blake
Life Member
<span style="color: #000099">“The Iowa DNR's Mission:
"To conserve and enhance our natural resources in cooperation with individuals and organizations to improve the quality of life for Iowans and ensure a legacy for future generations.”</span>
<span style='font-size: 14pt'>From the Iowa DNR :</span>
Selling Timber in Iowa
Tough economic times can lead to quick decisions about forest resources on the farm because of the ability to make a quick dollar. There are more than 138,000 Iowan's who own trees that are classified as forest on their property. Winter is a time of year when many forest landowners have the opportunity to sell some of their trees, but how do Iowan's determine if they are getting a good value for the trees on their property?
Selling trees is like selling grain, livestock or farmland. The best way to get the most for your land is to have an auction. Selling trees is similar in determining value. A timber buyer has to consider the species of trees, the distance to haul the logs to a sawmill, the quantity and quality of timber for sale, and market conditions for the wood products that will be made from the timber.
How does the state of Iowa sell timber? Although the DNR does not hold an auction in the traditional sense where people come to a site and bid on the timber, it does send out a bid notice to loggers explaining how many trees are for sale and the estimated board foot volume along with the date and location for opening the sealed bids. All of the bidders are allowed to attend the sealed bid opening and the winner is announced.
"The sealed bid method gives everyone interested in buying the timber the same fair chance and it helps the landowner get more for their timber through competitive bidding," says Aron Flickinger, forester with the DNR. "After all, you wouldn't sell your grain, livestock or farmland to an only bidder, would you?"
Working with a person that is trained in the field of forestry, such as a forestry consultant or a DNR forester, offers many advantages to a landowner. The woodland owner will have a contract signed that will identify which trees will be harvested and the financial arrangements for final payment. "Consultants receive a commission, much like a realtor gets when selling a house, but research has proven the owner of the trees still receives more money for their sale than if they acted independently," says Flickinger. Working with a trained forester will ensure your timber sale is set-up correctly and that the future health of your forest will be sustainable.
"Don't be taken advantage of by the friendliness of a stranger knocking on your door and offering money for your trees. After all, if they think your trees have value, don't you want to explore the opportunity of getting the most from a potential timber sale?" asks Aron Flickinger. The best method to get the best price for your trees is through competitive bidding. The best way to ensure a healthy, productive forest is by practicing good forest management. Work with a forester in your area.
A listing of consulting foresters can be found at http://www.forestry.iastate.edu/publications/F-361.pdf,*pdf. For the local DNR forester in your area visit our website at: http://www.iowadnr.gov/forestry/district.html or call (515) 242-5966.
<span style='font-size: 20pt'>1-800-532-2020</span>
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Ron Wyllie
Southwest Iowa IBA Area Representative
[email protected]