Holmes County takes in two very different kinds of country. The west is flat delta ground. The east is steep bluff hills made of fine wind-laid soil. The Big Black River runs along the eastern edge, and its bottom floods.
Southeast Forestlands works only for the landowner. We do not buy timber and we are not paid by mills.
Bluff Hills Wash Easily
The soil in the hills is fine and loose. It stands in a bank for years while cover holds it, then cuts away fast once it is bare.
That is the main reason to control where machines travel. A few well placed trails and a seeded road do more good here than anywhere else. Once a gully starts in this soil, it grows every rain and takes acres with it.
Flat Delta Ground Holds Water
On the west side the land lies nearly level, so water has no place to run.
Roads there need to be built up above the field, with ditches to move water away. Winter work on that ground usually cannot be done at all. Aim it at late summer, when the road and the young stand both stand a chance.
Two Kinds of Timber, Two Sales
Pine does well on the better drained hill ground. The low flats and river bottom hold hardwood.
They go to different buyers, and hardwood is graded tree by tree. Cruised together, that grading never gets done.
Wet Weather Rules Belong in Writing
Both the bottom and the flats turn soft quickly.
A written stop-work rule lets the job pause without an argument. Without it, a crew works through mud and leaves you with ruts that take years to heal.
Walk Before You Decide
Where the lines run, whether a truck can turn, and which crossing holds are questions about your tract.
Nobody can answer them from an office. Look at the ground first. That visit is also when you learn which parts should be sold now and which should wait.
Nearby Counties
We also work with landowners in nearby counties, including Yazoo, Carroll, Attala, Leflore, and Madison.
General Guidance
How the work itself is done is explained once, site-wide, rather than repeated county by county:
- What a timber cruise measures
- How a sealed-bid timber sale works
- How we sell timber
- Wet-weather logging and BMPs
- Thinning decisions
- Regeneration and replanting
- All forestry services
Talk It Over First
Walk the place with a forester before deciding anything. Contact us to set up a visit.