Benton County Forestry Profile

Forestry and the Forest Products Industry are a major component of Benton County’s economy. Forest related economic sectors generate value not only within the forest related sectors but also in other sectors of the economy. The economic contribution of forest related sectors and their impacts on other sectors can be estimated using input-output analysis. Using 2007 data, it is estimated that forestry and forest products created a total output of $17.7 million in Benton County, Mississippi.

Download the Economic Contribution of Forestry and Forest Products in Benton County.

Employment and Income Impacts

Employment is the number of full- and part-time jobs in all sectors of the economy. Income is salaries and wages paid to employees. Forest related economic activity in Benton County during 2007 generated 132 jobs and over $3.7 million in income.

Total Output and Value Added Impacts

The value of all goods and services produced is defined as total output. Value added is a portion of total output and represents the creation of new wealth. Over 8% of Benton County’s economic output is derived from forestry and the forest products industry. Forest related value added amounted to nearly $6.7 million.

Tax Impacts

Forest-related economic activity contributed an estimated $1.3 million in tax revenue for federal, state, and local governments. This represents an estimated tax revenue of $842 thousand for federal and $409 thousand for state and local governments.

Acreage

Total Acres in the County: 260,346
Acres of Forest: 163,523
Percent of Forest: 63%

Forest Type	Acres	Percent
Pine	25,753	16%
Hardwood	126,116	77%
Mixed Pine/Hardwood	11,653	7%

Forest Landowners	Acres	Percent
Private Individual Timberland Ownership	86,743	53%
Forest Industry Timberland Ownership	3,457	2%
Federal Government Timberland Ownership	68,465	42%
State and Local Timberland Ownership	4,858	3%

Income/Values	Dollars
Forestland Assessed Value (2008)	$5,136,731
Estimated Ad Valorem Tax Collections from Forestland (2008)	$598,172
Value of Standing Timber in 2007	$233,909,563
Value of Timber Harvested in 2007	$4,628,367
Timber Severance Tax Collections (100%)	$13,537

Sources: Forestland ownership, acreage, and timber volumes were estimated using the Mississippi Institute for Forest Inventory (MIFI) Dynamic Report Generator Software. Tax collections according to Mississippi Tax Commission. Timber harvest value according to the Mississippi Harvest of Forest Products Report. Produced by James E. Henderson, Assistant Extension Professor, and Ian A. Munn, Professor, Department of Forestry.