Growing the Next Generation
The Need for Workforce Development in Forestry
Spring 2024
By T.A. DeFeo
PHOTOS BY MARCUS POLLARD
Students in the Forestry and Wildlife pathways operate the saw mill at Newton College & Career Academy
The skilled worker shortage and developing the workforce of tomorrow are among the hottest topics across Georgia, touching every industry — including forestry.
While the state’s forestry industry supports more than 143,000 direct and indirect jobs, developing the next generation of workers is critical. Regardless of the specific recruiting tactics, experts agree success hinges on reaching younger Georgians and educating them on the industry’s diverse opportunities.
As the director of workforce development at Shaw Industries in Dalton, Georgia, Brian Cooksey has seen first-hand the concern about workers. “I think COVID changed some things. People had more options available; some were able to work from home,” Cooksey said. “It probably brought even more awareness to work-life issues when you have family members you have to care for — things like that.
At the same time, our state is growing leaps and bounds right now as far as new industry coming in and new companies coming in. So the need for workforce [development] is even larger than it has ever been. It’s just a challenging time.”
The Peach State’s population is growing, and the state continues to attract new or expanded businesses — facts state leaders love to tout. However, the addition of companies increases the competition for the existing pool of workers and further pressures companies to recruit.
While the state’s forestry industry supports more than 143,000 direct and indirect jobs, developing the next generation of workers is critical. Regardless of the specific recruiting tactics, experts agree success hinges on reaching younger Georgians and educating them on the industry’s diverse opportunities.
As the director of workforce development at Shaw Industries in Dalton, Georgia, Brian Cooksey has seen first-hand the concern about workers. “I think COVID changed some things. People had more options available; some were able to work from home,” Cooksey said. “It probably brought even more awareness to work-life issues when you have family members you have to care for — things like that.
At the same time, our state is growing leaps and bounds right now as far as new industry coming in and new companies coming in. So the need for workforce [development] is even larger than it has ever been. It’s just a challenging time.”
The Peach State’s population is growing, and the state continues to attract new or expanded businesses — facts state leaders love to tout. However, the addition of companies increases the competition for the existing pool of workers and further pressures companies to recruit.
Students gain exposure to tree care skills by climbing with local industry leader and supporter, Arbor Equity.
Introducing Students to Opportunities Early
For the forestry industry, the key to successful recruitment is making the industry — and the diverse opportunities it offers — stand out, and that starts with building a relationship with the next generation of workers. The industry’s opportunities don’t solely include jobs in the forest or the mills; they include everything from the back office to the boardroom to social media.
Jason Dunn, executive director of the Fitzgerald and Ben Hill County Development Authority, knows the best way to convey that is to show the next generation of workers first-hand.
“We’re sitting there looking at the opportunity to be able to start introducing [kids] from kindergarten to 12th grade to forestry careers,” Dunn said. “We have a lot of young people who do not get to experience the outdoors or don’t know the whole process of how a pine tree becomes lumber or paper or all the other hundreds of products that we get from them.”
Fitzgerald High School College & Career Academy’s campus includes about 410 acres, roughly half of which is timberland, making it the ideal location to introduce students to the forestry industry’s many opportunities. The career academy is partnering with local forestry and woodland product companies.
“We did a good job as a society, teaching several generations the idea that a four-year degree was the way to go,” Dunn said. “We really got away and probably did a poor job of introducing that K-12 student body to the woodlands, to the careers that are in the woodlands, to the idea that you can go into the forest industry and stay in an area of the state that you probably really love more than you realize.”
For the forestry industry, the key to successful recruitment is making the industry — and the diverse opportunities it offers — stand out, and that starts with building a relationship with the next generation of workers. The industry’s opportunities don’t solely include jobs in the forest or the mills; they include everything from the back office to the boardroom to social media.
Jason Dunn, executive director of the Fitzgerald and Ben Hill County Development Authority, knows the best way to convey that is to show the next generation of workers first-hand.
“We’re sitting there looking at the opportunity to be able to start introducing [kids] from kindergarten to 12th grade to forestry careers,” Dunn said. “We have a lot of young people who do not get to experience the outdoors or don’t know the whole process of how a pine tree becomes lumber or paper or all the other hundreds of products that we get from them.”
Fitzgerald High School College & Career Academy’s campus includes about 410 acres, roughly half of which is timberland, making it the ideal location to introduce students to the forestry industry’s many opportunities. The career academy is partnering with local forestry and woodland product companies.
“We did a good job as a society, teaching several generations the idea that a four-year degree was the way to go,” Dunn said. “We really got away and probably did a poor job of introducing that K-12 student body to the woodlands, to the careers that are in the woodlands, to the idea that you can go into the forest industry and stay in an area of the state that you probably really love more than you realize.”
Students observe a prescribed burn at Walton WMA Dove Field.
Thanks to Archer Aviation, Newton College & Career Academy students had a unique hands-on opportunity to experience the forestry industry. The aerospace company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft manufacturing facility is adjacent to Newton County’s Covington Municipal Airport.
The company brought oak trees removed from the company’s facility to the school. Students milled the trees and sent the lumber to a kiln. The plan is to use the lumber to build a table for the lobby of the company’s manufacturing plant.
“If they’re not exposed to the industry, they’re never going to know about the flexibility,” Marcus Pollard, an agricultural education teacher at Newton College & Career Academy, said. “At my stage with our kids, it’s 100% exposure. What I tell the kids is that this generation [has] more opportunities than any generation ever before them. It’s just insane, the amount of opportunities, apprenticeship programs, school programs. The workforce people are begging you to come in and do a good job.”
The company brought oak trees removed from the company’s facility to the school. Students milled the trees and sent the lumber to a kiln. The plan is to use the lumber to build a table for the lobby of the company’s manufacturing plant.
“If they’re not exposed to the industry, they’re never going to know about the flexibility,” Marcus Pollard, an agricultural education teacher at Newton College & Career Academy, said. “At my stage with our kids, it’s 100% exposure. What I tell the kids is that this generation [has] more opportunities than any generation ever before them. It’s just insane, the amount of opportunities, apprenticeship programs, school programs. The workforce people are begging you to come in and do a good job.”
“Planting a tree provides both instant and delayed gratification. If the instant gratification is that you just did something good, it’s going to be 25 years later before that tree throws off the shade for you to rest in. But it’s going to keep giving from the time you plant it to the time you harvest it.” — Jason Dunn, Executive Director, Fitzgerald and Ben Hill County Development Authority
Changing the Narrative on Professional Success
Part of the headwind is a problem that many people in the industry did little to create but now must mitigate.
“The last 20-30 years, people said, ‘If you don’t do a four-year college, you’re a failure.’ That’s been the message coming out of our education system and from [many] parents,” Cooksey said. “We need a lot of four-year degrees, don’t get me wrong. But that’s not every job in this country; there’s definitely a whole lot more jobs that don’t require that four year degree than that do require that degree. I always tell folks, ‘If you want a four-year degree, and you have clarity on what you’re trying to do, then go for it.
But there’s nothing wrong with going to work as an 18-year-old and figuring out what the world’s got to offer, figuring out maybe a little bit more about what’s available. And then go back and get your degree, whether that’s a technical college degree or a four-year degree.”
Another important facet of workforce development is expanding the pool of workers to include veterans and “second chance” populations — people who previously struggled, including with arrests or incarcerations or simply a lack of opportunity, but have now straightened out their lives and need stable employment.
“Planting a tree provides both instant and delayed gratification,” Dunn said. “If the instant gratification is that you just did something good, it’s going to be 25 years later before that tree throws off the shade for you to rest in. But it’s going to keep giving from the time you plant it to the time you harvest it.” But for that gratification to continue, the forestry industry must invest in the future of its workforce.
“You’ve got to feed the industry; you can’t get complacent [and] just think this is going to be here forever, because it could go away,” Dunn said. “We’ve seen industries come and go. Georgia used to have a very strong textile industry, and we don’t now. We still grow the fiber, but we don’t process it; we don’t “Planting a tree provides both instant and delayed gratification. If the instant gratification is that you just did something good, it’s going to be 25 years later before that tree throws off the shade for you to rest in. But it’s going to keep giving from the time you plant it to the time you harvest it.” — Jason Dunn, Executive Director, Fitzgerald and Ben Hill County Development Authority sew it. I don’t think any of us ever want to see the forest industry follow that type of fate.” ■
T.A. DeFeo is a freelance writer who has written several books about railroads. He is focused on telling stories, whether they are in Georgia’s forests, along the rails that crisscross this nation or anywhere in between.
Part of the headwind is a problem that many people in the industry did little to create but now must mitigate.
“The last 20-30 years, people said, ‘If you don’t do a four-year college, you’re a failure.’ That’s been the message coming out of our education system and from [many] parents,” Cooksey said. “We need a lot of four-year degrees, don’t get me wrong. But that’s not every job in this country; there’s definitely a whole lot more jobs that don’t require that four year degree than that do require that degree. I always tell folks, ‘If you want a four-year degree, and you have clarity on what you’re trying to do, then go for it.
But there’s nothing wrong with going to work as an 18-year-old and figuring out what the world’s got to offer, figuring out maybe a little bit more about what’s available. And then go back and get your degree, whether that’s a technical college degree or a four-year degree.”
Another important facet of workforce development is expanding the pool of workers to include veterans and “second chance” populations — people who previously struggled, including with arrests or incarcerations or simply a lack of opportunity, but have now straightened out their lives and need stable employment.
“Planting a tree provides both instant and delayed gratification,” Dunn said. “If the instant gratification is that you just did something good, it’s going to be 25 years later before that tree throws off the shade for you to rest in. But it’s going to keep giving from the time you plant it to the time you harvest it.” But for that gratification to continue, the forestry industry must invest in the future of its workforce.
“You’ve got to feed the industry; you can’t get complacent [and] just think this is going to be here forever, because it could go away,” Dunn said. “We’ve seen industries come and go. Georgia used to have a very strong textile industry, and we don’t now. We still grow the fiber, but we don’t process it; we don’t “Planting a tree provides both instant and delayed gratification. If the instant gratification is that you just did something good, it’s going to be 25 years later before that tree throws off the shade for you to rest in. But it’s going to keep giving from the time you plant it to the time you harvest it.” — Jason Dunn, Executive Director, Fitzgerald and Ben Hill County Development Authority sew it. I don’t think any of us ever want to see the forest industry follow that type of fate.” ■
T.A. DeFeo is a freelance writer who has written several books about railroads. He is focused on telling stories, whether they are in Georgia’s forests, along the rails that crisscross this nation or anywhere in between.
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Georgia Forestry Magazine is published by HL Strategy, an integrated marketing and communications firm focused on our nation's biggest challenges and opportunities. Learn more at hlstrategy.com
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