AFTER GEORGIA-PACIFIC
By Don Sadler
When the first roll of linerboard was produced at the Georgia-Pacific Containerboard mill in Cedar Springs in 1963, it started a 60+ year history of a manufacturing plant that became the heart and soul of Early County. This history came to an end in 2025 when the plant was permanently closed, eliminating 535 full-time jobs, including 103 jobs in Early County, or 17% of the county’s manufacturing jobs. But don’t count Early County out just yet.
An Unwelcome Surprise
When announcing the closure, Georgia-Pacific stressed that it “had nothing to do with the quality of work” performed by the plant’s employees. Instead, they determined that the mill
could no longer operate competitively in the long term.
State Representative Gerald E. Greene (R-Cuthbert), whose district includes Early County, says the mill’s closure came out of the blue. “There were no indications that this was coming,” he says.
“It’s still hard for me to understand why they closed a mill that had operated for so long and employed so many people.”
But not surprisingly, the mill’s closure has had major impacts not only on Early County, but also on surrounding counties in Georgia, Florida and Alabama. These include employment, payroll, tax and revenue impacts, as well as affecting the overall community and the timber industry in Southwest Georgia.
Blakely Mayor Travis Wimbush worked at the Georgia-Pacific Containerboard mill for more than a decade after returning to the town where he grew up in 2015. During this time, he worked his way up to a crane operator position earning a comfortable salary.
“Georgia Pacific was one of the top paying employers in this area, so the closure has been difficult for most of the people who worked there,” says Wimbush. “Many of us figured we would retire there but instead have had to start over again in new jobs.”
After several months job searching, Wimbush took a position with FedEx in Dothan, Alabama, which is 30 miles away. His new job pays less, however, which has forced his family to cut back on expenses.
Susanne Reynolds, director of the Development Authority of Early County, says the mill closure has affected downtown Blakely, where some businesses have closed due to a lack of foot traffic. “It’s very apparent that there has been a closure,” she says. “I used to see all the logging trucks on Highway 27 heading toward Early County. Now they’re heading the other way or I don’t see them at all.”
The timber and pulp and paper industries have been a big part of the fabric of life in Southwest Georgia for decades. Eighteen counties are home to more than 2.5 million acres of timberland, approximately 622,000 acres of which were harvested in 2020, and there are 87 timber companies within 100 miles of Cedar Springs.
I really do believe this represents a once in-a-generation opportunity to transform the economic landscape and position our community and region for long-term growth.
-Susanne Reynolds
“I don’t think I know anybody who hasn’t had someone in their family who worked at the Georgia-Pacific mill or was involved in the timber industry,” says Reynolds. “But the mill closure is changing this.”
Impact of the Closure
Consultant David C. Bridges, Ph.D. presented a detailed report last summer of the projected impacts of the Georgia-Pacific mill closure on Early County — the closure’s epicenter — and the mill’s employment zone, which includes 33 counties in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. “There’s no question that the mill closure is having a big impact on numerous counties in this area,” says Bridges.
For example, pulpwood that used to be trucked into Early County is now going to mills in Montezuma, Cordele, and Cottonton, Alabama.
The closure will result in an annual negative employment impact of over $115 million and a $13.3 million annual tax revenue loss for Georgia, including $6.8 million in Early County alone, according to Bridges. The total annual economic loss for the affected region: over $182 million, including payroll, direct and indirect spending, tax revenue, and the effect on foresters who supplied the mill.
Reynolds notes that since the Georgia-Pacific mill closure, Early County has fallen from #53 to #21 on Georgia’s list of Job Tax Credit Rankings. “This indicates that the paper mill closure had such a significant economic impact on Early County that it is now categorized as a ‘Bottom 40 County’ in the state of Georgia,” she says.
Bridges identified three main impact zones from the closure: timber industry operators, timberland owners, and local city and county governments.
“We could lose at least a fourth of the operators in this area,” he says. “A lot of them are either getting no quota allocations or a quota that’s so low they can’t afford to stay in business.”
Meanwhile, timberland owners are facing depressed market prices for their land due to lower demand for the small-diameter pine trees that were used by Georgia-Pacific in containerboard manufacturing. Georgia Forestry Association President and CEO Tim Lowrimore says the real challenge for landowners and loggers is finding outlets for these small-diameter pine trees.
Bridges believes there will need to be some significant adjustments made by Early County, the city of Blakely, and the school system in light of the lower tax base and tax revenue caused by the mill closure. However, Wimbush says the city has not reduced services or raised taxes.
“Instead, we’ve taken a more conservative approach to our budget and spending,” says Wimbush. For example, the city is not filling open positions unless they are considered to be essential workers, like public safety.
“Sometimes challenges create new opportunities and we now have an opportunity to engage in more direct and intentional conversations about what we want our future to look like.”
— Mayor Travis Wimbush
According to Lowrimore, the impact of the mill’s closure is throughout the forestry supply chain. “The cascading effect of the closure is much larger than the immediate effect,” he says. “Our membership is comprised of the entire supply chain including landowners, logging crews, truck drivers, forestry consultants, and more. Going forward, the forestry supply chain is going to look very different.
“There has been a lot of market disruption over the past 12 months and it’s going to take some time to work all of that out,” Lowrimore adds.
“The forest products industry in Georgia is in a great position. Our trees are a valuable resource so investment will eventually come back to fill in these pockets of opportunity.”
— Tim Lowrimore
Another concern has to do with residuals, or byproducts from lumber production in area sawmills that were being shipped to the Georgia-Pacific mill in Cedar Springs. “Forty percent of a tree that’s used to make two-by-fours is going to residuals like wood chip or bark that would have gone to the Georgia-Pacific mill,” Lowrimore explains. “Sawmills have to be able to remove the residuals to make a profit, so the plant closure has created challenges for the sawmill industry.”
Transforming the Economic Landscape
Over the past year since the Georgia-Pacific mill closed, many leaders in South Georgia have taken a “glass half full” view of the situation. “I really do believe this represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the economic landscape and position our community and region for longterm growth,” says Reynolds. “With the right vision and partnerships in place, the former mill site has the potential to once again be one of the most impactful economic assets for our area.”
Reynolds would like to see the site redeveloped for use in manufacturing, logistics, energy, biomass “or anything that can help the timber industry,” she says. “It’s a prime industrial location so the possibilities are endless.”
Given the struggles facing the agriculture industry in Southwest Georgia, Bridges believes it’s important that any redevelopment efforts help diversify the region’s employment base. “Many communities in rural Southwest Georgia don’t have the small manufacturing and textile plants they once had,” he says. “And it’s getting harder to find people who are willing to do agricultural work.”
One possibility, says Bridges, is using wood for biofuel to generate electricity. “The price point on that has been such that Southern Company and other utilities aren’t interested because it costs too much.” Using cellulosic materials in wood to make batteries is another possibility Bridges says is currently being explored.
Bridges calls solar farms and data centers “the 800-pound elephant in the room. Solar farms present an opportunity for landowners to generate a healthy income, especially if they retain ownership and sign a lease with the solar company. They can also provide significant tax revenue for the county.”
As for data centers, Bridges says the economic impact isn’t quite as diversified: “The tax revenue for the community is very good, but from an employment standpoint, data centers don’t generate a lot of jobs.”
In March, data center giant QTS filed an application with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to build up to 12 million square feet of server storage warehouses in Blakely. If approved, the warehouses would be built in several phases and include up to nine different buildings and three electrical substations. “If this project is approved, it will go a long way toward making up the tax revenue loss,” says Rep. Greene.
Looking Forward, Not Back
Mayor Wimbush is also taking an optimistic view, focusing on looking forward instead of back. “Sometimes challenges create new opportunities and we now have an opportunity to engage in more direct and intentional conversations about what we want our future to look like,” he says. “We’re wellpositioned for growth and we can be intentional about what this looks like going forward.”
Wimbush says he’s committed to seeing his community through this transition. “I own a home here and I have a very supportive wife. As long as I’m given the opportunity to serve as mayor, I’m going to do everything I can to help lead us into the future.”
Lowrimore is also bullish on the region’s future. “The forest products industry in Georgia is in a period of transition right now, but we’re still in a great position,” he says. “We have an abundance of trees and forest, a good climate for harvesting timber, and a very supportive state government. Our trees are a valuable resource so investment will eventually come back to fill in these pockets of opportunity.”
For Greene, the area’s resilience is rooted in strong local leadership. “These leaders are very positive about the approach being taken — they are not pessimists,” he says. “They’re moving heaven and earth to get this message out and attract attention among businesses to the area. Once the door swings open, I think you’re going to see the positive results we’ve been working for.”