The timber industry in Marion County took a major hit from the April 19 tornado that tore through Sandy Hook, Pine Burr and Hub, costing landowners in the county an estimated $1.4 million.
A report published by the Mississippi Forestry Commission April 23 listed Marion, Lamar and Walthall counties as receiving substantial damage, though, 93% of it came from Marion alone. Of the 1,888 total acres damaged, 1,750 acres were in Marion County with estimated damages of $1,396,789. An estimated 916 pine acres were damaged, as well as 609 hardwood acres and 225 mixed acres.
The estimated damage doesn’t include public lands, urban areas or sparsely forested areas, according to the report. The Forestry Commission says landowners with damage should contact a forester to evaluate their land.
Forestry Commission Forest Management Chief Todd Matthews said Tuesday there’s no question the damage is bad and widespread throughout Marion County.
“It definitely hurts a lot of individuals,” he said. “If you were in the path of that storm — certain people are feeling it a lot harder than others — but people are really hurting down in that area right now.”
There are a lot of people who were not only counting on the timber financially now but also for years to come, according to Matthews.
“Any time you take a hit like this, it’s not just an immediate impact. It’s something that takes years for them to get over,” he said.
Matthews said he wishes the Mississippi Forestry Commission could just hand out money, but there is help available through the Forest Resource Development Program, a cost-share program designed for helping getting timber sites ready again and replanted.
During the cleanup from the storm, Matthews encourages people to be careful with burning at the risk of wildfires causing even more damage. He said recently there have been a lot of wildfires in Mississippi because of the amount of dead trees and brush, including a 1,500-acre fire on the Coast.
“You don’t want a bad situation with the storms to turn into a worse situation with wildfires,” he said.
He added the recent tornados throughout the area remind him of what Mississippi went through following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which he said was also a bad time for wildfires with people trying to clear their land.
