HALL TIMBERLANDS FOREST - NOXUBEE COUNTY, 245 ACRES
Timberland is a significant part of the Hall legacy. The family has stewarded and carefully harvested its timber for three generations, and now they are entrusting Mississippi State University with their valuable resource.
A 245-acre parcel of timberland in Noxubee County, Miss., has become part of the university’s Bulldog Forest. Known as the Hall Forest, the property will be used as a living laboratory for the students and faculty of the university and for forestry and wildlife research and training. MSU will manage the forest, and proceeds will provide scholarships for students majoring in forestry.
As a third generation timberland management professional dedicated to sustainable forestry, David Hall believes an excellent education is the cornerstone of the timber industry. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Forestry in 1999 and an MBA in 2002, and he puts his MSU degrees to use as he manages Hall Timberlands.
Hall Timberlands is a family-owned business. The company plants and grows timber, which is sold to mills to be processed into pulp, chips, and sawtimber for plywood and dimensioned construction lumber. It also contracts with other companies to harvest and deliver trees to mills. Hall Timberlands currently holds approximately 60,000 acres in Mississippi.
“We maximize real value by maintaining a perpetual, sustainable forest, a diverse canopy of trees, teeming with animals, birds, and clear streams, yielding wood products that provide fuel, shelter, and useful materials,” David said.
Hall Timberlands began when David’s grandfather, Maurice H. Hall Sr. of Bay Springs, purchased his first timberland in 1938. After working as a bookkeeper at a sawmill, he grew pine and hardwood timber in East Central Mississippi. He operated mills in the towns of Shubuta, Meridian, and Gulfport from 1941 through 1965. For three decades, David’s father, Maurice H. Hall Jr., also worked with his grandfather to turn the focus of the business to acquisition, cultivation, conservation, and management. Today, the company is owned by Maurice H. Hall Jr., his sister, Mary Cheek Hall Davis, and their children.
“I do believe it is my responsibility to ensure this treasured family land is preserved for Mississippi State University to use as a living laboratory for learning and research,” David said. Mississippi State University currently has nearly 25,000 acres in its Bulldog Forest program in the College of Forest Resources.