Georgia Timber Prices Q4 2025
The final quarter of 2025 proved to be one of the most turbulent periods in the timber industry in recent memory, and the effect on Georgia timber prices can be seen. Between Hurricane Helene’s lingering impact and an unprecedented wave of mill closures, timber markets experienced dramatic shifts that will reshape the state’s forestry landscape for years to come. In this article, we will look at current prices and the headwinds you as a landowner should be aware of if you are looking to sell your timber.
WARNING: There Are No Second Chances
If you are reading this and plan to sell your timber (harvest your timber), bear in mind that you only have one shot. Once those trees are cut, you may not be able to harvest again in your lifetime. It is imperative you get it right the first time. That means getting the most money possible without your land and forest being permanently ruined by ruts, tree damage, and mud. That’s why I wrote How to Sell Your Timber Without Destroying Your Land, a comprehensive guide that walks landowners through every step of the process, regardless of whether you hire a forester or sell to loggers directly. It covers everything from deciding whether to harvest or keep growing and finding timber buyers to optimizing timber taxes so the IRS doesn’t take half. If you want to have a timber harvest you don’t regret later, check it out.
Q4 2025 Stumpage Price Table
The following table reflects average stumpage prices (per ton) across Georgia’s major timber-producing regions during the fourth quarter of 2025. Georgia timber prices vary significantly by location, with the southern part of the state typically commanding premium prices for most products.
| Species & Product | Low Price ($/ton) | High Price ($/ton) |
|---|---|---|
| Pine Pulpwood | $7.00 | $9.00 |
| Pine Chip-n-Saw | $17.00 | $23.00 |
| Pine Sawtimber | $24.00 | $35.00 |
| Pine Poles | $29.00 | $45.00 |
| Hardwood Pulpwood | $8.00 | $10.00 |
| Hardwood Sawtimber | $31.00 | $44.00 |
| Softwood Posts | $10.00 | $20.00 |
| Hardwood Firewood | $2.35 | $5.30 |
| Softwood Fuelchips | $23.00 | $30.00 |
Note: Prices represent statewide averages. South Georgia prices typically run 15-25% higher than North Georgia for most products. Hurricane-affected salvage timber sold at 50-90% discounts to these figures.
How to Estimate What Your Timber Is Worth
These Georgia timber prices give you the market rates per unit of timber in your area, but they’re not particularly useful on their own—you need to know how much wood you actually have standing on your land.
The most accurate way to determine your timber volume is to hire a professional forester to conduct a timber cruise, which involves systematically measuring sample plots across your property. This can cost $1,000 or more depending on your acreage and timber complexity.
For a quicker, DIY estimate, you can use SilviCultural—forestry mapping software designed for small woodland owners. It includes an amateur-friendly cruise system that walks you through measuring your timber and calculating volumes by species and product class.
Once you have volume estimates (in MBF, cords, tons, etc.), you can multiply them by the stumpage prices above to get a rough sense of your timber’s market value. For example:
- 50 MBF of pine sawlogs × $400/MBF = $20,000
- 100 cords of mixed hardwood pulpwood × $15/cord = $1,500
Keep in mind: Actual sale prices vary based on access, timber quality, market timing, and logger availability. These calculations give you a ballpark figure—always consult with a forester before making harvest decisions.
Market Update: Storm Aftermath Meets Industry Restructuring
The Helene Hangover Continues
Hurricane Helene’s September 2024 landfall created a timber market disruption that extended well into Q4 2025. The storm damaged an estimated $1.2 billion worth of Georgia timber—$700 million in pine and $550 million in hardwood losses—creating what state foresters called the largest natural disaster in the industry’s history.
By the fourth quarter of 2025, salvage operations were still ongoing across 66 federally-declared disaster counties. The flood of salvage timber kept pulpwood prices suppressed throughout the year, with many markets struggling to absorb the sudden volume increase. Mills continued processing storm-damaged timber, though the window for profitable salvage operations was rapidly closing as wood quality deteriorated.
The Georgia Forestry Commission estimated that approximately 70 logging crews lost their primary timber outlets following the storm. Salvage timber revenues remained deeply discounted—ranging from 10% to 50% of normal stumpage values—due to difficult logging conditions, oversupply, and potential wood defects from storm damage.
Unprecedented Mill Closures Shock the Industry
The fall of 2025 delivered a second major blow to Georgia’s timber sector: a cascade of mill closures that fundamentally altered the state’s timber market landscape and hit Georgia Timber prices.
The Georgia-Pacific Closure (August 2025): Georgia-Pacific’s Cedar Springs containerboard mill in Early County closed its doors on August 1, eliminating 535 jobs. The company cited the mill’s inability to compete economically in current market conditions.
International Paper’s Coastal Exit (October 2025): In the most dramatic announcement, International Paper shuttered multiple facilities in Coastal Georgia, including containerboard mills in Savannah and Riceboro, affecting over 1,100 workers. The Savannah mill, operational since the 1930s, had been a cornerstone of the local economy for nearly a century.
West Fraser’s Augusta Closure (December 2025): West Fraser announced the permanent closure of its Augusta sawmill by year’s end, citing challenging lumber demand and loss of economically viable residual outlets. This affected approximately 130 employees.
The combined impact was staggering: Georgia’s paper mill count dropped from 11 to just 8 operational facilities, down from a peak of 18 mills in 1977. State officials estimated these closures eliminated markets for approximately 4.5 million tons of Georgia-grown timber annually.
Structural Oversupply Pressures Continue
Beyond the immediate crisis, longer-term structural issues continued weighing on timber markets throughout Q4 2025. The region’s substantial oversupply of sawtimber trees on the stump—a legacy of reduced harvesting during the housing market downturn—kept downward pressure on Georgia timber prices as mill capacity (demand) contracted.
Single-family housing starts remained stubbornly below long-term trends, hovering around 1.3 million units annually compared to the pre-2008 average of 1.7 million units. Persistent inflation and elevated interest rates throughout 2024 and into 2025 eroded housing affordability, dampening lumber demand and contributing to sawmill curtailments across the South.
Southern softwood lumber utilization rates fell to approximately 78-80% during Q4 2025, well below the 85% peak seen in 2021. Multiple major lumber producers, including Canfor and Interfor, announced production cuts and indefinite curtailments at Georgia facilities due to weakened market demand.
Regional Price Variations Intensify
The mill closures and hurricane damage created pronounced regional price disparities across Georgia during Q4 2025.
North Georgia saw relatively stable to slightly improving prices. Pine sawtimber held around $24-25 per ton, while chip-n-saw averaged $18-19 per ton. The region’s distance from hurricane damage and continued mill operations in Tennessee and North Carolina provided some market stability.
South Georgia experienced the most volatility. Pre-hurricane, pine sawtimber had been trading around $26-27 per ton, but prices tumbled following the mill closures. Markets in counties surrounding the closed mills saw pine sawtimber drop to $20-22 per ton as loggers scrambled to find alternative buyers and haul wood longer distances. Pulpwood markets remained flooded with salvage material, keeping prices in the $7-8 per ton range—more than 30% below early 2022 peaks.
Middle Georgia served as a transitional zone, with prices generally tracking 10-15% above North Georgia but remaining below South Georgia’s traditional premiums.
Policy Responses and Market Adaptations
Georgia lawmakers and state agencies implemented several relief measures during Q4 2025:
- Timber Tax Relief: HB 223 allowed local governments to waive timber harvest taxes for Q4 2024 and all of 2025, with the state reimbursing counties up to $17.3 million.
- Georgia Timber Tax Credit: A refundable credit of up to $550 per acre became available for landowners in the 66 disaster-declared counties who completed replanting and restoration activities.
- Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP): Federal cost-share funding covered up to 75% of costs for debris removal, site preparation, and tree planting, with a $500,000 cap per entity.
- FMit Program: The Georgia Forestry Commission’s hazardous fuel reduction program provided grants covering 80% of documented costs for wildfire risk mitigation on hurricane-damaged lands, though available funding was quickly exhausted.
Q4 Price Trends by Product
Pulpwood: The market remained deeply depressed throughout Q4 2025. Pine pulpwood averaged $7.50-8.50 per ton statewide, down from $10-11 per ton in early 2022. The mill closures eliminated major buyers while salvage timber continued flooding available markets. Some logging operations reported difficulty making payroll as low pulpwood prices couldn’t cover increasing operating costs.
Chip-n-Saw: This product class showed more resilience, averaging $17-23 per ton depending on region. Demand from remaining sawmills kept prices relatively stable, though South Georgia markets experienced 10-15% declines following the coastal mill closures.
Sawtimber: Pine sawtimber prices varied dramatically by location. North Georgia markets remained relatively firm at $24-26 per ton, while South Georgia saw prices drop to $20-26 per ton as loggers hauled wood longer distances to reach operating mills. Hardwood sawtimber held value better, averaging $31-44 per ton, supported by steady demand from specialty mills and export markets.
Poles: This premium product maintained relatively strong pricing at $29-45 per ton, primarily in South Georgia where Slash and Longleaf pine genetics produce the straightest, most valuable poles. However, markets were limited and volumes small compared to commodity products.
Looking Ahead
As Q4 2025 drew to a close, Georgia timber prices face an uncertain future. State leaders convened the House Rural Development Committee to explore long-term solutions, including:
- Biomass and bioenergy facility development to create alternative timber markets
- Recruitment of new manufacturing capacity to replace closed mills
- Infrastructure investments to support longer-haul timber transportation
- Workforce retention programs as experienced loggers considered leaving the industry
The convergence of natural disaster impacts and structural mill closures created what industry observers called a “perfect storm” for Georgia timber markets. While some analysts predicted eventual market stabilization as salvage operations conclude and supply-demand dynamics rebalance, the path forward remained unclear as 2025 came to a close.
For timber landowners, the message was sobering: markets would likely remain challenged through much of 2026, with regional variations in pricing and market access becoming increasingly pronounced. Those with flexibility in harvest timing were advised to wait for market improvement, while those facing financial pressure or managing storm-damaged stands had few good options in the compressed market conditions of late 2025.
Disclaimer: Timber prices vary significantly based on local market conditions, timber quality, tract size, accessibility, and individual negotiations. These prices represent general market trends and should not be used for specific valuation purposes. Consult a registered consulting forester for professional advice on your specific timber sale.
