Forest Service | December 2017

e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-1 3 4

Georgia’s

Timber Industry—Timber Product Output and Use, 2015

1

Introduction

This science update contains the findings of a 2015 canvass of all 

primary wood-using plants in Georgia, and presents changes in 

product output and residue use since 2013. It complements the 

Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) annual inventory of volume 

and removals from the State’s timberland. The canvass was 

conducted to determine the amount and source of wood receipts and 

annual timber product drain, by county, in 2015 and to determine 

interstate and cross-regional movement of industrial roundwood. 

Only primary wood-using mills were canvassed. Primary mills are 

those that process roundwood in log or bolt form or as chipped 

roundwood. Examples of industrial roundwood products are saw 

logs, pulpwood, veneer logs, poles, and logs used for composite 

board products. Mills producing products from residues generated at 

primary and secondary processors were not canvassed. Trees 

chipped in the woods were included in the estimate of timber drain 

only if they were delivered to a primary domestic manufacturer. 

A 100-percent canvass of all wood processors in Georgia was 

conducted in 2016 to obtain information for 2015. In addition, 

roundwood from out-of-State mills known to be using logs or bolts 

harvested from Georgia timberland was incorporated into Georgia 

production estimates. Each mill was canvassed by mail or through 

personal contact at plant locations. Telephone contacts followed 

mailed questionnaire responses when additional information or 

clarification of a response was necessary. In the event of a 

nonresponse, data collected in previous surveys were updated using 

current data collected for mills of similar size, product type, and 

location. Surveys for all timber products other than pulpwood began 

in 1961, and are currently conducted every 2 years.

Pulpwood production data were taken from an annual canvass of all 

southern pulpmills. Medium density fiberboard, insulating board, 

and hardboard plants were included in this survey.

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Research Work Unit of the 

Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture developed the 

Timber Product Output (TPO) Database Retrieval System to help 

customers answer questions about timber harvesting and use in the 

Southern region. This system acts as an interface to a standard set of 

consistently coded TPO data for each State and county in the region 

and Nation. The database is well documented and easy to use. The 

retrieval system allows the user to select the TPO variables of 

interest and generate a standard set of timber products, removals, 

and mill residue tables for the specified resource area, State, or 

region. The Excel® core tables and figures that complement this 

science update are available on the TPO database. The system is 

available through the FIA Web site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/srsfia/. 

Product and

species group 2013 2015 Change Change

percent

 Softwood 310,022 360,565 50,543 16.3

 Hardwood 53,997 61,454 7,457 13.8

 Total 364,019 422,019 58,000 15.9

 Softwood 40,494 41,936 1,442 3.6

 Hardwood 2,761 2,767 6 0.2

 Total 43,255 44,703 1,448 3.3

 Softwood 508,127 524,401 16,274 3.2

 Hardwood 99,809 93,907 -5,902 -5.9

 Total 607,936 618,308 10,372 1.7

 Softwood 74,166 85,665 11,499 15.5

 Hardwood 4 170 166 4150.0

 Total 74,170 85,835 11,665 15.7

Bioenergy

 Softwood 76,170 98,359 22,189 29.0

 Hardwood 5,306 26,013 20,707 390.3

 Total 81,476 124,371 44,896 52.6

 Softwood 88,108 14,597 -73,511 -83.4

 Hardwood 6,726 1,638 -5,088 -75.6

 Total 94,834 16,235 -78,599 -82.9

Poles, Posts, and Pilings

 Softwood 23,018 27,738 4,720 20.5

 Hardwood 0 0 0 0.0

 Total 23,018 27,738 4,720 20.5

 Softwood 1,120,105 1,153,260 33,155 3.0

 Hardwood 168,603 185,948 17,345 10.3

 Total 1,288,708 1,339,208 50,500 3.9

Pulpwood

Composite panels

Other industrial

All industrial

Table 1—Output of industrial products by product and 

species group, Georgia, 2013 and 2015

Year

 - - - - thousand cubic feet - - - - 

Saw logs

Veneer logs
e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-1 3 4

2

The SRS gratefully acknowledges the tremendous cooperation and 

assistance provided by the Georgia Forestry Commission in 

collecting mill data. Appreciation is also extended to forest industry 

and mill managers for providing timber products information. 

All Products

Industrial timber product output from roundwood increased 50.5 

million cubic feet, or 4 percent, to 1.34 billion cubic feet.

Output of industrial softwood roundwood products increased 3 

percent to 1.15 billion cubic feet, while output of industrial 

hardwood roundwood products increased 10 percent to 186 million 

cubic feet (fig. 1).

Pulpwood and saw logs were the principal roundwood products in 

2015. Combined output of these two products totaled 1.04 billion 

cubic feet and accounted for 78 percent of the State's total industrial 

roundwood output (fig. 2).

Total receipts at Georgia mills, which included roundwood 

harvested and retained in the State and roundwood imported from 

other States, increased 11 percent to 1.34 billion cubic feet.

At the same time, the number of primary roundwood-using plants in 

Georgia increased from 164 in 2013 to 190 in 2015 (fig. 3, see next 

page). The number of sawmills increased by 4, pulpmills, veneer, 

and composite panel mills remained stable, bio-energy facilities 

increased by 13 and other miscellaneous mills increased by 8, poles/

post/piling mills increased by 1. 

Across all products, 86 percent of roundwood harvested was 

retained for processing at Georgia mills. Exports of roundwood to 

other States amounted to 183.5 million cubic feet, while imports of 

roundwood amounted to 197.5 million cubic feet making the State 

a net importer of roundwood. 

Figure 1— Roundwood production for all products by species group and year, Georgia, 2015.

Figure 2— Roundwood production by type of product, Georgia, 

2015.

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1986 1989 1992 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood Hardwood

Veneer 

logs

3%

Saw 

logs

32%

Bioenergy

9%

Pulpwood

46%

Miscellaneous

1%

Composite 

panels

6%

Post, poles, 

pilings

2%

Total 1.34 billion cubic feet
3

e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-1 3 4

Figure 3—Primary wood-using mills, Georgia, 2015.
e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-1 3 4

4

Pulpwood

Total pulpwood production increased 2 percent to 618.3 million 

cubic feet, and accounted for 46 percent of the State's total roundwood production compared to 47 percent of total production in 

2013. Softwood output increased to 524.4 million cubic feet; hardwood output decreased to 93.9 million cubic feet (fig. 4). These 

were an increase and decrease from 2013 numbers of 3 percent and 

6 percent, respectively.

Twelve pulpmill facilities were operating and receiving roundwood in Georgia in 2015, the same since 2003. Total pulpwood 

receipts for these mills decreased to 632.8 million cubic feet, accounting for 47 percent of total receipts for all mills.

Figure 4—Roundwood pulpwood production by species group and year, 

Georgia, 2015.

Eighty percent of roundwood cut for pulpwood was retained for 

processing at Georgia pulpmills. Roundwood pulpwood accounted 

for 67 percent of total known exports and 69 percent of total imports. 

Saw Logs

Saw logs accounted for 32 percent of the State's total roundwood 

products. Output of softwood saw logs increased 16 percent to 

360.6 million cubic feet, while that of hardwood saw logs increased 14 percent to 61.5 million cubic feet (fig. 5).

In 2015, Georgia had 98 sawmills, 4 more mills than in 2013. Total saw-log receipts were up 58.3 million cubic feet to 430.9 million cubic feet. Softwood saw-log receipts increased 16 percent to 

365.2 million cubic feet, while those of hardwoods increased 13 

percent to 65.7 million cubic 

Figure 5— Roundwood saw-log production by species group and year, 

Georgia, 2015. 

Georgia retained 93 percent of its saw-log production for within 

State manufacture, with saw-log imports exceeding exports by 8.9 

million cubic feet in 2015.

Veneer Logs

Output of veneer logs in 2015 totaled 44.7 million cubic feet, a 3 

percent increase since 2013, and accounted for 3 percent of the 

State's total roundwood production (fig. 6).

The number of veneer mills operating in Georgia remained stable 

at 5 for 2015. Receipts of veneer logs increased 9 percent to 45.4 

million cubic feet. 

Figure 6— Roundwood veneer-log production by species group and year, 

Georgia, 2015.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1986 1989 1992 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood

Hardwood

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

1986 1989 1992 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood

Hardwood

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1986 1989 1992 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood

Hardwood
5

e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-1 3 4

Composite Panels

Roundwood harvested from Georgia’s forests for composite panels 

increased 16 percent and totaled 85.8 million cubic feet. Softwood 

output was up 16 percent to 85.7 million cubic feet. (fig. 7).

Four composite panel, or oriented strand board, mills were 

operating in Georgia in 2015, same as 2013. Total receipts for 

these mills increased 12 percent to 89.6 million cubic feet, and 

accounted for 7 percent of the State’s total receipts.

Figure 8— Roundwood bioenergy production by species group and year, 

Georgia, 2015. 

Figure 7— Roundwood composite panel production by species group and 

year, Georgia, 2015. 

Bioenergy

Roundwood harvested from Georgia’s forests for bioenergy increased 53 percent and totaled 124.4 million cubic feet. Softwood 

output increased 29 percent to 98.4 million cubic feet, while that 

of hardwood increased 390 percent to 26 million cubic feet. (fig. 

8).

Twenty-four bioenergy facilities were operating in Georgia in 

2015, up from 11 in 2013. Total receipts for these mills totaled 

109.7 million cubic feet, and accounted for 8 percent of the 

State’s total receipts.

Georgia retained 81 percent of its bioenergy log production for 

within State manufacture, with bioenergy exports exceeding imports by 14.7 million cubic feet in 2015.

Other Industrial Products

Roundwood harvested for other industrial uses such as poles, 

posts, mulch, residential firewood, industrial fuel, logs for log 

homes, and all other industrial products totaled 44 million cubic 

feet. Softwood made up 96 percent of the other industrial products 

volume.

The number of plants producing other industrial products totaled 

37 in 2015. Combined receipts of other industrial products from 

softwood and hardwood totaled 44.4 million cubic feet. 

Poles, Posts, and Pilings

Roundwood harvested from Georgia’s forests for poles, posts, and 

pilings increased 21 percent and totaled 27.7 million cubic feet. 

Softwood was the only species group used for product.

Eighteen pole, posts, and piling facilities were operating in Georgia 

in 2015, up from 17 in 2013. Total receipts for these mills totaled 

28.9 million cubic feet, and accounted for 2 percent of the state’s 

total receipts.

Georgia retained 97 percent of its pole, posts, and piling production 

for within State manufacture, with pole, posts, and piling imports 

exceeding exports by 1.1 million cubic feet in 2015.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2013 2015

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood

Hardwood

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1986 1989 1992 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood

Hardwood

Not 

reported
e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-1 3 4

6

Plant Byproducts

In 2015, processing of primary products in Georgia mills generated 

441.1 million cubic feet of wood and bark residues. Coarse residues 

from all primary products amounted to 157 million cubic feet, while 

bark volume totaled 184.7 million cubic feet. Collectively, sawdust 

and shavings made up 23 percent of total residues, or 99.3 million 

cubic feet (fig. 9).

The processing of saw logs generated 282.3 million cubic feet of 

mill residues, accounting for 64 percent of the total residues 

produced (fig. 10).

Nearly 441.1 million cubic feet, or 100 percent, of the wood and 

bark residues were used for a product. While <1 percent of the 

residues were not used for a product, 48 percent of the residues were 

used for industrial fuel and 31 percent were used for fiber products 

(fig. 11). Of course residue, 121.9 million cubic feet, or 78 percent, 

were used for fiber products. Eighty-four percent of the bark was 

used for industrial fuel, while 42 percent of the sawdust and 

shavings were used for industrial fuel.

How to Cite This Publication

Wall, David J., Bentley, James W., Cooper, Jason 

A., Gray, James A. 2017. Georgia’s timber 

industry—timber product output and use, 2015. 

e-Science Update–134. Asheville, NC: 

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 

Southern Research Station. 6 p.

Contact Information

David J Wall, Forester

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service

4700 Old Kingston Pike

Knoxville, Tennessee 37919

Phone: 601-384-5876x 160/ Fax: 865-862-0248

Email: djwall@fs.fed.us

Southern FIA: https://www.fs.usda.gov/srsfia/

National FIA: https://fia.fs.fed.us

James W Bentley, Forester

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service

4700 Old Kingston Pike

Knoxville, Tennessee 37919

Phone: 865-862-2056/ Fax: 865-862-0248

Email: jamesbentley@fs.fed.us

Southern FIA: https://srsfia2.fs.fed.us

National FIA: https://fia.fs.fed.us

The published report is available online at https://treesearch.fs.fed.us

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

Figure 9— Primary mill residue by type, Georgia, 2015.

Figure 10— Primary mill residue produced by mill roundwood 

type, Georgia, 2015. 

Figure 11— Disposal of residue by product, Georgia, 2015. 

Fiber

products

31%

Not

used

<1%

Miscellaneous

2%

Residential

fuelwood

1%

Sawn 

products

1%

Mulch

5%

Bioenergy

10%

Animal 

Bedding

Industrial fuel 2%

48%

Total 441 million cubic feet

Saw logs

64%

Veneer logs

4%

Composite 

panels

2%

Pulpwood

15%

Poles, post, 

pilings

1% Bioenergy

14%

Miscellaneo

us

<1%

Total 441 million cubic feet