ATLANTA, Ga. — South Georgia timber growers still sitting on wood damaged by Hurricane Helene could gain new buyers for it under a federal disaster recovery award steered through Georgia Tech.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration, part of the Commerce Department, plans to award $7,366,644 to a coalition called Resilient Growth Through Enabling Next Generation Agriculture, or ReGEN Ag. The Georgia Tech Research Corp. leads the effort, which grew out of the university Enterprise Innovation Institute and pairs its Renewable Bioproducts Institute with its Supply Chain and Logistics Institute.
The money splits between two projects meant to run about 18 months. The larger share, $5,320,874, goes to ReWOOD, which will work on pulling niacin and other chemical building blocks out of low-grade and storm-damaged wood. Those materials can end up in livestock feed, crop nutrients and personal care goods.
The other $2,045,770 funds Resilient Routes, which will map the region supply chains and critical infrastructure in real time, run pilot tests and offer training. The aim is cooperative logistics hubs that keep raw timber moving when storms knock out roads or plants.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the 2024 storm left growers with damaged wood and exposed weak points in how their products reach market. Top Tier Trees has committed $24 million in private investment, and the Georgia Forestry Commission and Georgia Tech are putting up upward of $1.9 million as a match.
Forestry is a major piece of the state economy. The Georgia Forestry Association puts its annual contribution at $41.3 billion and says it supports close to 144,000 direct and indirect jobs. Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and South Georgia State College will partner on workforce training in forestry, agriculture, biomanufacturing and logistics.
The award comes from the EDA fiscal 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program, which set aside about $1.45 billion for places hit by major disasters in 2023 and 2024.
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