The DNR will determine the number of logs in the Altamaha River this summer and use data collected there to estimate the number of logs in other streams, such as the Ogeechee, Oconee, Ocmulgee and possibly the Satilla and Savannah. Task force member Ben Brewton, who chairs the Coastal Environmental Organization of Georgia Inc., said the group needs more information on ownership, economic impact and potential for environmental harm before making any recommendations. But one of his early concerns is that companies that have inquired about permits to harvest the logs are from out of state. Williams has also been placed on the task force, which consists mostly of DNR staffers and environmentalists, and has done some homework on retrieving and marketing the logs. He points to Florida as an example of how the process could work.
Embedded logs are the property of the state in Florida.
Williams says Georgia's logs can be harvested now without causing environmental damage. He also says removal of the artificially placed deadheads will restore the rivers to a more natural state. Blackwater diver Lucky Lowe of Brunswick said he harvested 10 to 15 logs before the DNR imposed the original moratorium in Georgia in 1998. A lot of them I can't reach my arms around. It's beautiful pine.