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Timber Value Question

2bowhunt

2bowhunt

Member
I had the district forester walk my ground for a TSI project last spring and he mentioned my timber is mature enough that I should consider logging it in the near future. He went on to tell me the timber market is currently in the tank and he would wait until the market rebounds to have my timber cut.

So are there any good resources out there to track current timber values in Iowa? Also, any recommendations for good timber buyers in the south-central part of the state(Marion/Monroe county)?

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
You can find a list of timber buyers on the dnr website.

One company I can warn you to definitely not use is Geode Forestry. They jerked me around and lied to me several times. Definitely dishonest.
 
I assist many landowners with the marketing of their timber. Five to 10 years ago you could sell any stick with bark on it for a phenomenal price. Today, nobody in the wood industry believes we will ever see those prices again. If you hope to wait it out your trees will likely be powder before that ever happens. High quality trees, regardless of species, will generally fetch a fair price. That will only happen if you can get a number of buyers to look them over (while they're standing). You can almost always count on 1 or 2 buyers who want the trees far more than any of the other guys. I am always amazed how you can get 6 guys to look at the same trees and see an incredible range in their bids. The buyers that I see getting a number of my bids work very hard at marketing the logs after they've been cut. Other loggers will deal with just one mill and be happy with whatever price the mill throws at them. Receiving the last drop of blood out of a logger or sawmill, however, may not necessarily be the best outcome. It's quite possible that the crew cutting and skidding the trees will have had nothing to do with the bid process. It wouldn't take a lot of skimmed up, snapped off or bent over walnut trees to seriously reduce the potential of the remaining stand of trees. There are very good and conscientious loggers who will also pay very good prices. The DNR foresters can not show any bias. You should rely more on consulting foresters, neighbors and like minded friends who have sold timber for references. Good luck.
 
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