PictureGFF’s Seedlings to Solutions video documentary series promotes the entire forestry sector and the supply chain that built 619 Ponce — Georgia’s first locally grown mass timber building.
For more than 100 years, Georgia’s forest land-owners, forestry professionals and business and academic leaders have worked tirelessly to re-establish forestland as the state’s primary land use. Today, Georgia’s 24.3 million acres of forestland blanket nearly two-thirds of the state, providing a picturesque and diverse mosaic across the landscape that is working every day to support wildlife, air and water resources while serving as the heartbeat of the state’s economy.

These forest stewards work quietly in the background, tucked away in rural communities with names likeCochran, Lumpkin, Hazlehurst, Blackshear, Quitman and Warrenton. Until recently, you wouldn’t find them on the front page of any news outlet, but as society looks for answers to our nation’s greatest challenges, they are looking to Georgia’s best kept secret — its working forests. Today, Georgia is recognized as a domestic and global leader in forestry — leading the nation in commercially-available timberland, volume of wood harvested, forest product exports, and tree planting with more than250 million seedlings planted annually.

Thanks to the intentional and strategic investment from the entire forestry supply chain, the Georgia Forestry Association (GFA) and the Georgia Forestry Foundation (GFF) have been at the forefront of the growing cultural understanding of forestry, which is recognizing more and more the economic, environmental and social benefits. Over the past decade, GFA and GFF’s strategic efforts have not only sustained the sector but advanced it, benefiting landowners, foresters, loggers and manufacturers alike.

Building a Legacy of Sustainable Communities With Mass Timber
Starting in 2015, GFA set out on a mission: to ensure healthy markets for Georgia grown forest products. This journey began with the passage of House Bill 255 in 2015, a pivotal piece of legislation that ensured Georgia-grown wood would be considered for state-funded green building projects. This leveled the playing field for locally manufactured wood products, previously overshadowed by the U.S. Green Building Council’s preference for Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, which at the time had to be imported from other states and countries.

The momentum did not stop there. In 2017, House Bill 876 put an end to restrictive local ordinances that banned wood construction in larger buildings to bypass zoning ordinances. The bill maintained a pathway for lumber, engineered wood panels and mass timber to continue growing in the fast-growing metropolitan Atlanta region. By 2020, the passage of House Bill 777 had allowed mass timber buildings to reach towering new heights—up to 18 stories—by requiring the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to expedite their acceptance of the mass timber provisions within the 2021 International Building Codes.

In the 2021 legislative session, GFA ushered in another breakthrough with House Bill 355, which integrated mass timber and other sustainable building materials into Georgia’s Carbon Registry. This innovative move recognized the natural emissions reduction qualities of mass timber as the building community looked to reduce the carbon footprint of new buildings.

But legislation is only part of the story. GFF also worked strategically to build awareness and excitement around mass timber. In 2017, the Southeast Mass Timber Symposium at Georgia Tech gathered industry leaders to explore this material’s potential. A tour of successful mass timber projects in the Pacific Northwest in 2019 further inspired Georgia’s political leaders to pursue mass timber policy.

By 2022, GFF had partnered with Georgia Tech’s Digital Fabrication Lab, allowing students to design with mass timber, ensuring the next generation of architects and engineers were ready to embrace mass timber as a building material. Today, GFF’s Seedlings to Solutions Initiative, supported by a Wood Innovations Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, is continuing to grow awareness of mass timber at one of Georgia’s most popular attractions — the iconic Ponce City Market (PCM) owned by Jamestown.

​GFF’s Torus Arch, an interactive mass timber exhibit in the PCM courtyard, provides a touchpoint for BeltLine shoppers to learn about and interact with the beauty and versatility of mass timber. GFF has also fully leveraged the opportunity to educate decision makers about the power of the forestry supply chain through the construction of Georgia’s first locally grown mass timber building — 619 Ponce. The initiative website (www.seedlingstosolutions. org) features a documentary series on the mass timber supply chain used in 619 Ponce. In addition, with the support of Jamestown’s staff, GFF has conducted mass timber tours with hundreds of forestry, business and political leaders. This year, GFF is also advancing mass timber construction through the Georgia Mass Timber Accelerator. The Accelerator will support the growth of sustainable development in Georgia by increasing utilization and awareness of mass timber. Architecture, engineering and development teams who submit applications for pending mass timber construction projects will be evaluated by a panel of nationally renowned wood design, engineering and construction experts. Up to six selected teams will be awarded a $25,000 grant and a suite of expert technical assistance to support the advancement of the project, including design and planning, carbon assessment and cost-benefit analysis.
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Paving the Way for Efficiency and Cost Reduction

The challenges facing Georgia’s forestry operations have been significant, with inflation driving up costs for equipment, maintenance and labor. Yet GFA’s advocacy efforts have made strides in reducing these burdens and protecting forestry investments in dirt (forestland) and steel (equipment and manufacturing assets).

Since the early 1990s, GFA has championed the passage of several key pieces of legislation that have sought to improve the tax environment for forest landowners. Legislation includes the Qualified Timberland Property (QTP) program (Amendment 3 / 2018), Forest Land Protection Act (Amendment 1 / 2008), Conservation Use Valuation Assessment (1991) and several bills that have protected or advanced tax programs for forest landowners. GFA’s tax legislation has delivered meaningful conservation results impacting millions of acres and delivering between $8-9 per acre per year in savings for forest landowners.

For the harvesting and logistics sector, House Bill 897 in 2020 standardized timber harvest ordinances and streamlined the notification process, saving loggers time and resources. And, most importantly, a statewide referendum in 2022 eliminated ad valorem taxes on forestry equipment, benefiting over 1,200 small businesses. The modest weight increase for log trucks in House Bill 189, passed in 2023, further eased supply chain pressures. GFA will be back in Atlanta to extend the increased weight provisions for forest products in the 2025 Legislative Session.

​Looking ahead, Senate Resolution 786, passed in 2024, promises to drive innovation in forest products, exploring high-demand items like sustainable aviation fuel and bioplastics. Long-term, GFA’s legislative and outreach strategy will aim to continue advancing markets for value added forest products that will support the long-term investments made in Georgia’s existing forest products supply chain. 
PictureGFF’s Earth Day Celebration at Ponce City Market brings together a variety of natural resources organizations to speak with one voice about the benefits of Georgia’s working forests.
Reaching Thousands of Georgians to Build Awareness of Working Forests
Central to GFF’s mission and vision is to connect youth and adults to the land through innovative, immersive digital education content and in-person experiences. Since 2017, GFF has developed strong partnerships with a variety of organizations that have allowed the forestry message to be heard at scale across the state, reaching thousands of Georgians.

GFF’s strong partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) has also brought forestry to classrooms across the state through immersive digital content and interactive games. This year, GFF and GPB partnered on a LIVE Forestry Exploration (www.gpb.org/trees) that reached more than 40,000 people, showcasing the forestry supply chain and the vital role it plays in Georgia’s economy and environment. This initiative, along with partnerships with other high-profile organizations, bridges the gap between rural and urban communities, fostering a statewide appreciation for forestry.

Corporate partnerships have also provided GFF with key access to urban audiences, driving incremental awareness of working forests. For many years, GFF has partnered on public engagement efforts with Jamestown at Ponce City Market. From farmers markets to a Tiny Home Festival, Jamestown has provided a venue for GFF to build strong connections to forestry in the city. In 2024, GFF hosted its third annual Earth Day Party with partner natural resource organizations, which reached thousands of people in the context of sustainability.

This year, GFF has expanded these partnership efforts, hosting an activation at the Third Base Gate for the Atlanta Braves Green Game in partnership with the Georgia Forestry Commission, Chattahoochee Nature Center and WestRock. As corporations continue to invest in natural capital, GFF will seek to be positioned as a trusted sustainability partner supporting messaging around forestry investments.

GFF is working this year to also develop a comprehensive Forestry Workforce Strategy, capitalizing on existing education partnerships to forge lasting relationships with high school juniors and seniors interested in pursuing a forestry career. GFF will support engagement with these students through the training and education process, placing them directly in a job with a GFA member company.

Matt Hestad is the senior vice president for the Georgia Forestry Association.
Olivia Parrott is the outreach and program manager for the Georgia Forestry Foundation.