HCS, LLC

07/22/2026

🌳 A successful timber harvest starts long before the first tree is cut.

Last week, we were in Chickasaw County marking a hardwood stand that will be harvested later this summer. Every tree selected for removal is carefully evaluated and marked with a paint slash and a blue dot at the base.

Why the blue dot? It’s our quality control.

As the harvest progresses, we conduct weekly inspections. Every stump should have a blue dot, confirming it was a designated “take tree.” If we find a stump without one, that tells us a “leave tree”—a tree that was meant to stay—was accidentally harvested.

Attention to detail like this protects the landowner’s investment, improves the quality of the remaining timber, and helps ensure the harvest is completed exactly as planned.

It’s this kind of planning, accountability, and stewardship that makes all the difference.

06/05/2026

HCS is conducting a timber appraisal in Choctaw County. We provide timber management services and assistance with similar projects!

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or require additional information.

04/01/2026

In light of the recent natural disasters affecting our state, we're here to support you with your land management needs. Whether it's timber appraisals, damage assessment plans, or other related services, we've got you covered. Preparing these documents now can ease your worries if disaster strikes again.

Reach out to us today and discover how we can help you safeguard your land and maintain peace of mind.

02/18/2026

Last week, we were in Panola County conducting a damage assessment for a property owner to determine the estimated cost and damage from the recent ice storm. Getting a post-inventory helps determine the losses that occurred and helps you move forward. Having an updated timber inventory before a disaster helps reduce the chaos.

Contact us to see how we can help you and your timber inventory, and other timber land needs.

02/13/2026

Here’s an older episode of Timber University, but questions are coming in on casualty loss. In this episode, we discussed timber casualty loss and what the IRS considers a casualty, how to determine your loss in the eyes of the IRS, and how best to move forward, from a Forest Tax perspective, after one occurs. See link below.

https://sites.libsyn.com/450033/casualty-loss-and-the-forest-landowner-ep-07

01/31/2026

As the state starts to thaw, it’s time to assess any damage. We offer drone services to check properties and capture imagery of any damage. If needed, we can assist with timber salvage. We also provide cruises for inventories of both damaged and non-damaged properties. Contact us today to discuss your needs!

As north Mississippi landowners start to get out and look at their property to see what kind of damage occurred over the last week, here are a few tips written by our late colleague, Dr. Glenn Hughes. Also remember, our markets were incredibly depressed before this event took place. That hasn’t changed and many will not be able to salvage damaged timber, period. This listing is intended to help increase your chances of doing so to the greatest degree possible…

Landowner Do’s and Don’ts in Salvaging Damaged Timber

Dr. Glenn Hughes, Extension Professor, Mississippi State University Extension Service

Below are some “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for landowners needing to make informed decisions on handling damaged timber:

1. DO get help from a registered forester. He or she will help you make management decisions regarding your timber. These decisions include whether or not to harvest (salvage) damaged timber, as well as provide an assessment of the amount of damage for tax purposes.

2. DO get started promptly. Timber left down, particularly snapped trees, degrades in quality rapidly and loses considerable value in the first 60-90 days. Trees still attached to the root ball may last till spring or early summer before losing value.

3. DO focus on high value forest products, particularly sawtimber, plylogs, and chip-n-saw. These are more valuable to the forest landowner, and should receive the most attention.

4. DO what you can to make a timber sale more attractive, if possible. This includes locating property lines or corners, having a good road system, and perhaps even offering a deer camp as a place for the logging crew to stay.

5. DO consider going with an adjoining landowner on a timber sale, particularly if both of you have small tracts of timber. Make sure you and your neighbor agree on how to split the proceeds, and request a copy of all gate receipts.

6. DO consider putting your high value products in wet storage as soon as possible. There are wet storage areas being made available, and some mills will accept wood stored in ponds due to the limited amount of wet storage facilities compared to the large amount of down and damaged timber.

7. DO expect depressed prices for salvaged timber compared to comparable sales of 2 months ago. This is a function of the higher logging costs, higher fuel prices, and greater degree of uncertainty at the mill about log quality.

In addition to the above, there are some “Don’ts” that landowners need to consider:

1. DON’T panic or over-react to this damage. Yes, damage has been considerable, but our eyes are attracted to the broken or blown over trees. In most forests there are still a lot of undamaged or manageable trees.

2. DON’T expect income from pulpwood. With the high logging costs necessary due to extensive and dangerous chainsaw work, landowner income from pulpwood is small.

3. DON’T harvest undamaged trees if the residual stand is manageable.

4. DON’T expect your property to look like a park when the logging is finished. However, in a small amount of time, generally 1-2 years, it will look much better than it does now.

5. DON’T forget about insect and health issues with your trees. With pines, bark beetles may come into stressed trees the spring.