Is a songbird, or a fawn, or a bobcat in competition with forest products? "No. They are forest products," said the Georgia Forestry Commission.

Georgia's forests are crucial to our lives in ways we often don't appreciate. About two-thirds of Georgia's land area is covered by trees and other plants that receive, store and supply most of our usable water. Forest vegetation stabilizes soil and helps keep local climates from getting unbearably hot or cold. Forests reduce noise and air pollution and convert carbon dioxide into the oxygen we breathe.

Although most people don't see it that way, foresters think of recreation as a major forest product. Proper management often increases the opportunities for backpacking, fishing, picnicking, hunting and birdwatching.

Many people think that forests only produce timber and that trees are a forest's most important resource in terms of economics. But in managing land, foresters are concerned with all the elements, and usually find that good forest management is beneficial to all forest resources including timber products, wildlife, recreation and forage for domestic livestock. The economic benefits from timber often help fund improvements for other forest resources.

As the demand for wood increases, however, the total land available for forest production is being reduced by demands for other uses, such as housing, shopping, industrial plants and specialized recreation. To supply the wide range of products that come directly from trees, forestlands must be made more productive. Professional foresters applying good conservation techniques in an intensive fashion can do this.

Forest landowners in Fayette County who want to make their lands more productive should call the Georgia Forestry Commission at 770-254-7218 to make an appointment with a forester to visit their property. Forest management assistance is free.

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