Home › What is my timber worth
What is my timber worth?
The honest answer is that nobody can tell you over the phone — and anybody who does is guessing or hoping you will not check. Here is what actually decides the number.
Six things decide the number
In roughly this order of importance. The first three are about the trees themselves; the last three are about what it takes to get them out.
We buy walnut from 14 inches and every other species from 16, measured at four and a half feet. Board feet climb much faster than diameter does: a 24-inch tree holds far more than twice what a 16-inch tree holds.
A clear, straight butt log with no knots or seams cuts into high-grade lumber. The same species with a crooked, limby trunk goes for pallet stock.
Moving equipment in costs the same whether there are 40 good trees or 4. Denser stands are worth more per tree to harvest.
Somewhere to build a landing and get a loaded truck out matters. Poor access does not stop a sale but it does affect the offer.
Steep ground and soft bottoms slow everything down and take more care to do without leaving a mess.
Why diameter matters more than people expect
Landowners count trees. Buyers count board feet — and board feet do not climb in a straight line with size.
A tree twice the diameter of another is not worth twice as much. It is worth several times as much, because volume climbs with the square of the diameter and because larger logs cut into higher grades of lumber. A 24 inch log holds four times what a 14 inch log holds while being under twice as wide.
This is why a woodlot with forty big trees can beat one with two hundred small ones, and it is also why cutting too early leaves real money standing in the woods.
Grade compounds it. Two white oaks of identical size can differ enormously in value: a straight, clear butt log with no knots, seams or crook cuts into high-grade lumber, while the same tree with a crooked, limby trunk goes for pallet stock at a fraction of the price.
You cannot see that from the road, and often you cannot see it from the ground without knowing what to look for. It is the single biggest reason a drive-by offer is worth ignoring.
Questions landowners ask us
Can you give me a price per acre?
No, and neither can anybody else honestly. Two neighboring forty-acre woodlots can differ by a factor of ten depending on species, size and grade. Per-acre figures you see online are averages of wildly different properties and are not much use for yours.
How many acres do I need to make it worth doing?
It depends far more on what is standing than on how many acres there are. A few acres holding mature walnut can be worth more than a hundred acres of small poplar. If you are not sure, call and describe it — we will tell you honestly whether it is worth a trip out.
Does a walkthrough cost anything?
No. We walk the property, look at what is there and tell you what we think, at no charge and with no obligation to sell. If you decide not to go ahead, you keep the information.
How is timber measured?
In board feet. Ohio hardwood is commonly scaled using the Doyle log rule. What matters to you is that board footage climbs much faster than diameter does, so larger trees are worth disproportionately more than small ones.
Should I sell now or wait?
Sometimes waiting is genuinely the right answer, and we will say so. Timber grows in value as it grows in diameter, so a stand of young, healthy trees may be worth considerably more in ten years. The exceptions are ash, which is dying and losing value fast, and any tree that is already declining.
Do I pay tax on a timber sale?
Usually yes, and often at capital gains rates rather than as ordinary income, which can make a substantial difference. We are timber buyers, not tax advisors, so talk to your accountant before you sell. It is worth the phone call.
What if I only want some of the trees cut?
That is normal and often the better decision. A select harvest takes the mature and declining trees and leaves the rest to keep growing. We will mark what we propose to take and you approve it before anything is cut.
The only way to actually find out
Somebody who knows hardwood has to walk your woods and tally what is there. That is the whole answer. We do it at no cost because it is also the only way we can make you a real offer.
You are under no obligation to sell to us, or to sell at all. Sometimes the honest answer is to wait, and we will say so.
Find out what your woods are worth
We will walk your property, tally what is there and tell you straight what it is worth — at no cost, and with no obligation to sell.
Joe or Autty answers the phone. Or send your details and we will call you.