Do I Actually Need a Timber Consultant?

More and more, I hear this question come through the forestry airwaves. The raw answer, is no. Any landowner can independently sell his or her timber to a logger without hiring a timber consultant. My professional answer to this question, however, is a resounding, YES! Of course I would say that, as timber consulting is my livelihood- it pays the bills, but aside from my personal income needs, professionally, I would still strongly suggest using the services of a timber consultant.

I have many years of experience with forestry, both in state government and in the private sector (even a few years in a non-profit forestry role), and I have encountered many situations of landowners selling their timber without using a timber consultant. Some situations turned out to be fine, and some resulted in terrible implications. What I have never encountered, however, is an independent landowner's timber sale that yielded maximum results.

Let's take the timber sales that turned out fine.

Typically, a landowner who opts to sell his or her timber independently- without hiring a timber consultant- contacts a logger and sells the timber to that one specific logger. Easy sale. No competition. The logger cuts the timber without incident and delivers the check to the landowner. That timber sale turned out fine- just fine- but it could have turned out better than fine if the landowner had hired Poplar Swamp Forestry.

Now let's take the timber sales that had terrible implications.

Overcutting and stolen timber: A landowner sold his timber independently to a logger who cut the timber and delivered the check. Soon after, the landowner's neighbor called to inquire why ten acres of his timber was cut. The landowner was now in the middle of a legal battle between the neighbor and the logger. This would not have happened if the landowner had hired Poplar Swamp Forestry.

Being short-changed on the payment: A landowner sold her timber to a local logger. The logger cut the timber and delivered the check. The landowner talked to a neighbor who recently sold similar timber using a consultant, and she learned that she did not receive anywhere near the same amount of return on her timber. The logger did not pay fair market value because the landowner did not know the current timber market. This would not have happened if she had hired Poplar Swamp Forestry.

Know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em: A landowner sold some timber to a logger. The landowner did not know that selling his timber six months later would have yielded a higher return. This would not have happened if the landowner had hired Poplar Swamp Forestry.

Checks and balances: A family sold the timber on the farm they inherited from their mother. Upon the logger's recommendation they sold the timber "per unit". The family received a few checks for the first loads of harvested timber, and then the checks stopped. The family thought they had received all of the payments due to them, but they were still owed money on the timber. The logger pocketed the remaining checks. This would not have happened if the family had hired Poplar Swamp Forestry.

Liability: An out-of-town landowner sold her timber to a logger without knowing anything about the logging company. During the harvest, a tree fell on the cutter man. The logger was not insured, so he sued the landowner to cover medical expenses.

Accountability: A couple independently hired a logging company to thin their timber. The loggers thinned the timber and delivered the check. The couple realized after-the-fact that the logger had left big ruts in their paths, destroyed a stream, and had not thinned properly. This would not have happened if the couple had hired Poplar Swamp Forestry.

Now, let's take the landowners who've used Poplar Swamp Forestry.

FACT: Poplar Swamp Forestry charges a commission on all timber sales. This commission is what prompts the question, "Do I really need a timber consultant?" Landowners see a price point, and they do not want to pay commission. The consultant's job is to help the landowner receive maximum return on the timber. Without a consultant, the landowner simply will not receive maximum return. With a consultant, the landowner will receive maximum return that, even after paying the consultant's commission, is still greater than what the landowner would have made on an independent timber sale. It's simple math, really. Sell the timber independently and you earn a paycheck. Let Poplar Swamp Forestry help you sell the timber and you get a much bigger paycheck, less the commission, and you still end up with a bigger paycheck than had you sold the timber independently.

Aside from the commission fee and the earnings piece of timber sales, hiring Poplar Swamp Forestry makes the timber sale process smoother for the landowner. PSF operates with the highest level of integrity, holding loggers accountable for the job's specifications and the payments due to the landowner. PSF has a multitude of professional relationships with loggers and timber buyers, and communicates with them on an almost daily basis. PSF respects landowner's wishes and goals for their timber tracts; PSF treats timberland and timber investments as if they were all personal.

Many loggers prefer to work with Poplar Swamp Forestry over working directly with a private landowner. In fact, some loggers will not work directly with private landowners at all. Loggers prefer PSF handle the contract, flagging, communication, and payments.

In this time of inflation, it is understandable why landowners might opt to save on fees and not hire a timber consultant. The reality, however, is that it often costs the landowner more or, at best, earns them less, when they sell their timber without a consultant. Poplar Swamp Forestry has years of education and experience with timber markets and forestry practices. It's Your Timber. It's Your Investment. It's Your Return. Let Poplar Swamp Forestry help you manage it!