{"id":33073,"date":"2026-03-04T18:17:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T08:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=33073"},"modified":"2026-03-04T18:17:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T08:17:23","slug":"georgia-bets-on-mass-timber-and-jet-fuel-after-paper-mills-go-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/georgia-bets-on-mass-timber-and-jet-fuel-after-paper-mills-go-dark\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia Bets on Mass Timber and Jet Fuel After Paper Mills Go Dark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Georgia, the United States\u2019 largest exporter of timber products and one of the world\u2019s biggest producers of pulp, is betting on higher-value mass timber construction and sustainable aviation fuels to plug a hole left by the collapse of its paper and pulp sector. But for the loggers, truckers and landowners, that bet needs to pay off&#8230;and fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When International Paper closed its mills in Liberty and Chatham counties last year, regional demand fell by 3 million tonnes, and nearly 1,655 jobs disappeared seemingly overnight. Pulpwood that fetched US$15\u201316 a tonne before the closures now sells for US$5\u20136. As a result, demand, as of January, is down 60 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">As a result, the economics have turned against landowners.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>The average pulpwood price before International Paper\u2019s exit was US$1,125 per acre. Last month it was US$375. \u201cIt costs about $350 to get an acre replanted,\u201d according to Shane Harrelson, owner of Ohoopee Land and Timber in Vidalia, <a href=\"https:\/\/thecurrentga.org\/2026\/02\/28\/georgia-timber-industry-seeks-innovative-solutions-amid-market-challenges\/\">who spoke to local media over the weekend<\/a>. \u201cSo to timber land owners, it doesn\u2019t seem to make sense anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s that kind of mathematics that brought Georgia\u2019s timber leaders to a summit in Midway \u00a0\u2014 looking for markets that paper and pulp can no longer provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"t5u4JzV2IbQ\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Closure of International Paper Mills strains Georgia&#039;s timber industry\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/t5u4JzV2IbQ?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>In October, the closure of International Paper facilities sent shockwaves through Georgia\u2019s timber industry, leaving suppliers scrambling to adapt<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Al Williams, state representative and Liberty County Development Authority  Chair, said debt is pushing some to bankruptcy. \u201cIt\u2019s devastating. If you own $2 million worth of equipment and you\u2019re not hauling any logs\u2026 That\u2019s scary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe Hopkins, CEO of Toledo Manufacturing and a landowner, was blunt. \u201cWe\u2019re barely breaking even.\u201d Whilst Steve Strickland, vice president of Beach Timber Inc. and owner of two pole mills, watched raw material supply evaporate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you have 1,000 trees in that stand of timber, about 10% of that is going to be straight enough to make poles out of,\u201d he said. \u201cThe other 900 trees that aren\u2019t being harvested don\u2019t have a mill anymore, so nothing is being cut.\u201d A third mill he owns sits closed. \u201cWith the market in such bad shape, we have no current plans to bring it back online without major capital investment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harrelson \u2014 whose business sold only 5% of its wood to International Paper \u2014 was nearly sunk by the paper giant&#8217;s collapse anyway. His company was shifting a maximum of 30 loads in the first two weeks after the closure. \u00a0\u201cA year ago, I was selling 90 to 100 loads a week,\u201d he said. \u201c(But) if we were to sell under 40 loads a week for four to six weeks, we wouldn\u2019t be able to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But instead of despairing, Harrelson pivoted, harvesting mixed tracts of soft pine and hardwood across different species to reach different product markets. \u201cIt got him me back to 60 to 65 loads a week,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udf32\u2708\ufe0f Forest waste is the new jet fuel.<br>Qantas &amp; Airbus are already betting on it. And Georgia wants in, too. Is wood fibre SAF&#39;s best-kept secret feedstock? For more:  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TwcIX8ojyP\">https:\/\/t.co\/TwcIX8ojyP<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/grvrQU8FRf\">pic.twitter.com\/grvrQU8FRf<\/a><\/p>&mdash; WoodCentralAu (@WoodCentralAU1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WoodCentralAU1\/status\/2029104662587294038?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 4, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The December summit became as much a therapy session for embattled business owners as a venue for solutions. House Majority Leader Jon Burns, one of Georgia\u2019s largest timber farmers, focused on the enormous opportunities in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with local producers responding to new European mandates to progressively lift SAF content in aviation blends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Model T that&#8217;s been running for 90 years vs a brand-new F-250.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Burns was candid about many of the obstacles. Europe blocks chemically treated wood from American mills, he said, and the unstable tariff situation makes US wood uncompetitive.  \u201cSAF also competes against cooking oil and municipal waste for feedstock \u2014 Georgia doesn&#8217;t own this market outright.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe can support our existing businesses,\u201d Georgia Forestry Commission executive director Tim Lowrimore told state lawmakers. \u201cBut we also have the capacity to do more. To get where we want to be, you, as state leaders, have to be committed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"8LBEE0ZGdDo\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Salvaging Damaged Timber | Hurricane Helene Devastation to Georgia&#039;s Forestlands\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8LBEE0ZGdDo?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The Georgia supply chain is already grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene which tore through the United States most productive timberlands.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Mass timber was another idea that gained traction. According to Byrnn Grant, CEO of LCDA, it&#8217;s more eco-friendly than steel or concrete, and far more durable than particleboard. Whilst Patrick Shay, architect from Gunn Meyerhoff Shay Architects, told the room that timber-based floor slabs can remove the need for a concrete pour, cutting time and cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGeorgia is uniquely positioned,\u201d Marshall Thomas, president of F&amp;W Forestry Services, recently told a state Senate study committee. \u201cWe can add jobs and tax base and position Georgia as a leader in the transition to a green economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amongst the roadblocks is the age of machinery and its equivalent. Seven of Georgia\u2019s eight remaining pulp mills were built before 1961. \u201cBrazil, China, and Indonesia are building brand new, state-of-the-art mills, and we\u2019re running mills built in 1936,\u201d one figure said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a Model T that\u2019s been running for 90 years vs to a brand-new Ford F-250.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Georgia, the United States\u2019 largest exporter of timber products and one of the world\u2019s biggest producers of pulp, is betting on higher-value mass timber construction and sustainable aviation fuels to plug a hole left by the collapse of its paper and pulp sector. But for the loggers, truckers and landowners, that bet needs to pay [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33075,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"default","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[51,32,46,39,45,44,31],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[69],"class_list":{"0":"post-33073","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-americas","8":"category-global-news","9":"category-industry","10":"category-mass-timber","11":"category-sustainability","12":"category-sustainable-forest-management","13":"category-top-stories"},"authors":[{"term_id":69,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"woodcentral","display_name":"Wood Central","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MASTER-BRAND-MARK_POS_RGB-e1676449549955.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MASTER-BRAND-MARK_POS_RGB-e1676449549955.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33073"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33076,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33073\/revisions\/33076"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33073"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=33073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}