Coastal Timberlands (GA)

Among the threats pressing in on the Georgia coast are the sale of timberlands for development and abuse of the “silviculture” exemption from certain Clean Water Act regulations, which are meant for legitimate tree-farming activities. Companies that own coastal properties may be tempted to add roads and other improvements and claim they are for forestry purposes, when in fact their aim is to make the tracts more marketable to developers and other buyers.

An Illegal Road Gets a Green Light

• SELC is tackling these issues in a case against a company that built a mile-long road through wetlands along the Ogeechee River and sold the property as a home and recreation site.
• Even as the sale was going forward, the company claimed to the Georgia Forestry Commission that it intended to keep and manage the property for silviculture purposes.
• As a result, both the commission and the Army Corps of Engineers concluded that no permit was required for the road since it fell under the silviculture exemption from wetland safeguards.

SELC is suing both the company - for illegally filling wetlands - and the Corps of Engineers - for approving the project as exempt from Clean Water Act protections.

Ensuring that Regulators Do Their Jobs

Our goal is to prevent other companies from abusing environmental laws as old timber tracts are developed, and to make certain that government agencies keep a sharp eye on these activities to ensure compliance with the law.