A Professional Forester's Stump

How Do I Get Started?

• How about a free, one-hour consultation?  Call Hugh to schedule a time to discuss your property or a field visit.  If you want to talk with Hugh in person, Southeast Forestry and Wildlife, LLC may have to bill you for some travel expenses if your property is too far away.   

• Forest Management Plans – This is a great place for any forest owner to begin, and a plan is like a road map to the landowner’s objectives.  While some state and federal programs may require a complex plan complete with a timber inventory, even a simple plan of a few pages can help guide landowners and forest managers towards common objectives. 

• Let's start with a conversation.  How can any resource manager help a landowner meet any objective if he/she doesn’t know what the landowner wants?  How can a landowner set priorities without some knowledge of the potential inherent in his/her woodlands?  Any good management plan begins with dialogue about the landowner's objectives and an assessment of the resource.  Southeast Forestry and Wildlife, LLC can help any landowner craft a realistic plan that makes it easy to understand the path towards his/her objectives.

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Your Timber Is Probably Not Worth the Same as Your Neighbor's Wood!

• There are many variables affecting timber value, and it is very rare for the best and highest value of any two woodlands to be identical.  In fact, if a timber buyer offers you and your neighbor the same price for your timber, it could be that the buyer is offering something less than fair market value. 

• A single tree's value is largely a product of species, size, and quality, with the latter two dependent upon age and growing conditions.  In other words, two trees of the same size may not be worth the same, and two trees the same age may not be the same size.  In a natural forest, species stocking and growing conditions can differ markedly over short distances.  Even two plantations established the same day on adjacent tracts could have different values per acre 15 to 20 years later due to stocking and growing conditions alone.  Furthermore, the logging costs can vary significantly from tract to tract, and market prices fluctuate seasonally. 

• The only way to know for certain what your timber is worth today is to offer it for sale in a competitive bid process.  Even in this process, it is not uncommon for there to be more than a 50% difference between the timber buyers. 

• Has a timber buyer been courting you?  How do you know whether he is the low bidder or the high bidder?  In many cases, landowners have been hotly pursued by a timber buyer who wound up being the low bidder in a managed sale or who simply chose not to bid at all.  Why?  See “Timber Sale Administration” below.

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Why You May Need a Timber Inventory and Appraisal

• To conduct an inventory or cruise, Southeast Forestry and Wildlife, LLC will establish plots across your property, and at each point a sample of trees is measured, counted, and categorized by product.  With enough plots, the data collected can produce a statistically significant estimate of the volume of forest products in your woodland.  Would you rather trust a guess by someone with an economic interest in buying your timber, or would you prefer a data-driven estimate by a professional and impartial forester? 

• If you are considering selling timber, an inventory is the best place to start.  From the calculated volumes, Southeast Forestry and Wildlife, LLC can estimate the value of your timber based on current market rates for various wood products and the estimated costs to harvest the timber.  Because timber volumes and values affect what harvesting options are commercially viable, most landowners need this sort of data before they choose to offer any timber for sale.

• A timber cruise can also be used to estimate your basis in the standing timber, an important step for tax purposes if you ever sell timber.  In short, you only pay taxes on the increase in value since you acquired the asset - like a stock.  In addition to the data produced by a standard timber inventory, Southeast Forestry and Wildlife will also collect some increment cores to estimate the growth rate of your timber since its acquisition.  Then, Hugh will discount the current volume based on the rate of growth to estimate the volume at the time of acquisition and determine its value based on the prevailing market prices at the time of purchase. 

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Why Every Timber Sale Needs Professional Oversight

• Timber Sale Administration – Cutting and processing timber is not easy, and doing it right is even harder.  While logging is still regulated by both state and federal laws, the Tennessee Division of Forestry has adopted numerous “voluntary” measures to limit the adverse consequences of forest management.  These are called “Best Management Practices,” or simply BMPs for short.  Southeast Forestry and Wildlife, LLC believes so strongly in these guidelines that we make them mandatory with a written contract between the timber buyer and the landowner.  This helps protect the landowner and ensures that the timber buyer knows what its responsibilities will be before, during, and after the sale is complete.  Having a professional forester provide oversight for a timber sale based on a written contract and mandatory BMPs is the best way to avoid unscrupulous buyers and loggers, as most bad actors will avoid both oversight and contracts. Careful oversight of active logging operations by a professional forester helps ensure that the harvesters are in full compliance with industry recognized standards that protect water quality and other important resources.  Do these really matter?  Absolutely, with two decades of professional experience, Hugh can testify that using BMPs makes a huge difference, but unfortunately, he has also seen violations of BMPs on harvesting operations across the region.  By maintaining good relationships with the timber buyers and logging contractors, Southeast Forestry and Wildlife, LLC can usually avoid problems, and if any are observed, corrective actions can be taken quickly.

• The first step in proper timber sale administration begins long before any timber is sold.  In most cases, it begins with an inventory and appraisal.  If the landowner then chooses to offer timber for sale, Southeast Forestry and Wildlife, LLC will work with the landowner to determine the meets and boundaries of the sale area and the access to it.  With these parameters established, we prepare a prospectus describing the timber sale, including map, volumes, and contract terms.  The bid packet is then distributed to prospective buyers.  For competitive bid sales, the packet also lists the date and time of the bid opening.  In most of these cases, the landowner accepts the highest bid, but he/she may choose to decline all bids or may choose a lesser bid for some reason, as in the case of high bidder with a history of problems. 

• Occasionally, it is advantageous to negotiate a sale with a single timber buyer.  This may include a unique opportunity presenting itself, such as when loggers are working on an adjacent tract.  Sometimes a landowner may have reason to favor a specific timber buyer or logger, such as a friend or prior business relationship, like a prior timber sale that went well.  In rare cases, there may be features of the sale area that limit the pool of potential buyers to a few contractors with unique equipment.  Negotiated sales can also be a better technique for marketing sales of smaller size and volume.  This is also the common approach when there are no bidders in a competitive bid or when the bids are significantly lower than expected.  In the latter case, we may negotiate with the high bidder to see if we can get the price up, which may also require some changes to contract terms, like extending the term of the contract to allow longer for the buyer to cut the timber.  Unfortunately, these situations may become more common as the logging force shrinks or if mill capacity (demand) falls.

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Selling Timber "Lump Sum" Versus "Per Unit" and "On Shares"

• Lump sum timber sales are based on soliciting bids with all prices and costs included.  The timber buyer(s) will estimate the value of the timber delivered to the mill and then estimate all of the costs necessary to access, cut, and process the timber and to transport it to the mill.  The buyer will then calculate its desired profit on the sale and make a bid accordingly.   Basically, the equation is:                        

 

Total Delivered Price less (-) Harvesting Cost less (-) Transport Cost less (-)  Profit equals (=) Bid to Landowner 

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• This is often the preferred method for landowners to sell timber because: a) the landowner gets the money up front, before the logging begins, and 2) the buyer assumes the risk from unpredictable variables like weather, market downturns, equipment breakdowns, etc.

• Per unit sales are based on the landowner being paid a price per unit volume as the timber is harvested, usually on a weekly schedule.  Timber buyers estimate their costs and profits similarly and discount the delivered price per unit to arrive at an offer/bid to the landowner.  Landowners are then paid based on the volume of timber delivered to the mill each week as reported on scale tickets, tracked by Southeast Forestry and Wildlife, LLC.  Many timber buyers prefer to purchase timber per unit, as it obviously reduces the amount of money that the buyer has tied up in a sale and provides some protection from risks.   While this may not seem as advantageous to landowners, it is a common way to sell timber when it is harder for a timber buyer to estimate revenues and costs.  For instance, a typical thinning in a pine plantation is often sold per unit, based on harvesting a percentage of the total volume.  Try to imagine how difficult it is for buyers and foresters to estimate exactly 55% of the volume of a stand when it is cut by a logger operating a huge cutting machine over varied terrain and through areas with different stocking characteristics and goals for the residual stand.  On main skid trails, more than 60% might be removed, but nothing might be cut in isolated pockets of steep terrain or near streams.  Some areas might be poorly stocked, with little to remove, compared to the normal stocking where the loggers try to cut a bit more than half of the trees.  Ideally, loggers are encouraged to leave the largest and best formed trees that have better potential to produce sawtimber in the future.  Per unit sales may also be the only way to market other difficult tracts, such as sales of smaller volume, on steeper terrain, or with more complex harvesting in hardwoods.  In fact, this is often a preferred strategy when a Lump Sum bid opening fails to produce satisfactory results.

• Cutting on shares is another technique favored by some loggers and timber buyers.  It is usually based on the landowner receiving a percentage of the delivered price (his/her share).  Like per unit sales, this limits a buyer's up-front expenditures and risk, but it often transfers more risk to the landowners.  Beware, this is one of the most common techniques that unscrupulous operators use for buying timber from unsuspecting landowners.  Such deals are often based on a handshake agreement and are rarely accompanied with a written contract.  Bad operators can move onto a tract, cut what they want, and move off with little invested.  The worst actors  are stealing timber, sharing only a portion of the scale tickets with the landowner and may not follow any BMPs, potentially leaving the landowner with a mess that he/she has to resolve at his/her expense to avoid being cited and/or fined by state or federal regulators.  Regardless of these pitfalls, cutting on shares can be a useful tool for selling timber when paired with a written contract, professional buyers and loggers with good reputations, and oversight by a professional forester.  Trust your gut and avoid this option if the buyer seeks to avoid a written contract and professional oversight!

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Improving Habitat and Investing in Wildlife

• Are you a wildlife enthusiast?  Do you get excited when you see any deer or turkey, regardless of season?  Are you running trail cameras just to see more of the animals that call your property home?  Are you sharing pictures with your kids and grandkids, trying to get them excited about the outdoors?  Then let's talk turkey because this is what I love, too!

• You can transform your property into a successful haven for wildlife with a variety of techniques that will benefit both game and non-game species, and the first key is to think of your land as habitat. 

• Most landowners know that they can increase wildlife sightings with food, just as many homeowners are feeding the birds regularly.  But artificial food sources, whether bird seed or corn, can get expensive and may not be providing the best nutritional value (think fast food).  While they may provide good wildlife viewing opportunities, they do not necessarily make your property a good home for wildlife, meaning that those animals that feed at your buffet just leave when the food runs out. 

• Similarly, most hunters are familiar with using wildlife food plots to attract deer and turkeys, and they can help non-hunters see more wildlife, too.  This is more like fine dining than fast food, and encourages a host of game and non-game species to linger a bit longer on the property.  Since these plants are growing, they can provide meals throughout the year or growing season, not just the day after a visit to the co-op.  Creative plantings can also be used to attract other creatures, from bees and butterflies to songbirds. 

• Even a simple food plot may not seem that simple to all landowners.  Perhaps you do not know where to get started.  Some are intimidated by the work involved or do not have the time or equipment.  Others have tried to get started with rather disappointing results.  Maybe it is time to meet with a professional, and Southeast Forestry and Wildlife, LLC is excited to help.

• When you begin to view your property as a home for wildlife, not just a restaurant, you can begin to see more opportunities to make improvements to the animals' habitat.   Ideally, when you view your property as habitat, you begin to learn more about all of the animals that depend on your hospitality.  Sure, everyone wants to see the 12-point buck, but can you get excited about finding a new non-game species on your property that you have never seen?  Maybe there is a lowly salamander under your oak, or a family of flying squirrels in the cavity above, or a small bird feeding in your stream that just flew in from Central America.

• Sometimes, doing less is better than doing more.  Some carefully managed openings are great for viewing opportunities, but too much manicuring can be less desirable to wildlife.  Creating a successful haven for wildlife often depends more on cover than it does on food.  While a landowner may see an unkept field or a nasty thicket, many animals call these unsightly areas home.  Have you considered that you might see more wildlife if you mowed and bush-hogged less?   If you don't need the hay, maybe planting the old field with pines or letting it regenerate naturally would attract more wildlife.  Even a few small brush piles can attract rabbits and some bird species that do not frequent your feeders.

• Perhaps what you need is to create more escape cover in your forest by harvesting timber or thinning the canopy by girdling, hinging, or herbiciding trees.  Many forests in Tennessee have been unmanaged for decades, and as these stands have matured, their habitat value for many species has declined.  Even intensively managed areas can decline in habitat value if the landowner and managers have not made it a priority to manage specifically for wildlife.

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Outside of Selling Timber, How Else Can I Make My Forest Pay?

• Hunting lease contracts and administration

  • Are you a landowner looking to lease hunting or other recreational rights to your property to cover your carrying costs?  Are you a hunter looking for a place to hunt on private land?  Both landowners and lessees benefit from written contracts that spell out the rights and responsibilities of both parties.  Southeast Forestry and Wildlife can prepare a simple lease contract for agreements between two private parties, or can consult with the landowner’s legal counsel on more complex contracts, such as those commonly used by industrial timber owners.  

  

Tree Planting

• Are you considering planting a few fruit trees for wildlife or hoping to establish a pine plantation on 100+ acres?  Southeast Forestry and Wildlife would be glad to assist you with both. 

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Good Neighbors Prefer Well-Marked Boundaries

• Boundary location, marking, and maintenance

  • It can be very difficult for a forest landowner to keep track of all of the corners and boundaries of his/her property as the years go by and the woodlands change.  Good fences may make good neighbors, but without regular maintenance, even the best fences deteriorate and fall to the ground.  Corners marked with rebar pins or rock piles can be very difficult to find on the forest floor, even in an open woodland.  For landowners that inherited property or recently purchased it, the knowledge of the corners may have passed with the prior owner or generation.  Even landowners that acquired a tract with a good legal description derived from a survey may have difficulty in finding boundary markers in remote areas, and lines between some corners may have never been marked at all.  Occasionally, careful assessment of deeds, surveys, and field observations indicate that a well-known or well-marked boundary may have been improperly identified for years. The more acreage that you own, the greater the potential for boundary issues.  While uncommon, timber theft is one potential problem, and in some cases adjacent landowners may build structures across property lines.   While there is no way to prevent unscrupulous behavior by bad actors, the best way to protect yourself from future liabilities is to have your boundary lines clearly marked and maintained.  This will deter most honest folks, and the courts will have plenty of evidence with which to judge anyone dishonest enough to knowingly encroach on your property.  Give Hugh a call, and you can discuss your property and determine the best way to mark your boundaries.

• Resolution of timber trespass

  • ​Someone else has cut trees on your property, and you are not happy!  Southeast Forestry and Wildlife is here to help.  We can assess the damage to your property and will negotiate with the responsible parties to rectify the situation.  If an amicable resolution cannot be made, we can provide assistance valuing the cut stems even if they have been removed from the site.  This is called a stump cruise, as we use the size, species, and quality of the stumps and those of living trees to estimate the size, volume, and value of the severed stems.  Occasionally, harvesters accidentally cross a boundary that was not well-marked, and though rare, unscrupulous loggers have also been known to steal timber.  Many cases of timber trespass, though, occur in urban to suburban areas, where “bad” neighbors knowingly cut timber from an adjacent property, often to improve the view from their own property.  These can be the most contentious cases, and resolution may require legal action.  If necessary, Southeast Forestry and Wildlife can provide expert testimony in depositions and in court.  

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Getting Around in Your Woods

• Design and construction management of trails and forest roads – Most timber sales will require some form of road building, but the cost of these is usually born by a timber buyer and factored into his bid for your timber.  In some cases, however, it may be beneficial for the landowner to control this part of the process, ensuring that the road goes where he wants it and that it remains in good condition for future use after the logging is completed.  Alternatively, a landowner may be interested in providing better access to his/her woodlands, or maybe they hope to build a house on a distant ridge.  Southeast Forestry and Wildlife can help determine the best location for roads and other infrastructure, which can reduce a landowner’s maintenance cost over the long term.  Conversely, roads that are not properly located or constructed can be a landowner's greatest headache, requiring repeated maintenance for problem areas that could have been avoided.  Furthermore, permanent roads that cross streams often require permits from the local, state and/or federal government, and Southeast Forestry and Wildlife can help you secure these permits from the regulatory agencies. 

• If you don’t want a road but want to make it easier to enjoy your property, perhaps a trail system for hiking, biking, or horseback riding would be a good option.  Hugh has a long history of working with trail projects and can use proven techniques to help you create trails that will last with low maintenance costs.

 

GIS Mapping

• An old forester once said that very few landowners can show you every property corner on the ground, and almost none can show you where all their corners are on a map.  Well, you could be the one in a million! 

• Southeast Forestry and Wildlife can use a hand-held GPS to capture locational data on each of your corners, download these points onto a computer with GIS (Geographic Information System) software and then project them onto maps and aerial photographs.  We can use the same technology to map other important features on your property, like existing roads and trails, stand boundaries, cemeteries, or the location of hunting blinds and stands.   Or you may want to know far it is to hike to some significant feature on your property, we can measure straight-line distance and irregular routes (like winding trails) with GIS.

• This is also a helpful tool for things that are not yet there.  For instance, we locate all of our plots for timber inventories on our GIS, download these into our hand-held GPS unit, and then navigate to them by GPS and collect the data.  It is also a useful tool for laying out roads and trails and for predicting their costs, which are based on distance.  

• We can also use GIS to predict wildlife movement, to identify good stand locations, or to plan food plots for maximum benefit.

 

Vegetation Management 

• Your property is an ecosystem, a community of environmental features and living organisms constantly interacting together.  It is a dynamic system that is always changing, often in ways too subtle for us to notice.  Other times we humans are driving more obvious changes on the property by bush-hogging, tilling, planting, and cutting timber.  In either case, the ecosystem is always changing.

• Unfortunately, some of these changes are not always welcome, and many exotic plants are invading our fields and forests.  Most people in the south recognize kudzu as a pest plant, but more than 60 exotic plants have been identified that pose a treat to native plants and animals across the southeast.  With a little bit of effort, you can learn to recognize some of the more common invasive plants in our area, but getting rid of them may require a lot more effort.

• Not all exotic plants are invasive, and your flower garden is probably not a threat, but it might be.  Most invasive plants in our area were brought to America by well-meaning folks who saw some value in the exotic plant.  However, these plants were adapted to survive in their own natural habitats.  When transported by humans to a new ecosystem, some exotic plants escape cultivation and reproduce prolifically in natural areas.  

• Most of these invaders spread by producing huge numbers of seeds, by root runners, or both.  For instance, multiflora rose has lots of bright red seeds that are eaten and spread by wildlife, but it will also sprout from root runners.  

• Many of the invaders are associated with disturbed sites, such as any area that a human-made machine cuts, plows, or scrapes as well as natural-caused disturbances, like tornados.

• Like kudzu, many are adapted to thrive in environments that are less hospitable to native species.  For instance, mimosa and empress trees have colonized the rip rap along roads across our region.

• Contact Hugh to discuss how you can best manage invasive plants on your property.  Small populations of invaders may be easy to control for a landowner with the right knowledge, but more widespread problems may be best managed by a contractor certified in the use of more effective herbicides.