GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION NEWS RELEASE:

An important deadline is approaching for local forest landowners seeking assistance to combat the destructive southern pine beetle (SPB).

The Georgia Forestry Commission is offering a number of solutions to battle the pest, which has caused more than $250 million in Georgia timber losses since 1972.

“Forest landowners should contact us before the March 31 deadline to arrange for any of several services that can improve the health of their stands,” said James Johnson, Forest Health Coordinator for the GFC. “These practices can help beetle-proof pine forests and increase the value of landowners’ stands.” According to Johnson, this is the ninth consecutive year the cost-share program has been offered for SPB prevention and relief.

February and March are the months during which landowners must sign up for the Southern Pine Beetle Cost-Share Program, according to Johnson. The program funds specific practices that support forest health, including non-commercial thinning (reducing the number of stems per acre to an optimum level), pine release treatments (removing unwanted hardwoods from the stand and lowering the number of stems per acre), prescribed burning, southern pine beetle infestation treatments, and replanting stands harvested due to southern pine beetle attacks, or planting low-density pine stands within three miles of federally-owned property. These healthy forestry practices are also known to increase wildlife benefits for many species, including deer, turkey, and quail.

For more information, contact your local GFC office or visit GaTrees.org/ForestManagement/spb.cfm.