Industry Observations: COVID-19 Impacts Pandemic is a word that I’m not sure I could have spelled three months ago.  Unfortunately, we are now all too familiar with the term and with COVID-19.  I don’t think any of us saw this one coming, and they sure didn’t teach us about this in forestry school.  As we … Continue Reading →

Exercise Caution When Selling Timber Roughly 70% of the timberland in Georgia is owned by non-industrial private forestland owners. Most of these timberland owners go to a job every morning that has nothing to do with the growing, harvesting, or marketing of timber.  Given timber is such a unique asset class and selling it occurs … Continue Reading →

The Challenges of Managing Family Forest Business in Transition Historically, most entrepreneurs have acquired their initial timberland property for recreational purposes or from an inheritance.  Over time, additional property is acquired, and their ownership slowly grows into a significant part of their overall investment portfolio.  As time passes, the ownership develops into a sizable family … Continue Reading →

Every timberland owner has the desire to manage their property responsibly, but there are varying degrees of knowledge about how to best accomplish that objective. Some owners seek the advice of family members, friends, service contractors, or timber buyers. Others may use government assistance or seek professional guidance.

What something is “worth” can mean various things to different people. In most cases, “worth” implies “market value”, which means the price that a preponderance of knowledgeable buyers would pay for your property.

Every landowner asks, “What is my timber worth?” The most truthful answer is, “It all depends!”

You have made the decision to sell your property but you are not sure how to start. You obviously want to get the best price you can, but how do you go about it?

Changes of Biblical Proportion Remember the good old days, when “Timber was King”? There was a broad, diverse, healthy and competitive market for timber products.  For decades, timber prices were strong and rising.  Clients were confident, even enthusiastic, about spending money on reforestation in anticipation of solid, competitive financial returns and revenue.  Every raindrop grew … Continue Reading →

Georgia Amendment 3 Currently, forestland property taxes in Georgia average approximately three times higher than any other state in the Southeastern U.S.  Amendment 3 will address this issue by: 1) provide uniformity in the valuation of timberland across the state’s 159 counties, 2) increase the conservation of forestland on properties “at-risk” of conversion to other … Continue Reading →

A timber harvest is the single most important event during the rotation of a forest stand, and a successful, well-planned timber sale will maximize income to the owner while minimizing adverse impact on other uses of the land.