VALDOSTA — The Georgia Forestry Association will be holding its Valdosta Regional Landowner meeting at the Ravine Grill and Dinnerhouse at Kinderlou Forest on Tuesday.

The 6 p.m. meeting is one of 18 held annually throughout the state and the theme for the meeting is “Win, Lose or Straw — Essentials of Pine Straw Management.” The purpose of these meetings is to inform the GFA members about the future of the state’s environmental and economic stability so they can make wise and educated decisions about their forestland investments, said Larry Fudge, vice president of procurement for Langdale Industries, Inc. Another reason is to let the members know about the benefits of being a member of GFA. Timber is recognized as a long-term crop and owners are interested in generating income, Fudge said.

According to the GFA, the main points of the meeting are to provide education to the landowners on key legislative issues, such as ad valorem taxes, current use valuation assessment, water issues, private property as well as new forest management topics. The meetings also gives the GFA a handle on what its members are facing in their local areas. Private landowner members are able to meet and build relationships with members from the forest industry, and find out what other landowners are doing in their areas.

There is another important reason for the meeting and that is to draw more members into the GFA. There are now more than 2,300 members and the membership is very diverse. Members include private landowners, loggers, consulting foresters, forest product companies and others who want to see Georgia’s forest resources handled wisely.

One of the major problems facing landowners is the ad valorem tax, Fudge said. In some cases the taxes per acre are greater than the value of the timber growth. “Some are so heavily taxed, we can’t afford to grow timber,” Fudge said. “We literally need an overhaul of the Georgia ad valorem tax structure.”

For questions about the GFA meeting please call Tim Lowrimore at 478-992-8110 or tim@gfagrow.org.



To contact reporter Rip Prine, please call 244-3400, ext. 237.