Responsible Timber Harvesting

When harvesting your timber, it's important to find the balance between forest health and a good return. At C.L Taylor Timber we work to get you the maximum profit while treating your property like it's our own.

How it works

The process of a timber harvest is simple:

Contact us: we'll gather details about your property and set up a visit to look at your trees.
Estimate: we'll have our forester walk your property, survey the trees, and provide you with a summary of your harvestable timber, along with an appraisal of the value and suggestions for what to cut.
Contract: if you decide to harvest, we send you a contract to review and sign.
Harvest: we agree on a harvesting plan together, and then we cut the trees based on that plan, using best management practices.
Cleanup: we clean up after our work, keeping limbs out of waterways , managing erosion, and seeding the trails as needed.

We work hard to get you the highest possible prices for your timber, because you may only do a couple harvests in your lifetime, and it's critical to get this right when it happens.

We are also conservationists and believe in the importance of forest health and good management practices. We want your property to remain beautiful and enjoyable long into the future.

Timber harvests as a management tool

When done right, timber harvesting can be used as a forest management tool. A timber harvest can affect the future of your woodlands, so we work to make sure we harvest with your long-term objectives in mind, as certain species react differently to different types of harvests.

A properly done timber harvest also includes the creation or expansion of woodland roads, trails, and firebreaks in your woods. Although these are needed to get the trees out of the forest, they also provide important access to your woods going forward, which will help you manage and enjoy your woods.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a timber harvest can improve wildlife habitat. Deer and birds use the downed tops (limbs) for bedding and nesting, while species like the grouse like the young woodlands that thrive after a harvest.

Timber harvests are also a good opportunity to plant new trees: either in the forest, in new plots on your property, or both. We offer tree planting as a service to landowners who are interested.

Timber harvest Do's & Don'ts

DO: use a written contract

DO: use a timber harvest as a forest management tool

DO: treat your woodlands like a valuable resource

DO: keep an eye on your woodlands after the harvest, to make sure it's progressing as it should, and to manage invasive plants when you see them

DO: talk to your tax accountant when you receive a timber harvest payment. These can be large amounts, but often they can be classified as long-term capital gains, which lowers the amount of taxes you pay.

DON'T: use verbal agreements to sell your timber

DON'T: clear cut your forest or use practices that degrade your woodlands

DON'T: panic. Most timber harvests involve cutting a small selection of trees in a forest, so don't assume you will lose the benefits and enjoyment of your woodlands after a harvest.