Simpson County is rolling pine ground in central Mississippi. Ridges of sandy loam carry most of the planted pine. Between them are creek bottoms that stay wet, including the Strong River bottom, which floods.
Southeast Forestlands works only for the landowner. We do not buy timber and we are not paid by mills.
Ridge Ground Works Longer
The sandy ridges drain and firm up quickly. They give you the most working days in a normal year.
That is where the road should run and where the wet-season cutting should happen.
Bottoms Take Their Time
Creek bottoms here hold water and dry slowly. Equipment run through them when they are soft leaves ruts that last for years.
Save the bottoms for dry weather and write a stop-work rule into any sale contract.
Counting the Timber Right
Pine on the ridges and hardwood in the bottoms need to be tallied separately by species and product.
Thinning
Pine on this ground grows fast and gets crowded. Crowding cuts growth and invites beetles.
Look at tree size and spacing, not the calendar, to decide when to thin.
Parts of the county may have a firm subsoil layer that limits rooting. Check rooting depth along with tree size, stocking, and stand condition before deciding when to thin.
What Comes Next
Ridges are generally replanted in pine. In the bottoms, natural restocking is the usual plan, and it needs a walk to confirm seed trees, young stems, and competing brush.
Settle both before the harvest, not after.
Nothing Beats Walking It
Crossings, gates, and soft spots vary from one forty to the next.
Walk the place with a forester first so the plan fits the ground you actually have.
Nearby Counties
We also work with landowners in nearby counties, including Rankin, Smith, Covington, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Copiah, and Hinds.
General Guidance
For more on how we handle each part of the work, start with these guides:
- 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
Talk with a forester before deciding anything. Contact us to discuss your goals; the first review of your property generally happens online.