Timber Sales
Timber sale administration for Michigan landowners: marking, appraisal, competitive bids, contracts, and harvest oversight.
Request a site visit ->- Overview -
Start with the right decision.
Considering a timber sale in Michigan? Before accepting a buyer's offer, Baird Forestry can mark the trees, estimate value, prepare sale terms, solicit competitive bids, and oversee the harvest on your behalf. That means a market-tested sale rather than a single buyer's number. A full timber cruise is a separate service (typically done for a management plan, and available before a sale if you want one), not a standard part of every sale. The goal is a sale that protects the landowner, captures fair market value, and leaves the remaining woods in better condition for the next rotation.
Good first step
Bring the property question.
County, acreage, ownership goals, recent offers, program interest, maps, photos, or a short description of what changed in the woods.
Talk with Brandon ->The southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, within about a two-hour drive of Lansing
Ready to sell?
Have your sale run right.
A managed sale means marked trees, a written prospectus, competitive bids from qualified buyers, and a contract that protects you and the woods left standing. Brandon works only for you, never the mill.
Request a sale consultation ->- Who this is for -
The landowners we work with.
Owners of merchantable hardwood or mixed forest who are considering a harvest, evaluating an unsolicited buyer offer, planning an estate transition, or trying to fund habitat and restoration work without degrading the woods that remain.
- What we do -
What this work includes.
Already have a buyer's offer?
Buyer-offer review is its own entry point: an independent look at what the offer covers, what it leaves out, which trees are actually being bought, and whether the number deserves competition before anything is signed.
Timber sale administration, start to finish
One person responsible for the whole sale: tree selection, sale terms, the bid process, the contract, and the harvest oversight that makes the paperwork mean something in the woods.
Timber cruise, when you want one
A full species, diameter, quality, and volume cruise is its own service, usually done for a management plan. It is not required to mark and sell timber, and is quoted separately when a landowner wants one before a sale.
Tree selection and marking
A marked sale that identifies exactly what is being sold and what should remain for the next stand.
Timber appraisal
Value estimates in board feet under a stated log rule, grounded in species, volume, grade, access, markets, and sale design.
Buyer outreach and bids
A clear prospectus and competitive bid process where the sale is suited to the market.
Contract preparation
Written terms covering payment, timing, access, boundaries, soil, water, cleanup, and residual-tree protection.
Harvest oversight
Field checks during the job so the sale follows the contract and the long-term plan.
- Process -
How we work, step by step.
Walk the woods
Clarify ownership goals, stand condition, access, boundaries, and whether a harvest is the right move.
Mark the sale
Select and mark the trees, design the harvest, set sale boundaries, and estimate value. A full cruise is added only when you want one.
Market the sale
Prepare sale terms, contact qualified buyers, review bids, and help the landowner select a buyer.
Administer the harvest
Monitor contract compliance, soil and water protection, residual trees, cleanup, and closeout.
Outcomes
What success looks like.
A strong timber sale gives the landowner leverage before a contract is signed and accountability while the harvest is underway. The sale price is one measure of success. So is the condition of the residual stand, the clarity of the records, and the options still available ten years later.
- Related reading -
What to read next.
- Questions -
What landowners usually ask first.
Should I get a forester before accepting a timber buyer's offer?
Yes, if you want an independent view of what is being sold, whether the offer fits current market conditions, and how the harvest could affect the woods left behind. A buyer's offer can be useful information, but it is not the same as landowner representation.
What information is needed to estimate timber value?
Useful information includes species, diameter, quality, estimated volume, access, soils, harvest timing, buyer demand, and the exact trees or area proposed for harvest. Value can change sharply when sale boundaries or tree selection change.
Do all timber sales need sealed bids?
No. Sealed bids are often useful when a sale has enough volume and buyer interest, but some small, specialized, difficult, or time-sensitive sales may call for another method. The sale method should be chosen intentionally, not by default.
Should I sell lump sum or pay-as-cut?
A lump-sum sale pays one agreed price for the marked timber before cutting starts, which puts scale and market risk on the buyer and suits a competitive-bid sale. Pay-as-cut sales pay on measured volume as wood moves, which can fit salvage or specialty harvests but depends on trusting the scale and the records. The structure belongs in the contract either way, chosen for the sale rather than by default.
What happens after the harvest?
The closeout should review roads, trails, landings, cleanup, residual-tree condition, and contract items. Many properties also need post-harvest work such as invasive species monitoring, regeneration checks, or future stand improvement planning.
- Local details -
Confirm the fit before a site visit.
- In their words -
Brandon marked the trees for a selective cutting, managed the bidding process, coordinated with the winning logger, monitored the worksite, and inspected the work once the cutting was complete. He kept me well informed during the entire process and answered all of my questions.
Timber sale and prescribed-burn client · 80 acres
Contact
Ready to talk about your woods?
Tell us about your property, county, acreage, and goals. We walk the land together when the project is a fit, then follow up with a clear written scope and quote.
By telephone
(517) 290-0043Direct line for landowner inquiries. Calls and messages returned within 24 hours
Brandon Baird · Michigan Registered Forester · #47097 · Works only for landowners, never for mills or buyers.
Service area: The southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, within about a two-hour drive of Lansing