Connecting All Georgians to Working Forests

GFF’s mission is to continue engaging current and future generations with the working forests that sustain our environment, communities, and economy. These experiences tell the story first-hand of how Georgia became the # 1 Forestry State in the Nation!

Building strong connections: Worked with various organizations to reconnect the Boys & Girls Club to Georgia’s working forests. Students visited some of our favorite nature centers, tree farms, and teaching forests, introducing kids to forest ecosystems, products, and careers in forestry.

• +400 Kids
• 14 Clubs
• 4 Counties

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Building a Workforce Pipeline: +60 teens from the Trees Atlanta’s Youth Tree Team visited a working sawmill and harvest site, and discovered what sustainable forestry truly looks like. These field trips provide the connection between Georgia trees – an abundant natural resource – and the products Georgians use every day.

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Earth Day at Ponce City Market: Along with 8 other organizations, we engaged with +1000 people in the heart of Atlanta. With free t-shirts sponsored by Georgia Power, live animal encounters, leaf rubbing activities, and more, this event gave us the opportunity to connect the Atlanta community with Georgia’s 22million acres of working forests, as well as sustainable practices that not only protect but enhance our environment.

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Fernbank Science Museum’s Forestry Day: 1300+ guests visited the museum for this family fun-filled event, and over 120+ kids engaged in GFF’s Scavenger Hunt – a game where learning about forestry got you your very own “tree shirt!”

This staple event in Atlanta provides a bridge between urban families and the working forests they depend on. Through activities, demonstrations, and more, dozens of families were introduced to the benefits of Georgia forestry.

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Educating Generations: Introduced 8,000+ elementary students to Georgia forest products and the importance of Georgia’s working forests. Thanks to our gracious donors, forestry-related curriculums are taught inside the classroom through engaging activities and hands-on learning.

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Investing in Future Generations: $6,000 in scholarships awarded to students focused on agricultural communications and forestry degrees with Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources. 

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FFA State Convention in Macon: Attended the FFA State Convention to connect 6,000+ students and educate them on Georgia’s forestry careers through trivia and giveaways. By partnering with PONSSE, we were able to provide students with live interactive forestry experiences. 

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Recognizing Leadership: Awarded 30-year veteran teacher, Richard Gill of Brantley County High School in Nahunta, with $1500 gift. This award, sponsored by Huber Engineered Woods, recognizes the accomplishments of educators who demonstrate an unwavering commitment to forestry education – connecting students to Georgia’s 22 million acres of working forests. By featuring a Forestry Teacher every year, we are able to highlight the critical work being done by educators across the state to foster a deeper understanding of forestry among students.

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ForestryWorks of Georgia: In partnership with the Georgia Department of Education and ForestryWorks, this program provides high school students with the opportunity to earn career-ready Forestry Certification and complete forestry end of pathway assessments at no cost to the school district! This exciting initiative will help create a direct pipeline to the wide variety of meaningful careers in Georgia’s forestry industry.

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Environmental Benefits through Market Based Solutions

Working forests serve as Georgia’s greatest asset in providing clean drinking water, offsetting carbon emissions and sustaining habitat for wildlife and biodiversity. We are focused on identifying market-based solutions that empower forest landowners and managers to better manage their forests while increasing the sustainability and resilience of the state’s largest land use.

Incentivizing Forest Management: Kicked off the Georgia RISE program to provide underserved and small-acreage landowners additional economic opportunities. The creation of a Georgia-grown forest carbon exchange can leverage a collective demand among Drawdown Georgia Business Compact members for high-integrity, locally-based carbon projects to support climate-smart forestry practices at scale across the state.

The initiative will enable landowners to participate not only in carbon markets but also in emerging markets for biodiversity and water quality benefits.

Landowner Outreach: Georgia’s working forests depend on confident private landowners. After Hurricane Helene—and amid growing interest in markets, habitat, and cost share—many don’t know where to start. GFA is meeting that need with a no cost navigation team that turns confusion into action through trusted referrals and guided access to funding and technical assistance.

🌲13 events

🌲1,562 attendees

🌲143 landowners reached

🌲12 received direct assistance 

Birds love Working Forests: Hosted 30+ birders at the Oxford family working forest, building the connection between Georgia’s non-industrial, privately-owned working forests and the birds they inhabit. Working forest management provides a variety of benefits to native bird species and provides another source of revenue for landowners.

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Incentivizing Water Quality: Hosted 3 roundtable meetings centered on incentivizing water conservation for Georgia’s forest landowners. Healthy, well-managed forests are directly correlated with safe and reliable drinking water. Providing alternate revenue sources for tree farmers increases their ability to invest and keep their land in trees.

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Mobilizing Mass Timber in Georgia 

Building with mass timber is not only carbon-friendly but it’s also construction-friendly with faster turnarounds and larger returns on investments. As developers envision a more sustainable and biophilic landscape for the future, Georgia’s 22 million acres of privately-owned working forests stand ready with the supply.  These investments in locally-grown wood and regionally-sourced mass timber will keep Georgia’s working forests growing for generations to come.

Georgia’s Mass Timber Accelerator: 6 active projects in Georgia with 150k in funding and technical assistance with Woodworks Wood Products Council.  Three unique construction projects were rewarded $25,000 each, along with engineering support from WoodWorks, with three more projects slotted for 2026.

These projects continue to represent a significant step forward for mass timber construction in Georgia, aligning local efforts with the global demand for sustainable construction while highlighting the economic efficiency and resiliency of mass timber as a building material.

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Georgia Mass Timber Hubs: Hosted five Hub events in Atlanta, Savannah, Athens, Columbus, and Macon, engaging 300+ architects, engineers, construction professionals, and county officials. Each session delivered practical mass timber education and resources to accelerate acceptance across Georgia’s construction community. Watch a panel discussion from our Atlanta Hub (video button), or view all past Hub sessions on our website: www.georgiamasstimber.org. 

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