sold 5701 Jackson Street Parklane Apts..310 HOUSTON, TEXAS 77004 WHAT HURRICANE CAMILLE TAUGHT US... (Continued from Page 8, Col. $) say, "I won't sell any timber now. I know prices are good, but I don't need the money. Besides, I'll have to give the government part of the money, and the trees will keep on growing." One of the largest and smartest landowners in the Camille area subscribed to these beliefs and suffered a tremendous loss; some smaller land - owners were hit even harder because their tree farms were their only capital assets. I am sure each of you has seen overstocked or even stagnated stands of merchantable timber locked up because of these beliefs. Many for- esters cringe at the sight and yarn to get into them with a marking gun and jack up the per- centage growth rate by a judicious thinning or other biological changes. Perhaps a few of these same foresters realize all of the economic rea- sons for cutting, but, now that you are on the scene of a great natural disaster, you can see overwhelming evidence of how deadly these be- lievs are to the economic well -being of tree farmers. Many of us here have now learned that a tree farm is not like a savings account, that it is much more like a mutual fund. Its value changes nearly every day and can rise and fall over a wide range in a very short time. Therefore, success in tree farming demands skills of a much higher order than are usually visualized by those urging "good forest management ", and NOW ... The Ben Meadows NO GLARE PRISM w ,l The amber glass of these precision ground prisms eliminates or greatly reduces annoying glare common to all others. 1 112" long by 314" wide with neckcord hole in apex and etched factor number these prisms are ground to specifications dictated by ex- pert foresters, 1 minute diviation, 2 minutes prism angle tolerance. Ben Meadows catalog price — Factor #10— 8.90 30- 10.00 40 -10.60 20— 9.40 37.5 -10.60 10% SPECIAL DISCOUNT OFF THESE LOW PRICES TO INTRODUCE OUR AMBER PRISMS Be sure to write for our new catalog... over 400 pages... over 6,000 items... all guaran- teed to your satisfaction ... all priced right. You'll be glad you did! THE BEN , MEADOWS -� COMPANY 553 AMSTERDAM AVE., N E ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30306 NEWSLETTER: Society of American Foresters GULF STATES SECTION EDITOR: Ralph T. Wall business is often far more important than biology. Camille taught us this, and she was a good teacher. Some victims are discouraged and will sell their properties. It seems to me, however, that most have extracted wisdom from calamity, are eager to apply their new knowledge, will re- habilitate their lands with or without help from anyone, and will go on to become the best tree farm managers in the nation. Before many years pass, the Camille area may become the show- case of tree farm business management. FORESTERS' FUND (Continued from Page 9, Col. 2) vision spot announcements is under contract. The SAF national office will supervise the production, and SAF Sections will be asked to help get radio stations in their areas to broad- cast the announcements on public service time. And where will the money come from? THE FORESTER'S FUND, This long awaited first step by SAF onto the national stage will be followed by additional spots on radio, then TV, and then - -a first class motion picture for use on national television and by Sections in schools, clubs and various meetings in their local areas. And the FOREST- ERS' FUND, a substantial base of money con- tributed by professional foresters and friends of foresters, will make these projects possible. Only by foresters pooling their dollars and directing them into skillfully prepared messages which compete successfully with thousands of other messages can the American public be ex- posed to the science and public benefits of forests, and to the dedicated professionals who manage them. The FORESTERS' FUND is your fund. Support it so it can work for you. Send your check. today to your chapter chairman payable to THE FOR- ESTER'S FUND c I LOUISIANA CHAPTER OFFICERS 1970 -1971 l Chairman Jome I Vice - Chairman Clif k if Secretary- Treasurer Charles E. s MISSISSIPPI CHAPTER OFFICE 1970 -1971 Chairman Holji 1 h Vice- Chairman Robert Ch I Secretary- Treasurer Tom Norton 1970 -1971 Chairman Jim Spears Vice- Chairman Ken Rocket Secretary- Treasurer James Petty TEXAS CHAPTER OFFIC 1970 -1971 Chairman ft Vice - Chairman WesI Secretary- Treasurer Ernest R. IulcNeil 1970 -1971 Chairman Jim Hu Vice- Chairman J. Word Cr Secretary - Treasurer John M. Goldm INSTALLATION OF STUDENT CHAPTERS - SAF3. By Ralph Robertson, Section. Chairman My next job is a pleasant task and I am happy that it is my duty to do it. It is a milestgn0or. Gulf States Section -- will the officers -elect and faculty advisor of the Louisiana Teoli _ttude Chapter please come to the speaker's stand. While they ,are coming up, I would like to say that we are sorry that Lloyd P. Blackwell, Head, School of Forestry at Louisiana Tech could not be here today for this occasion. I am sure that his enthusiasm, his desire to advance forestry, and his dedication to the Society of American Foresters helped to bring about this event. He asked that his regrets be conveyed to you for not being able to attend this Section meeting. He is participating in a hearing in Washington in support of research funds for Southern Forestry Schools. The Gulf States Section Executive Committee was petitioned in January, 1970, to authorize a Student Chapter of the Society of American Foresters at Louisiana Tech. The Executive Committee approved by letter ballot the authorization of the Chapter in February. Now on behalf of the Gulf States Section Executive Committee, I am happy to recognize the Louisiana Tech Student Chapter as a duly authorized Student Chapter of the Society of American Foresters. Donnie Frazier, you have beer elected. Chapter Chairman of the Louisiana Tech Student Chapter. It is a real pleasure for me, on behalf of the Gulf States Section Executive Committee to install you as Chairman. Wflfidm Nettles, you have been elected Vice Chairman, the second highest office in the Chapter. It is a privilege to install you as Vice - Chairman of the Louisiana Tech Student Chapter. Daphne Cooper, you have been elected to the office of Secretary- Treasurer of the Louisiana Tech Student Chapter. This is an ex- tremely important office and I am sure that your fellow forestry students realized this when they elected you to this office. Daphne is the daughter of a forester, Mr. William B. Cooper. I can think of no greater tribute to a forester than to have his daughter follow him in his profession. I am happy that it is my responsibility to install you as Secretary - Treasurer of the Louisiana Tech Student Chapter, Society of American Foresters. Dr. Carothers, you, the forestry students, and the faculty at Louisiana Tech are to be commended for your interest in advancing the profession of forestry. We pledge the support of the Executive Committee. Thank you. Will Mr. Fries, Chairman of the Stephen F. Austin State University Student Chapter, John Norris and Dr. Bob Baker come to the speaker's stand. The Gulf States Section Executive Committees a petitioned in February to authorize a Student Chapter of the Society of American Foresters at Stephgi' F. Austin State University. The Executive Committee approved by letter ballot in April the authorize -. tion of this Student Chapter. The officers of the Stephen F. Austin State University Student Chapter were installed earlier this year, Mr. Fries is Chairman of the Student Chapter. Mr. Norris a member of the Executive Committee of the Chapter. I am happy that it is my duty as Chair$tan e " Gulf States Executive Committee to present you with this authorization for the StudenCDhaptetpat Stephen F. Austin State University. We pledge our support to you in your undertakings as a Chapter Dr. Baker, you, the students at Stephen F. Austin and the faculty are to be commended for your i`, terestin advancing the profession of forestry. Thank you. Published by GULF STATES SECTION Society of American Foresters P. O. Box 15239 Broadview Station AUU 0 6 1970 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70815 ��yy��pp ����p�pT J. 1l6 M ER W SEW CE RGSKRAN2PR181510 01M 81 PAUL R KRAMER TEXAS ECREST SERVICE T�P,43 COLLEGE STATION TX Consultant: Roy H. Odom -- This is a quarterly publication. ' [ Because of space limitations, the editor reserves the right to edit any copy submitted. 12 -; '� ,s 1