Houston County landfill to benefit from timber sale

The Houston County Commission on Tuesday approved a bid to cut timber on landfill property, which is expected to generate nearly $200,000.

The board approved a bid to thin two tracts totaling 422 acres and to clear-cut a 43-acre tract that is to be used for the landfill’s expansion. The clear-cut tract is estimated to generate $120,000, while the two tracts to be thinned are expected to produce about $71,000 total.

“That’s good income right there,” Commissioner Larry Thomson said.

The landfill is a self-sustaining operation funded mostly by per-ton fees for trash brought there. The timber money will go into the landfill account.

The high bidder of four bids was Timberland Products of Fitzgerald, which bid based on the amount of wood to be cut. The exact amount of revenue won’t be known until the timber is cut and weighed. The company expects to start cutting the timber in four to six weeks.

The county owns 2,600 acres at the landfill, located off Ga. 247 south of Bonaire. About 2,200 of the tract is forest. Most of the land will never be used as a part of the landfill, but the county bought it to allow for a buffer, Director of Operations Robbie Dunbar said.

Last year the county voted to spend $79,120 to plant 368 acres at the landfill in pine trees, which has since been done. That tract had been clear-cut by a previous owner who still held the timber rights, but the county now owns the timber it planted.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Houston County landfill to benefit from timber sale."