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Board approves three 16th-section timber sales totaling $568,437 after forester briefings
Summary
After a detailed presentation from district foresters, the board approved three timber sales on 16th-section trust land, accepted low-to-high bids totaling $568,437 and authorized services for the Mississippi Forestry Commission for 2026.
The Vicksburg-Warren School District Board approved three 16th-section timber sales and authorized work with the Mississippi Forestry Commission for 2026 following presentations from the district's land manager and foresters.
Landon Creed, identified in the meeting as the district's new forester/16th-section land manager, and Landry Green, a forester who said he started during the fiscal year, described the scope and management approach for the properties. The board discussed harvest methods and stewardship implications before voting.
Green told trustees the three timber-sale bids that were received totaled about $568,000. When the sealed-bid results were presented later in the meeting, the board approved the highest bids on each tract: SWS Veneer and Timber ($147,880), Jones Lumber ($131,465) and Jones Lumber ($289,092) for three separate sections. Miss Hughes presented the bid results and recommended award of the highest bidders. The combined total of the three winning bids in the packet is $568,437.
District foresters explained the sales were structured as final-harvest (clear-cut) recommendations in places where terrain and stand conditions limited selective harvesting and to reduce marking costs. Forester Landry Green said final-harvest sales were chosen in some locations because the bluffs and hills made selective harvests impractical and because the sales would leave seed trees for natural regeneration. "They're all final harvest," Green said, adding that the plan includes checks for seed-tree retention and replanting if needed.
Board members asked for clearer writeups when future timber-sales notices are presented, seeking short paragraphs that describe the species mix, why a final harvest was recommended, and projected regeneration timelines. The foresters said they prepare five-year management plans for each section that list species, age classes, topography and recommended work.
The board also approved an authorization-for-services form allowing the Mississippi Forestry Commission to provide the district with forestry services in fiscal 2026 and set a not-to-exceed estimate for routine road and maintenance work (the presentation listed road-improvement estimates and a management-year cap that includes a FY26 road-work line of about $27,000). Trustees approved the authorization by motion.
Board action and details: the timber-sale awards were approved by motion; the board also approved the Mississippi Forestry Commission authorization form and related escrow arrangements. Foresters said the district typically places 15% of timber-sale proceeds into an escrow principal account used for reinvestment; the forester noted the escrow principal is about $500,000 and estimated this year's approved sales would add roughly $80,000 to that account if all sales proceed.
The board voted to accept the bids and authorization subject to attorney review in the case of deed or title issues; the motions passed by voice vote.
