Overview of forest resources in Georgia based on an inventory conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, the Southern Research Station (SRS) in cooperation with the Georgia Forestry Commission.

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was first detected in Georgia in 2013 in DeKalb and Fulton Counties and has now been found in 37 counties in Georgia. As of September 2020, there are infestations in 36 states and five Canadian provinces.

2024 EXPORTERS BY MILL TYPE

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.

The Georgia Forestry Commission has begun the 15th year of its campaign to fight the exotic, invasive weed known as cogongrass. Forty three new detections have been confirmed from January 1, 2021 through March 17, 2021 in Georgia, bringing the statewide cumulative total to 1,501 cogongrass spots. This number is moderately higher than the 31 detections made during this same time period in 2020.

Many homeowners believe that the trees in their landscape have significant economic value for use as lumber or other wood products. These trees, whether pine or hardwood, seem to occupy such a large space in the landscape that it’s difficult to imagine they can’t be used to build houses, furniture or put to some other valuable use. Landowners also hope that this value will help offset the cost of the tree’s removal, which can be very expensive.