Take some time Thursday to celebrate state’s forests

Thursday, the world will observe the International Day of Forests, an annual event that the U.N. General Assembly launched in 2013 to recognize and raise awareness of the importance of forests everywhere.

It seems a good time, then, to celebrate Georgia’s wonderful forests — from pinelands and cypress-gum swamps in South Georgia to vast oak forests that blanket much of North Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

Georgia harbors some 24 million acres of forestland — nearly two-thirds of the state, says the Georgia Forestry Commission. Much of that acreage is on public land, such as state, national and county parks, wildlife refuges, state and national forests and military bases. It also includes urban forests, such as the one for which Atlanta is famous.

Most of the state’s forestland, though, is in the hands of private landowners. Georgia, in fact, has more acres of privately owned forest than any other state, the Forestry Commission says.

In my mind, all forests are vital, no matter their type or ownership: Their necessity for all life — human and otherwise — cannot be overstated. Forests, of course, produce wood for houses, paper and countless products used in our everyday lives. A new Georgia Tech study says that the total economic output supported by the state’s forestry industry was $42 billion in 2022.

Most valuable, though, are the services and products that forests provide free of charge.

Tree-covered forests sequester carbon, prevent erosion and clean the air and water. Without the vast 750,000-acre Chattahoochee National Forest in North Georgia, Atlanta likely would have to invest much more money to treat its drinking water.

Forests also provide endless outdoor recreation that refreshes weary minds and uplifts the human spirit.

And it goes without saying that immeasurable numbers of wild creatures great and small need forests for food, shelter and water.

So, Thursday, you might consider a walk in the woods or even hugging a tree or two in appreciation of Georgia’s forests.

■ IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: Spring begins at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday. The moon will be first quarter Saturday night. Mercury is low in the west just after sunset. Venus, Mars and Saturn are very low in the east just before sunrise. Jupiter is in the west at sunset.

CHARLES SEABROOK FOR THE AJC A forest in North Georgia’s Dade County is leafing out. Georgia encompasses some 24 million acres of forestland. Thursday is the U.N.-backed International Day of Forests.