Perry County News & Events

Forest Landowners Tour Facilities at MSU

On November 15th, 51 Perry County landowners boarded a chartered bus and visited the campus of Mississippi State University. The tour was held by the MSU Extension Service Forestry Department and was funded by the Perry County Board of Supervisors. Landowners visited two facilities at the MSU Campus.

The first stop was the Timteck Facility. The Timteck Program Director, Dr. Dan Seale guided the participants through the pilot plant and explained the process. The Timteck process can be briefly described as follows:

Small diameter trees, three to seven inches in diameter are debarked, soaked in hot water and put through a "scrim" machine. The scrim process produces long narrow splinters of wood.

The pieces are dried, steam injected and coated with a water-based adhesive. They then absorb the glue and are placed into a press.

The pieces are glued together under high pressure. The result is a composite timber than can be sawn into many different sizes of structural lumber. The most likely use will be for high value beams, where straightness and strength are considered very important. The finished product is also very attractive.

The director stated that he believed the process will be perfected very soon and may be in production in the timber industry in two to three years. The Timteck process is expected to increase the demand for small diameter pine trees in the future.

The second stop on the tour was the Wildlife Research Facility. Facility Director, Stephen Tucker guided the participants as they discussed the white-tailed deer program. They also viewed the carnivore research unit and saw the black bear, cougar, bobcat and fox populations.

All who participated stated they are anxiously awaiting the next tour. If you are not currently on the mailing list to receive information about the Enhanced Forestry Education Program in Perry County, please contact the local MSU Extension Service Office at (601) 964-3668. The Enhanced Forestry Education Program in funded by the Perry County Board of Supervisors through Title III of Public Law 106-393.

County youth attend Tara Youth Camp

Several Perry County youth recently attended a Youth Conservation Camp at Tara Wildlife near Vicksburg. Tara Wildlife and the Mississippi State University Extension Forestry Department conducted the camp. Scholarships to attend the camp were funded by the Perry County Board of Supervisors through Public Law 106-393. The campers studied hunter safety, CPR and First Aid, and received "Certification" in those fields. Campers learned how to shoot with archery equipment, .22 caliber rifles, and shotguns. Among other things, they also learned tree identification, predator control with live traps, and paddling a canoe. The program is expected to continue next year. All Perry County youth ages 9 through 16 are eligible to apply for the scholarships. For more information contact your MSU Extension Service County Office at 601-964-3668.

Association holds Awards Banquet

The 2003 Perry County Forestry Association Annual Awards Banquet and dinner was held in New Augusta on September 18. Over 50 people, including many local government officials, attended the event. The keynote speaker for the event was award winning wildlife photographer Stephen Kirkpatrick.

Three Forestry awards were presented. Awards were given to the Perry County Tree Farmer of the Year, Perry County Logger of the Year, and Perry County Friend of Forestry. The event also included a catered meal by Rose's Bar-B-Q and saw the appointment of the new Perry County Forestry Association President.

Jason Rahaim was the recipient of the Tree Farmer of the Year award. A lifelong resident of Perry County, he owns about 1,000 acres, almost all of it in active timber management since 1982. He graduated from Richton High School and USM business school, and is now a successful businessman in the community. He also served as the president of the Perry County Forestry Association for 4 years, and has agreed to serve in that post again for 2004.

The winner of the 2003 Logger of the Year award was Glenn Henderson. Mr. Henderson's business, Henderson Logging and Trucking Inc. has been in operation for 19 years. He employs 30 people who work in 5 crews throughout south Mississippi. He is a past winner of the Mississippi Loggers Association Logger of the Year in 1992, and the Georgia-Pacific Logger of the Year award in 1998. In his acceptance speech he thanked his employees and his wife for helping him to make his business a success.

The 2003 Perry County Friend of Forestry was Mr. A.L. Moser. An employee of Richton Tie and Timber for over 53 years, he has been a constant voice for forestry and timber in Perry County for many decades. Mr. Moser was unable to attend the meeting due to heath concerns, but his son Arthur accepted the award.

Landowners Learn the Proper Planting Techniques for Longleaf Pine

Perry County landowners benefited from a short course on Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) August 16. The Mississippi State University Extension Service and Department of Forestry organized the event. Funding for the event was provided by the Perry County Board of Supervisors through the Title III Enhanced Forestry Education Program.

Topics included the History of Longleaf Pines in Mississippi, MSU Extension Professor Dr. Glenn Hughes, instructor; the Economics of Managing for Longleaf Pine, consulting forester John Guthrie, instructor; Wildlife Benefits of Longleaf Pine, biologist Randy Browning, instructor; and the Importance of Prescribed Fire in Longleaf Management, Mark Anderson, instructor.

Over twenty people attended the event, which also included a short field tour of a mature longleaf pine stand and a recently regenerated longleaf pine stand. All of the participants rated the event as being helpful.

Teacher Conservation Workshop Scholarship Recipients

The Perry County Board of Supervisors, in cooperation with Perry County Extension Service, recently sponsored scholarships for two teachers from Perry County Schools to attend the Teachers Conservation Workshop (TCW). Dena Rogers and Rebecca Bull were the recipients of the scholarships this year. They attended the weeklong workshop, June 8-13, at Gulf Coast Community College, in Perkinston, MS.

The Mississippi Forestry Association (MFA) sponsors the workshop each year in order to promote the conservation of natural resources through public educators. The workshop provides hands on ideas for use in classroom activities. Teachers, conservationists, and scientists instruct the workshop emphasizing the importance of conservation of natural resources with special attention given to Mississippi's forests and forest products.

The scholarships that the two teachers received covered registration fees for the workshop as well as university academic credit fees for 3 hours of undergraduate or graduate credit. The scholarships were funded by Title III of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, and were provided by the Perry County Board of Supervisors: Bobby Bolton, Prentiss Garner, John Anderson, John R. Thompson, and W.P. "Billy" Cooley.