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Valley sanitary district sells timber

Tribune Chronicle / Jon Wysochanski Mahoning Valley Sanitary District resident engineer Jon Jamison stands next to a stack of timber recently cut from its property. The MVSD cuts trees down annually to minimize the risk of forest fires. The trees eventually are processed to build furniture.

MINERAL RIDGE — The Mahoning Valley Sanitary District isn’t only in the business of selling water. Timber also is a commodity.

Every year, the MVSD harvests several hundred trees, including red, white and black oaks, black cherry and ash trees. Chief Engineer Ramesh Kashinkunti said the trees are ultimately processed and used to construct furniture.

More than 1,000 trees have been harvested by the Jefferson County-based DeNoon Lumber Company in the past three years. A public bidding process is used to select the timber company, Kashinkunti said, and in the past three years, $252,500 in revenue was generated.

Kashinkunti said revenue isn’t the only objective of harvesting trees. It is also a way to minimize hazards such as forest fires that may result from an excess of growth. A certified forester assists the MVSD in selecting trees, Kashinkunti said, so tree cutting will lead to additional plant growth.

“We want to minimize environmental impacts and mitigate risks,” Kashinkunti said. “There’s no question we generate revenue, but this is done in a very systematic manner.”

Resident Engineer Jon Jamison said trees are cut down onceper year from sections of land MVSD owns. The number of trees taken down each year varies based on the forester’s recommendations, and this year, 229 trees will come down.

Jamison said the age of trees also varies, but the objective is to remove trees before peak maturity. The trees harvested range in circumfrence from 16 to 34 inches and more than 367,000 board feet have been harvested in the past three years, according to information from the MVSD.

“Board feet are the feet that can be utilized minus the tops of the trees which can’t be used,” Jamison said. “Typically this material is used for high-end furniture.”

The MVSD owns 5,500 acres of land enclosed by 35 miles of fence. No public access is permitted on the land, which serves as an unofficial fish and game refuge.

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