George Allen, NFL Hall of Fame Head Coach for the Washington Redskins, once said, "What you do in the offseason determines what you do in the regular season." These words ring as true in sports as they do in advocacy. The Georgia Forestry Association (GFA) works year-round to identify and execute on opportunities during the General Assembly's 40-day legislative session to improve the forestry supply chain.

GFA has been hard at work leading up to the 2020 session - from hosting two Legislator Orientations to Forestry, to testifying before relevant Senate and House committees, to recommending GFA subject-matter expert memebers to serve on legislative study committees and holding one-on-one meetings with policymakers. Of highest concern are the issues that provide direct value to all members by enhancing markets for forest products, encouraging sensible taxes and regulation and promoting private property rights.

Mass timber was utilized in the construction of the Kendeda Building on Georgia Tech's campus. The building, which participated in the Living Building Challenge, is considered one of the most sustainable buildings in the country. (Photo: Alan Mothner)

Forging a Future for Mass Timber

Ranked as one of the fastest-growing large cities in the U.S., metro Atlanta is projected to see a population increase of 2.9 million people by 2050 - the equivalent of adding metro Denver and slightly more than all of metro Charlotte. With this increase in population, commercial and residential development is also expected to grow significantly, which presents an opportunity for forestry through mass timber construction.

As engineers, developers and architects consider ways to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings in an ever-growing city, mass timber technology allows buildings to become carbon sinks, rather than carbon emitters. In addition to sustainability, using wood as an alternative to steel and concrete carries a large number of benefits related to cost of labor, speed of installation and efficiency of construction. It is important to Georgia's forest landowners - and, by extension, the entire supply chain - because it helps promote a healthy supply-and-demand balance between growth and harvesting. That balance keeps our forests health and economically viable by creating a brand-new market opportunity for Georgia lumber.

GFA is capitalizing on this opportunity to forge a future for mass timber and reimagine Atlanta's skyline. In addition to strategically promoting mass timber, GFA is working to encourage support for the adoption of the 2021 International Building Code that will allow mass timber buildings to go up to 18 stories in height. Also, GFA is focused on policies that will accelerate mass timber construction in Georgia and allow the manufacturing and construction supply chain for this technology to grow.

More than 55 counties have been noted as out of compliance with state law related to timber harvest notification. (Source: Georgia Forestry Association)

Improving Harvesting and Logistics Efficiency

Georgia has one of the most productive wood baskets in the world, leading the nation in the volume of timber harvested. Every day, thousands of Georgians support the harvesting and logistics sector of the forestry supply chain, delivering wood to mills around the state that convert trees into more than 5,000 different products we use every day.

Some counties have passed timber harvesting ordinances that are increasing the costs of forest management and harvesting. Current state law defines several parameters for harvesting ordinances, from what is required of the logger to notify the county, to how much the county can require in a bond. Today, there are over 55 counties that have ordinances that are out of compliance with state law.

For example, in one Georgia county, loggers are required to provide a $50,000 bond plus an application fee prior to moving onto a tract; state law dictates that bonds should not exceed $5,000. Another county requires loggers to provide an ingress/egress permit and 72-hour notice before moving onto a tract of timber; state law only requires that the logger provide notification within 24 hours of moving onto a tract- no permit is required. GFA is focused on pursuing policy changes to address these issues and keep our forests healthy and competitive, while ensuring that loggers are given the ability to operate efficiently and affordably - no matter the county.

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Matt Hestad is the Executive Director of Communications & Strategy and Tom Beyer is the Director of Government Affairs for the Georgia Forestry Association (GFA). GFA is the premiere advocate for a healthy political and business environment for Georgia's working forests, forest landowners and forestry-related businesses.