Georgia Wood Products Industry Seeks Innovative Solutions Amid Market Challenges

Georgia’s timber sector is facing a sharp downturn, with demand down more than 60% as of January, The Current reported (3-1-26).

The slowdown comes as International Paper closed its pulp and paper mills in Liberty and Chatham counties last fall, a move that eliminated a major buyer in Southeast Georgia. The price of pulpwood has fallen from $15–16 per ton to $5–6 per ton, said Shane Harrelson, owner and manager of Ohoopee Land and Timber in Vidalia.

Before the closures, Harrelson said pulpwood averaged about $1,125 per acre. Last month, it was about $375 per acre, near break-even levels given replanting costs. “It costs about $350 to get an acre replanted,” he said. “So to timberland owners, it doesn’t seem to make sense anymore.”

With the Georgia state legislative session at its midpoint, these concerns have not been a priority for lawmakers, according to The Current. Gov. Brian Kemp has set aside $14 million for the timber industry in his draft budget, based on recommendations from a task force he set up last fall, but most of that funding is directed to a timber innovation initiative at Georgia Tech rather than directly to the industry.

Separately, House Bill 1000, a bipartisan measure that would remove local taxes on timber sales, has cleared committee but has not yet been scheduled for a House floor vote. If approved by both chambers, the proposal would become a constitutional amendment requiring voter approval in a statewide referendum.

At the Forestry Solutions Summit in Midway, Liberty County Development Authorities CEO Brynn Grant pointed to mass timber as a potential new market. House Majority Leader Jon Burns suggested exploring sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which is produced from wood fiber to blend with Jet A fuel for airplanes.