How Much Can You Make from Your Timber?

Depending on your seedling genetics and location, a final harvest could yield 70 to 140 tons per acre of the more valuable sawtimber.

Reliable data is abundant, and here are some typical examples of revenue generated by working Southern Pine forests. This information is aggregated and published by TimberMart-South, a quarterly report of market prices for timber products in the Southeast.

The southern United States is undergoing some of the highest growth in sawmill construction and expansion. What does this mean for forest landowners? It means added security in long-term solid wood markets incentivizing them to grow more wood for starters.

The manufacturers are not here for the short term. The U.S. South is ground zero for increased lumber manufacturing due to its favorable social attitude towards plantation forestry (McKeand et al. 2003), a proven ability to supply the raw material, as well as gaps in wood supply in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada due to fire and insect epidemics.

The collective industry has experienced a challenging period since 2008, but this all suggests a brighter future for southern forest landowners. The spike in lumber production, and ultimately more sawtimber required from private landowners, also underscores the importance of carefully considering seedling options for reforestation.

Here’s a story from Steven Peter, who talks about making money from growing trees.