Harvesting timber can provide additional revenue for landowners, as well as improving the health and vigor of the woods and wildlife, Extension foresters say. However, landowners might want to enlist some help to have the most successful timber-selling experience.
University of Missouri Extension forester Hank Stelzer says managing forests for timber sales and for forest and wildlife health can go hand-in-hand.
“Both of those angles are tied together,” he says.
He says periodic thinning and harvesting of trees can make room for new growth and keep diverse sizes and types of trees in the forest.
Iowa State University Extension forestry specialist Billy Beck says managing a forest for timber sales fits within overall healthy forest management.
“These management goals are not mutually exclusive,” he says. “You can manage for timber, you can manage for wildlife, you can manage for just recreation and a nice place to spend time. … To harvest is a tool. It’s not like the end of the woodlands. It’s a tool in the long-term management of a forest.”
University of Illinois Extension forestry specialist Chris Evans says having a consultation from a forester helps.
“A landowner may harvest timber two, three times in their life, so they don’t have a lot of experience with it,” he says.
Evans says landowners might have valuable trees that are ready to sell, but if they wait they might be worth a lot more. Other times, they can wait too long and miss the prime window to be selling trees.
When it comes to selling timber to a logger, Stelzer says many farmers need to know if enough trees are the optimal size and what types of trees they have.
“You really need to know what you have to sell with your timber,” he says.
Stelzer says landowners can contract a professional forester or work with one through the Department of Conservation. Foresters identify which trees to harvest, as well as determine the financial and biological maturity of trees in the sale area. They can also help determine potential value based on species, volume and quality.
“Do your homework,” Stelzer says. “Work with a professional forester, and determine one, what you have, and two, the relative quality. The forester works for (the landowner) and can help meet their objectives.”
Beck says professional foresters can help landowners develop goals and objectives and make sure they are selling timber at the optimal time to maximize revenue.
“You need to make sure it’s in your best interest to be harvesting timber at that time,” he says.
Foresters can also work on lining up logger bids and the closing of the sale.
Stelzer says there is an “easy button” for timber sales. Landowners can go to www.call
b4ucut.com and click on their state and request a free site assessment and see other resources available.
MU Extension agronomist Terry Halleran says the Call Before You Cut program is helpful to see if it is worth proceeding with a timber sale.
“The university will send a forester free of charge,” he says. “They will walk your timber, look at your timber, and basically say, ‘yes, you have a timber sale’ or not.”
If so, Halleran says the Call Before You Cut website has a list of verified, reputable professional foresters, and landowners can contract with them to run the timber sale.
Halleran says the cost is usually 10 to 15% of the total timber sale, and he says he believes it is well worth it. Foresters evaluate the trees, market them to loggers, and bring the different bids to the landowner.
“They do all the work, and you pick the bid,” he says.
Beck says most people don’t know what they are selling or how to grade logs, so he says his top advice for anyone selling timber is to go with a pro.
“If you are thinking about selling timber without a plan, really pump the brakes,” he says. “You’re going to come out ahead financially if you work with a pro.”
When it comes to which types of trees are most valuable, some familiar names top the list.
“Black walnut is consistently one of the most valuable trees out there,” Evans says. “White oak is also really high right now.”
He says good-quality sugar maple and red oak can also draw good prices.
Stelzer says white oak and walnut prices have been “stable and high,” and red oak and mixed hardwood prices have been “like a yo-yo.”
He says north- and east-facing slopes often have more fertile soil and better timber.
Stelzer also says managing forest ground can yield multiple timber sales, not just a one-time revenue boost.
“Everybody thinks trees are a once in a lifetime income, but it can be every 10-15 years,” he says.
Beck says while some types of trees can only be harvested every 50 years or so, landowners can harvest one part of the forest at a time or one type of tree at a time to spread out the revenue.
Halleran says even for landowners who only have one main timber sale in a generation, it can be a large revenue stream. He says forest ground is valuable.
“It is an industry worth looking into,” he says. “We want them to use it as a resource.”
