How can I get the most money for my timber?
To get the most money from a timber sale, while maximizing its future value, consider the following questions:
Can you do an accurate timber inventory and appraisal?
At minimum, you will need to take a thorough and accurate inventory of all mature hardwood trees on your property, and prepare a report to submit to buyers. The report must list and accurately categorize all marketable trees by species, diameter, and volume in board feet.
You must also mark every tree that is to be harvested and communicate the GPS coordinates for every tree to the logging contractor.
This work is best done by a certified forester, who is independent and unaffiliated with a sawmill or logger, to avoid conflicts of interest.
You should never rely on a timber buyer for this work. You should have a independent certified forester with ample experience do it for you instead. We can connect you with one.
Can you get multiple bids from honest, bona fide timber buyers?
Timber buyers do not work for you, nor can they be expected to have your best interests in mind.
They work for loggers and sawmills and their job is to buy as much timber as they can, while offering to pay the lowest price that you will accept.
These people are notorious for low-bidding on high quality timber stands, and other dishonest practices. The best way to protect yourself from the dishonest ones is to get multiple bids from honest buyers who deal in good faith.
Do you know how to attract multiple buyers from a wide area, and can you make them outbid each other to buy your timber?
If you don’t then you only need to contact us to connect with a certified forester with the experience to help you.
Can you conduct an orderly and transparent timber sale?
You will need to market your timber to a sufficient number of buyers to attract enough interest to create a competitive bidding situation. You will need to solicit sealed bids from all parties and conduct the process in a transparent manner that complies with Ohio law.
You will also need to ensure that the buyers aren’t colluding with each other to keep all bids low.
If you have any doubts about your ability to manage the marketing of sale of your timber, then you need the assistance of a certified forester. When you contact us, we will connect you with an expert.
Can you vet timber buyers and loggers for their qualifications?
Many small logging companies and independent timber buyers are aggressive in spotting timber and approaching landowners with offers to buy it. But many of them do not have the financial resources to actually buy your timber, so they can’t.
What they are really trying to do is to get you to sign a timber sale contract that they can then flip (re-sell) to a qualified buyer and make a profit that way. You get paid significantly less than full market value for your timber this way.
You must screen these fly-by-night contract flippers out of your sale and market it to only qualified, bona fide buyers who can perform for you.
If you have the slightest doubt about this, then contact us to connect you directly with a certified forester with the right experience to assist you.
Can you write a solid timber sale contract?
Once you decide to sell your timber, you will need a contract that legally binds the logger to perform work for you, and to protect you if something goes awry.
Your contract must contain clear payment terms, work requirements, dates, deadlines, guarantees, restrictions, provisions for resolving disputes, and exact requirements for restoring the forest floor before the loggers leave.
You should never sign a contract that a timber buyer or logger wrote.
Contact us to get connected with a certified forester who will help you draw up a contract to get you paid upfront, and to protect your interests during and after the harvest.
Can you create a selective timber harvest plan and oversee the harvest?
The logging industry is rife with examples of loggers over-harvesting timber stands and taking trees that they did not pay your for. Sometimes this happens by honest mistake, but most often it’s theft, and it happens all over Ohio.
Not only do you need to mark your trees properly and map them accurately for the logger, you must make multiple inspections to audit their work and enforce contract provisions to remedy this if it happens.
Loggers often have to make logging roads and staging areas in the woods, to do their work. You need to make sure those are done with the least amount of damage, and that they are restored properly when the job is done.
Logging roads can also create irrigation and flood control problems on your property, and these things must be mitigated or repaired upon completion of this work.
You simply cannot guarantee that this work is done right without an experienced forester working on your side. Contact us to connect you with one today.