Georgia-Pacific is to reopen two mills in southwest Mississippi to process timber felled by Hurricane Katrina.
The move will create 500 jobs, bringing a much-needed boost to the local economy.
The plywood plant in Gloster and sawmill in Roxie closed about three years ago because of high production costs.
Georgia-Pacific will also open 10-15 lumber yards to stack wood.
Analysts believe Katrina destroyed about three years’ worth of timber harvests in the state but the industry has only about six to nine months to salvage most of the wood.
