Georgia Magazine - October 2024 - 31

'When my grandfather
joined the Georgia Tree
Farm Program 76 years
ago, he was making
a commitment to our
family's legacy, the
state and the industry
to support best forestmanagement
practices.'
- Claire Shelton Lee
Left: Trees are stripped of their branches before being loaded onto a logging truck.
Above: A logging truck hauling recently harvested longleaf pines makes it way out of
the tree farm.
Farm Program 76 years ago, he was making a commitment to
our family's legacy, the state and the industry to support best
forest-management practices, " Lee says. " Over the years, the
GTF has added strict standards applicable to tree farms, working
with government agencies regarding regulations.
" In the late '60s when leases began to expire, my father and
uncle, who had taken over when my grandfather passed, went
to the Georgia Forestry Commission for advice. They were told,
'Just dibble in [plant] some trees among the existing trees and
manage the farm yourselves,' so that's what they did, but they
were still able to tree-farm in their spare time and keep their
outside jobs. "
In 1970, the brothers incorporated and the farm became
Shelton Land Co. They took on a few family members as
stockholders. Today, Lee serves as managing forester, and
her cousin Richard Shelton is secretary/treasurer and
corporate attorney.
Living with the land
In 1988 Lee moved back to Valdosta. After graduating from
ABAC in 1989, she worked for the Georgia Forestry Commission
for about a year before her uncle invited her to join the family
business.
Since she took over, she's been responsible for everything
that happens on the farm.
" I'm on the land every day, conducting prescribed burns,
getting fire breaks plowed, overseeing logging operations,
supervising site prep to replant areas that have been clear-cut, "
she says. " We're also mowing roads and undergrowth between
the rows of longleaf pines. "
She explains that prescribed burns in the winter and early
spring are necessary for good forestry management.
" It removes the understory brush and debris that could
exacerbate wildfires, it lessens the risk of insects and diseases
and puts nutrients and minerals back in the soil, " she says. " The
wildlife loves it, too, because new growth starts again about 10
days after a controlled burn, and it replenishes their food supply. "
Lee, who last year was named Tree Farmer of the Year by the
GTF Program, says she has a reliable network of support.
" When I need help with cutting fire breaks, working the
prescribed burns or planting seedlings, of course I have people
who help: family members and contractors, plus I reach out to
our local Georgia Forestry Commission office, " Lee says.
" I say 'thank you' to the professionals in the forestry
community in our area that I have done business with through
the years. I was the only female registered forester in South
Georgia and possibly most of Georgia, so I felt very intimidated
in the beginning.
" Fortunately, they were very accepting of me and always so
helpful. Even though there was probably a little skepticism about
my capabilities, they never showed it, and now I consider many
[of them] friends of mine.
" It's all those guys [who] were there for me through these
years [who] have helped me get to where I am today-in a job I
love, working for my family and carrying on their legacy. "
Pamela A. Keene is a freelance writer from Flowery Branch.
www.georgiamagazine.org 31
MIKE GREGORY / GEORGIA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
http://www.georgiamagazine.org
Georgia Magazine - October 2024

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