Georgia-Pacific mill closure hits Southwest Georgia economy

The Georgia-Pacific mill in Early County, Southwest Georgia, produced its final roll of paper several weeks ago, with most of its 535 jobs ending by August. The facility, a major employer for six decades, has now officially closed.

A report presented to county commissioners in September projects an annual economic loss of US$182 million, factoring in payroll, direct and indirect spending, tax revenue for local schools and governments, and the impact on foresters who supplied the mill.

“This is going to have a devastating impact on the timber industry in all of Southwest Georgia,” said David Bridges, a consultant who prepared the report. “It’s going to have an impact on numerous counties.”

 

Bridges, former president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and former director of the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation, identified 87 timber companies within 100 miles of the facility in Georgia alone. The mill’s supply chain spanned 33 counties across Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, including some of the most timber-rich areas in the region.

“There are going to have to be some pretty significant adjustments made by the county, the city [of Blakely] and the school system,” Bridges said. “I hate to put it this way, but they’re going to become another very poor rural Georgia county.”