Page 14 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 3 - Summer 2023

“The legacy of 619 Ponce will
be a living model for architects,
engineers and developers that
proves we can locally source and
manufacture mass timber from
the U.S. South.” — Troy Harris, Managing Director of Timberland and Innovative Wood Products, Jamestown LP
Paving the Wayfor Mass Timber in Georgia
Since 2017, GFA has worked to create a business and political environment that has paved the way for investments such as 619 Ponce, such as by:
Funding the conceptual design for a mass timber structure located at Ponce City Market
Organizing a mass timber symposium in partnership with Georgia Tech in 2017
Hosting three mass timber leadership tours to
the International Mass Timber Conference
Passing legislation to create the Georgia Sustainable Development Carbon Registry, which will allow carbon credits to be issued for the embedded and embodied carbon in mass timber buildings
Passing legislation to expedite Georgia’s acceptance of the 2021 International Building Code, which allows for mass timber buildings to reach 18 stories
Sponsoring a class at Georgia Tech that pulled together students from the disciplines of architecture, engineering and construction management who competed to design mass timber structures
“Ponce City Market has been a bea- con of sustainable redevelopment for Atlanta and the State of Georgia,” said Andres Villegas, President & CEO of the Georgia Forestry Association and Foun- dation. “We are thankful for Troy and Jamestown’s leadership and investment in the state’s first Georgia-grown mass timber project, showcasing the ability of Georgia’s working forests to capture car- bon and sustainably support the needs of a growing state.”
The City of Atlanta is an economic leader for the United States, and Ponce City Market is a shining example of what thoughtful community-based architec- ture can accomplish for investors and the community alike.
“The legacy of 619 Ponce will be a living model for architects, engineers and devel- opers that proves we can locally source and manufacture mass timber from the U.S. South,” Harris said. “As important as the farm-to-table movement was for agriculture and how we eat today, we’ve done the same thing for mass timber and timber growers with our Seedlings to Solutions concept.”
Telling Forestry’s
Sustainability Story
In 2021, GFF was awarded three separate grants from the U.S. Forest Service’s Wood Innovations program to enhance its efforts across the state and introduce millions of people to mass timber. As a result, GFF is currently leading three mass timber education initiatives that are centered around the 619 Ponce construction:
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In 2022, GFF began filming a documen- tary titled “Seedlings to Solutions” to tell the story of Jamestown’s 619 Ponce, highlighting perspectives from the leaders and stewards who made this building possible, from the Forest Resource Consultants forester who planted the trees on Jamestown land in 1996, to Evergreen Timber Co., the woman-owned logging company that harvested the trees that were sent to the Georgia-Pacific Albany sawmill.
Building Public Awareness of Mass Timber
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