SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. -- Governor Roy Barnes has recognized Georgia Power, International Paper, MeadWestvaco, Temple-Inland and Weyerhaeuser, as the 2002 Forestry for Wildlife Program (FWP) Partners. The program was created when corporate forest landowners joined the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) and several conservation organizations to develop a formal, comprehensive wildlife conservation partnership program.

This is the fourth consecutive year Georgia Power has received full partnership status.

“As more and more demand is placed on Georgia’s natural resources every year from growth and development, we become increasingly dependent on private land management practices to conserve our state’s natural resources,” said Barnes. “To become a Forestry for Wildlife Partner, companies must consistently perform management activities that are beneficial to wildlife and that go above and beyond current regulatory and industry certification standards. These five companies have incorporated wildlife management practices into their overall operations, and as a result, we should feel better about the future of wildlife on more than 2,360,000 acres of industrial timber lands in Georgia.”

Forestry for Wildlife Partnership is an annual program that is voluntary, flexible, non-competitive and participant driven. The program promotes blending wildlife conservation into corporate forestry practices and offers a variety of wildlife enhancement choices from which corporate forest landowners can build a program compatible with their forest management objectives.

“We are pleased and honored to be recognized as a partner in this worthwhile program”, said Ben Harris, vice president of Georgia Power’s land department. “This partnership validates our stewardship with land, wildlife and forestry resources that we own, use and manage.”

WRD recognizes Georgia Power, International Paper, MeadWestvaco, Temple-Inland and Weyerhaeuser as Forestry for Wildlife Partners for the integration of wildlife conservation practices into their forest management programs. Some of these practices include:

• Preparing wildlife conservation plans detailing natural resources inventories and outlining the management strategies for blending forest management with wildlife management;

• Providing internal training opportunities for employees on how to blend forestland management with “wildlife friendly” practices for multiple natural resource benefits; • Incorporating wildlife management techniques into current land-use planning and timber management practices;

• Providing valuable data for Georgia’s Wildlife Resource Division research projects;

• Providing public recreational opportunities on forest lands;

• Participating in various partnerships with conservation organizations through programs such as Partners in Flight, the Longleaf Alliance, the Breeding Bird Atlas and the Georgia Herp Atlas;

• Managing riparian forests for wildlife use and water quality protection.

All of the conservation enhancement components and reporting procedures are compatible with the American Forest and Paper Association’s (AF&PA) Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). SFI is a voluntary approach within the forest industry to maintain high environmental standards on lands managed by corporate landowners. AF&PA recently honored WRD with the Wildlife Stewardship Award for developing and coordinating FWP.

For more information about FWP or other private lands initiatives, please contact Mark Whitney at (770) 761-1697.