FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 31, 2022

Georgia is the #1 Forestry State in the Nation, and the private landowners who own 90 percent of the state’s forestland make that claim to fame possible. Wise stewardship of Georgia’s forests is the foundation of the $39.1 billion forest products sector, which is why Prescribed Fire Awareness Week is recognized in Georgia from January 30 through February 5, 2022.

“The Georgia Forestry Commission works with thousands of private and public partners to help spread the word about ‘good fire,’” said Georgia Forestry Commission Director Tim Lowrimore. “Prescribed fire is an essential forest management tool that is carefully applied by trained burners so that valuable objectives can be reached. Those include reducing the risk of wildfire, improving habitat and biodiversity, and enhancing access and reforestation,” Lowrimore said.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources uses prescribed fire across the state to improve native habitats on State Parks and Wildlife Management Areas and is committed to promoting it on private lands. “The tool of prescribed burning is beneficial to so many species,” said Georgia Department of Natural Resources Chief of Wildlife Conservation Section Jon Ambrose. “Bobwhite quail, white-tailed deer, many songbirds, and the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker benefit from fire or are fire-dependent, along with our native longleaf pine ecosystem.”

Prescribed Fire Awareness Week was established in 2005 and is recognized annually during the first week in February. Governor Kemp’s official 2022 proclamation highlights the forest management tool as one of the most environmentally and economically feasible methods for managing the state’s valuable forest resources.

“Our forests clean the water and the air for everyone in Georgia,” said Tim Lowrimore. “They give us thousands of products, places to play, natural beauty, and much, much more. It’s important that all Georgians recognize the tremendous value that well-managed forests – and ‘good fire’ – bring to our lives.”

For more information on prescribed fire and services of the Georgia Forestry Commission, visit GaTrees.org.