Natchez based business sells product to twenty-five countries
Timber and lumber processing is practically in the DNA of the family members who operate J.M. Jones Lumber Company Inc. in Natchez. Founded in 1911, J.M. Jones Lumber currently has members of the fourth and fifth generation heading up operations at the mill in Natchez that uses Mississippi River Delta hardwoods to produce a wide variety of products used to make furniture, cabinets, paneling, flooring, framing stock, molding, guitar stock and other specialty products sold across the U.S. and in other countries.
The company ships more than 13 million board feet of Southern hardwood lumber annually to destinations throughout the United States and abroad to more than 25 countries to date. To stay in pace with their customers’ needs, they have convenient loading facilities for all modes of transportation. Products are shipped by truck, rail or water economically and efficiently.
Producing a superior final product starts with good timber management by growing high-quality hardwood trees and delivering them to the company’s sawmill on the banks of the Mississippi River.
“Quality is our main goal,” said President and owner Howard Jones. “Our sawmill crew is committed to producing a well-manufactured board of the highest grade. The lumber is then dipped and stacked for air drying. Once the desired moisture content is obtained, the lumber goes to one of four company dry kilns. The final product is then graded by our NHLA certified lumber inspectors and packaged for shipment. All boards are graded after kiln drying and our lumber is sold on net tally.”
Species they harvest and process include red oak, ash, cottonwood, willow, cypress, elm, hackberry, poplar, white oak, pecan and hickory.
“Much of our green lumber, especially our high-grade oak, is dried under open air t-sheds to assure the lumber remains as bright as possible for our customers,” said Jones. “We produce random width and length lumber in thicknesses from 3/4 to 12/4, depending on the species. We cut pallet stock and various industrial timbers out of our heart centers.”
The company puts a major focus on packaging products professionally. All domestic and export bundles are end painted, tally blasted and wrapped with heavy duty plastic straps with edge protectors. “The care and attention we pay to every load that goes out has given us a good reputation with our customers, both domestic and abroad. They can customize the packaging, including putting the customer’s logo on the bundles, if requested,” said Jones.
The business got its start in 1911 when J.M. Jones founded the company near Knoxville, Tenn., producing timbers, railroad car stock and railroad ties with some sales to furniture plants. In 1912, he moved the sawmill operation to Jennie, Ark., where he constructed a band mill and purchased timber on 18,000 acres. He operated in this area until 1921 while also purchasing 32,000 acres of timberland in Northeast Louisiana and opening another mill at Fondale, La., in 1919. In 1922, he bought a large block of timber and built a mill in Ferriday, La., where he produced more than 90 million board feet before the Ferriday mill burned in 1930.
In 1928, before the Ferriday fire, Jones purchased 15,000 acres in southern Adams County and operated a band mill. In 1936 he built a mill on the Mississippi River in Natchez where the company still operates today.
J. M. Jones’ sons, Howard, Newton and Kenneth, owned and operated the mill for many years. Today J. M. Jones’ great grandson, Howard Jones, is the President and owner. His son, Lee, is the Vice President and in charge of lumber sales. Together, along with Jacob Harrison, they represent the fourth and fifth generations of Joneses to work at the lumber company.
Timber processing technology has improved tremendously since the early days allowing more precision and faster production. Howard Jones said they continue to upgrade their equipment to keep up with the technological advances. “There is no doubt that technology improves production and yield,” said Jones. “We supply the highest grade of hardwood lumber to domestic and international markets. In the 60s and 70s, we imported logs from Central America to be sawn at our mill here in Natchez. In the early 90s, we became heavily involved in exporting our lumber overseas and to Mexico. To date we have sold our JOLUMCO brand in more than 25 countries and counting. Our experienced team is dedicated to customer service.”
They do far more than just cut and saw up trees.
“Our timber management program, started by my father in 1960, sets us apart from most of our competitors,” said Jones. “It allows us to have a steady supply of high-grade logs of desirable species. This is critical when your focus is grade hardwood lumber.”
While heavily involved in exporting, Jones said they would like to decrease exports.
Markets can be impacted by many factors.
“The demand is fair for most of our higher-grade lumber,” said Jones. “It is poor for the lower grades. The problem is the price. Our margins have almost disappeared. The price we get for our lumber has nowhere near kept pace with the increased costs of production. Until the prices increase, we cannot make money selling kiln dried lumber.”
J.M. Jones Lumber employs 70 people. About 40% have been with the company for more than 10 years. “Several ‘old hats’ have retired in the past few years, guys that had been with us for over 40 years,” said Jones. “We do have more turnover than we used to. I think it is a sign of the times.”
Jones said they have a lot of family working at the mill, and he is not just talking about members of the Jones family; everyone who works there is considered part of the family.
“We think that creates a culture where everyone is trying to take care of each other,” said Jones. “That is important for everything from safety to quality to profitability. We strive today to bring the same quality products and services that J. M. Jones Lumber Company has been delivering for 114 years.”
Mississippi is fortunate to have abundant timber resources, what Jones calls “one of the best wood baskets in the South.” But there have also been challenges for timber production. The alluvial soils along the river grow excellent hardwood timber, but heavy Mississippi River flooding has negatively affected those soils. Jones said the floods in 2018 and 2019 stayed high for so long that a lot of trees were killed and a great deal of sand was deposited in the batture, the land between the banks or levees and the river.
Jones and his family love working in the hardwood lumber business.
“There are a lot of good people in this industry,” said Jones. “It is an added bonus to get to work with my son. His son, Holt, who is five years old, says he is going to run the mill one day. I hope he does.”
Natchez has been the home of Jones for his entire life. “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,” he said.