Tennessee Timber Consultants

By JAMES CLARK / Editor for the Southern Standard

MATT ELLIS

There’s no shortage of chores for the do-it-yourselfers of the world. They can change their own oil, do a little painting around the house, even construct their own deck.

But do-it-yourselfers should not try to sell their own timber. At least that’s the advice from the forestry experts at Tennessee Timber Consultants, who have recently opened an office in Sparta to serve the Warren County area.

Tennessee Timber is the largest forestry consulting company in the state, and it handled timber sales here even before opening the Sparta office. Whether you have 20 acres, or over 1,000 acres, Tennessee Timber can help you meet your financial needs and help you act as an environmentally responsible property owner when it comes to harvesting forest land.

“Our goal is long-term planning to develop sustainable forests,” said Tennessee Timber representative Sean McMahan. “We have a very rich heritage of forests in this state and we want to maintain that. We try to be very judicious when determining whether or not to harvest.”

McMahan said a Tennessee Timber representative will come out and evaluate your land at no charge for the first visit. He said this service is free even if there’s 500 acres involved.

McMahan said close to half the time, Tennessee Timber does not recommend a landowner to harvest his or her land at the time of inspection.

“We look at the timber, the timber maturity, and also look at the market conditions,” said McMahan. “We want to determine if it’s the right time to sell. If it is, we will handle the timber selection, design the harvest, we can do anything the landowner wants.”

McMahan can recall a case where money from a timber sale went to pay for a college education. He said another family with four children and an out-of-work father used timber money to continue making mortgage payments.

While the money from timber sales can come in handy, for most landowners such a financial jackpot won’t happen more than two or three times in their entire lifetime. That’s why it’s vital to follow proper forestry practices.

Experts say a landowner may spend 20 or 30 years growing a crop only to lose much of its value because of one or two mistakes at the time of sale. Mistakes in selling timber can cost dearly.

McMahan stresses that no step in tree farming is more important than the sale of timber. You cannot spend too much time studying how to do it and making sure it’s done properly.

Tennessee Timber can tell landowners what kind of timber they have to sell and how much of it. Potential buyers are more likely to be interested if they know what kind of trees are available and how many.

Timing is important in getting the best price for wood. You should not be rushed into a sale, according to McMahan. One constant that history confirms is that timber values eventually go up.

“We can do it all if that’s what the landowner wants,” said McMahan. “Some say here are the keys, drive. Others want to be extremely involved and that’s OK too.”

Using professional foresters to help with the sale of timber often gets landowners more money from the sale. Foresters are also valuable in preserving wildlife and the aesthetics of the land.

Matt Ellis is the forester who is working in the Sparta office. Since he is often out in the field inspecting timber, the best way to reach him is through Tennessee Timber’s central office. The toll free number is (866) 968-2953.

Timber Tips
Things you should know when sizing up a timber sale:

Know the demand for and type of product you grow: The best prices are paid when demand is high and demand may differ as the potential product differs.

Know the species for sale: Some tree species command higher prices than others. This is due to high demand or limited quantities of some species, or their special qualities.

Know the quality of timber: Quality affects timber values just as it does any other product.

Know the volume for sale: Logging requires the use of heavy equipment and numbers of men and large costs associated with this. Larger volumes for sale generally equate to higher stumpage prices because of the greater logging efficiency and reduced costs.