April 19 Storm Damage Assessment
This is a summary of the aerial detection flight of the tornado outbreaks that occurred on April 19, 2020. The damaged areas were flown for timber damage assessment on April 21 by the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC).
The areas affected totaled approximately 3,772 acres, of which 1,888 (1,016 pine; 621 hardwood; 251 mixed) were forested acres on non-industrial, private forestland. The potential economic impact to forested acres is estimated at $1,497,626 using the average prices from Silvastat 360 for each product class.
Information by county is listed below.
County | Pine Acres Damaged | Hdwd Acres Damaged | Mixed Acres Damaged | Total Acres Damaged | Estimated Timber Value Impacted |
Lamar | 75 | 12 | 26 | 113 | $ 81,359 |
Marion | 916 | 609 | 225 | 1,750 | $ 1,396,789 |
Walthall | 25 | 0 | 0 | 25 | $ 19,479 |
Total Values | 1,016 | 621 | 251 | 1,888 | $ 1,497,626 |
The acreage was calculated using a 2016 NCLD layer along with data collected from aerial reconnaissance. Volumes were estimated using current FIA data for each county.
This estimated value does not include public lands, urban areas, sparsely forested areas or non-forested areas where trees may still have been damaged. This estimate may change as more data on the ground is collected. MFC crews are on the ground surveying damage to forests managed by the agency.
This estimate may not accurately reflect an individual landowner’s damage. Landowners with timber damage should contact a registered consulting forester to further evaluate the storm’s impact on their forestlands and discuss recovery options. Unfortunately, these areas may or may not fully recover as insects, diseases and other stressors tend to cause further timber loss.
For additional information about storm damage impacts, contact Todd Matthews, MFC Forest Management Chief, at tmatthews@mfc.ms.gov.
Landowners seeking advice or programs to assist with recovery can contact their local MFC forester. Find a local forester by visiting www.mfc.ms.gov.
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