by Charley Tarver
Trustee, The Nature Conservancy in Georgia 

In a longleaf pine forest, fall is a magical time of year. After a frost or two a golden sea of wiregrass covers the ground, and the fresh smell of pine trees carries on the cool autumn wind.

I was raised on a farm, so I grew up outdoors. I have worked in forest management for decades, and it is the combination of my personal and professional experiences that has led me, like so many other Georgians, to deeply appreciate the beauty and value of Georgia’s forests.

On Election Day in November, Georgia voters passed Amendment One, a state constitutional amendment that will guarantee Georgia's forests continue to serve our environment and our economy.

Water, Water Everywhere...

Water is becoming the number one conservation issue in Georgia, and nothing is more important to abundant, healthy water than forests. Forests perform a number of ecosystem services:

• help stop erosion,
• prevent flooding,
• clean our water, and
• absorb rain in a way that replenishes underground aquifers, providing water for agriculture and many other human needs.

From protecting land in floodplains to working with communities to creating buffers along streams, the Conservancy uses a variety of strategies to safeguard forests and fresh water. Amendment One is yet another tool to help us conserve the future of our state’s resources.

To Build or Not to Build

In addition to rivers and streams, Georgia is rich with natural treasures from mountain foothills to barrier islands. These natural features are drawing people to our state. While that growth is great in many ways, it is putting pressure on our natural resources and a growing demand on forests for many purposes – especially development.

As more land is converted from forests to other uses, forests not only diminish in size but become fragmented. This loss of natural connectivity has many adverse impacts. For example, some species of birds like the wood thrush can only nest successfully when they are at least a certain distance from a forest edge. Fragmented habitat allows predators, parasites or other factors to hinder their reproduction, resulting in declining populations.

Keeping large forests intact is becoming increasingly difficult for landowners. Property taxes on most Georgia forestland are based on fair market value. As land values have increased, primarily due to development demands, property taxes in many areas have risen. Landowners in areas that were once rural but are now rapidly growing are especially feeling the economic pinch.

Many landowners are forced to decide whether it makes economic sense to keep their forestlands or sell to developers.

Amendment One will encourage landowners to keep their land in forests rather than selling it for development by taxing forestland based on current use, not potential use.

Looking to the Future

I am one of the luckiest guys in the world. I grew up with the forest all around me, and I have had the opportunity to spend a great deal of my life outdoors. Whether you live in a high-rise in Atlanta, a subdivision in a rural county or on a family farm, Amendment One is relevant to all Georgians.

How do we keep forests as forests? That is a question we will continue to face across our state, but with the work of organizations like the Conservancy and thoughtful citizens who understand and value the benefits we get from forests, we can all play a role in meeting this challenge.

Charley Tarver is a retired forester. He serves on The Nature Conservancy’s Georgia Board of Trustees and is currently chair of the board’s Conservation Committee.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Byron Jorjorian (North Georgia forestlands); Photo © Sherry Crawley/TNC (Charley Tarver).