Page 26 - Georgia Forestry - Issue1 - Winter 2021

protects and conserves the public and private forest resource by providing leadership, service and education. Yet some of the foundational issues raised a century ago ring familiar today. While Georgia landscapes are covered with more than 24 million acres of trees,
land use changes pose an ongoing threat to forest sustainability. Through ongoing assessment and reporting protocols, the GFC addresses individual challenges with detailed strategies. Every day, science guides dedicated GFC professionals who recognize their
responsibility to a resource that provides a truly remarkable variety of benefits to us all.
GFC employees’ jobs have changed dramatically in the last century. Today’s technology and tools would no doubt astound early colleagues who fought fires
WHERE WE ARE IN 2021...
24 million acres
of forestland ,
making up 75% of land
in the state, and providing:
$35.2 BILLION IN ECONOMIC
BENEFITS
$8.5 BILLION IN WAGES
AND SALARIES
$37.6 BILLION IN ECOSYSTEM SERVICES SUCH
AS CLEAN AIR
2 2 4 4 | | G G E E O O R RG G I I A A F F O O R R E E S S T T R R Y Y
TODAY’S GFC...
625EMPLOYEES strong, providing a wide knowledge base
$113 MILLION
in tree improvement work at Arrowhead Seed Orchard
+ $16
in GFC seedling sales
● Promotion of Georgia’s forest industry and products to global markets
● Market research and economic impact studies
MILLION