How We Sell Timber
The Southeast Forestlands timber sale process, step by step. Same process whether the tract is in Mississippi or Alabama, whether it's a first thinning or a final harvest.
1. Walk the tract
On-site visit with the landowner. We look at the stand, the access, the boundaries, and the markets in the area. Nothing is committed at this stage.
2. Cruise the timber
A field cruise sized to the tract — sample plots, product call (pulpwood, chip-n-saw, sawtimber, pole, hardwood grade), and any condition factors (storm damage, beetle, mortality, access).
3. Prepare the sale package
Mapped sale area, volumes by product, terms of sale, seller-protective contract template, and a list of qualified buyers to invite.
4. Invite qualified buyers
We identify prospective buyers for the timber products being offered and provide each invited buyer with the same sale information and terms. The bid window is typically 2–4 weeks. Every bidder works from the same package, on the same terms.
5. Open sealed bids
Bids opened with the landowner. The spread between high and low bid is shown in full — that spread is the practical case for competitive bidding.
6. Help the landowner choose
Not always the highest number. Contract terms, bonding, references, and harvest plan matter. See why the highest bid isn't always the right one.
7. Seller-protective contract
Defined sale area, defined product, defined haul road and decking locations, BMP and SMZ requirements, performance bond or deposit, dispute language, and a holdback against post-harvest cleanup.
8. Oversee the harvest
On-the-ground oversight during the cut. We visit the tract during harvesting to review operations against the timber sale contract and document site conditions, including BMP items, boundary lines, decking, and product separation.
9. Closeout and final inspection
Final walk with the landowner, review of required road and loading-area cleanup and stabilization, documentation of any corrective work required by the contract, and completion of the sale closeout. Scale tickets and settlement reconciliation apply to pay-as-cut sales rather than to every lump-sum sealed-bid sale.
Landowner FAQ
Independent representation. Transparent results.
Whether you have ten acres or ten thousand, our team works for the landowner — never the mill. Based in Meridian, MS and serving timberland across Mississippi and western Alabama.