Timber Sale ServicesNorthwest Mangement, Inc. (NMI) provides a wide array of timber sale services to best meet our clients goals. A timber sale occurs when merchantable trees are deemed necessary to be removed from the forest, for a commercial harvest. In conjunction with improving forest health, some of the many reasons landowners decide to sell their timber are to reduce fuel loads, implement wildlife management, and create revenue. Before a Norhtwest Management, Inc. client’s timber sale begins, many preparations are made by an NMI forester to ensure a professional job is completed. A sivlicultural prescription must be created, cutting boundaries must be established, trees are specified by paint whether or not to be cut, and proper government permits need be acquired. These are activities that NMI performs for its clients on all timber sales. Cutting BoundariesNMI will locate the cutting unit boundary for your harvest. We will consult with you and if necessary your neighbors to locate appropriate boundary lines. NMI will investigate and research existing property lines and corners. If necessary, we can facilitate a survey of the property. Once boundaries have been identified, they are established on the ground with bright ribbon and can be traversed with GPS for acreage. Silivicultural PrescriptionThe goal of silviculture is to move the forested stands toward the desired stands as outlined by the landowner’s goals and objectives. A silvilcultural prescription contains many components and is carefully planned as it will affect the forestland for many years to come. A timber sale is one of many silvicultural treatments that facilitate your goals and objectives. Within a timber sale, the prescription is what determines which trees will be cut and which trees will remain standing. Along with a client’s goals and objectives, stand density, age, and tree health are the most important factors when determining a prescription. Tree MarkingMarking is based on your objective and the silvicultural prescription that you and our forester have developed. NMI foresters will designate either the trees that will be removed or the trees that will not be harvested by marking each tree with bright paint at eye level and at the stump. PermittingOnce a timber sale is in place, a logging plan is developed with the harvest schedule. Our foresters secure all necessary permits, forest practice applications and slash hazard agreements for your project. This generally involves filling out a State Forest Practices Notification form. A logging plan and a plan for logging slash are also prepared. A pre-sale inspection by the Forest Practices Advisor is recommended where there are potential problems or concerns. Log MarketingAfter timber sale preparation is completed, the timber sale will be advertised for sale on a delivered log basis. A map and a description of the sale area will be sent to qualified interested mills for a bid. NMI will lump several timber sales in the general vicinity into one sale package. This makes an attractive sale package that benefits the clients involved. Each mill will have two to three weeks to inspect the sale and deliver a bid with a specified cash deposit to NMI by a set closing date.
Opening bids for clients’ timber sales are held at the NMI office and the landowners are encouraged to attend. Bids are opened and then tabulated. Based on the price bid and the hauling cost from the sale to each mill, a recommendation is made to the landowner. If the delivered log price and estimated stumpage rate is acceptable to the client, Log Purchase Agreements are signed with the successful purchaser(s) for the specified price and time period.
There are situations in which there may be more of a niche market for a timber sale and only one purchaser may be right for the product or species. Also in some instances the log buyers inquire NMI about timber sales before they are put out for bid. In these cases, purchasers may offer a price that will suit all parties involved, in which case prices are then negotiated with one purchaser instead of being bid on by many.
NMI can provide leadership in resolving disputes before they are put into the contract while the log marketing process is occurring. Timber Harvest AdministrationWhen a timber sale is in its operational phase, NMI monitors and inspects operations at intervals appropriate to the stages and progression of the harvest. All components of the harvest operation, felling, limbing, bucking, loading and hauling as well as impacts to the soil, water, and residual timber, will be monitored. Operations must be in compliance with the Harvest Contract and State Forest Practice rules and regulations. NMI will maintain telephone communication with both parties during the harvest to address any concerns as promptly as possible. When unexpected problems occur during a sale, they will be discussed with the landowner and logging contractor. No timber sale is considered finished until all contact obligations have been completed to the satisfaction of NMI, and more importantly the landowner.
Tours of the timber sale area will be set up for several qualified logging contractors. The goal of these tours is to provide the logging contractor who has the right equipment for your job an opportunity to see the specific harvest design in preparation for a logging and hauling bid. Our foresters will recommend contractors based on bid price for logging and hauling, past performance of the contractor and proper insurance coverage by the contractor. Upon landowner approval, NMI will prepare a harvest contract for review and secure all necessary signatures.
NMI inspects the progress and operation once the timber sale begins. Our foresters monitor the landowner’s timber sale and provide a written inspection report. As with any of our projects, we invite the landowner to inspect the progress of their timber sale with us. NMI insures that the operations are in compliance with the harvest contract as well as all State Forest Practices rules and regulations. Once the harvest operations are nearing completion, we will do the inspection to insure all of the work is complete and clean-up activities are complete prior to the contractor removing any equipment from the job site.
To ensure all parties of a timber sale are held accountable, NMI issues truck tickets to the contractor that are specific to the timber sale. Each load is tracked from the landowner’s property to the mill based on this truck ticket. On the 1st and the 15th of each month NMI prepares a log scale report which accounts for every load hauled from the property and all dollars generated for your harvest.
NMI log scale reports details the volume hauled, defect, load weight, and load summary as well as the payments made to the logging contractor and payments from the mill. At this time the landowner receives a check for the net income for all forest products removed during this pay period.
Within forest management, a timber sale is not complete without some type of land and timber valuation. This includes an assessment of timber volumes and value by species. The valuation considers such costs associated with harvesting, and road construction. Comparable sales are essential for estimating the bareland value and timber value on a per acre basis. It is important to note that an assessment is not a legal appraisal, but it provides landowners with an estimate of the value of the land and timber. | |
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