Timber Price Trends

Many forest landowners have good reasons to be interested in historic North Carolina timber stumpage prices.  This information is useful in assessing current market opportunities and analyzing forest management opportunities, but it may be the best or only way to calculate a landowner’s basis (for income tax purposes) in timber to be sold.  A landowner should seek the assistance of a consulting or registered forester to calculate their timber basis.

These price histories have been compiled from Timber Mart-South© and other sources since 1976.  Annual market prices are averages of stumpage prices reported at the time. Stumpage price histories are reported for four timber product categories (pine sawtimber and pulpwood, and mixed hardwood sawtimber and pulpwood) for western North Carolina, eastern North Carolina, and statewide. 

Current Timber Price Information

When and how you sell your timber can greatly influence how much money you make, your overall financial plans, cost of regeneration and other management objectives. You would never sell bonds before they mature or sell stocks when the market is down. Years of growth and value are accumulated in a mature timber stand. The accumulated annual income from all those years is frequently marketed in a single transaction. Too much is at stake to sell timber without an understanding of the markets and of the quality and quantity of your timber. Size, quality, and species of timber are highly variable. Specialized knowledge is required to identify tree species and to estimate volume and value within utilization standards accepted by local markets.

There are no daily market price reports for standing timber (stumpage), or are there any government support prices. Timber prices depend on species, size, quality, competitive markets, and other factors. Both demand and price for many timber products fluctuate widely. Add to this the fact that many timber sales are once- or twice-in-a-lifetime occurrences. Learning from experience can be very expensive!

For these reasons landowners need to obtain professional forestry advice before selling. Professional foresters can alert landowners to favorable market conditions, evaluate the timber to determine if it is ready for sale, and handle sale transactions profitably, while protecting future value and productivity of the forest. Research shows that forest landowners who seek assistance in managing and selling timber can receive as much as 28% more for their timber than if they did not use technical assistance. In almost all cases sellers are well advised to obtain an appraisal of the volume and value of any timber prior to sale. Forestry consultants provide timber appraisal and marketing assistance for a fee. The North Carolina Division of Forest Resources, also called the NC Forest Service, can also provide a limited amount of free technical forest management advice and assistance to landowners upon request. Price information and educational information regarding timber marketing and forest management can be found on Extension Forestry's website, or by contacting your local county Cooperative Extension office. Links to lists of consultants and buyers of forest products are also available through the website and NC Forest Service offices. 

Demand for specific timber products varies widely over time and across the geographic areas of our state. Prices also vary widely. Factors such as grade, size, volume per acre, total volume, logging conditions, distance to market, accessibility, number of competing buyers and general market conditions affect the price of individual timber sales.

Remember that there are many variables affecting the value of timber. To increase a sellers return from forest management, it is important that they seek professional forestry advice. For information on marketing and selling timber read the publication Timber Sales: A Planning Guide For Landowners (AG-640).

North Carolina price information from Forest-2-Market* and Timber Mart-South* is reported on a quarterly basis. Price reports from Forest-2-Market includes average prices by region on a per ton basis for pine sawtimber, pine chip-n-saw, pine pulpwood, hardwood sawtimber, hardwood pulp wood, red and white oak sawtimber, and yellow poplar sawtimber and can be found below. Quarterly price information from Timber Mart-South can only be provided through the North Carolina Cooperative Extension County Centers and includes average prices by region for pine pulpwood, chip-n-saw, sawtimber, ply-logs and poles; as well as for hardwood pulpwood, mixed hardwood sawtimber and oak sawtimber. For Timber Mart-South Price Information please contact your local county Cooperative Extension Center.

*Through agreements with Forest-2-Market (www.forest2market.com) and Timber Mart-South© (www.tmart-south.com/tmart/) , Extension Forestry at NC State is able to provide quarterly price information for standing timber.

PRICE INFORMATION

Timber Mart-South© Contact Your Local Cooperative Extension Office

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