#1 Forestry State

A NATIONAL AND GLOBAL LEADER IN FORESTRY

Thanks to healthy markets for forestry – including paper, lumber and over 5,000 life sustaining products – and a commitment to public policy that supports forest landowners, Georgia is recognized as a global and national leader in forestry.

For generations, Georgia’s private forest landowners have turned trees into jobs and economic output, while cleaning our state’s air and water in the process.

HERE ARE A FEW REASONS WHY GEORGIA IS THE #1 FORESTRY STATE:

#1 in Commercially Available Timberland

Georgia has 22 million acres of commercially available, private timberland, more than any other state (1).

#1 in Annual Timber Harvest Volume

Georgia tops every other state in the nation in terms of pure volume of timber harvested (7) all while overall tree volume in Georgia has been net increasing since 1953 (8).

#1 Exporter of Forest Products

Leading the nation in the export of 21 commodities with an estimated trade value of $3.9 billion (9).

#1 in Seedling Production for Reforestation

Growing more than 331 million seedlings annually (10).

#1 in U.S. South in Wood Harvested for Pine Production and Pine Pulpwood Production (11)

 

WORKING FORESTS ALSO PROVIDE A MYRIAD OF ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS.

$41.3 Billion

Overall annual economic impact in 2021 from the forest industry (2).

143,946 Jobs

Total direct and indirect employment in Georgia from the forest industry (2).

9 Billion

Total wages and salaries (including benefits) in 2020, making the forestry industry the largest industry in Georgia in terms of wages and salaries. (2).

$37 Billion

Annual value of ecosystem services of private forests (4).

48% Annual Growth vs. Removals

In addition to a consistent increase in forest land cover over last 50 years due to healthy markets (5).

SOURCES

(1)Georgia Forestry Commission. (2011). Georgia Forest Facts. Web; accessed: March 2020.

(2) Georgia Forestry Commission. (2019). Economic Benefits of the Forest Industry in Georgia: 2018. Prepared by Georgia Institute of Technology, Enterprise Innovation Institute. Web; accessed: March 2021.

(3) Georgia Forestry Commission. (2015). Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources 2015

(4) Moore, Rebecca et al. (2011). Quantifying the value of non-timber ecosystem services from Georgia’s private forests. University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. January 2011.

(5) Georgia Forestry Commission. (2019). Sustainability Report for Georgia’s Forests: January 2019

(6) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2015). Georgia: Price Movements of Top Exports and Other HighlightsWeb; accessed: February 2017.

(7) U.S. Forest Service. Forest Resources of the United States. (2014). Web; accessed: June 2017.

(8) Georgia Forestry Commission. Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources. (2015). Web; accessed: June 2017.

(9) USA Trade Online (2020). State Export Data by HS Commodities (Origin of Movement). Washington, DC: US Census Bureau, Economic Indicators Division. Web; accessed: March 2020. 

(10) Haase, Diane L.; Pike, Carolyn; Enebak, Scott; Mackey, Lori; Ma, Zhao; Rathjen, Meagan. (2019). Forest Nursery Seedling Production in the United States—Fiscal Year 2018. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Web; accessed: March 2020. 

(11) Forisk Consulting (2018). Q2 2018 Forisk Research Quarterly (FRQ). Athens, GA: Forisk Consulting.