Timber Sale Guide: How to Conduct a Successful Timber Sale?

Timber harvesting is an important management tool that allows landowners to manage forests effectively. It also helps you to get rid of the outbreak of diseased or dead trees that may harm other healthy trees. In order to perform timber harvesting, you must possess the utmost knowledge and care to meet all your forest objectives efficiently. 

However, once you achieve a successful timber harvesting process you now need to focus on conducting a successful sale of the same. Here in this guide, we have mentioned some prominent and vital sale tips that will help you achieve successful timber sales in Illinois.

1. Establish Property Boundaries 

Well-marked property and timber sale boundaries can help your buyers and loggers identify the proper site. At times timber sale and property boundaries are extremely identical which may confuse many of your buyers and loggers. You might also need to hire a professional surveyor if the property lines are unknown and can not be located. 

The most common way to mark your property is by tying colored flagging on tree branches or by spray painting your tree stems along the harvest unit border.  

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2. Determine and Define access 

To move or shift your timber sales you can use road and skid trail networks. You must also ensure to identify the quicked route of transport as time is money and a quick route can allow loggers to offer more money for the sale. Whichever transportation network you choose you must make sure it offers the quickest solutions and supports your management plan objectives effectively. 

3. Identity Which Trees to Cut

Identifying or selecting trees to harvest can be a complicated task. You have to take into account many factors that fulfill your harvest objectives and are beneficial for the growth and future conditions of the forest as well. As mentioned above you can use spray paints or colorful flagging or in some cases both in order to mark the trees you wish to harvest. 

This way you will minimize the damage and avoid confusion from taking place. You can also mark the area of the tree you wish to harvest so that while harvesting you don’t cut beyond a certain limit. 

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4. Advertise the Sale 

The prospectus can act as a primary advertising tool for your timber sale. The prospectus consists of details when and where the product will be available for sale. This document is similar to a contract, it allows the buyers to know about the product and contract before submitting an offer. 

A prospectus contains all the information and details for the buyers to make an informed order. You must also make sure to include your payment expectations as the timber can be quite expensive and on a large scale, there may be payment schedules for the sale.  

5. Written Contract 

Lastly, to conduct a successful timber sale you must make sure to execute a timber sale contract with your buyer. A contract can be an essential element in your timber sale transactions. It legally binds both parties such buyer and seller to a contract. This can also act as proof in case of any legal disputes and requirements. 

We hope with the help of this guide you will be able to make mindful decisions while conducting your timber sales and achieve all your desired sales objectives.