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Over the last 20 years, the operational alternatives available to foresters for managing timberland have increased exponentially. Foresters now employ tools such as herbaceous weed control, chemical site preparation, and genetically improved seedling choices, plus fertilization and woody release options, that were not widely available for previous rotations. Most of these treatments and combinations will increase production at reasonable costs. However, landowners differ in their choices of objectives and their levels of willingness to put capital at risk. Finding the best combination of treatments for each unique landowner requires that foresters know how to estimate timber production for different treatments and the resulting financial returns. This course should make any forest manager more confident in making timber management decisions.

The purposes of this course are to review and to introduce financial decision-making for foresters and the use of growth-and-yield models in conjunction with financial analysis to improve timberland management decision-making. The course will cover how to decide optimum rotation ages for bare ground and existing stands, how to choose between alternative management regimes, and how to determine the marginal rate of return for intermediate treatments such as fertilization and woody release. The entire course will be presented from the standpoint of providing criteria for making timber management decisions that provide the highest financial returns.

1. Review and/or introduce financial decision-making criteria.
2. Learn how to use growth-and-yield models in combination with financial decision-making criteria to increase financial returns.
3. Learn how to estimate returns from different management regimes for bare-ground stands and the relative influences of the different inputs to financial returns.
4. Learn how to make the same financial return estimates for bare ground vs. existing stands.
5. Learn how to estimate the returns from different cultural treatments for bare-ground stands and existing stands.
6. Learn how to estimate expected marginal rates of return for fertilization, woody release, and other intermediate stand treatments.
7. Learn how to evaluate financial returns from different thinning timing, intensity, and frequency combinations.

Professional foresters and land managers who must make decisions about timber management operations and who want to improve financial returns. Portions of the course may also benefit private landowners who want to take an active role in the management of their forests and who want to understand the financial trade-offs made in timber management.

Barry Shiver and Bruce Borders have been teaching continuing education short courses across the South since 1989. Barry recently retired from the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, where he was a professor and taught classes in timber management, inventory, silviculture, and mensuration. Bruce is still on the UGA faculty, where he teaches classes in biometrics, inventory, and timber management. Both instructors have been active in developing yield models for Southern pines, both natural and plantation, that provide realistic estimates of growth in operational stands. The research program objectives of the instructors focused on finding management solutions for timberland owners and investors. Courses taught by these instructors are popular, as they deliver technical content in an understandable and enthusiastic manner!

The fee for this course is $445, which includes lunch, refreshment breaks, and instructional materials. There is a $50 discount for fees paid by check or credit card and postmarked by February 20, 2007. Preregistration must be accompanied by check, purchase order, or credit card number to guarantee a place in the course. Limited seating is available. The Georgia Center will charge a $50 processing fee for a second course transfer, if applicable.

This course, like all of our courses, will provide you with useful technical information and will spur discussion among the entire group. You will leave feeling that your ability to manage forests has increased. The instructors for this course have taught short courses for many years and are familiar with both the research and operational sides of Southern pine management. We are confident that this course will be worth your investment.

• 11.0 Continuing Forestry Education (CFE) hours — Category 1
• 11.0 Continuing Logger Education (CLE) hours — Business Management
• 13.0 Continuing Education (CE) hours approved by the Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board. These hours are accepted by the Georgia Real Estate Commission.

Full Attendance Is Mandatory to Receive Credit.

If you are not satisfied with this course, we will refund your registration fee. Third Course Free! Attend two forestry courses in 2007 as a paid participant and get the third course (with equal or lower course fee) for free. Contact Nette Penn, at 706-542-6658 or Nette.Penn@georgiacenter.uga.edu, before you register for the third course. Fourth Person Free! Register three people from your organization and the fourth person is free. All registrants must be with the same program (same address and same budget), and the registration fees must be paid in advance by check or credit card.

This optional one-hour course focuses on case studies to illustrate the place of ethics in the practice of forestry. It meets the ethics requirement for registered foresters in Georgia.

Now Available Online! Forestry Ethics Online Course

Now you can complete the one-hour Forestry Ethics Online Course from the comfort of your home or office. Register today for this self-paced, self-study program and earn CFE credit! Go here for more details: www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/is/forestry

The Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center & Hotel, located on the beautiful, historic campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, provides innovative lifelong learning opportunities that develop intellectual and human potential. A full-service living and learning environment, the Georgia Center includes a 200-room hotel, restaurants, banquet areas, conference rooms, auditoriums, a fitness center, and computer labs — all under one roof. As a unit of UGA's Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, the Center brings the University's teaching, research, and service expertise to the people of Georgia and beyond! For more information, visit www.georgiacenter.uga.edu.

Special Needs:
If you require special services, facilities, or dietary considerations, contact your event coordinator, Nette Penn at 706-542-6658 or Nette.Penn@georgiacenter.uga.edu by March 6, 2007.

Lodging (Georgia Center Hotel):
A block of rooms is being held for your conference until 5:00 p.m. ET, February 19, 2007. Policies: (1) Tax Exemption — The State of Georgia only allows tax-exempt charges for a payment by a state-issued credit card or check or by a direct bill to a state agency (with a Georgia State Tax Exemption Certificate). (2) Lodging Cancellation — Cancel your reservation by 4:00 p.m. ET the day prior to your scheduled arrival to avoid being charged one night's room and tax. (3) At check-in, you must present your credit card or a completed credit card authorization form (for a copy, call 800-884-1381, Mon.-Fri., 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET). Note: The Georgia Center is a smoke-free building; all lodging rooms are nonsmoking.

Travel Information:
Athens, Georgia, is located about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta. For directions, see www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/conferences/about/directions.phtml. A parking deck is located adjacent to the Center (hourly rates, maximum $8 each 24-hour period; vehicle height limit, 7 feet). Athens is served by two airports. Athens-Ben Epps Airport offers connecting flights to and from Charlotte, NC. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is located about 90 minutes southwest of Athens, with scheduled ground shuttle service and rental car service available between the airport and the Georgia Center.

Program Cancellation Policies:
(1) Full refunds are available for cancellations made by 5:00 p.m. ET, March 2, 2007. No refunds will be issued thereafter; substitutions will be allowed. (2) If a program is cancelled for any reason, the Georgia Center will not be responsible for any charges related to travel. (3) If for unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances an instructor is unable to attend, the Georgia Center reserves the right to substitute a comparable instructor.