SALEM, Mo. — Study and know your market before you sell trees, says University of Missouri Extension natural resources field specialist, Sarah Havens.
MU Extension has partnered with Missouri Department of Conservation to offer a day to help landowners learn how to improve the quality of their woodland, how to market it and see timber management on the ground.
The workshop will be 9:00am to 3pm on February 21st, 2020 at Indian Trail Conservation Area. Participants will meet at the Conservation Area workshop. Lunch is included with the workshop.
Havens gives eight steps for getting the highest price for timber, what basic elements to include in a timber sale contract, what best management practices should be in a harvest plan, and how to manage your timber sale tax. The afternoon will allow participants to view recent timber management activities in the field.
“Many woodland owners see harvesting trees as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Havens says. Too often, landowners sell trees for less than fair-market value, and oftentimes the wrong trees are harvested leaving the residual forest a wasteland.
“I often ask farmers and livestock producers if they ever sell their crops or take their livestock to market without knowing something about what they are selling,” she says. “‘Of course not!’ is the reply. Then why did you take that first offer the logger gave you? Working with a professional forester ensures the right trees are harvested, leaving you with a healthier, more productive forest capable of generating future income.”
“Knowledge is power,” Havens says. “With that knowledge, you can rest easier knowing you did the best for yourself and your land.”
For more information, email havenss@missouri.edu or call 573-458-6252. Register at the MU Extension office 112 E. Fifth St. Salem, MO 65560
— University of Missouri Extension
For more news from Missouri, click here.