Trees compound. Manage them well and they pay for generations.
Well-managed Southern pine timberland yields $80-$250 per acre per year on average over a 25-40 year rotation. Add carbon and recreation overlays and the per-acre figure rises further.
How it works
- 1Inventory your stand
Hire a consulting forester for a cruise: species mix, age, stocking, harvestable volume. Cost $5-$15 per acre — pays for itself many times over.
- 2Build a management plan
30-40 year cycle: planting, pre-commercial thinning, commercial thinning, final harvest, replant. Schedule depends on species and growth rate.
- 3Sell stumpage at the right time
Through a forester or via sealed-bid auction. Prices fluctuate with mill demand — timing matters as much as quality.
- 4Stack additional uses
Hunting leases, carbon credits, and conservation easements layer well onto active timberland — total per-acre yield can double.
Deal structures
Sell standing timber to a logger by sealed bid. Most common; cleanest for landowners.
Lease cutting rights to a TIMO or operator for multiple years. Less common but useful for large holdings.
Institutional buyers (TIMOs, family offices) actively buy 500+ acre tracts at $1,500-$3,500 per acre in the South.
Frequently asked
Yes, but on long cycles. South Carolina pine grown for 28 years can return 6-9% IRR with active management. It's wealth-building, not yield-chasing.
The price paid for standing trees per ton or per thousand-board-feet (MBF). Varies by species, region, and mill demand.
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