Sealed Bids

When deciding to sell your timber you have two basic options to use - Selling using Sealed Bids and Selling on pay-as-cut (shares).  While in some cases selling on shares is a good option you should always consider selling using sealed bids.  When selling using sealed bids you are doing more than just selling your timber you are Marketing Your Timber!  You should always seek advice from a professional forester to help you weigh the factors of each selling process.

At Arbor Springs we help landowners market their timber using the sealed bid process for the following reasons:

  • Peace of mind for the landowner:  Using a consulting forester to help market your timber relieves you of all worries that you may have with a pay-as-cut sell.  Your expectations are set up front and you know exactly what is going to happen when the harvest gets underway.  With a pay-as-cut sell you probably have no expectations of what the sale area will look like until it is already finished.  If a mistake is made on a timber harvest it will be many, many years before the mistake corrects itself.
  • Money is received in advance:  With a sealed bid sale the landowner will receive the money for the timber in advance before any trees are cut.
  • Larger Marketing Area:  A consulting forester knows the markets of each product you may be selling and sends out bid invitations to a variety of potential buyers in and around the area. If a buyer 60 miles away is looking for a particular product that you are selling they will submit a higher bid than a buyer just down the road that may not have the same need for that product at the time.  “This can also be looked at as Marketing your Timber rather than just selling your Timber.”
  • Sale Contracts are in Place:  A consulting forester writes up the timber sale contract and specifies any stipulations that the landowner may have concerning their property.
  • Harvest Operations are Overseen:  A consulting forester will oversee the harvesting operation until it is finished and closed out.  A performance bond is held with the consultant until the landowner is satisfied with the close out of the sale area.


Arbor Springs Forestry handles the timber marketing process from “A-Z”.  For more information refer to Timber Sale Administration under our Services link.