It is a straightforward bid box this time around.

Cape Girardeau County, Missouri

• 40 acres
• 324 marked trees
• Estimated volume: 93,656 bd. ft. (International Scale)
  • Over 80 percent of the volume was in black oak, yellow-poplar, and northern red oak
• Good access to most of the timber along a highway frontage
• 18-month contract period (most contract periods are 12 months)
• Forester valued the sale at $21,000
• Four bids received
  • $27,160.24
  • $22,150.00
  • $18,030.00
  • $13,250.00
• Landowner took the high bid
• Return: $679 per acre 

If you are thinking about selling your timber, contact your professional forester now. Not only will they help you get the highest price for the trees in your woodlots that need to be harvested, but they can help ensure future harvests are profitable, too. To help you become familiar with some of the aspects of selling timber, check out the following MU Extension publications:

• G5051, Selling Timber: What the Landowner Needs to Know
• G5057, Basic Elements of a Timber Sale Contract
• G5056, Managing Your Timber Sale Tax
• G5055, Determining Timber Cost Basis

These guides will help you better understand the ins and outs of marketing your timber and help you help your professional forester.