Middlesex County closer to harvest of timber

The Middlesex County Board of Supervisors is considering timbering a 35-acre tract of land that the county owns between Cooks Corner and Saluda.

Supervisors purchased a 30-acre tract of land in 2006 for $94,500 for sewage treatment usage. A plan, however, to discharge treated sewage through the property with the effluent going into Urbanna Creek changed and the property has been left alone for regrowth of trees.

The 30 acres was expanded in 2022 when the board purchased 5.41 acres for $99,000 that connects the properties and fronts on General Puller Highway (Route 33).

The board’s logic in buying the 5.41 acres was to make the entire tract more valuable for resale or for use by the county, because of the more favorable access to Route 33.

During an administrative report by County Administrator Matt Walker on July 9 to the board, he reported that he met with local Virginia Department of Forestry (VDF) officials to discuss timbering the property.

He said he also discussed timbering land the county owns near Hummel Field airport in Topping, but VDF officials said that it had been timbered in 2005 and was not ready yet.

The county also considered timbering property at Cooks Corner behind the Middlesex County Animal Shelter. The land, however, is owned by the Middlesex County School Board and the school board does not want trees removed from that property, said Walker.