# Selling trees to timber company



## AM1

This is for all of you timber-men out there. My neighbor is selling alot of trees on his 6-7 acres next door. How much does that sort of deal pay a property owner willing to sell the timber? If I wanted to talk to the logger about selling him some of my trees on my 5 acres (I had always wanted to thin it way down anyway), what kind of offers should I get? Is it a good time to sell timber with the building market in the tank right now? I wouldn't think you could get top dollar right now. My lot consists of a few hardwoods, but is dominated by mature yellow pine & white pine.Thoughts,anyone?


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## ratherbefishin

What price you can get depends on what grade of timber, pulpwood, sawtimber, etc. Your best bet might be to have a consultant forester come look at it. He can give you a value on the wood and even sell it for you for a fee. It mostly depends on how much timber is on your land and the size, grade of logs.


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## Dovebuster33

*Estimates*

That is pretty small lots but when I had 52 acres timbered off @ 10 years ago I got a WIDE variation in price from 3 different timber companies. So I would advise getting several price estimates.


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## jimbo4116

Dovebuster33 said:


> That is pretty small lots but when I had 52 acres timbered off @ 10 years ago I got a WIDE variation in price from 3 different timber companies. So I would advise getting several price estimates.



Small tract hard to believe you will get a "timber co." to bid unless it is contiguous with a large tract they are cutting.

But if you can get a logger to cut, just sell it by the load.  6 or 7 acres you can stand there and count the loads.

Haven't check timber prices lately but lumber is down so timber probably is too.  No more acres than that he might be better off to wait unless he just needs the money right now.


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## contender*

I heard one of the local sawmills advertising on the local station this morning. Can't remember which one (I think Logans but wouldn't swear to it) it just surprised me that they would be advertising with the construction in the dumps the way it is. Wouldn't hurt to give them a call but you might get a better deal from the same company that is doing the lot next to you beings they are already set-up.


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## Pineyrooter

The problem you have is you have five acres and unless a timber buyer is nearby you're likely not going to receive a typical market price for any product class. The cost of moving equipment and paying help to move that equipment makes it cost prohibitive for most timber buyers. The other question you should ask yourself is what am I selling and what do I want to keep. If your looking at thinning five acres I'd try to go ahead and have it done while a buyer is nearby. I would, however make sure the buyer AND guy on the cut down machine understands what you want to keep. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT assume they know what you want or expect. Best option is to contact your local Georgia Forestry Commssion office and ask that a management forester pay you a visit. Its a free service and he/she can give you some helpful information. If you talk with 3 buyers you'll receive three prices and sometimes they vary greatly. Close by is a plus though if you can swing it before they leave.    

Some timber buyers are like or worse than used car salesman. It can be a dirty business so know what you have before you sale.


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## GeorgiaTrout

If you want your 5 acres thinned your best bet is to let the logger that is cutting timber on the neighboring property to buy and cut your timber. If you wait and get bids from other loggers the prices will typically be lower than what the logger should offer you that is on the next property.

You should get prices for pulpwood, chip n saw, sawtimber and possibly poles. For thinning you will want to get $$$ per ton for the different grades(sizes) of your timber.

IF you do decide on thinning make sure the buyer and ESPECIALLY the cutdown machine operater knows what you want/expect cut.


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## dpoole

Contact your local georgia forestry office ..


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## gadeerwoman

Do as someone suggested and have whoever is cutting the neighbor's to get yours at the same time. For small acreage that's the best way to go. Prices are not great right now as the timber folks are getting hit pretty hard by the quotas. They can only deliver so much to the mills and with the building industry hit hard by the economy, some of the timber harvesters may not be able to get rid of a certain cut as quickly as in the past.


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## JuliaH

Be cautious who you let cut trees, and be picky if you don't want clear cut... We had someone thin our farm once and it went well, the FIRST time anyhow. Another logger came along and clear cut about 5 acres, plus when thru our land and stole a load off another man's land behind us!!  This was a long time ago, but I still have not forgotten...lol

Julia



AM1 said:


> This is for all of you timber-men out there. My neighbor is selling alot of trees on his 6-7 acres next door. How much does that sort of deal pay a property owner willing to sell the timber? If I wanted to talk to the logger about selling him some of my trees on my 5 acres (I had always wanted to thin it way down anyway), what kind of offers should I get? Is it a good time to sell timber with the building market in the tank right now? I wouldn't think you could get top dollar right now. My lot consists of a few hardwoods, but is dominated by mature yellow pine & white pine.Thoughts,anyone?


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## Twenty five ought six

Not sure what the situation is up your way, but we have some folks locally that specialize in small cuts, using land friendly equipment.  I think there is even a crew around here that uses draft horses.

The downsize is that you are not going to get the same price for a small selective cut as someone with a 100 acres clear cut.  You sort of have to decide what is your goal --max. money, or husbandry.


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## twoshoes

I strongly recommend you contact a Consulting Forester that is either a Registered or Certified Forester. 

Also, to further keep from getting ripped off, contact Timber Mart-South for present prices for specific products for the past quarter.

Asking a logger, sometimes is like asking a fox about the hen house. Not all are honest especially in these times with the strained economy. Make sure your logger is a master timber harvester and make them provide proof of their credentials.


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## SOUTHERN WOODS

I am not located in GA but I will give you the honest truth on what you need to do! 

First I will start off by saying that not everyone in the business is crooked!  There are many honest people out there that will do the work right and are some of the finest people you will ever meet. 

Right now it is hard for a logger to move on a tract just to cut 5 acres unless it has a fair amount of volume on it.  Most loggers have to run enough production for the week to pay for their salary, employees, fuel, insurance, and equipment.  This means running more loads which equal more money when they settle at the end of the week. 

I would contact the procurement forester or logger who is working on your neighbor's property and talk with them about what you want done.  IF YOU CONTACT A CONSULTING FORESTER AND HAVE HIM WORK FOR YOU ON 5 ACRES, IT WILL NOT BE WORTH THE MONEY IN MESSING WITH.  MOST CONSULTANTS' HERE CHARGE FROM 5-10%.  

Talk with the guys next door, see how they are doing on your neighbor's property.  If you like the job, have them get you some unit (per ton) prices.  

There will usually be a breakout by species and product: 

Pine Sawtimber - $ per ton
Pine Chip N Saw - $ per ton
Pine Pulpwood - $ per ton
Hardwood Logs ( could be broken out by species) $ per MBF or ton
Hardwood Pulpwood - $ ton

Chips - $ per ton ( you probably won't have to worry about this)

* Don't expect to get as good of a price per ton as the guy with 100 acres to sell because the logger may be getting paid a higher cut-n-haul for having to log a smaller piece of land. 

When you sign your contract, get a copy of it.  Make sure you request (it is the law here in SC) you get copies of all mill tickets.  Usually you receive a check every week until the job is finished.  A logger should be able to run through a few acres in a day or two. 

If you have any more questions pm me!

I don't want to burst any of the bubbles of the guys that posted here but being certified or a master harvester does not make you honest or guarantee a good job.  There are many states that do not even require foresters' to be licensed.  I would find someone that I trust and see what kind of job they are doing. You will not have to look hard, talk with people in the community!  A lot of times, the highest price isn't the best deciding factor to look at, it is best to look at who will do the best job so that you won't have to spend twice as much later trying to clean everything up! 

Good Luck


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## shortround1

we have done that in the past. if you have a small acreage, get the neighbor who is doing some thinning to hook up with timber contractor. we have about 30 acres that is in bad need of thinning, perhaps they can cut it for fence post.


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## Big7

Get a holt to rangerdave on here.
He can send you in the right direction.

He is on "my buddy" list if yall don't know who he is.
He hangs out a lot on the SF.


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## Cabinetman

I would agree that if a logger is next door cutting he would probably pay more than another logger just because his equipment is already there. If you have a good stand of mature pines 30-40 year old it is worth alot of $$ even if it is just 5 acres. It's hard to compare when you are'nt looking at the tract and the distance to the mill, and the difficulty of harvesting it, but I've heard of some numbers in the $3000-$4000 dollar range per acre (net to you)for clear cutting mature planted pines. You can figure out how much you want cut and figure the percent accordingly, But like they said above the smaller size tract will be hard to sell if you can't get the guy next door to cut it while he is already there and setup. Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.


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## Timberman

You've been given some good advice. As already mentioned, the deal with a small tract is the economics of a crew moving and setting up for what might be only a day or two worth of work. Back when I was buying, as soon as I moved a crew into an area I would solicit all the landowners adjacent to or close to the tract I was on. Many times I ended up staying in one area for sometimes months cutting everybodies timber. Chances are the loggers will welcome adding your tract to their list. Again as mentioned earlier I would negotiate a pay as cut agreement in writing selling your timber by the ton and thousand board foot. Check with your local division of forestry and they can clue you in on the prevailing prices being paid in your area. Being closely tied to the housing market timber prices are depressed at this time. However with your small acreage I would weigh how bad You want the timber cut vs waiting for what might be quite a long time for another opportunity when prices are better. Regardless good luck with your endeavour...


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