Logging FAQ: Answers for Timber Landowners

Why Choose Sustainable Logging?

Sustainable forest management is the core of how Ohio Timber Works operates. We focus on:

• Harvesting mature, high-value trees while protecting younger, vigorous regeneration.
• Maintaining wildlife habitat, water quality, and long-term productivity of the stand.
• Using low-impact equipment and careful layout of skid trails and landings.

When logging is planned around forest health, each harvest can improve your woods—removing declining, crowded, or poorly formed trees and giving the best stems more light and space to grow.

Understanding Timber Harvesting with Our Logging FAQ

Deciding to harvest your timber is a big decision. It raises questions about timing, pricing, forest health, and how your property will look when the job is finished. This logging FAQ brings together the most common questions we hear from landowners, with straightforward, practical answers based on our daily work in Ohio hardwoods.

If you want a broader overview of our services and approach before diving into specific questions, you can also review our Logging Overview page, which explains how Ohio Timber Works plans and executes a standing timber harvest.

How quickly will you start logging once we sign an agreement?

We schedule harvests around both weather and existing commitments. In Ohio and the surrounding region, we aim to work under dry and/or frozen conditions whenever possible to reduce soil disturbance and protect your woods.

After we sign a timber purchase agreement, we’ll:

1. Confirm access points, landings, and skid trail layout.
2. Coordinate with you on preferred start and end dates.
3. Schedule the job within our current lineup of harvests.

In many cases, that means work begins within one harvest season of signing, subject to weather and ground conditions. If timing is critical for you—for example, coordinating with other work on the property—tell us, and we’ll factor that into your harvest plan.

Evidence from Forestry Science

Is my timber mature enough to harvest?

A tree’s value is closely tied to size. The area of a circle increases with the square of the diameter, so a tree that is 20 inches across has far more board-foot volume than one that is 10 inches across. That’s why we prefer to focus on mature timber, allowing younger trees to keep adding volume and value.

As a general rule of thumb, Ohio Timber Works typically looks for:

• Minimum harvest diameters: 18–20 inches DBH for most higher-value hardwoods, depending on species and stand conditions.
• Good form: Straight trunks, limited branching in the lower log, and minimal defects.

If your woods contains many trees that you can’t fully wrap your arms around at chest height, it may be time to consider a harvest. For a more detailed look at how diameter, height, and volume connect, see our article Estimating Standing Timber Value .

Can I harvest my timber without harming the health of my woods?

Yes—when planned correctly, harvesting can improve forest health. Trees, like all living things, have a life cycle: rapid height growth when young, a long period of diameter growth at maturity, and eventual decline. Removing financially and biologically mature trees creates space and resources for younger trees to thrive.

Long-term data from national forest inventories show that hardwood growing-stock volume in the United States has more than doubled since the mid-20th century, while growth has generally outpaced removals. In Ohio, statewide growth-to-removals ratios have remained above 1:1 in most recent reporting periods, meaning forests are adding more volume than is being harvested.

For landowners, the key takeaway is that how you harvest matters far more than simply whether you harvest. Thoughtful, selective logging can:

• Remove declining or poorly formed trees before they die and lose value.
• Reduce competition, allowing the best stems to add volume and quality.
• Increase species diversity and resilience when paired with appropriate regeneration practices.

If you’d like to discuss how a harvest might affect your specific property, contact Ohio Timber Works for a site visit. We’ll walk the woods with you and explain how different approaches would play out over the next several decades.

Will you buy trees in my yard?

Usually not. Yard trees—especially isolated shade trees near homes, fences, and utilities—create several challenges:

• High risk of embedded metal (nails, wire, hooks, hardware) that can damage saws and milling equipment.
• Short, heavily branched trunks with limited merchantable height.
• Complex, time-consuming removals near structures and power lines.

Because of those factors, most yard trees have more value as shade, ornamentals, or firewood than as sawlogs. There are rare exceptions—very large, high-quality stems with good access and low risk—but they are uncommon.

The best way to know where your situation falls is to contact us with photos and a description of your property. If it looks like there might be commercial value, Ohio Timber Works can advise you on the next steps.

What is my timber worth?

Stumpage value (what a logger pays you for standing trees) depends on several factors:

• Species mix (e.g., Walnut vs. low-value species).
• Size and quality of individual trees.
• Accessibility, distance to markets, and logging difficulty.
• Current regional market conditions for different grades.

To get familiar with market trends, many Ohio landowners review the Ohio Timber Price Report , which summarizes recent stumpage and delivered log prices from mills and buyers across the state. Keep in mind these are averages gathered from a sample of sales, not a guarantee of what your specific stand will bring.

For a deeper dive into estimating value on your own, see our internal guides:

• Estimating Standing Tree Volume
• Estimating Standing Timber Value

Ultimately, the most accurate way to determine what your timber is worth is to have Ohio Timber Works walk the property, tally key trees, and provide a written offer or harvest proposal.

What happens to the logs after harvest?

After felling and skidding, logs are sorted by species and grade. Some higher-grade sawlogs and veneer logs maybe sold through our log brokering operation, while others are processed into kiln-dried lumber, flooring blanks, or live-edge slabs.

Material with the right dimensions and character may also be diverted into reclaimed lumber streams when we work with historic barns and other structures. Lower-grade material often goes into pallet stock, blocking, or other industrial uses.

Knowing that your trees will be fully utilized—and in many cases turned into long-lived products—can be an important part of deciding how and when to harvest.

How do you decide which trees to cut?

Before the first tree is felled, we walk your woods with you and develop a harvest plan. During that walk we:

• Identify species present (Walnut, White Oak, Maple, etc.).
• Measure tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and estimate merchantable height.
• Evaluate form, defects, and overall quality.
• Note areas that should be protected for access, erosion control, or habitat.

From there, we mark a set of trees that are financially mature and appropriate to remove from a forest-management standpoint. Ohio Timber Works will never pressure you to cut trees you’re not comfortable selling. The final decision about which trees are harvested is always yours.

Will my woods look terrible when you’re finished?

Any timber harvest leaves a footprint—there’s no way around it. Skid trails, landings, and tree tops are all part of the process. Our job is to leave your woods organized, safe, and positioned for a strong next generation of trees.

Ohio Timber Works takes several steps to minimize and repair disturbance:

• Planning skid trails and landings to avoid wet areas and sensitive soils.
• Using appropriate equipment for the site and season.
• Smoothing and grading main skid roads upon completion of the harvest.
• Offering reseeding with site-appropriate grass or cover to reduce erosion.
• Providing optional top removal and mulching services where needed.

Within a growing season or two, most landowners are surprised at how quickly the woods “heals”—especially as new regeneration responds to increased light.

Will you buy trees in my yard?

Usually not. Yard trees—especially isolated shade trees near homes, fences, and utilities—create several challenges:

• High risk of embedded metal (nails, wire, hooks, hardware) that can damage saws and milling equipment.
• Short, heavily branched trunks with limited merchantable height.
• Complex, time-consuming removals near structures and power lines.

Because of those factors, most yard trees have more value as shade, ornamentals, or firewood than as sawlogs. There are rare exceptions—very large, high-quality stems with good access and low risk—but they are uncommon.

The best way to know where your situation falls is to contact us with photos and a description of your property. If it looks like there might be commercial value, Ohio Timber Works can advise you on the next steps.

Is there a minimum number of trees you’ll buy?

Yes. Because there are fixed costs in moving equipment, crews, and trucks, Ohio Timber Works generally prefers a minimum of about a dozen good sawtimber trees at one location. In practice, most of our purchases involve substantially more than that.

We occasionally make exceptions for smaller jobs when:

• Your property is close to another scheduled harvest, or
• The trees are exceptional in size, quality, or species.

If you’re unsure whether your woods is “big enough” to interest a logger, reach out. A quick conversation and a few photos can often answer that question before any site visit is scheduled.

How do you handle contracts, insurance, and liability?

Any reputable logging job should be backed by clear paperwork and adequate insurance coverage. When you worwith Ohio Timber Works, you can expect:

• A written timber purchase agreement describing what is being cut and how you’ll be paid.
• Proof of liability insurance and, where applicable, workers’ compensation coverage.
• Agreed-upon standards for road repair, landing cleanup, and slash disposal.
• Clear language about length of contract and completion timelines.

If you’ve never sold timber before, we’re happy to walk you through a sample contract and explain what each section means in practical terms.

How should I prepare before Ohio Timber Works visits my property?

You don’t need to do any cutting or marking ahead of time. A little preparation, however, makes the visit more efficient:

• Locate your deed and any existing surveys that show property boundaries.
• Think about your goals (income, wildlife, access, future building sites, etc.).
• Note any wet areas, steep slopes, or sensitive spots you want to protect.
• Be ready to walk at least part of the woods with us, if you’re able.

During the visit we’ll answer your questions, explain how a harvest would be laid out, and talk through what your woods may look like in the years after logging.