Scott County News & Events

Forest Landowners Tour Facilities at MSU

Twenty-five Scott County landowners toured the DeSoto National Forest, June 21, 2005.

The Gavin Forest Education tour began with a brief history of the establishment of the DeSoto National Forest and some details about the overall management plans.

The next stop compared a managed and an unmanaged 40 acre tract. Both stands had approximately the same per acre volume. However, the managed stand had been thinned twice and had a higher quality of timber than the unmanaged.

Prescribed fire, the benefits, and potential problems was the topic of the third stop. A natural gas pipeline crosses the property and a food plot that is managed by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks were examples of multiple use management of the national forests.

The final stop was at a Red-cockaded woodpecker colony where management for endangered species was discussed.

County youth attend Tara Youth Camp

Several Scott 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 Scott 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 Scott County youth ages 9 through 16 are eligible to apply for the scholarships. For more information contact your MSU Extension Service County Office at 601-469-4241.

Forestry Judging Team competes at MSU

The Forestry Judging Team competed in the state contest at 4-H Club Congress. The camp was held at MSU on June 1-3, 2004. Team members were Emma Collins, Brandi Carter, and Matt King. They attended numerous training sessions and a three day camp during spring break to train for this competition.

Timtek tour

Twenty-eight Scott County landowners toured the Timtek Production Facility at the Forest Products Lab at Mississippi State University. The tour was April 5, 2004 at the new processing facility in Starkville.

Timtek is a pilot project that uses small diameter pine trees to shred and form dimension lumber. This is a new-engineered wood product that has potential to greatly increase the use of 1st thinning plantation pines.

This tour was provided as a portion of an "Enhanced Forestry Education Program" through Public Law 106-393. The funds were allocated through the Scott County Board of Supervisors.

Teacher Conservation Workshop Scholarship recipients named

Scott County Board of Supervisors, in cooperation with Scott County Extension Service and Scott County Forestry Association, sponsored scholarships for five teachers from Scott County Schools to attend the Teachers Conservation Workshop (TCW).

Raye Girard, Bonnie Brown, Elizabeth Gordon, Martha Jo Brown, and Sharron Mathis received scholarships this year. All five teachers attended the weeklong workshop, June 8 - 13, at Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston.

The Mississippi Forestry Association (MFA) sponsors the workshop each year 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 paid registration fees for the workshop as well as university academic credit fees for 3 hours of 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 Scott County Board of Supervisors: District I - Jackie Bradford, District II - Tim Sorey, District III - Buford Palmer, District IV - Colin Jack Gordon, and District V - Bruce McMillan.