Page 25 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 1 - Winter 2024

Special to the Georgia Forestry Commission
By Karin Pendley Koser
Georgia is proudly known as the number- one forestry state in the nation for a lot
of reasons.
The abundant resources and benefits derived from its privately owned pine forests produce billions of dollars in revenue from the products made from those forests. From treetops to trunks and even their residue, all parts of a tree are utilized. And now, felled trees from the urban landscape that might not otherwise have been used are being reconsidered for their unique value.
One focus that is gaining important and increased attention from the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) is the growth and protection of our urban and commu- nity forests. GFC’s Urban & Community Forestry Program works to conserve our urban tree canopy and also to cultivate use of urban wood from those trees that are no longer viable due to age, storm damage, disease or construction.
“Obviously we want to keep every urban and community tree standing, doing its job,” said Seth Hawkins, GFC’s coordina- tor for the Urban & Community Forestry Program. “Unfortunately, there are times when the tree has outlived its useful life or new development has resulted in its removal. Urban wood utilization closes that loop by providing a holistic approach to managing our community forests as a working forest system.”
Dru Preston, marketing and utiliza- tion forester for GFC, said, “Urban wood utilization came on our radar probably about 10 years ago or so. This is a newer industry, but a growing industry. There’s a lot of interest in this and it’s exciting to realize the carbon sequestration benefits of urban wood utilization, too.”
Growing Appreciation
and Collaboration
Engaging the public and regional stake- holders as well as those in the tree care industry is becoming increasingly important as our state’s populations surge. To that end, GFC joined forces with the Georgia Arborist Association to
Wide plank rift and quartersawn white-oak hardwood flooring
DWYANE BASS PHOTOGRAPHY
host two events this year with the support of Eutree Forest Free Wood Products, a specialty mill in Villa Rica, GA.
At one of those events, held at the UGA Griffin Campus, GFC Chief of Forest Management Troy Clymer said, “It’s a great opportunity for GFC foresters to work with local communities in an urban setting, serving as an educational resource to help manage the urban forests in a healthy and sustainable way.”
The benefits of urban and community trees include clean water, clean air, green spaces and wildlife habitats. Parks are often surrounded by large trees that support community well-being and provide opportunities for recreation and gatherings. Additionally, having enough of those trees close to homes and buildings reduces energy use and customer bills.
“Urban and community forests provide a plethora of benefits to the community, and to the residents who live in that com- munity,” Hawkins said. “As an urban for- ester, obviously I want to see every tree in a community forest live its full life, providing all those ecosystem services far beyond my lifespan,” he said.
And when those trees do come down, it’s essential to sustainably harvest the wood from them. Latest figures estimate the acres of urban and community forests to be 141 million nationwide, and, annually, more is removed from these urban areas
than from our national forests. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the largest component of municipal solid waste in our landfills comes from construc- tion and other wood debris. The annual statistic is that 3 to 4 billion board feet of urban wood is landfilled every single year.
“Oftentimes, communities are paying to dispose of the wood in the landfill,” said GFC regional colleague and meeting presenter Ashley Kite-Rowland, Urban & Community Forestry Program coordina- tor for the Tennessee Division of Forestry. “So it becomes a financial benefit not to take urban wood to the landfill, with communities also buying resources like mulch for their parks and schools.”
“Instead of these trees being put into a landfill or just left on sites to decompose, which releases carbon back into the atmo- sphere, a finished product made from that wood can keep that carbon stored in that piece of wood for possibly decades and decades to come,” said Preston.
Taking on
the Roadblocks
The positive growth of urban wood utili- zation doesn’t come without challenges and obstacles. Forestry professionals, tree care companies and nonprofits across the South are hard at work helping to address these issues.
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CARMEN RODRIGUEZ / EUTREE INC.