Southern Land and Timber Management • Registered Foresters •  Licensed Real Estate Brokers

Timber Sales

The timber sale is the most important part of managing your timber asset. You can do everything right from site preparation, planting and growing your trees to harvest age, but if you make a mistake with the timber sale, all your previous efforts are minimized. Our job is to make sure all your efforts are maximized. Knapp-Barrs can advise you on all aspects of the timber sale process.

The first step is to evaluate the timber stand. This involves an on the ground inspection of the stand to determine its overall condition and readiness for harvest. It may be determined through an inspection of your forest stands that it is not time for harvest or intermediate steps such as selective thinning may be more appropriate. Also market conditions may not be favorable for a timber sale. All timber harvest recommendations will be compatible with landowner goals and objectives.

If it is determined that it is advantageous to proceed with a timber sale, the first job is to inventory and appraise the timber to be sold. This is done to determine an acceptable price for the timber designated for sale. The next step is to put together a bid prospectus to be mailed to timber buyers within the region. We have a large data base of qualified timber buyers. The prospectus contains the terms of the sale, bid date, volumes by product class of the timber for sale, tract map and location map. When the bid date and time arrive sealed bids are opened and the sale is awarded to the high bidder if the price exceeds a minimum acceptable price. Once the high bid is determined, a timber sale contract is drawn up with provisions to limit your liability, protect the land and assure environmental standards are met. We also maintain a performance bond deposited by the buyer in our escrow account. On occasion Knapp-Barrs may limit timber buyers who are invited to bid to those which it deems most suitable to conduct harvest operations.

Our fee is based on a percentage of the gross sales price. After the sale is closed and cutting begins, our foresters will make periodic inspections of the sale are to make sure the terms of the timber sale contract are adhered to. These inspections are critical to achieving a successful harvest. Once the harvest is complete, a final inspection will be made before the performance bond is returned to buyer.

If there is a need to replant, Knapp-Barrs can arrange for site preparation and planting. We will supervise every step of the process to insure the most productive stand is established.

As with the overall management of your timberland asset, the timber sale process is too important not to be handled by professionals.