Demand for lumber and selling trees

[The Rutherford Family]

I keep reading that the demand for lumber has increased and that prices have risen, so we thought it would be easy to sell our trees. That is not the case at all. Has the industry trend changed recently and we're just getting in the game too late? What is the industry looking for when it comes to buying trees?

 

[baloyi]

I haven't heard of any change in prices around our area. At times, speculation can cause unprecedented demand. Also, how much your timber is worth depends on local market conditions and the distance to mills.

 

[Pinewood Acres]

It's still in demand, but there could be many factors that are holding you back such as the type of trees on your land and how easy or difficult it is to access those trees. The size of your acreage could also be at play as some will only buy from large-scale farmers to make it worth their time. Do you have your ATFS certification or the equivalent? If not, I'd start with that.

 

[The Rutherford Family]

Thank you @baloyi and @Pinewood Acres for providing us with some tips. We had no intention of selling our timber until we read about how it's in demand and difficult to source, so we haven't applied for any certifications or anything like that. We thought it would be easy to sell. I see now that while timber is still a valuable commodity, you need to have the right kind of timber and the right circumstance to make it happen. That wasn't clear in any of the articles I read. They made it sound like there wasn't enough timber to go around, so it was a good time to make money off your land if you had mature trees.

 

[Pinewood Acres]

It can be simple to sell your wood if you have the right things in place. Your local cooperative extension might be able to help you get started. You can also ask questions here. This is a helpful and supportive forum with friendly folks.

 

[leon]

Thank you @baloyi and @Pinewood Acres for providing us with some tips. We had no intention of selling our timber until we read about how it's in demand and difficult to source, so we haven't applied for any certifications or anything like that. We thought it would be easy to sell. I see now that while timber is still a valuable commodity, you need to have the right kind of timber and the right circumstance to make it happen. That wasn't clear in any of the articles I read. They made it sound like there wasn't enough timber to go around, so it was a good time to make money off your land if you had mature trees.

At times, demand drives a lot of people into a venture, leading to overproduction. It depends on how you see the situation. If you can source for a market and have them come for the timber, then selling the trees can be an excellent idea.

 

[pseag]

I would have thought it was a great time to sell your trees. I was thinking of having our woods logged but maybe I'll wait. I was surprised that logging companies do this in the winter.

 

[TammiT]

Are you in the tree selling business or are you just having your land logged? I would think if you were in the tree selling business you would have all the paperwork already filed. I would think that the market for trees is a great one right now.