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Georgia forestry director urges market development, highlights wildfire readiness after Helene
Summary
Georgia Forestry Commission Director Johnny Sabo told the Natural Resources & Environment committee the state has kept wildfire acreage low through aggressive response, faces market losses after mill closures, and is pursuing equipment, AI detection pilots and market innovation to address fuel loads and salvageable wood.
Johnny Sabo, director of the Georgia Forestry Commission, told the Natural Resources & Environment committee on Jan. 31 that the agency has limited the acreage lost to wildfires through rapid suppression but still faces long‑term market and fuel‑loading challenges after Hurricane Helene.
Sabo cited agency fire statistics and said the state recorded roughly 2,100 wildfires with an average of about 5.1 acres per fire; he also noted an earlier 2025 season of more than 4,000 wildfires but said the acreage burned represented less than a tenth of a percent of Georgia’s forested acres. "We kept it to less than a tenth of a percent of our forested acres in the state," he said, calling the suppression record an accomplishment for agency crews.
The commission is balancing immediate wildfire response with recovery and economic work. Sabo described post‑Helene problems: standing and fallen timber that has become fuel, reduced markets after recent mill…
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