Committed to protecting our National Forests
The members of Georgia ForestWatch share as their vision the protection and appreciation of the national forests in Georgia and the watersheds, native plants and wildlife they encompass.
Detailed Strategic Plan
Executive Summary
Georgia ForestWatch beginning in 2009 decided under the leadership of President Ted Doll and his predecessor, Peg Griffith, to review and revise its vision and mission statements, goals and a previous strategic plan, which had become outdated. In furtherance of that purpose, a planning committee was organized, funds allocated (with the help of a generous grant from The Sapelo Foundation) to retain a consultant, interviews conducted with 40 stakeholders to gauge the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, and a planning retreat held February 19-21, 2010. The detailed revised vision, mission, strategies and goals statements below were accepted and approved by the Georgia ForestWatch board of directors on April 5, 2010.
- Priorities: The detailed goals discussed during the revision process identified several key programmatic and organizational goals, listed below:
- Oversight & Monitoring: Our main mission continues to involve monitoring and oversight of U.S. Forest Service management of the 865,000-acre Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests.
- Protect watersheds: Continue efforts to protect watersheds on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, which serve as the drinking water source for millions of Georgia residents.
- Special protection for special areas: Continue efforts to permanently protect roadless areas on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests through all means necessary.
- Membership & Development: Continue emphasis on increasing membership and raising the funds necessary to adequately support a small, dedicated staff.
- District Leader Program Enhancement: Effective monitoring and oversight involves recruitment and retention of both trained staff and volunteer district leaders to monitor forest management at the ground level.
- Outreach and education: Educate and inform the public and our members about the values inherent in the National Forests, both as a means of preserving those values and to ensure Georgia ForestWatch’s ability to recruit and retain new supporters carry on our mission.
Biomass
Georgia ForestWatch opposes extraction of timber from national forests in Georgia for the purpose of producing biomass energy, and opposes conversion of diverse natural forests to single species plantations for any purpose.
Climate Change
Develop climate change plan to determine what active management is appropriate on our national forests and share this position and science with the public via newsletter and website and media outlets.
Engage Partner Organizations & Forest User Groups
There is a burgeoning demand for recreational use of the Chattahoochee National Forest which is damaging the resource, and creating user conflict and safety problems. In cooperation with other recreational user groups and the U.S. Forest Service, we seek to identify failing trails, assess impacts, re-design facilities, and identify social use patterns and relationships, with the goals of reducing user conflicts, equitably sharing resources, and enhancing law enforcement and public safety. This will have direct positive impacts on forest health and critical issues such as water quality and rare forest community protection.
Science and Research
Continue to advocate science-based forest management and monitoring and evaluation of forest interventions. This will involve developing additional relationships with supportive scientists, enhancing our library of scientific studies, and nuturing relationships with regional universities.
Prescribed Burning
There is disagreement among scientists and between Georgia ForestWatch and the U. S. Forest Service on the extent to which fire is a natural influence on moist southeastern forests, and on the conditions under which prescribed burning is an appropriate forest management tool. We plan to review scientific literature on fire in relation to the southern Appalachians, consult with scientists to determine ecologically appropriate uses of prescribed burning, and identify appropriate and inappropriate sites for prescribed burning in our national forests.
Develop Board & Nurture Staff
We expect our board members to actively participate in accomplishing the Georgia ForestWatch mission and in fundraising to support that mission. We plan to identify weaknesses in the board and ways to educate, compensate, or work around those weaknesses. This process will inform the board recruitment process as to specific new board member needs. We also seek to encourage staff job satisfaction and retention by increasing salaries and benefits, learning opportunities and atmosphere, and professional development activities.
Georgia ForestWatch Style
We strive to be objective and professional in our dealings with partner organizations and government agencies, and to communicate this to the public. We collaborate with the US Forest Service when so doing enhances healthy ecosystems, but reserve the right to litigate when necessary.
Members and supporters interested in delving into the details are asked to contact Wayne Jenkins, executive director, at 706-635-8733 or
