News - December 2025

Arborist with chainsaw trims tree limb
Is your insurance company worried about your yard trees?

Trees provide shade, aesthetics, and environmental benefits, but they can also pose risks to homes when poorly maintained, structurally unsound, or in hazardous locations. Insurers must evaluate these risks consistently to determine potential liability and preventive measures. Unfortunately, recent research has found that insurance companies are often assessing tree risk, and demanding removal or pruning, based on unsound data. The primary…

Fall and winter insect square
Fall and winter tree insect pests

Fall brings cooler temperatures and changing leaves, but it doesn’t always put an end to tree insect activity. Some pests remain active well into the season and can leave visible damage in branches and crowns, especially as foliage begins to thin. Two late-season insects to watch for are twig girdlers and deodar weevils.   Twig girdlers Photo credit: Eugenio Nearns, Oncid ID, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org Twig girdlers (Oncideres cingulata…

Tree Network concept art
Science Communication Spotlight: inaugural “tree network” meeting showcases participatory engagement

By 9 a.m., more than 40 vehicles had already crunched into the lot at Flinchum’s Phoenix in Warnell’s Whitehall Forest. Inside, coffee steamed, extra chairs were shuffled in, and one facilitator mouthed to another, “Whoa—there’s a lot of people here.” If the morning had ended after the conversations around coffee, it still would have been a success. The occasion was the first meeting of the "tree network”, held on September 19, 2025, bringing…

Disaster declaration map
Time running out: State tax credit available for Georgia forest landowners impacted by Hurricane Helene

If your timber was damaged due to Hurricane Helene and the property is located in the designated disaster area (Figure 1), you may qualify for a Georgia income tax credit. Don’t wait! Preapproval applications must be submitted by December 31st, 2025. Figure 1. Designated disaster area for the 2025 Georgia timber tax credit under the spotlight. This refundable and transferable credit covers 100% of your timber casualty loss (not limited by timber…

Support Warnell

We appreciate your financial support. Your gift is important to us and helps support critical opportunities for students and faculty alike, including lectures, travel support, and any number of educational events that augment the classroom experience. Learn more about giving.

Every dollar given has a direct impact upon our students and faculty.