Your Forest Can Be Managed For Long-term Profit While You Enjoy Its Beauty and Recreational Values.

Different tree species have value for various forest products ranging from pulpwood for papermaking to lumber and veneer for high value furniture. Managing your woodlot for a variety of products allows you to increase wildlife habitat diversity and improve access to your property while enjoying economic returns now and in the future.

For example, many farmers have woodlots on their farms. These woodlots are typically on land not suitable for farming. The common perception is that the trees are not valuable because they do not produce an annual income. However, this is not true. A red oak tree that is 14” in diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground (DBH) and has 27’ of straight stem is worth $37.41. In ten years that tree is worth $101.31 which translates to an annual return of 10.5%

Many landowners are paid less than a fair price for the timber they sell.  If you wish to view some current values for timber from some Appalachian species click HERE

The main reason is because landowners generally do not know how to measure and evaluate their timber and often take the offer of the first potential buyer. Becoming familiar with how much timber you have, the quality of the trees and the value of individual species, will allow you to negotiate a better price if you decide to harvest.

This website introduces you to basic forestry concepts and provides linkages to other forestry information sites such as tree identification and sources of forest management assistance.  You can also use the Value Calculator to ESTIMATE  the dollar value of logs from various species and to get some perspective on POSSIBLE rates of return.