Savannah Mill Shutdown Underscores Urgent Need for Certainty in Forestry Sector
(ATLANTA) – On August 21, International Paper announced it will permanently close its nearly 90-year-old Savannah container-board mill, along with its Riceboro mill, by the end of September. This closure will result in approximately 1,100 workers losing their livelihoods, devastate the local community, and put financial strain on hardworking families.
This is just the latest in a troubling trend of mills closing across the country, and it is happening in the heart of America’s timber basket, which includes more than 245 million acres of forestlands. This region is a critical component of the U.S. forestry sector, producing over 55% of the nation’s timber harvest by volume.
For decades, private forest landowners—the roots of America’s timber supply chain—have operated under relentless uncertainty from natural disasters, market volatility, regulatory instability, and threats to property rights. These pressures undermine forest health and long-term stewardship.
The closure of these iconic mills highlights why the Forest Landowners Association exists: to champion policies that provide private forest landowners with the regulatory and economic certainty they deserve.
Without clear policies and support, U.S. timber producers and forest landowners face escalating risks, increasing reliance on foreign imports, and jeopardizing the health of America’s forests, rural economies, and national security.
“This is a dire warning: if policymakers do not act now to deliver certainty for disaster response, financial resilience, property rights protection, tax equity, and access to markets, the entire forest products value chain will be crippled,” stated FLA CEO Scott Jones. “If America wants to keep its 360 million acres of private forest as forests, now’s the time to take action.”
About the Forest Landowners Association
Founded in 1941, the Forest Landowners Association represents the interests of private forest landowners across the United States. FLA works to ensure that private forest landowners can continue to own, manage, and sustainably care for their land through effective advocacy, policy development, and education.