GARNETT, South Carolina — Clearing mature, diseased and inferior trees creates more space, allowing vegetation to proliferate, heat from fires to escape through the canopy and the next bounty of pines to emerge from the earth. The longer these pines remain on the stump, the greater the risk of disease and infestation. Brian “Woody” Rogers, with Milliken Advisors, called the area a “biological desert.” Finding a buyer for these walls of wood has become increasingly challenging for South Carolina landowners as paper and saw mills that previously purchased the timber have closed in droves. And with the announcement that International Paper’s Savannah mill would close by the end of this past September, the micro-economy centered around the processing plant has suffered another blow. …“There is no plan because there’s no alternative,” said Trip Chavis, CEO of Milliken. “There’s nothing to fill that void.” [to access the full story a subscription is required]