Recent closings of timber processing facilities have left timber without customers for their wood residuals, which is an important part of the timber economy. Below are some ways that timber could be used that create opportunities for Georgians.

The best-bets are

1. Right now: Conversion of closed mills to wood fiber insulation plants and replacement of plastic-based much with biodegradable mulch.
2. Mid-term: Encouragement of and investment in mass timber building materials and advanced packaging.
3. Long-term: R&D in advanced wood composite materials.

Via investment – Georgia has the opportunity to be a leader in the timber industry and build strong timber – business – university relationships – uplifting our timber farmers and our university system.

Of note – burning wood to create electricity has been suggested as well. We do not recommend it as it is expensive and hazardous to the health of those in surrounding areas.

The timber lifecycle has three basic stages and three basic outputs. Pulpwood processing is an important revenue stream for both the thinning and mature tree processing stages.

• Speaker Burns assigned the collapse of the pulpwood market to the House Rural Development Committee.
• Over 8 million tons of pulp/residuals/wood chips processing capacity has been lost due to recent mill closures.  The main cause for mills closing is recycled cardboard eliminating the need for new-material cardboard.
• Sawlogs and the market for pulp/residuals can’t be separated. Residuals are a vital revenue stream for sawmills.  When West Fraser announced it would close its Augusta sawmill, the lack of markets for the mill residuals was cited as a cause.
• It takes 1.2 million tons of wood chips a year to make 100 megawatts. 8 million tons of excess pulpwood will produce ~666 MW total – which is less than the operating needs of one data center.

Gov Kemp’s proposed budget – bullets from Capitol Forestry Report – Jan 16, 2026

• $660,000 in funds for the continuation of the Georgia Grown Wood Product Program collaboration between the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia Forestry Commission, and GFA.

• $10.9 million Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative in partnership with Georgia Tech to support the timber industry’s expansion into emerging markets through research, product testing, and private partnerships.
• $2,636,180 for design and construction of a new mass timber Georgia Forestry Commission county unit in Morgan County
• $1,070,738 for the Georgia Forestry Commission to offset increasing fire suppression costs resulting from increased maintenance costs and workload.
• A one-time salary supplement of $2,000 for all state employees.

From the Georgia House Rural Development Committee on 09.10.25:

Highlights of Georgia Forestry Commission testimony from Devon Dartnell:

• The 5 impacted mills (Savannah, Riceboro, Cedar Springs, plus linked facilities) together accounted for:
  • 1,655 direct mill jobs
  • Total annual economic impact ~ $2.9 billion
    • ~$1.7B direct output (mills themselves)
    • ~$845M indirect (loggers, mechanics, tire shops, truck dealers, etc.)
    • ~$381M induced (household spending)
• 4.5 million tons of Georgia timber plus 4 million tons from AL/FL/SC – about 8.3 million tons of wood per year.
• That volume supports roughly:
  • ~70 logging crews in GA
  • ~60 logging crews in neighboring states
• Before the closures, Georgia was already growing ~50% more wood than it harvested. With these mills gone, that surplus climbs toward 60% – which puts downward pressure on stumpage prices and shrinks severance tax revenues for counties.

“Wood is a natural insulation.” Europe suggests the option of using wood fiber board (from Maine timber) for insulation that is better for the environment. Maine faced the same economic hurtle Georgia faces now with the closing of mills, and took this as an opportunity convert pulp mills to insulation mills – a solution that offers job security to rural Maine.

Needed inputs to create change:

• Support from Georgia to convert pulp mills to insulation mills
• Public awareness of the benefits of wood insulation over typical insulation
• Possible changes / updates to building codes

Plastics are often used in agricultural mulch which creates the necessity of removal of the non-biodegradable material at the end of the growing season. Policy changes and consumer demand are driving a demand for non-plastic alternatives.

Development of “fully biodegradable paper mulches with controllable degradation rate, good barrier properties, and high mechanical strength” could create a market in GA that few could compete with.

Needed inputs:

• Support from Georgia to create manufacturing plants
• Public awareness of the benefits of biodegradable mulch
• Encouragement of use of wood-based mulch over plastic-based mulch
• Possible changes / updates to agricultural codes

Yes, cardboard and paper recycling have driven down demand for paper products from new wood, but there is still a market for packaging.

Plastic packaging benefits oil companies (who are looking to plastics to survive a demand crisis). Georgia doesn’t produce or drill oil, and many  consumers don’t want plastic near their food. Interestingly, “The original cellophane produced by DuPont was a cellulose-based material (made from wood).”

While yesterday’s cellophane is not an answer, research published in Bioresources and Bioprocessing illustrates the ways pulp and paper mills can contribute to a market of new bioplastics, carbon fiber and viscos rayon “realizing the current global waste to wealth developmental approach.”

Additionally, replacement of plastic with paper products presents an opportunity for innovation. Georgia has the opportunity to partner with any of our esteemed universities or startups to “promote the development of manufacturing technologies to address the deficiencies of paper products and expand their applications in replacing traditional plastic products.”

Needed inputs:

• Encouragement of paper products as packaging (work with restaurant and retail store industries on food containers and bags)
• List of 24 Outstanding Paper Manufacturing Businesses in Georgia

If traditional paper packaging isn’t futuristic enough, nanocellulose sure is.

Plants contain cellulose – a fibrous material that makes them stiff and strong. New materials that are strong, lightweight, water resistant, and stable can be made by breaking this cellulose into small, nanosized, pieces and then using it as a building block.

Nanocellulose materials could be used for everything from tooth repair, to fiber optics, to better packaging, to advanced wound care, to advanced sealants and coatings.

Lignocellulosic biomass is being explored to produce “self-assembled cellulose nanopaper (CNP) formed from a nanocellulose suspension…” due to it’s “superior mechanical properties, tunable optical properties, high thermal stability, low thermal expansion coefficient, excellent oxygen barrier, and biodegradability.” A report released by the US Department of Energy notes the possibility of nanocellulous creating the base for engineering biomineralization for our teeth.

Needed inputs:

• Investment in the wood R&D industry and university collaborations

Mass timber has many positives in the construction business:

• Faster Construction
• Lighter weight and more cost-effective building material compared to steel and concrete
• Creates jobs: engineering and construction jobs that stay in state
• Less Temperature Sensitive

Mass timber refers to use of two main products from lumber.

• Cross‑laminated timber (CLT): thick structural panels made by gluing layers of lumber at right angles. Competes with concrete slabs and steel decks in mid‑rise and some high‑rise buildings.
• Glulam / LVL / LSL: engineered beams, columns, and long-span members made from glued boards or veneers. Replace steel beams in many applications.

Watch this Georgia Pacific video of the mass timber project in Atlanta.

Information from the USDA

Needed inputs:

• Investment in and encouragement of use of mass timber in construction
• Possible updated building codes
• Creation of a market: a DOT contract for wooden highway sound barriers