Timber Property Investment. Any Tips for a Novice?

Pine timber grows so fast now, the return on investment looks very attractive.

Land is one of the best investments, if not the best investment there is. Be sure to hire a Forester before you have any timber cut as he can survey your timber and mark the trees you should cut which provide other trees the room to grow, etc.

Foresters generally know which ones to cut and which trees to save. The only other problem you might encounter is finding a reputable logging company. Check references not only on the Forester, but also on the logger.

Many times a good Forester will work with one particular logger as good, honest ones are hard to find. Also, when your timber is being cut, have someone on hand to make a log of each truck that leaves your property so you can follow the sells and make sure you're are getting paid for all of your timber.

You might want to start with LSU's Agricultural Department for the names of some good Foresters.

Good luck!

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TheHiddenFlask

Signed, 2006

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Flask,
I have zero land investment skills, so this may be a dumb question. I assume with your comment you no longer feel land is a good investment. Why? To me land especially now will always be a good investment, because once all the land is gone, thats it. I think buying land in huge tracts is always a good investment either for timber, or development later on.

TIA

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The big guys kill it. Lots of efficiencies of scale in the industry.

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This, my buddy owns about 3000 acres in south georgia. They make money off pine straw as well as the timber. But prices have been low and the cost of extracting the goods can be expensive if you are not a large operation.