Wildfires take toll on timber industry

South Georgia blazes likely to burn all week, officials say
[Georgia] The wildfires that have burned for a week near the Okefenokee Swamp have dealt an expensive blow to the timber industry, state forestry officials said Monday. Eric Mosley, a spokesman for the Georgia Forestry Commission, said the 56,000-acre Sweat Farm Road fire in Ware County so far has caused timber losses estimated at nearly $65 million. The fire was about 39-percent contained Monday morning, and officials estimated it would likely be Friday before the fire is fully contained. Forestry officials said 692 workers are battling the blaze, using 82 bulldozers and 122 firefighting vehicles. In a typical year, the Georgia Forestry Commission battles about 8,000 wildfires that together consume about 40,000 acres.

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org