Forest Health in Georgia

Georgia is fortunate to have a vast array of natural resources. One of the state's most precious resources is its forests. These forests can be future income for the timber manager, a place to harvest a spring gobbler for the outdoorsman, or a place to renew the mind for the urban dweller. The forest is equally important to all three. Protecting the health of this forest and all it represents is a top priority of the Georgia Forestry Commission.

Alerts and Updates

Alerts and timely updates on current, or emerging, forest pests threatening Georgia's forests.


Forest Health Notes


Prevention


Threats

Statewide aerial pest surveys are conducted annually for the detection of various forest pests. Dead and dying trees are noted during this survey. These areas are checked by professional foresters to determine the cause and extent of the mortality, and landowners are notified with appropriate advice to minimize future damage. The most common forest pest detected with these surveys are pine bark beetles. Damage caused by other insects or diseases, wildfire, weather events such as flooding, hail, tornado, hurricanes and any other event or outbreak that can affect forest health are all closely monitored.

Foresters in the districts and counties and county Chief Rangers provide the majority of forest health assists to landowners in Georgia. Foresters are available for a variety of insect, disease, and invasive plant diagnosis and advice.

The GFC Forest Health staff is available to provide support for issues that are not easily diagnosed or occurring on a regional scale. This staff provides both field support and technical outreach to land managers to alert them of any regional issues, train them to recognize and diagnose them, and offer any mitigating advice to minimize their impacts. Examples of regional pest issues are pine bark beetle outbreaks which occur periodically, annosum root disease, non-native exotic pests which are impacting our native environments, such as the hemlock woolly adelgid, gypsy moth, and the redbay ambrosia beetle / laurel wilt disease. The staff conducts and oversees a variety of other pest surveys to detect the presence of insects, diseases and unwanted pest plants that have the potential to harm our forests. These surveys include: sudden oak death, gypsy moths, hemlock woolly adelgid, sirex woodwasp, cogongrass, laurel wilt disease, emerald ash borer, asian longhorn beetle, and other non-native bark beetles.


More Information:

Contact Forest Health Staff


Presentations


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