Selling timberland: the timber, the land, and what each is worth.

The short answer

Land with timber on it is really two things for sale: the trees and the ground. The timber is priced as stumpage, meaning volume times a per-unit price for each product (pine sawtimber, chip-n-saw, pulpwood, hardwood). The land is priced from recorded sales of comparable parcels. On a mature pine tract the timber can be a large share of the value. On a young plantation or a cut-over tract, nearly all the value is in the land.

Before you take any offer, find out what the timber is worth. A cruise by a consulting forester who works for you is the only real answer. Public stumpage reports from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry and Mississippi State Extension show the market, not your stand. Then decide the order. Mature sawtimber often pays to sell first under a written contract. Cutting young pine sells it at the bottom of the price ladder and usually lowers what the land brings.

Sometimes the honest answer is to sell the timber and keep the land, or to keep both and let the trees grow. When selling the land with the timber on it is the right call, know the timber's value first so the price reflects it.

Two assets, one deed

Is my timber worth more than my land?

Sometimes. On a pine tract in its last decade before harvest, the standing timber can be a large share of the property’s value. On a young plantation or a tract cut over a few years ago, nearly all the value is in the ground. The two are priced in completely different ways.

Stumpage is what a timber buyer pays for trees standing on the stump, before cutting, hauling and the mill. It’s priced by volume (tons, cords or board feet) times a per-unit price for each product, and it moves with mill demand. Bare land value is what the ground would sell for with no merchantable timber on it. It’s priced the way all land is, from recorded sales of comparable parcels adjusted for access, size, flood zone and title. Our guide to what your land is worth covers that half.

The costly mistake is selling both for one number without knowing either. A buyer who knows the timber’s value when you don’t has plenty of room to underpay. Louisiana law treats the two as separable. Standing timber is part of the land while one person owns both, but it can be sold to someone else and become its own immovable (Civil Code arts. 463, 464 and 491). That’s what makes “sell the timber, keep the land” possible, and the reverse too.

Reading the stand

What age is my pine, and why does it matter so much?

Pine value climbs in steps as trees grow into more valuable products. Mill specifications vary, but Mississippi State Extension describes the classes roughly like this:

• Pre-merchantable: young pines too small for any mill. Real future value, little or no stumpage today.
• Pulpwood: mainly trees about 5–9 inches in diameter at breast height, chipped for paper and panels. Often what a first thinning produces.
• Chip-n-saw: mid-size logs, usually about 8–12 inches, sawn into small lumber and chips in one pass.
• Sawtimber: trees big enough for lumber, and the highest-value pine product.

On a managed loblolly plantation, University of Georgia research models a first thinning around age 15. Final harvests typically come somewhere between the early 20s and mid-30s, depending on site and goals. Each step up the ladder is worth a lot. In Mississippi’s first-quarter 2026 report, pine sawtimber averaged about $22 a ton and pine pulpwood under $3. Cut a stand two product classes early and you’ve sold most of its value at pulpwood prices.

The numbers

What are timber prices in Louisiana right now?

Louisiana’s official source is the Department of Agriculture & Forestry’s Quarterly Report of Forest Products, which averages prices timber buyers paid on bid and negotiated sales. The latest published report covers January–March 2026 and includes the prior quarter and the same quarter a year earlier.

These numbers come from publicly available sales data. Off-market transactions often trade at different price ranges.

Read that table with care. Louisiana’s state average for pine sawtimber fell from about $261 to about $62 per thousand board feet between the first quarters of 2025 and 2026, and several regions reported too little data to publish last quarter. LDAF’s own report says it “should not be used to determine the fair market value of a specific timber sale.” It recommends professional foresters and competitive bidding instead. Louisiana also reports sawtimber in board feet and pulpwood in cords, so these figures don’t line up directly with per-ton prices.

Mississippi State Extension publishes per-ton prices with the low and high from reported sales. That’s useful for south Mississippi owners and as a cross-check for the Florida Parishes:

These numbers come from publicly available sales data. Off-market transactions often trade at different price ranges.

Notice the spread. In the same quarter, Mississippi pine sawtimber sold for anywhere from $12 to over $48 a ton. Where your stand lands in that range depends on volume, tree size and quality, logging conditions (wet ground, truck access) and distance to the mill. Those are the same factors LDAF lists.

Knowing what you have

What is a timber cruise, and who should do it?

A cruise is a sampled inventory. A forester measures trees on plots across the tract and estimates volume by species and product class. It’s what turns the price tables above into a number for your land. It’s also the starting point for a fair sale and, as covered below, your tax basis.

A consulting forester works for you, not the mill. Many will cruise the tract, mark the sale boundaries, take sealed bids from several buyers, write the contract and check on the harvest. Pay is a fee or a commission, so ask which before work starts. The Louisiana Forestry Association keeps a searchable directory of consulting foresters by zip code. Look for credentials like ACF (Association of Consulting Foresters) after a name.

LDAF’s Office of Forestry has foresters in the field who advise landowners on management, regeneration and cost-share programs. The department also publishes a list of consulting foresters. In Mississippi, the Board of Registration for Foresters keeps a public roster of registered foresters.

Be cautious with a “cruise” done by a prospective timber buyer. It’s a starting point, not a neutral number.

The big decision

Should I sell the timber first, or sell it with the land?

No single answer fits every tract. Here’s how it usually breaks.

Selling timber first makes sense when the stand is mature sawtimber or overdue for a thinning, and the tract is big enough to interest loggers. It also fits when you want to keep the land, or when the land’s likely buyers (homesite or recreational) won’t pay full value for the trees. Do it with a forester and a written contract.

Harvesting first destroys value when the pine is pre-merchantable, or pulpwood a few years short of chip-n-saw. Cutting now sells it at the bottom of the price ladder. It also destroys value on small homesite or recreational parcels where buyers are paying for trees, privacy and looks. A fresh clearcut with ruts and slash shows badly for years. A weak contract that leaves roads, fences and drainage torn up does the same.

Selling with the land makes sense when the timber is young, when nearby land values far outrun timber values, or when you need one clean closing. A succession with several heirs, an out-of-state owner, or no appetite for managing a harvest all point that way. The key is knowing the timber’s value before you negotiate.

And sometimes the honest answer is to keep it. A healthy young plantation on land you can afford to hold is growing into more valuable products every year. If you don’t need the money now, a forester’s management plan may beat any sale, including one to us.

The paperwork

How do timber sale contracts work: lump sum or pay-as-cut?

Lump sum: the buyer pays one fixed price, usually up front, for all the designated timber. It’s typically set by sealed bids against a cruise. The buyer carries the volume and market risk. You get certainty, but if the cruise ran low, the upside goes to the buyer.

Pay-as-cut: you’re paid per ton or cord as wood is delivered, based on mill scale tickets. It can capture the full volume, but payment stretches over the harvest and you depend on accurate tickets and the logger’s schedule.

Either way, get it in writing: exactly which trees and boundaries; a cutting deadline and what happens to timber left after it; a performance deposit; compliance with forestry best management practices (LDAF publishes a BMP handbook to protect water quality); repair of roads, fences, gates and culverts; and proof of the logger’s liability insurance. In Louisiana, ask your attorney whether the timber deed should be recorded. A timber right can affect anyone who buys the land later.

Taxes, briefly

What taxes do I owe when I sell timber?

Here’s an outline. Confirm it with a CPA who knows timber. For most owners who hold timber as an investment, standing timber held more than one year is taxed as a long-term capital gain, whether sold lump-sum or pay-as-cut. Expect a Form 1099-S. The gain is the sale price minus your basis, and basis is where landowners most often lose money:

• Purchased land: basis is the part of your purchase price allocated to the timber.
• Inherited land: basis generally steps up to fair market value at the date of death. Our guide to taxes on inherited land explains how.
• No records: the IRS presumes zero basis. A consulting forester can often rebuild it with a “back-cruise,” but generally only while the trees are still standing. That’s one more reason to call a forester before the harvest.

Owners who replant can deduct reforestation costs up to $10,000 per tract and amortize the rest. Higher-income sellers may owe the 3.8% net investment income tax. The National Timber Tax Website and IRS Form T cover the details.

Before you sign anything

What about hunting leases, access, and other strings?

Hunting leases are common on timber tracts. Read yours for its term, termination rights and what happens on a sale, and disclose it to every buyer. Access for log trucks drives timber value, because the wood has to come out. A tract reached only by a narrow or disputed easement can draw lower bids, and our easements guide covers why. Outstanding timber rights matter too. A prior owner may have sold timber rights that haven’t expired, and a title search catches the recorded ones. Wet ground also counts. Streamside zones and wetlands limit where and when logging can happen, which buyers price in.

Close to home

Timber in Washington, Tangipahoa and St. Tammany Parishes

Washington Parish is pine timber country. Bogalusa was built as a mill town, and pine stands are a common sight across the parish. Timber is often a big piece of a tract’s value here, so a cruise before you sell is usually money well spent. More on selling land in Washington Parish.

Tangipahoa runs from pine and pasture in the north to growing communities around Hammond and Ponchatoula in the south. The same stand of pine can be most of a tract’s value in one part of the parish and a footnote to homesite value in another.

St. Tammany is where land value most often outruns timber value. Wooded acreage near growing areas sells on its trees, privacy and location, and clearing it can lower the price. Across the state line in south Mississippi, the pine markets are similar, and the Mississippi report above is the closer price guide.

How we look at it

What does a direct land buyer look at on a timber tract?

We treat the timber and the land as separate questions. We look at what’s standing and roughly what product class it is, and whether log trucks can get in and out. We check the flood zone and wet ground, and any timber deeds, leases or servitudes of record. We also check whether the title is current. On family timberland, an open succession in Louisiana or heirs’ property in Mississippi is common (Louisiana, Mississippi). Then we pull land comps and show you the sales behind our number.

The honest part comes next. If your timber is merchantable and a forester-run, sealed-bid sale would net you meaningfully more, we’ll tell you to do that first. We’re still glad to talk about the land afterward. If the trees are young and you can hold, we’ll say that too. A direct sale fits when you want one closing and no harvest to manage: an inherited tract with several heirs, cut-over land, or simply wanting it done. We buy the land with the timber standing, handle the title work, and close in one to three weeks when title is clean. How the process works, and how different buyers price land. If you’d rather market it yourself, here’s the by-owner route. Questions go to Harry Asnien, our principal, in Mandeville.

Questions & answers

Asked by nearly every family we work with.

How much is my timber worth?

It comes down to three things: volume, product class, and the local stumpage price for each class. Public reports give statewide and regional averages, but stands sell well above or below them depending on size, quality, logging conditions and haul distance to the mill. A cruise by a consulting forester, ideally followed by competitive bids, is the only way to put a real number on your timber.

What is a timber cruise, and what does it cost?

A cruise is a sampled inventory. A forester measures trees on plots across the tract and estimates volume by species and product. Fees vary by forester, tract size and purpose, so ask for the fee in writing before work starts. Many consulting foresters also run the whole sale for a commission. Compare that against what they expect to add through competitive bidding.

Should I clear-cut before I sell my land?

Usually not if the pine is young or pulpwood-size. You'd be selling it at the lowest product price and leaving bare, rutted ground that many land buyers pay less for. Harvesting first makes more sense with mature sawtimber on a tract big enough to interest loggers, and with a written contract that protects roads, boundaries and drainage.

Is a lump-sum or a pay-as-cut timber sale better?

A lump-sum sale pays you a fixed price up front and leaves the volume risk with the buyer, which is why many foresters prefer it for marked, sealed-bid sales. Pay-as-cut pays per ton or cord as wood reaches the mill. It can capture the full volume, but you depend on accurate scale tickets and the logger's schedule. In both cases the protection is in the written contract.

Do I pay taxes when I sell timber?

Usually, on the gain. For most owners who hold timber as an investment, standing timber held more than a year is taxed as a long-term capital gain, whether sold lump-sum or pay-as-cut. Your basis reduces the gain. Inherited timber generally takes its value at the date of death. Talk to a CPA before the harvest, not after.

How fast can I sell timber land in Louisiana?

A timber sale run by a forester takes time. The cruise, marketing, bids, and a cutting period can run for months. Selling the land with the timber on it to a direct buyer is quicker. With clean title, closings commonly take one to three weeks. Speed has a price, though, so know what the timber is worth before you trade it for speed.

Does a hunting lease stay in place if I sell?

It depends on the lease's terms and, in Louisiana, generally on whether it was recorded in the parish conveyance records. Read the termination and sale clauses, disclose the lease to any buyer, and have an attorney look at it if the lessee and the buyer disagree.

Sources: Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry, Quarterly Report of Forest Products, Vol. 73 Report 1 (January–March 2026); Mississippi State University Extension, Mississippi Timber Price Report, 1st Quarter 2026 (April 2026); MSU Extension Publication P1777, Marketing Your Timber: Forest Products; University of Georgia Warnell School loblolly pine economics research; National Timber Tax Website (timbertax.org); Rural Tax Education, Timber Tax Basics From a Landowner's Perspective: 2026 (G. van der Hoeven, NC State); Louisiana Civil Code arts. 463, 464 and 491; LDAF Office of Forestry; Louisiana Forestry Association consulting forester directory; Mississippi Board of Registration for Foresters. General information, not legal, tax or forestry advice. Published October 2026.