Forest Economics
With the increased value of timber and other forest products, forest economics has become much more important to Mississippi landowners today.
Economic information about forestry includes many topics. A few of these are the value of the timber harvest to the state, statistics about the forest industry and forest landowners, and comparisons of timber values in individual counties with other agricultural crops, among others. This site provides data on these topics and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the forest products industry important to Mississippi's economy?
How does timber rank among Mississippi's agricultural crops?
Economic Effects of Low-Weight Hauling Ordinances
Publications
News
Mississippi’s timber industry was not excused from market volatility due to COVID-19 this year, but its final value should land just short of where it was at the end of 2019.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- One of Kim Hancock’s routine jobs is assisting 4-H’ers in Jones County with their livestock projects. On Easter Sunday, she was helping some of those same young people and their families sort through the rubble of what was once their homes.
Thirty-two counties in Mississippi reported damage from a tornado outbreak April 12 that resulted in 12 fatalities, many injuries and catastrophic destruction to residential, commercial and agricultural property.
In 2019, Mississippi’s agricultural industry faced the prospect of dipping below $7 billion for the first time in eight years, but federal payments pushed its value up enough to post a slight gain over 2018.
The estimated value of Mississippi agriculture in 2019 is $7.39 billion, a 0.2% gain from last year’s $7.37 billion. Included in the total is an estimated $628 million in government payments, the largest amount of federal assistance Mississippi producers have seen since 2006
Mississippi’s timber industry remained its second highest producing agricultural commodity again in 2019.
Coming in with an estimated production value of $1.15 billion, timber followed the state’s poultry industry, which generated an estimated value of $2.78 billion in 2019. Timber’s value of production is estimated by monthly severance taxes collected by the Mississippi Department of Revenue.
Times are tough for pine tree producers. Sawtimber prices have declined sharply over the past decade, while supplies have steadily increased -- an unfortunate scenario that has left many landowners looking for alternative sources of income.
Success Stories
Stories by Leah Barbour • Photos by Kevin Hudson
Four Extension experts named fellows in their disciplines
Four well-respected Mississippi State University Extension Service experts were recently named fellows in prestigious academic and service organizations.
Dr. Leslie Burger, Extension assistant professor, Dr. David Buys, Extension associate professor, and Marc Measells, senior Extension associate, were named fellows in 2020. Dr. John Byrd, Extension and research professor, was named a fellow in 2019.
Burger, a longtime wildlife youth...
During his tenure as an engineer at Boeing, Ottis Bullock helped build machines that went into the air and to the moon, but he always had an interest in the trees that grew from the ground where he came of age.
