How many of you that make your living logging...

[Brian Beauchamp]

...operate in areas with few forestry consultants? In the SE part of the state, the loggers and timber buyers are pretty open and easy to deal with...up here, they almost seem 'afraid' of what I mean to them. Those in the SE are used to dealing with consultants and only a very small handful of them here have dealt with them at all it seems. I read something from MO saying that the consultants have reported that an increasing number of buyers are avoiding buying timber through consultants. From those of you that are in similar areas as mine here in NE Oklahoma, what would make you more comfortable about dealing with a consultant when you have operated just fine previously without having to deal with one?

I am beginning to think that I need to minimize my involvement with the sales in this area on the front end by giving the marketing information (species, volumes, buyers, contract, etc.) to each individual landowner and have them doing the bid/negotiation process mostly on their own, then be their harvest supervisor once the harvesting commences. I hate to consider doing that, but if I cannot change the mindset, I feel like I am shorting my clients...as well as myself. Any insight would be very much appreciated.

[Reddog]

Brian,
We see a simular thing here in the mid Mi area. North of here in the LP. and UP. landowners are around timber sales more often. So they are use to using Foresters.
Here timber sales may only happen once every other generation. The three major mills here don't want the hassle of a outside person telling them what to do. They want their forersters to high grade the woods and buy it for nothing. For the most part there is no managment plan being used for the land owner.

As I talk to land owners cruising timber I try to educate them on the advatages to a Consuting Forester.

But most people want the simple option. Here the mills pre pay, so all they see is the dollar signs. Even though they may only be getting half or less of the actual value.

My advice, Keep trying to educate the land owners. Most think their woods are to small to be worth it. They think they need 200 plus acres. It is slow, but as one tells another of the good job you did and how they got what they wanted. You will see more using a service that is good for them and their property.

One way is to write some articles for the local farm papers on the advatage of using a Consulting Forester. Then they know the questions to ask when approached by a Timber company.

[Brian Beauchamp]

Thanks, Reddog. The landowners are not the problem for the most part. If they come to me, then they are usually open to my suggestions and advice. I'm wondering if I need to reduce my involvement in the actual marketing of the timber to increase the number of buyers that are interested. The market conditions right now are horrid with a weak housing market and after 3 pretty severe ice storms across the region, so those are pretty big driving factors for the timber supply exceeding demand lately...and with the fuel prices fluctuating the way they have been over the last few years, I don't blame them for not wanting to commit to a sale that they won't be able to get to right away. We'll see when the market rebounds how they behave, I guess.  :-\