Recent Storms Causes More Than $1 Million In Timber Damages

MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- Recent storms haven’t just damaged homes and businesses, in Monroe County, timber has also taken a hit.

Imagine spending decades working on an investment only for it to be blown away in a matter of minutes.

That’s the reality for many landowners in the county.

According to county leaders, timber damages exceed well over $1 million.

“The tornado wasn’t on the ground at all times, and even though it wasn’t on the ground, it still did damage by being close to the ground, said Terry Beasley, a consultant with Southern Forest Resources, LLC. “There was so much moisture in our soils and a lot of trees were pushed over because of that.”

Beasley has been planting trees for more than three decades and is devastated by the timber damage.

A field that the forester planted in northern Monroe County was severely impacted during the storms..

Out of the area’s 90 plus acres, roughly 10 were damaged.

“This particular place where we’re at, this client, we estimated somewhere between 12 and $15,000 of damage on this property alone,” he said. “There’s significant damage all over the county just like that.”

Tornadoes are detrimental to trees because timber loses its value whenever it’s damaged.

“If it was a saw timber sized tree, that tree may have actually become lesser valued and is now considered pulpwood,” Beasley explained. “The other problem that you have is actually getting somebody to salvage that timber. It’s a whole lot more dangerous for that worker to be out there with a chainsaw trying to cut something and it releases something else over here, and it possibly can hit him or put him in danger in someway or another.”

The longtime forester said before having all of the damaged timber hauled away, he suggests having someone assess the property.

“Sometimes on first glance, to a landowner, they’re thinking, ‘Oh my gosh this is terrible,’ but when you really and truly look at it in the big scheme of things, it might not be that bad,” said Beasley. It may only be a acre or two that’s impacted.”

Beasley said there’s also a possibility that landowners can take a casualty loss on their timber, they just need to check with their accountant.

Just to give you a little insight on how important timber is in Mississippi, it currently runs as a top three commodity and is a more than $1 billion industry.