Timber land questions

[MikeD74T]

The 1100 acres behind my other house was purchased in 4 sections. The average price worked out to about $180 per acre. Times 1100 that's still a lot of money. He bought to hunt & is cutting to make food plots / cover but expects to pay for the land with wood over 20 years. I purchased 38 acres 12 years ago for $26k with a house. Some had been recently cut. I have about $10K in standing wood now, according to a logger that cut on adjoining property but am an island of woods surrounded by fields & clearcut so will not cut unless money is scarce. My brother bought 165 acres from our grandfather in the mid 70's. Being the favorite grandson he got it cheap. Between then and 2003 he sold enough pine and a pipeline right of way to pay for the land 3 times and ultimately sold it for twice what he paid. None of these 3 properties is worth much as building lots, mostly due to being landlocked, wet, rocky,steep and in a region where it's tough to make a living. MikeD74T

 

[Varmintmist]

Possible yes, probable, no. You would have to have the cash up front to do the land deal and KNOW that the timber off the place would pay for the expense.

In my case I bought the land outright and then timbered, through a consulting forester, for timber management and cash.

My place after 3 years hardly looks like it was touched. I took a lot of the tops for firewood and the forester wrote the contract to cut the tops in 8 foot sections. They go to ground sooner that way.

It didnt pay for the house, but it did cover the kitchen and dining area which the wife kept increasing every time I drew the plan, and she made me change the plan a lot.

Plus the forester got me into TSM, timber stand management, and I became a tree farmer.

I can harvest again in 6 years or so and again 10 after that If I want. I might let it go a bit and cut in 15 and have another for retirement.