Timber Contract

In it and would fetch about $500 dollars delivered to a sawmill. The top log in the pile and the second log up in the tree has about 200 bf. in it and would be worth about $175. Most high-dollar logs are veneer-quality logs.

For these reasons, it's not uncommon for a tree grower to net $40,000 to $60,000 per acre every year producing high quality trees that are healthy and bring premium prices in the marketplace.

Logging companies rarely have the specialized equipment, not to mention proper insurances, to remove trees from an Urban setting. But even if they did, the cost associated with hauling equipment to a location and removing the bulk of an entire tree including its top is usually far greater than the value of the tree.

In logging contracts, payment is most often based on either dollars per unit or a percentage of the value of the wood. Historically, loggers have worked on a percentage basis, and 50 percent of the value of the wood was standard operating proce- dure.

Depending on the type of trees and the market when the timber is sold, you could earn $500 to $2000 per acre (at $1500, you would be looking at $60 per year in income if you were to annualize it over 25 years).

The seller will receive the total payment before the timber is cut. In a per-unit sale the seller and buyer negotiate a price per unit of timber harvested. This type of sale results in the seller receiving payment as the timber is cut.

The value of this tree would be $195.00 for an average of $866.00 per thousand board feet. A fourteen inch Red Oak with a grade 3 rating would be worth $12.00 for an average price per thousand board feet of $265.00.

Stumpage is the price a private firm pays for the right to harvest timber from a given land base. It is paid to the current owner of the land. Historically, the price was determined on a basis of the number of trees harvested, or per stump.

Timber has been one of the most consistent investments over time, and a great hedge against inflation. According to value investor Jeremy Grantham, it's risen 3% more than inflation for more than 90 years. Timberland has also beaten the stock market over the long run, and with less volatility.