Timber and Tourism are the two most predominant industries in Sabine Parish.
Sabine Parish is rich in forested land. Timber contributes the greatest economic boost in Sabine. The predominant forest species is yellow pine.
According to the LSU Agricultural Center, in 2005 timber production in Sabine Parish was at 339,500 cords and 66.6 million board feet for pine, 45,332 cords and 3.7 million board feet for hardwood, 384,822 cords for pulpwood, and 26,488 cords for chip & saw. Forestry gross farm value in Sabine Parish was $67.8 million.
Sabine Parish has a thriving timber business. Three of the top employers in Sabine are timber-related: Boise in Florien which employs --- and Weyerhauser in Zwolle which employs --, and Walsh Timber Company. Also, Boise is a top taxpayer in Sabine, contributing --- in 2007 to the property tax rolls.
Other Forestry/Timber contributions to Sabine Parish, 2007:
Information provided by the Louisiana Forestry Commission
Timber severed and tax receipts:
Saw timber (board feet Doyle Scale) - 80,127,542
Pine & hardwood pulpwood (standard cords) - 370,792
Chip-N-Saw (standard cords) - 19,619
TOTAL TAX - $1,083,020
(Taxes collected based on stumpage values set by the Louisiana Forestry Commission and the Louisiana Tax Commission. 75% of the above tax is returned to the parish and 25% goes to the State's General Fund of which 75% is dedicated to the Louisiana Forestry Productivity Program.)
Estimated Stumpage Value of Severed Timber (Landowner Inceom from Sales of Timber):
Pine Saw Timber - $72,745,555
Hardwood Saw timber - $897,984
Pine Pulpwood - $7,230,532
Hardwood Pulpwood - $816,239
Chip-N-Saw - $2,173,785
TOTAL STUMPAGE VALUE - $38,864,095
Tourism is the second-most prominent industry for Sabine Parish, but in 10-15 years time has positioned itself second only to timber as far as annual contributions to the local economy. The tourism industry employs more than 100 people in Sabine, contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in local sales taxes, and its contributions to the local economy through sales taxes, ets. are immeasurable. A 3 percent parish hotel/motel use tax generated $139,500 in 2007, according to the Sabine Parish Sales Tax Commission. That is nearly three times greater than the $55,000 that was collected just 8 years earlier.
Poultry is another big industry in Sabine Parish. There are 76 poultry growers in the parish producing more than 165 million pounds per year. Also, there are 5 breeder (egg) growers and 4 pullet growers, along with a large feed mill located in Many that is owned and operated by Con Agra.
Sabine Parish's newest industry is Retirement. Parish officials recognize the contributions (both economic and civic) that retirees bring to an area, and are aggressively promoting Toledo Bend Lake Country as a retirement destination.
Related link: Sabine looks to grow by diversifying economy, from The Alexandria Town Talk, April 2007.
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