The Chattahoochee National Forest
 in White County

Chattahoochee National Forest               Geological Information

Chattahoochee National Forest

The Chattahoochee National Forest covers 749,549.71 acres in North Georgia of which over 41,296 acres are in White County. These are some fast facts about the Chattahoochee National Forest:

• Four different pieces of legislation created the wilderness areas on the Chattahoochee National Forest (1975, 1984, 1986, 1991).
• The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests have 37 developed recreation areas; 500 developed campsites; 200 picnic sites; 6 swim beaches; 530 miles of trail.
• Unique features of the forest include the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain (79 miles in Georgia); the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River (about 7,550 acres in Georgia); Springer Mountain National Recreation Area (23,166 acres); two scenic byways; six rugged/high elevation areas with an emphasis on primitive recreation (23,766 acres); Coosa Bald Scenic Area-the only congressionally designated scenic area in Georgia (7,100 acres) ; seven scenic areas designated through the Land Management Plan (4,210 acres).
• The Forest receives more than 10 million visitors every year.
• During the Southern Appalachian Assessment Roadless Inventory process, 61,557 acres (20 areas) or 8% of the Chattahoochee National Forest was identified as potentially roadless areas.

Economics and Staffing

In 1995, 26 Georgia counties containing National Forest land received $758,829.26 for 25% returns of all national forest receipts. This money is to be used by the counties for schools and roads. Counties within the Chattahoochee National Forest received $0.95 per acre. Counties within the Oconee National Forest received $0.40 per acre.

There are 220 permanent full-time employees who work on the two forests; 152 senior worker enrollees worked on the forest last year, and performed 70 person-years of work valued at $1.1 million; 2,054 volunteers performed 54 person-years of work appraised at a value of $953,965.

Indirectly, the National Forests in Georgia provide employment for 5,500 people, income to local communities of $119 million, and federal income taxes of $18 million.

Timber

The Chattahoochee National Forest is mostly an Appalachian-oak forest type.

The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests provide 3% of the timber volume in Georgia. In North Georgia, the Chattahoochee provides 25% of the timber volume for local mills. Some mills depend on National Forest timber for 90% of their volume. The Chattahoochee is the primary provider of quality hardwood timber in Georgia.

On the Chattahoochee-Oconee, 542,240 acres (about 63% of the forest) are classified as suitable for timber production.

Each year less than one-half of one percent of the Chattahoochee-Oconee is harvested for timber. On the Chattahoochee the average size of harvested area is 20-25 acres. On the Oconee the average size of harvested areas is 30-35 acres.

Before 1986, almost 100% of harvesting was done using clearcutting. Because of public concern expressed during the planning process over the visual impacts of this harvesting method, forest managers committed to reduce clearcutting to 50% of all harvesting done each year. In 1995, clearcutting accounts for 24% of planned harvests.

In fiscal year 1997, a total of 27 million board feet of sawtimber and wood products were harvested from the Chattahoochee-Oconee: 67% was sawtimber, 31% was roundwood, 2% was firewood.

In fiscal year 1997, the timber program resulted in 372 jobs and over $12.88 million in income to local communities with an additional $1.99 million in federal income taxes.

Wildlife Management

There are over 500 wildlife and fish species on the Chattahoochee-Oconee. In fiscal year 1993, biologists sampled 650 sites for neo-tropical birds on the two forests.

Almost 100% of the cold water stream fishing on public lands occurs on the Chattahoochee National Forest. The Forest has 1,770 miles of cold or cool-water streams; 430 miles of warm-water streams; 19,000 acres of lakes; 3,900 acres of wetlands. 90,000 fishermen generate over $43 million in revenue for Georgia from National Forest land.

About 80% of hunting on public lands is done on the Chattahoochee-Oconee. Hunting accounts for 11% of all recreation use on the Chattahoochee-Oconee. 65,000 hunters generated over $41 million in revenues from National Forest land. 14 wildlife management areas are located on Chattahoochee-Oconee.

Geological Information for White County

The Geology of northeast Georgia contains a fascinating array of rocks and minerals, towering ancient volcanoes and broad watersheds and basins. Mount Yonah is the most prominent geological feature in White County and rises almost 1600 feet above the surrounding terrain.

The image below is a map of the geological formations in northeast Georgia with White County in outline. This map is provided for educational purposes only. The geological composition of any property should be ascertained by qualified personnel.

 Geologic Map of Georgia -- Blue Ridge and Piedmont
Georgia Geologic Survey
1977
David E. Lawton

Blue Ridge and Piedmont Crystalline Rocks
(No stratigraphic order implied)

	GRANITE		Includes those units which are granitic in composition and texture and units of mixed lithology which are composed predominantly of granite.
	GRANITE GNEISS		Includes all strongly banded metamorphic units of granitic composition whether of igneous or sedimentary origin.
	BIOTITE GNEISS		Includes units of metamorphic rock displaying gneissic banding, strong foliation, and relatively high biotite-mica content. Also includes those mixed lithologies which are predominantly biotite gneiss.
	QUARTZITES		Includes those units which are composed predominantly of metasandstone. Also mixed lithologies in which quartzite predominates.
	METAGRAYWACKE		Includes metagraywackes with lesser units of mica schist, quartzite, amphibolite and conglomerate.
	MICA SCHIST		Includes a wide variety of mica schists containing biotite and/or muscovite with lesser units of graphite schist, gneisses, and amphibolites.
	ALUMINOUS SCHISTS		Includes those mica schist units which contain a moderate to large percentage of aluminosilicate minerals such as garnet, kyanite, sillimanite, and staurolite. Also includes mixed lithologies in which the aluminous schists predominate.
	PELITIC AND CALCAREOUS ROCKS		Includes calcareous schists, metagraywackes, metaconglomerates, metasandstones, and marble.
	PHYLLITIC ROCKS		Includes meta-argillites, phyllites, graphitic phyllites and similar very fine-grained rocks of lower metamorphic grade.
	MAFIC GNEISS		Includes a wide variety of metamorphic rocks, (composed largely of iron-magnesium silicates) such as amphibolite, homblende gneiss, and mafic hornfels. Also includes mixed lithologies composed predominantly of these rock types.
	SCHISTOSE MAFIC ROCKS		Includes schistose units composed predominantly of various mafic minerals including chlorite, tremolite, actinolite, and hornblende.
	ULTRAMAFIC-MAFIC ROCKS		Includes gabbros, serpentinites, diabase, and undifferentiated ultramafics. The generally northwest trending diabase dikes are indicated by thin green lines.
	METAVOLCANIC ROCKS		Includes metavolcanic rocks of mafic to felsic composition; locally includes meta-argillites, phyllites, and schists.

Map and legend are reproduced from Geologic Map of Georgia, 1977 (1:2,000,000), compiled by David E. Lawton, available from Georgia Geologic Survey.

This map and the larger (1:500,000) 1976 Geologic Map of Georgia were compiled when the ideas of plate tectonics were relatively new and their implications for Georgia geology were not well understood. See reading list for more recent interpretations.

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