At the request of the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center, Wiregrass Ecological Associates (WEA) visited the Colquitt, Georgia community and spoke to the graduating class of a six-week workshop meant to educate landowners on a litany of land ownership issues. The Georgia Landowner Academy is a three-month program offered for landowners wanting to learn how to manage the business, agricultural, and natural resource responsibilities of land ownership. Forester Alex Harvey presented on behalf of WEA and Southern Forestry Consultants (SFC) to the program graduates on the topic of Preparing and Marketing Your Timber Sale. Mr. Harvey educated landowners on proper management their forestland, challenges to management, common mistakes to avoid, and helped connect those landowners with the resources imperative for their success.  He concluded his presentation with remarks on the role of forest management and land retention in building generational wealth and strengthening bonds within rural communities. Mr. Harvey earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Forestry with an emphasis in Wildlife Management from Mississippi State University. Prior to joining WEA, he worked to as an advocate and resource for small, non-industrial private forest landowners in partnership with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  

The Georgia Landowner Academy is sponsored by Georgia Outreach for Landowner Development (“GOLD”) and its partners, Georgia Heirs Property Law Center, Golden Triangle Resource Conservation and Development Council of Southwest Georgia, Fort Valley State University, Georgia Forestry Commission, University of Georgia (“UGA”) Extension Program, UGA D. B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the following USDA agencies: Farm Service Agency, Rural Development, National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the Georgia office of Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 

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The Georgia Heirs Property Law Center (The Center) is a not-for-profit law firm dedicated to increasing generational wealth, social justice, and community stability by securing and preserving property rights of low and moderate income Georgians. The Center’s services include title clearing, will creation, estate planning, and connecting clients with programs to increase the value of their land and homes. Staff travel throughout the state from offices in Atlanta, Athens, and Fitzgerald.  – https://www.gaheirsproperty.org/

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment), in partnership with Wiregrass Ecological Associates (WEA) and its parent company Southern Forestry Consultants (SFC), have announced a pilot program to create more diversity within natural resource professions.  The need for diversity in forestry and natural resource consulting is imperative, not only to address minority communities that are underserved from the forestry profession, but also to foster more inclusive relationships between land owners and professionals that have not existed historically.  WEA and SFC will engage the first apprentice under this program and work with the candidate to develop and implement a robust professional development and training program. The Endowment will engage with both WEA and the apprentice to garner feedback that will allow program enhancements and the sharing of best practices with the broader community.

“Years of investment in our highly-successful Sustainable Forestry and African-American Land Retention Program designed to expand the ranks of black families engaged in active forest management, highlighted the disparity of minorities in the ranks of consulting foresters. Increasing the number of foresters and forestry technicians representing various people of color not only increases the number of bright young natural resource professionals overall – which is greatly needed – but it also increases the likelihood that more minority landowners will become interested and engaged in forest management,” said Carlton Owen, President and CEO of the Endowment. “When all is said and done, a talented and diverse army of consultants benefits both forests and the communities that rely on them.”

The People of Color in Forestry Apprenticeship Program will undoubtedly have a tremendous impact in addressing the unique challenges and needs of natural resource stewardship in underserved and socially disadvantaged communities.  The benefits of this program will serve not only the natural resources profession but also future generations of minority land owners, through engagement around the retention, legacy, and heritage of forest management. WEA and SFC are proud to be the lead consulting firm to take part in this visionary endeavor.

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The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is a not-for-profit public charity working collaboratively with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-rich communities  – www.usendowment.org 

The American Forest Foundation (AFF) kicked off its annual American Tree Farm System (ATFS) National Leadership Conference in Louisville, Kentucky this week. Southern Forestry Consultants (SFC) and Wiregrass Ecological Associates (WEA) were excited to have Austin Carroll invited to speak during the conference on the future of landscape management plans in the ATFS. Landscape management plans are a growing, valuable tool to help navigate one of the biggest barriers to landowner forest management and forest certification, the management plan itself.

Mr. Carroll, a Registered Forester who led the development of the initial ATFS Landscape Management Plan (LMP) during the Florida panhandle pilot project, spoke during the session titled, Landscape Management Plans: Where to Next? He discussed lessons learned during the pilot project and how those lessons are being used to implement additional landscape plans throughout the country. SFC and WEA are currently working with AFF to lead the efforts for creating state-wide LMPs in Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida. Through coordination with partners and stakeholders in each state, Mr. Carroll and the SFC/WEA team are developing this innovative tool to advance forest certification opportunities and encourage forest management.

Mr. Carroll, a partner at SFC and Vice-President at WEA, previously presented at this conference during 2017 when it was in Greenville, South Carolina. He holds a BS and MS from Mississippi State University in Forestry and Wildlife and Fisheries Science, respectively. He earned his MBA from the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida. His work at WEA includes developing and creating landscape level biodiversity strategies for industrial forest resource companies to meet forest certification objectives.

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The American Forest Foundation (AFF), is a forest conservation organization that works on-the-ground with family forest owners, partners and elected officials to promote stewardship and protect our nation’s forest heritage. A commitment to the next generation unites our nationwide network of forest owners working to keep our forests healthy and producing the clean water, wildlife habitat and sustainable wood supplies that all Americans count on from forests. The American Tree Farm System® (ATFS), administered by AFF, is a sustainability program that provides family and private forest owners with support and tools to ensure their forests deliver the clean water, wildlife habitat and sustainable wood supplies all Americans count on. – https://www.forestfoundation.org/

Wiregrass Ecological Associates, LLC is pleased to announce that Stefan Bourgoin has joined our team as a Project Manager and Senior Biologist. Mr. Bourgoin holds a B.S. degree from Birmingham-Southern College in Biology and M.S. degree from Florida State in Biological Oceanography. He is also a Certified Ecologist with the Ecological Society of America and active in the Tallahassee Association of Environmental Professionals.

Most recently, Mr. Bourgoin served in Tallahassee, Florida as a Senior Scientist within the Southeastern Sciences Group for Atkins, an international consulting firm. Prior to leaving Atkins, Mr. Bourgoin served proficiently in both the coastal marine and terrestrial ecology environments. He has over 9 years of environmental science and project management experience working with clients in the aviation, energy, governmental, real estate, and transportation market sectors.

Mr. Bourgoin’s expertise includes resolving environmental-related aviation issues, natural and water resources management and policy, regulatory permit acquisition and compliance/reporting (including NEPA), and ecological research and monitoring in ecosystems across the southeastern U.S, ranging from Louisiana to South Carolina.

His past experience has given him extensive knowledge of aquatic and terrestrial habitat management and  conservation practices; stream condition index (SCI) implementation; water quality assessment; wildlife and
fisheries population management; silvicultural and mitigation area design and management; threatened and endangered species surveys, relocations, and management; Geographic Information System (GIS) desktop and field-based implementation; and coastal restoration following anthropogenic impacts.

We are excited to have Mr. Bourgoin join our team in a project management role and bring his expertise in marine, terrestrial, and aquatic ecosystems to our clients. He looks forward to meeting with current and new clients to discuss their environmental needs.

The Society of American Foresters (SAF) President John W. McMulty has appointed Austin D. Carroll to serve as a member of the SAF Committee on Forest Policy (CFP).  Founded in 1900 by Gifford Pinchot, the SAF is the national scientific and educational orgnization representing the forestry profession in the United States.  SAF has a 12,000-member community that has held true to its original objective to bring forestry and natural resources professionals together and keep them informed about the latest advances in forest science and management.  The CFP is an advisory group tasked with developing and revising SAF’s national position statements, and advising the Society’s Government Affairs and External Relations Team on legislative and administrative proposals. CFP members are selected based on their professional background and expertise from diverse and representative geographic areas and work in positions throughout the broad field of forestry.

Mr. Carroll, a partner at Southern Forestry Consultants and Vice-President of its environmental subsidiary, Wiregrass Ecological Associates, has been a member of SAF since 2001.  He holds a BS and MS from Mississippi State University in Forestry and Wildlife and Fisheries Science, respectively. He earned his MBA from the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida.  Mr. Carroll has spent his career identifying and resolving natural and water resources management and policy issues, especially those in forestry and forested ecosystems.  Mr. Carroll’s appointment to the SAF CFP will run through December 31, 2021.

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The mission of the Society of American Foresters is to advance sustainable management of forest resources through science, education, and technology; to enhance the competency of its members; to establish professional excellence; and to use our knowledge, skills, and conservation ethic to ensure the continued health, integrity, and use of forests to benefit society in perpetuity. – www.eforester.org