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1406 WSJ TIMBER 52316 { 47 images } Created 22 Aug 2018

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  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Lonnie Bowden (left), 61, prepares for work during a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Rick Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0099.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Workers prepare for the final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Rick Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0145.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0156.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0224.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0303.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0324.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0335.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0336.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0347.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: A machine stacks timber during a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0369.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0419.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0433.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0442.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0510.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0591.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0614.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0630.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0635.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0679.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0741.jpg
  • CHILDERSBURG, AL – AUGUST 3, 2018: Rick Nelms, 57, surveys a final harvest of Loblolly Pine on a tract located 50 miles outside of Birmingham. <br />
<br />
Nelms, a private forestry consultant, is hired by landowners, appraisers and banking institutions alike to evaluate and oversee timber harvests, which supply the raw material needed by various mills in the region to create everything from paper products and furniture to telephone poles and plywood. “We can grow timber pretty fast down here to supply the demand for wood fiber,” Nelms said. “The big problem with Southern Yellow Pine though is there’s not enough competition for it. There’s too much supply for the demand.” Nelms, who has been working in the industry for over thirty years, says landowners used to get $500 for an acre of “thinning” – the partial removal of timber intended to improve the growth and value of the residual stand. “Now, it’s around $150 per acre,” Nelms said. “The trouble is it’s 15 years before you know if it’s a good idea or not. So as soon as that tree hits the ground it gets complicated in a hurry. Years ago, it was a pretty good investment. Now people just don’t want to do it. And some people are hung, because that’s all they got.” CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0745.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks under a canopy of mature Loblolly pine that is ready for final harvest. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0757.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks under a canopy of mature Loblolly pine that is ready for final harvest. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0764.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks under a canopy of mature Loblolly pine that is ready for final harvest. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0789.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks under a canopy of mature Loblolly pine that is ready for final harvest. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0801.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks under a canopy of mature Loblolly pine that is ready for final harvest. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0804.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks under a canopy of mature Loblolly pine that is ready for final harvest. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0815.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks under a canopy of mature Loblolly pine with his dog, Poupon. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0867.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks under a canopy of mature Loblolly pine that is ready for final harvest. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0979.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks under a canopy of mature Loblolly pine that is ready for final harvest. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_0985.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, passes near the old farm house where his father was raised. The home, which is now flanked on all sides by pine trees, reminds George of his family's heritage on the land stretching as far back as 1926. Now a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check in on the 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1120.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, passes near the old farm house where his father was raised. The home, which is now flanked on all sides by pine trees, reminds George of his family's heritage on the land stretching as far back as 1926. Now a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check in on the 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1121.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, passes near the old farm house where his father was raised. The home, which is now flanked on all sides by pine trees, reminds George of his family's heritage on the land stretching as far back as 1926. Now a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check in on the 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1137.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, passes near the old farm house where his father was raised. The home, which is now flanked on all sides by pine trees, reminds George of his family's heritage on the land stretching as far back as 1926. Now a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check in on the 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1164.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, passes near the old farm house where his father was raised. The home, which is now flanked on all sides by pine trees, reminds George of his family's heritage on the land stretching as far back as 1926. Now a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check in on the 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1177.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: A detail of pine trees on Clayton George's property.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1183.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: A detail of pine trees on Clayton George's property.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1210.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks past Loblolly pine trees. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1255.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks past Loblolly pine trees. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract, and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1263.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: A detail of pine trees on Clayton George's property.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1277.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, walks under a canopy of mature Loblolly pine that is ready for final harvest. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1294.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, surveys the family property. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1355.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, surveys the family property alongisde his dog, Poupon. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1386.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, surveys the family property alongisde his dog, Poupon. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1390.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, surveys the family property. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1403.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, surveys the family property alongisde his dog, Poupon. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1416.jpg
  • MERIDIAN, MS – AUGUST 3, 2018: Clayton George, 57, surveys the family property alongisde his dog, Poupon. As a resident of Tennessee, George makes the four hour drive south every two weeks to check on his family’s 400 acre tract and visit his father who still lives there.<br />
<br />
In 1987, George and a friend walked in rows planting the family’s first batch of Loblolly pine, where soybeans, wheat and cattle once covered the family’s 400 acres.  The shift to timber was largely prompted by the Conservation Reserve Program, a popular new farm subsidy in the 1980s that encouraged farmers to reforest depleted land by paying them for every acre of trees planted. Since 1926, the George family had made a good living from their eastern Mississippi farm, but the decline of soybeans and other crops eventually led George to consider growing trees instead – a crop that landowners throughout the south believed would bring in easy money. Thirty years later, however, the same landowners are now facing unexpected financial hardship. Stumpage prices have been on a steady decline – as much as 45% since 2007 – and landowners are rethinking timber as a worthwhile investment. ““We figured we’’d plant trees and come back and harvest it in 30 years, and in the meantime go into town to make a living doing something else,” George said. As co-owner of the family acreage with three other family members, George always considered himself the most nostalgic Now, as he patiently awaits for right time to harvest a 30 year investment, even he considers the future of the land uncertain. CREDIT: Bob Miller for The Wall Street Journal<br />
TIMBER_AL
    180803_TIMBER_BobMiller_1424.jpg