[Libloather]

Katrina agricultural losses top $3 billion; timber hardest hit

JACKSON, Miss. Hurricane Katrina's toll on agriculture now tops three (b) billion dollars.

The storm destroyed hundreds of chicken houses and flattened cotton fields in southern Mississippi but did the most damage to the timber industry. Pecan and Christmas tree growers also took a big hit.

Ag losses are estimated at more than two (b) billion dollars in Mississippi and one (b) billion in Louisiana. Alabama was less severely affected and has not yet compiled figures.

One official says Louisiana's damage estimate is expected to grow because early numbers did not include damage to fences, equipment, buildings, pastureland and other infrastructure losses.

More than ten-thousand cattle in Louisiana are dead or missing.

[sittnick]

How do you find missing cattle? Do you put their pictures on milk cartons?

[FreedomCalls]

Contrast this with the timber felled by Mount St. Helens. There the enviros would not let the felled timber be harvested so they let it rot in place instead.

[JimSEA]

Where are all the environmentalist protesters like we have in the Northwest USA when there is a big fire with acres of salvageable timber. No fair. I want to see a protestor named "polecat" climb a pile of timber and chain his filthy body to it.

[WasDougsLamb]

Industry analysts estimate that more than 20 billion board feet are down, enough to build 1 million houses.
Timber down in Louisiana is worth $900 million; in Mississippi, the felled timber is worth $2.4 billion, experts estimate

enough to build 1 million houses

----Use it then. Save taxpayers a little money so that we can take care of our families instead of every one elses.

[caisson71]

This can't be true. There are no forests left. They've been paved over, cut and raped by big business for profit. I've got to check my whacko enviornmental lietrature on this. They must have missed something or have been lying all along?

[TASMANIANRED]

Shouldn't be a complete loss.

The board foot that can't be salvaged can go into particle board.

[OldFriend]

Were they women and children trees?

[moonman]

How many spotted owls lot their homes?

[OkieDokie1000]

I imagine it will cost a lot more to gather and process, due to the labor shortage. This is not "day labor" work. Due to work comp rates, you can't hire guys off the street. If you did, the injury rates would be through the roof.

[sergeantdave]

And all this lumber will hit the yards in a couple of weeks and we'll be paying only two bucks for 2 x 6s, right?

[Rebelbase]

"More than ten-thousand cattle in Louisiana are dead or missing."

I read on a message board last month about some guys fishing off the coast of Texas that found a dead cow floating 30 miles out.

[mmercier]

Does this mean the price of southern yellow pine will be coming down...?

Not likely. Those GP people are efficient as all get out and will clear the land, PT the surplus and replant the landscape with out skipping a beat. In the last year the yellow pine I have worked with is the densest wood I have ever handled. We have 2"X12"X16' stock that weigh about 200lbs each. We call them "nutpoppers".