re: Timber prices? Going up or down?

I am in the process of buying 5 acres of land in Southern Mississippi. It is solid woods with a ton of old-growth pine. Some of these trees are close to 100 ft. tall and probably 4-5 feet in diameter. Once the deal is finalized, my plan is to harvest a lot of the larger timber and have it cut to spec. on the property by a man with a portable sawmill. I figure I can save some money on lumber but most importantly, I will be using the timber for building materials rather than have some jackleg loggers come in and clear-cut the 5 acres and leave a hell of a mess while giving me little in return. When my dad built on the plot next to this land, he had loggers come in and clear cut his 5 acres and he only got about $3,000-$4,000 and then he had to spend the next 6 months trying to clean up the mess left from treetops, limbs, and stumps before he could even begin to build.
THat's the plan anyway.