Alumni Spotlight During his senior year at Warnell—that time when you’re itching to get out on your own and get some real-world experience—a professor made Tim Lowrimore pause. Dr. Warren Flick’s forest policy class lit a spark that slowly burned inside that newly minted forester. As Lowrimore found his footing in his career, that spark continued to drive him forward. Policy and personal relationships were where he found his footing, whether it was through the Georgia Forestry Association as its director of forest policy or making connections through his work with Rayonier or the Davis-Garvin Agency. “Honestly, I think I’m unique when it comes to forestry because I don’t mind the political and the regulatory circles and those interactions. I’m very comfortable in those circumstances and I’m certainly comfortable in a traditional forestry operations role as well,” said Lowrimore, who in January began his new role as the director and state forester for the Georgia Forestry Commission. Lowrimore comes to his newest role from Interfor, where he managed public affairs for the company’s Southeast division. It was a job that brought him back to Georgia after working in different parts of the country in the land management sector. Now, as the state forester, Lowrimore has the opportunity to draw on his public sector experience and blend it with lessons from the private sector. The opportunity to serve his home state was exciting, he said, and it’s the perfect way to play to his strengths in both forestry and in policy to promote legislation and promote forest health, productivity and resilience. Now, as we emerge from a global pandemic and begin to regain our strides, Lowrimore says Georgia is well situated. Specifically, he says, for Georgia, “the sky is the limit.” “The fact that our industry was designated as essential and critical during the pandemic has given us a unique opportunity to move forward, because the public realized the value of our sector, the value of landowners and trees, and the products those trees provide are essential to our livelihoods,” said Lowrimore. “I think that really highlighted our sector and we have a lot of ability to build on that.” As the No. 1 forestry state in the country, Georgia is also in a good position to help mitigate climate change. Forests and forest products are a renewable resource that offers a solution to a global problem. “I truly believe that our forests will be part of the solution that our country realizes toward mitigating carbon, and therefore being a solution to climate change,” he added. “There’s no better place in the country than in Georgia—from the trees themselves to the renewable products such as lumber that can be used for mass construction—what a huge opportunity for Georgia.”
