Imagine that you own 100 acres of forested land with mature hardwood growing on it. One day your phone rings, and the caller identifies himself as a timber buyer. He is working nearby and has noticed that you have some nice timber. He has taken the liberty of walking through your woods. He asks, “Would you accept $10,000 for your timber?” You think, “Heck, I didn’t think it was worth anything. Ten thousand dollars! Right out of the blue. This is my lucky day!”
If this happened to you, would you know how to sell this timber legally, safely and for a fair market price? Try to answer the questions below to find out!
How many trees should the logger cut?
200
1,000
The timber buyer decides.
A consulting forester should measure the trees and help you decide how many of them to cut.
How many board feet of timber are harvestable?
1,000
10,000
What is a board foot?
A consulting forester should estimate the number of board feet in the sale.
How much is this timber really worth?
less than $10,000
more than $10,000
A competitive bidding process would determine a fair market price for the timber.
A consulting forester can accurately determine the value of the timber.
What is the preferred method for a timber buyer to pay the landowner for the timber?
The buyer and seller agree upon a price prior to the harvest, based on an estimation of timber volume as it stands in the woods. The buyer pays this amount up front, or he pays portions of the amount as each load of wood is delivered.
On shares. The scale at the mill is used to determine the volume of wood that is harvested, and the buyer pays for each load as it is delivered.
After the harvest is complete.
Which tree species should the logger harvest?
Allow the logger to decide
Trees should be harvested based on dollar value only
Allow a professional to mark trees based on landowner objectives
The timber buyer says they will only harvest the trees that measure greater than 15 inches in diameter at breast height. Is this type of diameter-limited cut a good way to select trees for harvest?
Yes.
No.
I don't know.
If the logger or one of his crew members is injured or killed while working on the landowner's property, who is responsible?
The logger's insurance.
The landowner's insurance.
I don't know.
After a timber harvest, who fixes the rutted roads, farm lanes, ruined fences or pulls tree tops back out of the crop fields, pastures, and/or creeks?
The logger.
The landowner.
The logger, and the landowner holds a security deposit to ensure the repairs are made.
How long will the loggers have a right to be on the land and harvesting timber?
1 month
1 year
Both parties and should agree upon the harvesting period and the deadline should be part of a contract.