North Georgia Outdoor Burn Ban Ends September 30

* Georgia law no longer requires notification to the Georgia Forestry Commission by people planning to burn yard debris. Charges may apply if wildfire results from escaped burning and evidence…

North Georgia Burn Ban Helps Boost Air Quality

* Georgia law no longer requires notification to the Georgia Forestry Commission by people planning to burn yard debris. Charges may apply if wildfire results from escaped burning and evidence…

Crawford County Man Pleads Guilty to Setting Wildfires

…between May and December of that year. “Georgia Forestry Commission personnel worked very closely with a number of partner agencies during the investigation,” said Georgia Forestry Commission Chief of Law…

Bloom-time BOLO for Invasive Weed in Georgia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 12, 2022 Local landscapes come alive in springtime with beautiful buds, sprouts, and flowers. Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) forest health specialists are requesting, however, we “be…

Environmental Risks to Arthropods from Imidacloprid Applications for Hemlock Conservation

Managing hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) can involve use of insecticides. When it does, the non-target impacts (negative effects to other organisms) need to be thoroughly considered
and weighed against the environmental cost of inaction or alternative management approaches. Insecticides applied for HWA management are used for conservation purposes, which may seem counterintuitive. However, hemlocks are a key forest species, and so their loss can result in severe ecological consequences. To justify insecticide use against HWA, we have to ask: What are the possible negative consequences of using insecticides in the forest? We must consider these trade-offs in hemlock management. It is important to remember that there will be trade-offs in any kind of resource management discussion, even if it may not initially seem apparent. The negative environmental consequences of hemlock mortality must be weighed against the known consequences of insecticide use to preserve hemlocks.

Timber Harvest Notifications

…Harvesting Notification Requirements In compliance with legislation that updated OCGA 12-6-24, the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) will launch an easy-to-use, statewide harvest notification website, which will replace county-by-county notifications. The…

Wildfire Danger Elevated Across Georgia

…postpone their plans until conditions change,” said Georgia Forestry Commission Forest Protection Chief Frank Sorrells. “Elevated winds and dry conditions will cause open burning to be difficult to control and…

Emergency Response

…Georgia Wildfire Activity GFC’s Georgia Wildfire Public Viewer provides an interactive map that pinpoints wildfire activity throughout the state. This tool is directly linked to GFC’s wildfire computer-aided dispatch system…