Timber value

[Bucktown]

The problem we have as individual landowners is tryIng to compete with the county and federal timber sales that are massive acreage with many sales having performance bond requirements (i.e. Logger wins a bid and must pay for the timber whether they get it cut or not). It's driven timber prices down and some guys out of business. If I'm a logger I'd much rather move my equipment into one sale for 12-18 months and cut 500 acres all for delivery to one spot than go all over the countryside and setting up multiple times.
Believe it or not we are also competing with FEMA now. Take some time to look up the number of loggers and logging equipment out of WI, MN and MI that has been contracted for hurricane clean up in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Some guys have contracted themselves for prime $ for 1-2 years.

 

[rocksnstumps]

I would think with a possible 100+ acres to look over getting a private forester to make a visit for nothing is very doable. As long as they are local to your land or they have been around awhile and know the consultant pool out there. My first guy I called said for my small job too far for him to accept but readily gave a couple names for others closer to my land. As others have noted, how far is trucking to your buyer is a big deal on costs and they have to want wood your sale offers. Between logger, trucker, and me the trucker got the most, he paid for a bunch of diesel. With hard maple, a few pulp mills in north central WI and east part of UP look for that stuff i.e. Verso paper but dont know about further south.