When I made an appointment with Dale Greene, recently retired dean of the University of Georgia Forestry School, I suggested breakfast, which drew an eager response. But we had to agree on a convenient location. His primary residence is now Lake Hartwell.
He grew up in Magnolia, Arkansas, and is an alumnus of early riser advocacy, even in retirement. Those who, like Dale, wake the rooster are usually breakfast enthusiasts.
Now that he is settled into his second home, the plan was for us to meet somewhere between the lake and the UGA campus.
“That’s easy,” he said. “How about the Ila Restaurant in downtown Ila.” Downtown Ila has no traffic lights and one intersection with a four-way intersection. The Ila Restaurant has a seasoned chef, and when the breakfast is put in front of you, it’s hot. If the breakfast isn’t hot, it loses both its taste and its rating.
Small towns, from small to large, are a permanent part of its history. Magnolia probably would have been too if they hadn’t found oil there in 1938. It’s now a quiet place of 10,780 people, where you earn your bread by the sweat of your brow and live by the principles of faith, hope and charity.
The work ethic was emphasized as much as eating bread every day when he was growing up. In high school, he would go to work at the local Piggly Wiggly Grocery at 4 a.m., and rush home at 6:30 a.m. for a refreshing shower and a hearty breakfast before heading to school.
When he wasn’t at school or working, he was always outside with a fishing rod or a shotgun, keeping the family freezer stocked with bass and bream, along with vegetables from the garden.
A versatile student, he was sports editor of the school newspaper and was an avid reader. Books took him to places he wanted to explore and stimulated his imagination on a variety of subjects.
When he got to college, he spent time on more than one campus, spitting provincialism in the eye. He earned his bachelor’s degree from LSU, a master’s from Virginia Tech, and his PhD from Auburn, saving the best for last—a long stint at the nation’s oldest chartered state university.
Loran Smith: Georgia, home to UGA graduate, former Entertainment Tonight host, a welcoming place
“I was very excited to get a job at UGA,” he smiles with a soft compliment. “Georgia is one of the top three forestry schools in the country. I couldn’t have enjoyed my time anywhere more than Athens.”
He enjoys touting the highly regarded status of Georgia’s forest cover and resources. Forestry schools are about more than just tree cover. That’s their core, of course, but trees are inextricably linked to wildlife, clean water, and, not incidentally, economics. He enjoys talking about the merits of the industry, where he has distinguished himself as a teacher, administrator, researcher, and all-around evangelist about one of our most valuable resources.
Georgia has more commercial forestland than any other state in the country. “Our watersheds give us clean water,” says the former dean, who reminds us never to take that for granted. “We have sustainable forests, and we are a refuge for deer, turkey, bald eagles, and black bears.” Are you listening? There’s more.
When it comes to logging, pulp and paper production, Georgia ranks at the top every year. How many industries do you know that can boast of contributing to the economy and the health of the environment at the same time?
It’s a pleasure to read the Warnell Log, the school’s official magazine. It highlights not only the successes of students and faculty, but also research projects, such as the one that confirmed that elk in Yellowstone National Park learned to graze while wolves slept.
Dale Greene has had a distinguished career, but he is not the only star in his family. His wife, Jeanna Wilson, retired from UGA’s Department of Poultry Sciences, is internationally recognized for her research with broiler breeders. If you want to take a nice walk in the woods along a babbling brook while photographing a 10-point buck, you can thank Dale for his leadership in helping to develop sustainable forests.
When you order the best fried chicken at your favorite restaurant, give Jeanna a big thumbs up. Damn good team!
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Loran Smith: Dale Greene was a leader in developing sustainable forests
