Missouri Timber Price Trends
July - September, 2012
Editor's Note
Tom Treiman and Jason Jensen, Editors
We've made some changes to try to improve the report for both landowners and foresters with this issue of the Missouri Department of Conservation's Timber Price Trends. Due to a slow economy, and the voluntary nature of timber sale reporting in Missouri, the number of reports we receive has fallen off in recent years. The result is that some average prices were based on very few reports. Due to these issues, we began calculating average prices based on a rolling dataset of all reports from the past 12 months. The oldest quarterly report drops out as new quarterly report comes in. This should provide more reports to back up each average price, as well as removing some artificial volatility from the numbers.
We have also reduced the number of reporting regions from three to two (North/ Southwest and Ozark). This will also help to increase the number of reports that go into each published Timber Price Trend. Each region will report prices in the scale most commonly used in that region (Doyle for the North/ Southwest Region and International ¬ for the Ozark Region) with no ?Statewide? attempt to merge the two. This will further increase the reliability of the data by eliminating error associated with converting from one scale to the other.
We would like to thank the members of the Missouri Forest Resources Advisory Council (MOFRAC) who helped with these changes in direction. The Missouri Consulting Foresters Association and the Missouri Department of Conservation have been instrumental in taking steps to encourage more reporting from their members and employees. Timber sale reports are critical in providing an accurate assessment of market conditions.
One of the most valuable sources for information on timber markets is the local Missouri Department of Conservation Resource Forester or your Consulting Forester. Contact the nearest Forest District office for up-to-date, local advice. The Missouri Department of Conservation's Forestry Division, (573) 751-4115, will be happy to provide you with the name and address of the Resource Forester or MDC Regional Office nearest to you. You can locate a Consulting Forester by visiting the Mo. Consulting Forester's Association web site at: www.missouriforesters.com or by visiting the Private Land Assistance page of the MDC website http://mdc.mo.gov/landown/ and clicking on the "Conservation Assistance Contractors" link.
The logger plays a critical role in the harvesting of your timber sale. The Master Logger Certification (MLC) program can make your choice easier. The MLC program can help provide peace of mind for the landowner. Master Loggers are professional, properly trained, and meet the highest standards placed on the industry today. The MLC program is a performance based program that recognizes both training and experience. To find a Master Logger in your area visit the following website: http://www.moforest.org/MLC/mmldirectory.html
The Professional Timber Harvester (PTH) program provides four levels of chainsaw safety training, provides instruction on use and implementation of "best management practices" and forest management. PTH trained loggers possess the knowledge to harvest your timber while insuring that your residual trees, soil, and property are properly cared for. To locate a PTH trained logger in your area visit the following website: http://www.moforest.org/loggersindex.php
