Marion County is hill country in the northwest corner of Alabama. Slopes here are short and fairly steep, and rock is not far under the surface on many ridges. The Buttahatchee River crosses the county, and its bottom stays soft well after the hills have dried.
Southeast Forestlands works only for the landowner. We do not buy timber and we are not paid by mills.
Short Slopes Move Water Fast
Water running off steep slopes can carry exposed soil with it.
That is why road placement is the biggest decision on a hill tract. A trail run straight down a slope is prone to erosion. Trails laid across the slope, with breaks in them, hold up.
Thin Ridge Soil
Some ridges here have very little dirt over rock. Trees on that ground grow slower than trees fifty yards downhill.
Do not expect one number to fit the whole place. A cruise should show you the good ground and the poor ground separately, so you know what you are really selling.
The River Bottom Is a Separate Job
The bottom along the Buttahatchee floods and holds water. Hardwood is suited to that ground; equipment access depends on soil conditions.
Work the hills in wet months and save the bottom for a dry stretch. Put a stop-work rule in the contract so that decision is not left to the crew on a rainy morning.
Getting the Next Stand Up
Pine does well on the better upland spots. The steep faces and the wet bottom are usually left to seed in, and that requires a field check for suitable seed sources and established regeneration.
Slopes inaccessible to planting crews and frequently flooded bottoms need site-specific regeneration plans. Settle which acres get planted before the order goes in.
Walk It Before You Decide
Grades, gates, crossings, and turnaround room affect logging costs and bids.
Those are things you find on foot, not on paper.
General Guidance
For more on how we handle each part of the work, start with these guides:
- What a timber cruise measures
- How a sealed-bid timber sale works
- How we sell timber
- Wet-weather logging and BMPs
- Thinning decisions
- Regeneration and replanting
- All forestry services
Talk It Over First
Talk with a forester before deciding anything. Contact us to discuss your goals; the first review of your property generally happens online.