Column: "Whose Woods These are I Think I Know"

Originally published in the July 24, 2013, issue

By Steve McWilliams

McWilliams

The article’s title is found in one of my favorite poems entitled “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by American poet Robert Frost. As I drive across our forest-rich state, I often wonder how most people would respond to the question – “Whose woods are these, anyway?”

My guess is that, unless you are yourself a landowner, or in some way connected to forestry or agriculture, the answer might be that the trees that line our roads and highways really belong to no one. Or, perhaps that they belong to everyone – surely the government must own and care for these forests.

Most people appreciate Georgia’s forested landscape with little thought as to who owns all those trees. Sadly, some may be glad the trees are here to hold the land together until something better comes along.

The fact is, 92 percent of Georgia’s 24 million acres of forests are owned by tens of thousands of individual private landowners. Often, the forestland has been in the family for multiple generations. Some may own a few acres, others a few hundred, but all are heavily invested in their timber, emotionally and financially.

Private forest land is normally managed for multiple objectives – family legacy, hunting and other outdoor recreation, wildlife habitat or simply for the beauty and enjoyment that woodlands provide. Among the objectives, nearly all forest landowners derive income from their timber, either through periodic timber harvests, hunting leases or pine straw production, or more likely from a combination of these. Income from the forests is often necessary to support a forest management regime to keep the forests healthy. For some, timber-related income covers the annual property tax bill so that tree farmers can continue ownership of their property. Timber production – through harvests that may occur only once or twice in one’s lifetime – will fund college educations and weddings, recovery from family emergencies or perhaps years of retirement.

Recognizing that Georgia’s private forests play a vital economic role in the life of Georgia’s timberland owners and tree farmers, the Georgia Forestry Association initiated legislation this year that created a House Study Committee on Timber Security. Theft and trespass which results in unauthorized harvesting on private property, while not epidemic in our state, nevertheless does happen and can result in significant economic harm to the victims.

With the support of House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, and House Judiciary Committee Chair Wendell Willard, R-Sandy Springs, House Resolution 644 established a study committee comprised of House members and representatives from forestry and law enforcement to examine existing laws that address timber theft and timber trespass and to generally gain an understanding of the frequency and impact of timber transactions that are not legal and whose impact is felt throughout the timber procurement process.

HR 644 recognizes that “it is in the best interest of landowners, manufacturers, local governments and the state that timber harvest operations be conducted legally and with the full knowledge and consent of the timber owner” and that many of the statutes that provide recourse for timber theft and trespass victims have not been examined in many years. The study committee will evaluate the conditions surrounding timber security in Georgia and recommend any actions or legislation that it deems necessary to address the subject during the 2014 legislative session.

The study committee, set to begin its work later this summer, will include Rep. Chad Nimmer, R-Blackshear; Rep. Chuck Williams, R-Watkinsville; Rep. Ellis Black, R-Valdosta; and Gordon County Sheriff Mitch Ralston. Sandy Sparks, president of Sparks Lumber Company in Ellijay, rounds out the study committee which will be chaired by Rep. Willard.

Forest landowners wishing to strengthen state laws that address timber security would be wise to let their elected representatives know of their support for this study committee.

Steve McWilliams is president of Georgia Forestry Association.