Alabama Forestry Commission 2022

After an administrative reconfiguration in 2007-2008, the Morgan County AFC office became the regional/county office.

The Morgan County office was approached by a Decatur city park volunteer to help the city achieve arboretum status. They requested an inventory of the trees' locations and species. Within a short period of time, AFC employees completed the tree inventory so the city could aspire to become an arboretum.

Residents of Morgan County enjoy choosing from the abundance of free seedlings secured through a joint effort of the AFC Urban & Community Forestry group and the Morgan County Forestry Planning Committee.

The Tennessee Valley Work Unit with Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Marion, and Winston counties shares its boundary with the states of Tennessee and Mississippi. The wide Tennessee River flows across the work unit dividing Colbert and Lauderdale Counties. The fertile soil along the riverbank creates an ecosystem of riparian trees such as ash, black gum, maple and river birch. Soil types in this work unit are conducive to growing timber with limestone valleys and upland sites that are perfect for oak, hickory, and other hardwood trees. The southwestern section of the work unit lies in the Coastal Plain soils where pines such as loblolly and shortleaf flourish. Possessing both hardwood acres and fast-growing pine forests, this work unit contributes much to Alabama’s total base of forest resources. The work unit also has the farthest southern range of eastern hemlock in the United States with a small population in Bankhead National Forest, which upon its establishment in 1981 was known as the Alabama National Forest.

With well-rounded forest management programs this work unit is focused on traditional strengths relating to stewardship plan development, certification programs, direct services to landowners, and prescribed burning. The unit takes pride in having a variety of talented people with skill sets who work hand-in-hand in forest management and wildfire suppression. Often the individual's skill set overlaps into other areas such as prescribed burning or equipment maintenance. As this is one of the larger work units it can take hours to get from one end of the work unit to the other.

AFC personnel conduct a prescribed burn each year at Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge, located along the Tennessee River downstream from Florence in Lauderdale County.

The Warrior Work Unit consists of Bibb, Greene, Hale, Tuscaloosa, and Walker counties. Forests and forestry are a very important element within this large and varied work unit, the southern end of which reaches into the Black Belt Prairie region. Beyond the growing city of Tuscaloosa, the county is to a great extent forested. Reaching to the north lies Walker County known for its coal deposits. Although it stretches across numerous counties, a large concentration of the Talladega National Forest is located within Bibb County.

This work unit continues to focus on traditional strengths relating to stewardship plan development, certification programs, and direct services to landowners. It also has a robust cost-share assistance program. Tuscaloosa and Walker counties suppress more wildfires than other counties in this work unit. Seasonal storms producing strong winds and tornadoes account for significant timber damage in this area. With the presence of a national forest unit, there are opportunities for AFC to support timber sale preparation and management within those units.

Wildland firefighting night operations in Tuscaloosa and Walker counties.

Arbor Day program. AFC teaches K-12 students the value of trees.

Multi-county landowner tour.

The greatest strength of the work unit is to concentrate on the personal relationship between landowners and cooperators. This allows the work unit to provide landowners with effective leadership and services to achieve their unique, individualized objectives and goals.

Comprised of Lamar, Fayette, Pickens, and Sumter counties, the Tombigbee Work Unit is heavily forested, and consequently, forest industry plays a major role in the local economy. Sumter County has a key river transport infrastructure at the Port of Epes on the Tombigbee River. This facility is an important hub for local industry. Pickens County has many long established wood-based businesses. The town of Millport in Lamar County has one of the largest sawmills in Alabama, which is owned and operated by Weyerhaeuser. Fayette County is the location of another large sawmill, the Interfor facility in Belk. A wealth of natural and planted pine throughout these counties supports this large-scale wood-based industry, while a similar wealth of upland hardwood forest encourages residents and visitors alike to enjoy the natural beauty of the forests of this work unit.

This is a relatively young work unit with a majority of fulltime employees having less than five years of service.  Direct services such as prescribed burning, firelanes, drum chopping, and wildland discing seem to be on the rise and have always been a core work responsibility. The local wood basket does recognize certified wood, so Tree Farm and other certification programs continuously generate the need for management plans and stand recommendations. A large swath of Sumter County falls in the Black Belt Prairie region. Soils that were once favorable to forestland are giving way to grassland and pasture because of erosion. The work unit also has a moderate work load of assisting landowners with cost-share such as CRP, EQIP, and CSP. Work unit time is also spent on other AFC programs and wildfire suppression.

Tree Farm Tour at Hickman Farms in Pickens County.

The four counties in the Pinhoti Work Unit include Clay, Randolph, Saint Clair, and Talladega. They provide all means of forestry assistance to landowners ranging from single tree assessments in the growing urban cities and communities, to traditional forestry recommendations for small and large scale forest landowners. With 21 incorporated towns within the work unit, education and urban forestry are also areas of focus and growth. A strong education program which targets both school-aged children and forest landowners in the area continues to expand.

The presence of the Talladega National Forest presents opportunities for the AFC to support timber sale preparation and management.

While the work unit generally is in the lower middle ranks for wildfires, Talladega County is an outlier and is usually in the top 10 counties statewide for fire occurrence. The AFC has trained and produced skilled wildland firefighters who fight fires on steep and rocky ground with shear rock faces that drop tens of feet at a time.

St. Clair County has cultivated a strong partnership and training program with local paid and volunteer fire departments.

In Randolph County, a Classroom in the Forest (CIF) educational event focuses on providing 5 ^th  grade students an eye-opening interactive experience of how forestry affects our daily lives, from the houses we live in, to the clothes we wear, and the food we eat.

The Choccolocco Work Unit is made up of three heavily forested counties, Calhoun, Cleburne, and Etowah. The forested nature of this area means that traditional forest management activities such as writing stewardship plans, assisting landowners with prescribed fire, and being a part of educational events such as school programs and landowner tours are essential AFC activities. The presence of Pelham Range, a National Guard training facility that is part of Fort McClellan in Calhoun County, is important to the AFC because the agency partners with the military to support fire suppression, prescribed burning and general land maintenance in support of the range’s mission.

The work unit also has responsibility for management of the approximately 4,406-acre Choccolocco State Forest. The AFC’s primary objective for Choccolocco is timber production, followed by wildlife, recreation, water quality, and aesthetics. Young planted lobolly pine stands dominate the lower, flatter sites, while the upland sites contain planted longleaf pine stands. Sites considered too steep for harvesting have been maintained in natural upland pine-hardwood forests. The Forest is part of the Choccolocco Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which is administered by the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (ADCNR), Division of Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries. ADCNR schedules hunting dates, plants and maintains several wildlife food plots and openings, and helps patrol the forest for trespass violations.

The Talladega National Forest sits upon a ridge that runs from southwest to northeast through the work unit, dividing Cleburne to the southeast from Calhoun and Etowah to the northwest. Mount Cheaha, Alabama’s highest point at 2,413 feet, is located within Alabama’s oldest continuously-operated state park in Cleburne County.

The Choccolocco Work Unit preparing for the “World of Works” career day presentation in Calhoun County.

Choccolocco State Forest stands within Calhoun County

The Mountain Lakes Work Unit occupies four counties making up the northeast corner of Alabama. In terms of topography and forest type, Jackson County could make a claim to be the most typically “Appalachian” county in the state, while Cherokee, DeKalb, and Marshall are all part of the ridge and valley province. As is characteristic of the Ridge and Valley region, southwest to northeast-running forested ridges alternate with agricultural valleys over this landscape. The forested nature of this area means that traditional forest management activities such as writing stewardship plans, assisting landowners with prescribed burns, and being a part of educational events such as school programs and landowner tours are important AFC activities. Hardwood management is a key focus for many landowners in this area, while urban forestry programs are also continuing to gain importance.

This work unit focuses most of its energy on traditional forest management activities, but the foresters and rangers also participate with the local communities in a variety of forestry initiatives. The two largest towns, Guntersville and Scottsboro, have very active tree boards and urban forestry programs. In addition to giving away seedlings, on Arbor Day the small town of Valley Head in Dekalb County also distributes items purchased from the Arbor Day Foundation. Within Marshall County, there are four communities that are long-time Tree City USA designees. Albertville, Arab, Boaz, and Guntersville boast a combined 12 years of participation in the program with Guntersville and Boaz each earning Growth Awards during their tenure.

The annual work unit meeting is always a great opportunity to reconnect with fellow foresters.

Blount, Cullman, Jefferson, and Shelby counties comprise the Steel City Work Unit. Containing two of the most densely-populated counties in Alabama, this work unit knows Urban and Community Forestry. Foresters, rangers, Forest Management Division personnel, and the work unit manager all pitch in to provide advice and services to homeowners and cities. They present activities at Jefferson County’s annual Urban Forestry and Conservation Fair, assist homeowners and towns with individual tree issues, set-up FFA Forestry Judging competitions, participate with local conservation projects, and celebrate Arbor Week with schools and towns across the work unit. At times, their “urban” activities include fighting fire in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI).

This work unit is very diverse and is split in its areas of focus. All four counties have strengths in traditional forest management including stand management recommendations, plans, certifications, and prescribed burns (Jefferson excluded). Jefferson and Shelby have strengths and tremendous opportunities in education and urban programs as well.

Firefighting in the wildland urban interface (WUI) in Shelby County. 

On March 29, 2022, the Stone Gate Fire in Shelby County engulfed almost 800 acres of forest land. If not for these men and women of the AFC, many more acres of timber, and perhaps even numerous homes, could have been destroyed.

A classic photo! Cullman County AFC 's first tractor in 1953. Bob Schaffer, Extension Service, with Pierce Roden, Arnold Leach, and Alvin Alvis of the Forestry Commission.

The counties within the Flagg Mountain Work Unit occur at the point where the Coastal Plain gives way to the Piedmont physiographic region. They include Chambers, Coosa, Elmore, and Tallapoosa. Elevations increase across these counties from south to north, with the highest point above sea level in the work unit at Flagg Mountain in Coosa County. The abundant forests here continue to provide an economic base for the county and a growing area for forested recreational activities. This work unit has strengths in direct landowner services, forest management activities, and traditional educational events such as landowner tours.

Weogufka State Forest contains 240 acres and is home to Flagg Mountain, elevation 1,152 feet. It is also the starting point of the 335-mile Pinhoti Trail which concludes in northern Georgia at the trailhead of the Benton MacKaye Trail. Dating back before World War II, the fire tower atop the mountain was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps using local stone and longleaf pine. The AFC employed the tower for more than 40 years to detect wildfires prior to the utilization of aircraft. More recently, the agency has completed renovations at the fire tower and surroundings.

The three counties of the Blackbelt Work Unit have a greater percentage of land in black belt prairie than any other AFC work unit. Nevertheless, Dallas, Perry, and Wilcox counties are critically important to the state’s forest products sector as they are home to two major pulp and paper mills. The Alabama River flows through the heart of Wilcox County. At one time this river was the main water route for the transport of goods from inland to ports on the Gulf of Mexico. With its rich soils, long growing season, and strong timber markets, forestry is a major economic driver for this work unit.

The AFC's State Lands program, through the Good Neighbor Authority Agreement, is actively involved in handling timber sales in the Oakmulgee Ranger District of the Talladega National Forest.

The Woodbasket Work Unit is comprised of Choctaw, Clarke, Marengo, and Washington counties with offices in Butler, Grove Hill, Linden, and Chatom, respectively. Topography ranges from flat to hilly with two major rivers. The Alabama River borders on the east while the Tombigbee River traverses through the work unit. The counties are predominantly rural, with a large portion of the state's timber industry operating within its borders.

The AFC goals of protecting and sustaining the forest through management activities, fire suppression, and raising public awareness are paramount here. To educate the youth on fire prevention and natural resources, this work unit participates in Classroom in the Forest and Forestry Awareness Now (FAWN) programs. The AFC team also teaches landowners about forest heath issues, sustainable forestry practices, forest certification, and current forestry trends through various civic presentations and landowner tours. Coordination with local volunteer fire departments ensures effective response to wildfires.

Forest resource protection measures such as wildland fire fighting, locating and mitigating risks from invasive species, performing best management practice (BMPs) compliance checks, and prescribed burning to reduce potential wildfire risks are also initiatives to increase timber growth and improve wildlife habitat. 

Choctaw Princess Alice Keats (2019-2021) with Creek Nation and Choctaw Nation members at the Choctaw Corner marker, commemorating the stickball game between the two nations that set the eastern boundary of the new Mississippi territory in 1808 (which included southern portions of both present-day Mississippi and Alabama) at the watershed line between the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers. This land cession set the stage for the eventual settlement of the area, establishment of an agrarian society, and the eventual movement of the timber industry to the southern United States in the early 1900s with the discovery that the southern United States climate was suitable for sustained timber growth through natural regeneration.

The Little River Work Unit occupies a heavily forested area of Southwest Alabama, and the three counties of Conecuh, Escambia, and Monroe make major contributions to the state’s healthy forest industry. These counties are three of the highest timber producing counties in Alabama based on state severance tax records. The work unit performs several tasks that include wildfire suppression, prescribed burning, working with partners to provide school programs such as Classroom in the Forest and Forestry Awareness Now (FAWN) programs, giving landowners advice, servicing cost-share programs, and monitoring for insect/disease issues. Activities also include forestry planning committees and landowner tours. Additionally, it performs all management activities at Little River State Forest and Hauss Nursery.

The Little River Recreational Area and State Forest in Escambia and Monroe counties has recently more than doubled in size with the acquisition of 2,885 additional acres. The new addition is primarily composed of planted loblolly pine stands which will be converted to longleaf pine as harvesting of the loblolly occurs. This addition will complement the original 2,100-acre forest which contains mostly natural and planted longleaf pine stands. There is also a 71-acre public park which is currently closed while recreational improvements are being planned and ultimately implemented. Those plans include development of RV and primitive camping areas and improvements to the lake. Much of the state forest will be utilized in a public hunting program in partnership with the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.

State forests serve as examples of proper forest culture and management and this work unit prioritizes forest management on this property.

The Coastal Work Unit is made up of Alabama’s two coastal counties, Mobile and Baldwin. Baldwin sits on the east side of Mobile Bay, while Mobile occupies the west side. Both have narrow strips of coastline directly on the Gulf of Mexico. Mobile County is home to the City of Mobile and bustling Port of Mobile. Baldwin County, Alabama’s largest by area, continues to see explosive population growth. Timber growth in both counties is principally in softwood species as opposed to hardwoods, and both counties grow far more wood than is being consumed.

This is a well-rounded work unit with activities in all facets of AFC’s mission. However, its strengths lie primarily in traditional forest management programs, including stewardship plans and certifications, cost-share assistance to landowners, and prescribed burning. It is involved with the local volunteer fire departments in assisting in training those organizations. There is also a significant urban forestry program as communities in each of the two counties are actively involved in managing their urban canopies.

This work unit works closely with state and federal agencies promoting the establishment, management, and harvesting of timber resources within each respective county. Mobile and Baldwin counties both extensively work with the county school systems, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in providing educational events to the public about the state’s natural resources.

Unfortunately, non-native invasive plant species such as Japanese climbing fern, cogongrass, and tallowtree are very wide-spread in these counties and are adversely impacting the natural ecosystem.

Native and non-native pests can also be a significant threat to the forests in this work unit. With large tracts of planted pines, the southern pine beetle under favorable conditions can destroy hundreds of acres of pine stands. However, non-native invasive pests such as laurel wilt disease can be more detrimental, recently killing red bay and sassafras trees that are native to the area.

Natural disasters such as hurricanes can also be just as destructive to the forests in these coastal counties.

The Coastal Work Unit also has one of the highest numbers of wildfire occurrences in the state.

The Johnson-Gjerstad State Forest in Baldwin County, which is owned by the AFC, is a 239-acre property that is predominantly composed of longleaf pines that naturally regenerated after the property was clearcut in 1994. In 2010, the Alabama Forestry Commission partnered with the Longleaf Alliance to promote longleaf pine growth through proper management techniques, namely prescribed burning. This partnership also led to the construction of a boardwalk and an educational pavilion with a kiosk that gives visitors a brief history of the state forest.  

Mobile and Baldwin counties are known for their lovely tree canopy-lined avenues. Live oaks shade this street in the community of Magnolia Springs in Baldwin County, but you can see beautiful vistas such as this across the work unit.

The AFC Coastal Program was established as a new and innovative initiative to focus on the productivity of Alabama's coastal forests to improve water quality in the watersheds that feed the estuaries flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. The program allows the agency to allocate additional resources to maintain and improve forests in Alabama’s coastal counties and associated watersheds. It also provides financial and technical assistance for forest landowners to aid in forest management. The program is supported with funding from two primary sources: 1) a Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) grant and 2) the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE Act) Enhancing Gulf Waters through Forested Watershed Restoration project. Governor Kay Ivey and DCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship were instrumental in helping us secure this funding.

These mulchers were purchased with GOMESA money so they can be used with the Coastal Watershed Enhancement Program. The equipment is being used to mulch undesirable understory vegetation such as invasive species, unwanted hardwoods, or volunteer pines within the forested watersheds that empty into the Gulf of Mexico, primarily within Mobile and Baldwin counties. A chemical application or prescribed fire is often implemented following a mechanical treatment. The mulchers are also used to install fuel breaks.

In addition to the mulching capabilities, the one to the left in the above image has an attached grapple bucket which was used to assist with storm clean up following Hurricanes Sally and Zeta.  

The River Region Work Unit embraces areas of rich Black Belt Prairie and rolling mixed upland hardwoods, with significant acres of planted loblolly pine. This work unit centers around the state's capital city of Montgomery, home to the State Office of the Alabama Forestry Commission. The four counties of this work unit (Autauga, Chilton, Lowndes, and Montgomery) are connected by Interstate 65 which is Alabama’s principle north-south artery.

It has a well-developed education and outreach program due to highly involved landowner resource organizations and committees, particularly in Autauga and Chilton counties. As such, the work unit is also actively engaged in forest management activities and implementation of prescribed fire. Cities within the work unit such as Montgomery also provide for a robust urban forestry program with opportunities to provide technical assistance regarding urban trees and green infrastructure. 

Thorsby State Forest contains 181 acres and was formerly home to Thorsby Seed Orchard, a loblolly pine piedmont seed orchard operated by the AFC. The orchard operation was discontinued a number of years ago; the office and shop buildings are currently leased to the City of Thorsby. In addition to the original loblolly pine piedmont orchard, the property also contains a number of young planted longleaf and loblolly pine stands.

Located in a productive region for growing pines, the Pigeon Creek Work Unit counties of Butler, Crenshaw, and Pike are key contributors to timber growth and forest industry in south-central Alabama. The western-most county of the three, and with its length crossed by Interstate 65, Butler is a high timber-producing county, with major forest industry located in Chapman. Forestry has been a key part of Crenshaw County since the arrival of the railroad in the 1880s. Soils in the county were less favorable to agriculture than elsewhere in the region, leading to more of the land in the county remaining in forest. Pike County added a major sawmill within the past few years as further proof of this dynamic area’s forest-based economic expansion.

This work unit is well rounded and engages in prescribed burning, forest management activities including stewardship plans, stand management recommendations (SMRs), and general forestry advice to landowners. Butler County in particular has a strong landowner program and personnel are involved in educational and outreach activities including landowner tours and K-12 activities. With a widespread presence of pine stands throughout the work unit, the forests in these counties are at risk to southern pine beetle infestations.

Each June for the past 25 years, Butler County has been home to a unique experience for local sixth graders. Since 1995, the AFC has assisted with coordination of the Butler County Natural Resources Youth Camp, a three-day indoor/outdoor classroom for inquisitive students eager to learn about forestry, wildlife, ecology, tree identification, forest products, as well as soil and water conservation. While natural resources-related academics are an important part of the camp, there are also recreational activities. Sponsored by the Butler County Forestry Planning Committee, there is no fee for the campers to attend. Camp costs are supported by the forest industry, various corporations, companies, and individuals.

Hazardous driving conditions due to fire along I-65 in Butler County.

The Plains Work Unit consisting of Bullock, Lee, Macon, and Russell counties is well-staffed and well-equipped with six employees, five dozers, and Macon County office as its main office. The work unit dedicates its time primarily to prescribed fire activities, forest management activities, and wildfire suppression. This work unit has a number of large active landowners who contribute to this blend of activity. The work unit also engages with educational and outreach programs and works closely with volunteer fire departments. It also serves as the local liaison to the Auburn University College of Forestry Wildlife and Environment and assists with field laboratory instruction exercises where the students perform prescribed burns in 200 hundred acres of educational forest land. Additionally, there are two wildlife openings within the Macon State Forest that the ADCNR uses to run a handicap hunter program. Anyone with a handicap disability as according to ADCNR regulations can hunt on them during the specified seasons. There are abundant opportunities to work with the AFC Urban & Community Forestry program as several local communities are very active in that area. Finally, there is opportunity for prescribed burning on state lands and assistance on timber sales in the Tuskegee National Forest.

Drone footage of prescribed burn in Macon County.

Coffee, Covington, and Geneva counties are located in the southern reaches of Alabama bordering Florida. At the time of European settlement, longleaf stretched as far as the eye could see. More than a century ago these forests gave way to large-scale lumbering and cotton agriculture, which today is diversified across a greater range of crops, including peanuts. While open stands of longleaf pine are not as abundant as they once were, they continue to thrive across this landscape. 

The work unit has a heavy forest management work load comprised mostly of landowner assistance programs. Personnel in the Longleaf Work Unit not only provide technical guidance to private landowners but also manage the 7,200-acre Geneva State Forest (GSF), which serves as a demonstration forest for the longleaf pine ecosystem and is also Alabama's largest state forest. Consistent with the needs of this landscape, the Commission carries out frequent prescribed burning on the forest, which benefits the native vegetation and wildlife populations. 

The Gopher tortoise, whose numbers have been negatively impacted by a lack of fire on the landscape and the conversion of forests to other uses, have prime habitat on GSF as a result of the land management and stewardship activities practiced here. Additional forest management activities on this forest include road maintenance, managing public recreation, managing 120 acres of genetically improved seed orchards, marking and overseeing timber sales, as well as many other day-to-day duties. The forest is also home to several other species of concern including gentian pinkroot, eastern diamondback rattlesnake and two species of pitcher plants.

Over 300 species utilize gopher tortoise burrows in some manner including the eastern diamondback rattlesnake.

Considerable time and effort is spent assisting with the Cogongrass Partnership Program based in Covington County. The program’s goal is to identify, document, and control cogongrass infestations in the partnership area, referred to as the Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) that includes Conecuh National Forest, Geneva State Forest, Covington Wildlife Management Area, and other public lands in Alabama.

A significant area of the 83,000-acre Conecuh National Forest is in this work unit, more specifically in Covington County. Next to the Conecuh National Forest is the Auburn University College of Forestry Wildlife and Environment training center – the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center. This ideal forestry skills learning environment has hosted the AFC's Forestry Academy since it's restablishment in 2020 after 26 years. (The original Forestry Academy ran from 1979 through 1994.)

Grad­uates of the new Forestry Academy consist of recently-hired AFC employees from counties across the state who serve in various positions including forest rangers, foresters, and various other jobs. These individuals complete eight weeks of intensive classroom study and field exercises in forest protection, forest management, and teamwork building. The students take home a wealth of knowledge that will last the entirety of their career. The Academy training will pay tremendous dividends not only to the agency but also to forest landowners throughout the state as it helps these men and women become proficient wildland firefighters and knowledgeable forest manag­ers.

Governor Kay Ivey gave the keynote address on April 29 when a total of 16 students graduated from the AFC’s Forestry Academy Class of 2022. 

Recreation at Geneva State Forest is centered around the placid 100-acre lake.

Forest stands managed by the AFC at Geneva State Forest.

Houston, Henry, Dale, and Barbour counties are located in Alabama’s Wiregrass Region. It's named for the long-stemmed grass that occurs underneath longleaf pine in the ecosystem native to this part of the state. These counties occupy the southeast corner of Alabama, and transition from more forested to more agricultural as you move from north to south. Barbour County is the northern-most of the four, and the county in the work unit with the greatest contribution to the state’s timber output. Henry County, already home to wood treating facilities, saw a major win for forest landowners and the town of Abbeville when a former textile plant was given new life as a large sawmill just a few years ago. Houston County and the county seat of Dothan lie at the heart of one of the nation’s greatest peanut producing regions. The rich landscape here is very heavily devoted to agricultural use, with much of the forest being located within wet bottomlands unsuited for growing peanuts or other crops.

The work unit spends a lot of time on USDA landowner assistance programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP). Additional forest management work load includes education and outreach, stand management recommendations, firebreaks, and prescribed burning. Personnel in the work unit not only provide technical guidance to private landowners, but also partner with other state and federal agencies. Management activities with these partners include prescribed burning on Lake Point State Park and the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge.

Houston County was heavily impacted by Hurricane Michael in 2018. A federal block grant program helped landowners recoup lost damages suffered on their forest land with economic assistance administered by the AFC.

In Barbour County several hundred acres of planted and natural pine stands flourish, more specifically, loblolly, longleaf, and shortleaf pines exist in these forests. The presence of pine stands makes forests in this county more susceptible to southern pine beetle infestations.

AFC work unit personnel at an “It Works” event, a program open to high school students in the surrounding area. Topics covered included prescribed burning, fire prevention, wildfire fighting, and careers with the Alabama Forestry Commission.

This map shows high frequency of forestry accomplishments in yellow and red.

Click the buttons below to see frequency of wildfires for the various years.