Prayer Breakfast speaker

Dr. Lanford serves as President for The Foundation for The Methodist Home of the South Georgia Conference in Macon, Georgia. Lanford serves in many community services. He received an Associate's degree from Oxford College, a Bachelor's degree from Emory University, a Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology and a Doctorate of Ministry specializing in Pastoral Care from McCormick Theological Seminary.  Dr. Lanford and his wife, Kim, have three daughters, Derricka, Joanna, and Sara Beth. He is an avid Quail Hunter and Fly Fisherman.  He also enjoys tying his own flies and spending time with his family and three bird dogs (Jake, Jezebel, and Hope).

"Ethics"

This presentation on Forestry Ethics will fulfill the Georgia State Board of Registration for Foresters' biennial requirement for one hour of ethics training.  The presentation will entail significant small group discussion of hypothetical ethical situations.

"Building Your Family's Ties to the Land - Practical Ideas to Help You Pass the Baton to the Next Generation"

"Why Would Anyone Want to be a Tree Farmer?"

"Building Your Family's Ties to the Land - Practical Ideas to Help You Pass the Baton to the Next Generation"

Discussion of challenges facing family forest landowners in transferring ownership, management, and passion for the land from one generation to the next and some practical solutions

"Why Would Anyone Want to be a Tree Farmer?"

Discussion of the challenges and opportunities facing family forest landowners and they role they play maintaining our nation's forests.

"Developments in Pulp and Paper Technology"

There has been significant effort to update the Agenda 2020 Roadmap that had been published in 2006. Key outcomes are centering around six strategic objectives that are considered important to the future of the forest products industry. The current status of the roadmapping process and an outline of the research objectives will be presented.

Buford Sanders, Georgia Forestry Commission

"Conservation Easements & Stewardship"

There are at least 500 conservation easements today in Georgia covering more than 250,000 acres.  Conservation easements provide landowners a means of protecting the conservation values of their property while simultaneously maintaining ownership and certain uses.  The State of Georgia encourages the use of perpetual conservation easements as a way to protect the significant conservation values of land while keeping property in private ownership and stewardship and contributing to the economic health of our state.  Recent federal legislation and the Georgia Conservation Tax Credit Program provide significant tax incentives to donors of conservation easements.  The speakers will discuss the nature of conservation easements, the role of the State in holding easements, and the financial incentives associated with them.

Curt Soper, Director, Georgia Land Conservation Program, Georgia Environmental Facilities, Authority

"Conservation Easements & Stewardship"

There are at least 500 conservation easements today in Georgia covering more than 250,000 acres.  Conservation easements provide landowners a means of protecting the conservation values of their property while simultaneously maintaining ownership and certain uses.  The State of Georgia encourages the use of perpetual conservation easements as a way to protect the significant conservation values of land while keeping property in private ownership and stewardship and contributing to the economic health of our state.  Recent federal legislation and the Georgia Conservation Tax Credit Program provide significant tax incentives to donors of conservation easements.  The speakers will discuss the nature of conservation easements, the role of the State in holding easements, and the financial incentives associated with them.

"Federal and State Regulatory Issues"

While everyone is watching the feds closely, and Congress in particular, to learn how they plan to turn around the nation's fiscal problems, forest product and other manufacturers are concerned about new Congressional initiatives and regulatory actions that will add costs to their operations and perhaps compromise a heathy recovery when the economy does turn around. This session is for Georgia's forest product manufacturers and anyone concerned about potential obstacles to their ability to return to robust production levels.

"Current and Future Challenges of Professional Timber Harvesting Companies"

Presentation will focus on the increasing cost of timber harvesting with discussion on rising capital investment and operating costs.

An ever-increasing regulatory environment with harvesting practices and trucking regulations will contribute to an increased cost of timber harvesting. Considering a maturing timber harvesting industry comprised of aging business owners, what will be the short and long term effects on the timber harvesting capacity in Georgia?

"Global and Domestic Market Forecasts"

This session details trends in the global and domestic forest products industries and timberland investing sectors relevant to forest owners and wood consumers in Georgia.  The ultimate objective is to provide simple frameworks for evaluating the potential roles of new market players such as bioenergy producers and international timberland investors.

"Hunting Leases and Landowner Liability Issues"

Mr. Mengak will present an overview of hunting and leasing in Georgia. He will discuss trends in hunting participation and the opportunity to generate income on non-industrial private lands from hunting leases; the issues of property management and liability for damages; as well as safeguards that landowners and lessors can take to minimize their liability exposure and some trends and history in hunting lease liability.

"Hunting Leases and Landowner Liability Issues"

"Alliances, We Can't Survive Without Them"

Alliances...we can't survive without them. Navigating today's public policy environment can be a treacherous undertaking. Seldom is it possible anymore - or advisable, for that matter - to go it alone when attempting to advance a major legislative or regulatory agenda. What do alliances have to do with agriculture? What does agriculture have to fear? In this session these questions will be answered by Georgia Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall, the leading agriculture advocate in the state and one whose advice is sought often and by many.

"Georgia's Economy - Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?"

"Luncheon Speaker"

The use of wood for bioenergy has the potential to change how we manage our forests greater than anything since pulp and paper came to the South 50 years ago. What will trigger this change? With information coming from environmentalists, politicians, industries with bottom lines at stake, and consultants, what is correct? This change has already been drawn out longer than imagined. Will it happen?

Our intent of this discussion is to summarize where we are headed using wood for bioenergy.

Panel Discussion - "The State of Woody Biomass in Georgia"

Panel Discussion - "The State of Woody Biomass in Georgia"

Georgia Power Company plans to convert Plant Mitchell, a 155 MW pulverized coal electric generating plant, into a 100% woody biomass fired electric generating plant.  The new output of the plant will be 96 MW and will consume approximately 1 million green tons of woody biomass fuel on an annual basis.  The desired fuel supply is forest residues and unmerchantable timber. The speaker will discuss the fuel supply study, technical challenges associated with the conversion and the projected time line for the conversion.

Panel Discussion - "The State of Woody Biomass in Georgia"

In November of 2007 Range Fuels broke ground just outside of Soperton, Ga. on the first commercial scale cellulosic biofuels facility in the united States. When completed, this first-of-a-kind facility will produce low-carbon biofuels such as ethanol and methanol as well as clean renewable power using renewable and sustainable supplies of biomass that cannot be used as food. The first phase of this project is now under construction and will be producing biofuels in the second quarter of next year. The speaker will discuss the current status of the project and also address some of the challenges the company has faced and the solutions and changes that have been made in the last 18 months as this complex project has progressed forward.

Panel Discussion - "The State of Woody Biomass in Georgia"

FRAM Renewable Fuels is now in its second year of operation located near Baxley, GA.  With an annual sales volume of 130K MT, the direction of FRAM has been market driven towards both export and domestic customers.  Each day there are new opportunities and considerations that shape the future of wood pellet fuel production in Georgia.  There have been many practical lessons learned over the last 16 months of wood pellet production regarding markets, raw material supply, and improvements yet to be made.  The speaker, Steven Meyers, Procurement Manager for Fram Renewable Fuels LLC will discuss FRAM's wood pellet operation and share insight into the challenges ahead.

Panel Discussion - "The State of Woody Biomass in Georgia"

International Paper, with mills in Savannah and Augusta, GA as well as throughout the Southern U.S. has been a major consumer of wood fiber for many years. As interest in bioenergy production increases, the forest products industry is presented with many opportunities, while also being confronted with concerns that accompany those opportunities. As we evaluate these potential bioenergy opportunities and associated legislation, we should identify and address issues such as forest sustainability, the health of the existing forest products industry, and the historical success of free market forces that have balanced fiber demand and supply during the past 100 years.

Panel Discussion - "The State of Woody Biomass in Georgia"

There has been a lot of interest for understory management of forests to reduce fuel loading, improve wildlife habitat and, ease or eliminate the use of mid rotation herbicides, while realizing an energy value from the process. There is also increasing interest in short rotation woody biomass and its harvest. The next speaker, Tom King, President of Supertrak will discuss the product and experience harvesting biomass with the revolutionary WB-55 Biomass Harvester.