This month, leaders from the Georgia Forestry Association continued engaging with industry professionals, landowners, and economic leaders through several speaking opportunities focused on the future of forestry and forest markets.
Tim Lowrimore, Georgia Forestry Association President & CEO speaking on panel at Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo in Atlanta, GA.
At the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo in Atlanta, GFA President & CEO Tim Lowrimore joined Dru Preston of the Georgia Forestry Commission, to discuss woody biomass raw materials, forest inventory and growth trends, and the outlook for the wood bioenergy industry. Their discussion highlighted how declining pulp and paper markets are reshaping demand across the forestry sector and influencing long-term opportunities for biomass and emerging wood products.
Conference attendees also toured Hazlehurt Wood Pellets mill in Hazlehurts, GA. HWP – a subsidiary of Fram Renewable Fuels – started up in 2013 and produces up to 500,000 metric tons per year of wood pellets. The facility has undergone regular modernizations through the years. The group also attended the torrefaction factory at Telfair Forest Products in Lumber City, GA. Telfair is also a subsidiary of Fram Renewable Fuels. The torrefaction operation (pictured above) is a collaboration between TFP and TSI, long known for its drying and technologies expertise.
Matt Hestad, Georgia Forestry Association Senior Vice President speaking on panel at Saunders Lay of the Land Conference in Columbus, GA.
GFA Senior Vice President Matt Hestad represented the Association at the Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE) in Atlanta, where industry leaders gathered to discuss developments in engineered lumber, manufacturing, and wood products markets. Hestad also spoke at Saunders Lay of the Land Conference in Columbus, continuing conversations around sustainable forestry, healthy markets, and the importance of advocacy across Georgia’s working forests.
Tim Lowrimore, Georgia Forestry Association President & CEO speaking at Georgia Economic Developers Association in Savannah, GA.
Additionally, Lowrimore recently addressed the Georgia Economic Developers Association in Savannah, emphasizing forestry’s significant economic impact across the state and the critical role the industry plays in supporting rural communities, investment, and job creation.
Through these engagements, GFA remains committed to strengthening industry partnerships and ensuring forestry continues to have a strong voice in conversations shaping Georgia’s economic and environmental future.