Ten steps to a successful timber sale

There are ten steps to having a successful timber sale. Many of you have responded to my recent article concerning problems that can arise in selling your timber. I have outlined the steps that are imperative in conducting a successful timber sale. We will briefly discuss these steps now and then look at them in more detail in later articles.

The most important ingredient for a successful timber sale is knowing your investment and having a long-range plan. The type of cut you do should be determined by your plans for the property in the future. For example, you wouldn’t want to clear-cut the timber on a property that you might be developing for housing in the next few years. Instead you would want to opt for a real-estate cut.

The trees being sold must be identified. Without specifying what you are selling, there is no way to compare bids from your competing buyers. Even in a clear-cut, there are going to be Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) or other buffers to be left. If you are doing a select-cut, you must decide how many and which trees you are taking out.

Additionally, you should identify the boundaries for the cut and make sure they are well-marked. This is particularly important if you are selling only part of the timber on your land. Each bidder must be placing their bid on exactly the same defined trees. Plus, you don’t want the harvest to accidentally cross your property line onto your neighbor. Then you will be paying to settle the trespass problem.

Streamside Management Zones are a must in selling your timber today. You do not want to be guilty of creating silt downstream because of your lack of proper sale management. This could be a costly mistake. If you want trees left along a road or pond as a scenic buffer, you should identify those trees up front before the sale.

You would never sell your product without knowing what it’s worth. I hear of sales all the time where the landowner let the buyer create the value. You never buy products from anyone who asks you to tell them what their product is worth. You shouldn’t put yourself in this position either. You need to be clear and concise with a buyer. The bid prospectus eliminates all the questions a buyer could have and provides all the details of the sale. It is delivered to all prospective buyers within a 50 to 75 mile radius. The most promising buyers should be contacted personally. Of course you’ll want to include a copy of a timber deed that is to be used in the sale of your trees to identify the terms of the sale. The only way to make sure the terms of the contract are delivered is by supervising the sale.

There is much involved in a timber sale that should be considered. We’ll look in more detail in the near future at some of these details. Knowing the market is always of most importance and right now we are experiencing some increase in all of our product sales. We have especially good prices in our hardwood products right now. Pine sawtimber and logs are also looking good. Don’t take a chance on losing a great opportunity to make a bundle on your timber investment. Call today to make an appointment with a Georgia Farm Bureau forester. We’ll be glad to meet you on your land and review your timber status. Jim Griffith is general manager of the Georgia Farm Bureau Real Estate Company.