Overview information about the southern pine beetle.

Hurricane Matthew impacted multiple southern states, and all coastal counties of Georgia experienced extreme winds and heavy rain on October 7th and 8th, 2016.

On the evening of April 12 and the morning of April 13, 2020, Georgia was part of a severe weather event that extended across the Southeast. The National Weather Service confirmed that 30 tornadoes touched down across the state, ranging in levels from EF-0 to EF-3 and from 0.5 miles to approximately 17 miles long. These storms affected a number of landscapes across the state, including urban, suburban and rural areas.

The National Weather Service (NWS) determined an EF-4 tornado crossed Heard, Coweta, and Fayette Counties in the late hours of March 25, 2021 and into the early hours of March 26, 2021. The tornado touched down at approximately 11:37 PM EDT, west of Franklin, Georgia, ending at approximately 12:30 AM EDT just north of Peachtree City, Georgia

Changes are being made to Georgia’s outdoor burn notification system. The law no longer requires a burner to inform the GFC online or by phone about their intention to burn leaf piles and yard debris. New legal safety requirements are now specified for this type of debris burning.

Georgia’s leadership in the production of forest products in the U.S. south, nation and world is possible because of the
state’s highly productive forests. On average, Georgia’s 23.8 million acres of commercial timberlands grow in excess of 24
million tons more wood per year than is harvested, resulting in growth exceeding removals by 48% for all species combined.