Salvaging Beauty from Disaster: MVR-TX Construction Rescues Guadalupe River Cypress

After the devastating flash flood along the Guadalupe River on July 4th, the landscape around Ingram, TX was left severely impacted—uprooting old-growth cypress and other mature trees, many of which were destined to be cut up and discarded. Wanting to preserve the natural beauty and value of these historic trees, I contacted A&M Forestry Services and spoke with Eric, hoping to find a way to salvage what could still be saved.

Just one day later, Eric reached out with a lead—a woman named Ms. Kat Brannen in Ingram was looking for someone who could remove trees from her flood-impacted property. I connected with her and her brother, John, and traveled to their riverside home, which was covered in debris. Their primary concern was urgency: FEMA contractors had already begun cutting and removing trees, and they wanted to ensure that what could be salvaged would be preserved rather than destroyed.

We immediately deployed two of our best hands, Justin Ashley and Walt Bennett, with a car hauler trailer and a tractor equipped with a grapple to evaluate the site. It quickly became clear that the size and weight of the trees—some root balls alone weighing over 20,000 pounds—would require more equipment. We rented a wheeled loader with forks and began separating debris from salvageable logs.

After seven days of dedicated work, we successfully loaded six 18-wheelers with approximately 250,000 pounds of salvaged timber, including 47 trees and 7 massive root balls. Among them were seven extraordinary cypress logs measuring 30–40 inches in diameter and 25–35 feet in length.

These logs have now been transported to our sawmills in College Station, TX. With three mills—including one capable of cutting logs up to 4 feet in diameter and 30 feet long—we are beginning the process of milling these trees into slabs. The green slabs are available for purchase now and will be ready for kiln drying in 3–6 months.

We hope to partner with architects and construction firms to give these logs a second life as unique, beautiful features in homes and commercial spaces. If you’re interested in purchasing slabs or have trees in need of salvage, don’t burn them—call MVR-TX Construction and let us turn them into something timeless.