Area Forest Landowners Receiving Top-Rated Service

East-Central Georgia

Landowners in east-central Georgia already know what a special part of the state they live in. Now they can take extra pride in the award-winning service provided them by the Georgia Forestry Commission’s (GFC) Warren-McDuffie County Unit, which earned the agency’s North Zone Unit of the Year award for FY23.

“The GFC annually reviews all the services we offer our customers statewide, and this evaluation showed the exceptionally high performance of employees in our Warren-McDuffie Unit,” said Georgia Forestry Commission Director Tim Lowrimore. “From preventing and protecting citizens from wildfire to equipment maintenance and educational outreach, this group has consistently demonstrated outstanding levels of skill and dedication.”

On average, employees in the unit recorded fire-response times under five minutes and blazes were kept to just three and a half acres. The group had a Best Management Practices score for water protection of 100% and delivered custom services to 80 landowners. In addition, no preventable accidents were recorded all year.

The Warren-McDuffie team was also recognized for equipment maintenance and repairs, substantial cost-saving measures, and community outreach. Among other achievements, they completed numerous building projects, hosted a special delegation of business leaders from Japan, volunteered at the Billy Lancaster Forestry Youth Camp, and served as Forestry Field Day judges.

The Georgia Forestry Commission’s Warren-McDuffie team received North Zone Unit of the Year recognition at the state capitol on March 7.

South Georgia 

Landowners in South Georgia already know what a special part of the state they live in. Now the can take extra pride in the award-winning service provided them by the Georgia Forestry Commission’s (GFC) Berrien County Unit, which earned the agency’s South Zone Unit of the Year award for FY23.

“The GFC annually reviews all the services we offer our customers statewide, and this evaluation showed the exceptionally high performance of employees in our Berrien Unit,” said Georgia Forestry Commission Director Tim Lowrimore. “From preventing and protecting citizens from wildfire to equipment maintenance and educational outreach, this group has consistently demonstrated outstanding levels of skill and dedication.”

Berrien staff consistently maintained a high level of equipment and facilities maintenance while keeping agency costs at a minimum. They provided support for construction projects at other GFC units and assisted with area firebreak and prescribed fire services, as they kept Berrien County fire response time rapid and average wildfire size under five acres. Employees were also praised for their special woodworking services, in- and out-of-area training cadres, as well as community outreach through forestry field days and other programs.

The Georgia Forestry Commission’s Berrien County team received South Zone Unit of the Year recognition at the state capitol on March 7.

For more information about the many services of the GFC, visit GaTrees.org.

GFC