By Jake Price:
Each year, I estimate the number of citrus trees planted in Georgia. Calculating 2023 numbers has been a little different because of tree losses due to the December 2022 freeze. Of the 567 new acres of trees planted in 2022, I estimate Georgia lost 230 acres. Approximately 80% of trees planted in 2022 were non-satsuma varieties which are less cold-hardy plus first year trees are more susceptible to freezes. With the loss of trees, Georgia’s 2022 citrus acreage was revised from 3,262 to 3,032 the total acres.
In 2023 citrus tree nurseries sold 904 acres of trees to Georgia which was an increase from 2022. Many of these trees were used to replace lost trees. 92% of the trees sold to Georgia growers in 2023 were produced in Georgia nurseries. Only 190 of the 904 acres planted were satsumas which continues a shift away from satsumas in Georgia. I estimate that 66% of the citrus acreage in Georgia is satsumas. The most common non-satsuma varieties being planted are grapefruit, tangos, shiranui, and navels. My best estimate is that Georgia has 3,936 acres of citrus planted in 2023. For my calculations, I estimate 145 trees per acre.
The bar graph below shows the total number of citrus trees planted in Georgia from year to year. The portion in black indicates the total number of trees carried over from previous years and the portion in blue is the number of trees planted that year. The red portion of the bar in 2022 is the estimated tree losses.
