Timber Sales
Timber Sales
A timber sale is harvest of timber (sawtimber, chip-n-saw, pulpwood, poles, etc…) in exchange for money. Acorn acts as the sales agent of the landowner to work with timber buyers to ensure a landowner receives the highest overall amount possible between all product classes, and that the harvest operation is performed correctly, and completed with reputable timber buyers and loggers.
The basic steps of a timber sales are as follows:
- Identify and mark sale boundaries. Sale boundaries are first identified on a map of the owner’s property. On the ground, the actual boundary, including buffers within the broad sale area such as SMZs and other buffer areas, are marked and the map is corrected.
- Identify trees to be harvested. This may be done by marking each tree to be harvested or as a harvest scheme that is easily relayed to the buyer and logger.
- Location of roads, trails, and sets. Roads and trails that are to remain open and in good working order, as well as transportation routes into/out of the property, will be identified and relayed to the buyer and logger. The location of sets may be predetermined depending on the specific property and harvest operation.
- Solicit bids and select winning bid or negotiation of sale. Most sales will be put out for open bid through a list of reputable timber buyers. Acorn distributes a map of the area with a short summary of expected volumes and the type of harvest to occur. The winning bid will be selected based on the overall highest return across all product classes. In certain cases, a sale may be negotiated instead of put up for bid. (ex: The neighbor of a current sale wants to also sell their timber. Instead of putting the sale up for bid, sale price could be negotiated with the buyer who is already there increasing efficiency of operations and monetary return for all parties involved.)
- Prepare timber sale contract. Acorn has a proprietary timber sale contract used with all timber buyers and landowners. This contract is constantly updated as laws and legal precedent change.
- Monitor the sale. Timber sales are monitored by degreed foresters on the ground to help ensure the remaining stand and soils remain healthy, BMPs (Best Management Practices) are followed, and to ensure timber that is harvested is sorted and merchandised appropriately. Sales are also monitored with a load inventory system and photo surveillance to ensure compliance. Penalties for non-compliance are built into the sale contract, and a logger may be removed from a job entirely for extreme cases of non-compliance.
- Post-harvest reporting and cleanup. Foresters will complete a post-harvest survey and report back to the buyer/logger to complete any cleanup work that may be required (re-hanging a gate, grading haul route on property, etc…). Acorn also completes a report showing what was harvested and how much was paid to the landowner for each product class.
