2006 Farmgate
$585,115,924Fast Facts
About 72 percent (17 million acres) of Georgia's forests are privately owned. Forest industry controls 21 percent of Georgia's forestland.
Only 7 percent of Georgia's forestland is owned by the government, including federal, state, and local holdings.
Forestry in Georgia is big business. Composed of a mixture of large and small companies and individuals, forestry involves growing, manufacturing and marketing products that have an annual impact of $19.5 billion.
Georgia's forest economy had a total direct and indirect employment of 177,000.
Last year Georgians averaged planting more than 71,000 trees per day.
Georgia Agricultural Resources: Commodity Facts
Forestry
Georgia forests, located in the heart of the nation's "wood basket," cover some 23.8 million acres. In the past 10 years, total forestland increased by more than 1 percent. Forests now cover 66 percent of the land area statewide, making Georgia the largest timber-producing state in the eastern United States.
Georgia is home to nearly 1,500 forest products manufacturers. The state is consistently ranked near the top in pulp and paper production and in the top five lumber-producing states. It is the number one producer of naval stores in the nation.
Artificial and natural reforestation and afforestation averages more than 550,000 acres per year. At the same time, the annual final harvest averages less than 450,000 acres. In spite of increasing demands on Georgia's forest, the state's timber inventories are higher than they were 10 years ago.
Through professional forest management, Georgia's largest renewable resource can meet society's demands well into the 21st century.
Georgia's forest-products industry is environmentally friendly, based on a renewable resource wisely managed by professional foresters. Forest products are recyclable and biodegradable, making them a natural choice for today's environmentally conscious consumers.
Points of Interest
- Macon Office:
Georgia Forestry Commission
5645 Riggins Mill Road
Dry Branch, Georgia 31020
P. O. Box 819
Macon, Georgia 31202-0819
Phone: 1-800-GATREES or 478/751-3500
Fax: 478/751-3465
More Information
- Georgia Forestry Commission
- Forest Landowners Association
- Southern Regional Extention Forestry
- Georgia Forestry Association