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PAGE 8 FARMERS AND CONSUMERS MARKET BULLETIN – 404-656-3722 – agr.georgia.gov WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020
Forestry matters: Healthy forests are a my traCtor story:

refuge from the world’s ills A Ford with some Funk

By Stasia Kelly
Georgia Forestry Commission By Lee Lancaster
lee.lancaster@agr.georgia.gov
Summer is calling and many Georgians will
soon be responding with excursions into the great It would be very
outdoors. Even as new social distancing guidelines difficult to find a
become routine, being in nature is recognized as a farmer in Georgia
healthy practice. Forests especially, with their hiking without a Ford
trails, fishing spots and shaded parks, provide attrac- tractor in their
tive havens for folks who’ve been house-bound for family’s history.
weeks on end. A boardwalk through the forest at General Coffee State The Ford N Series
Fortunately, Georgia’s 24+ million acres of for- Park near Douglas. About 10 percent of Georgia’s tractors came
estland are healthy and continue to offer usable ben- estimated 24,464,219 acres of forestland is publicly owned along after Henry
efits for us all. New data from the U.S. Forest Ser- and managed to offer healthy havens for exercise and Ford and Harry
vice breaks down the state’s forest attributes in the contemplation. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources) Ferguson made their
“Forests of Georgia, 2018” report. The information it ers), industry, institutional investors and non-gov- famous handshake
contains is based on field data using the USDA Forest ernment entities. agreement that
Service Forest Inventory and Analysis sample design. • 7.53 percent is federally owned, which includes first produced the
It is updated annually, and the reports feature a five- national forests and parks, national monuments Ford 9N with the
year rolling average of forest data. and military holdings. Ferguson System, a three-point hitch for plowing farmland
The Georgia Forestry Commission’s FIA foresters • State and local ownership is 3.40 percent, includ- evenly. The Ford 9N and 2N were introduced in 1939 and
collect the data from forested sample plots through- ing state and county parks and state agency prop- 1942. Both the 9N and 2N were painted gray with an engine
out the state. There are 6,595 sample plots in Georgia, erties. displacement of 119.7 cubic inches that produced about 20
and each year about 14-20 percent of them are visited • 121,197 acres of forestland convert annually to horsepower. For the farmer that desired more power from
and measured by field crews. Data is delivered to the non-forest. his 9N, an aircraft company from Akron, Ohio, named Funk
USFS for detailed analysis and national data appli- • 491,973 acres of forestland are disturbed annually Aircraft produced a conversion kit to swap out the 9N’s
cations. by fire. engine with a flathead V-8 or inline 6 engine that could boost
Georgia Forestry Commission Director Chuck • 66,977 acres of forestland are disturbed annually its output to around 80 horsepower. These tractors could
Williams says the information brings great value to by weather events. produce a lot of power, but the rear end could not stand
the state. The full report and archived past versions can be the strain of that much more output. Freddie Neely from
“This is scientific data that isn’t available in any found on the USDA Forest Service publication data- Covington owns the tractor pictured. It is the only Ford 9N
other place,” said Williams. “It is very useful to those base, Treesearch, using keywords “Forest Inventory” known in existence with a Funk Conversion.
who make policy and decisions on how to manage for- and “Georgia” here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/tree-
est resources at the private, government and non-prof- search/. Tell Us Your Tractor Story
it levels – and throughout the ownership chain – on a Despite all the challenges created by the COVID-19
statewide basis.” public health emergency, employees of the Georgia We love a good tractor story! Shoot an email to Lee
Here are some highlights of the 2018 report: Forestry Commission have taken great pride in mak- Lancaster at lee.lancaster@agr.georgia.gov or drop us a
• Georgia has an estimated 24,464,219 acres of for- ing adjustments that provide superior service to forest postcard telling us about your first/best/favorite tractor.
estland. landowners and fellow citizens. As we all move for- Include pictures if you got ‘em!
• 89.08 percent of that ownership is private, which ward, please know that our commitment to you and
includes non-industrial private (family, Tree Farm- our amazing forest resource remains steadfast.