Missouri storms caused $12 million in timber damage

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Storms that swept across Missouri in May caused millions of dollars of damage to timber.

The Missouri Department of Conservation says the storms damaged 204 million board feet of timber on 113,000 acres. More than half of that was on private land, with the rest in the Mark Twain National Forest or conservation areas.

The agency says the commercial value of the damaged timber is estimated at $12 million.

The Missouri Forest Products Association said statewide damage from the May 8 storms equals about one-third of Missouri's annual timber harvest.

Significant timber damage occurred in 36 counties. The hardest hit counties were Reynolds, Madison, Shannon, Dent, Iron and Bollinger.