Timber Buyers Fueling the Timber Industry

Timber is a cash crop for most states in the Unitedconsidered as the first contacts the landowners have
States and this is true as well in many Europeanwith the forest products industry.
countries. With timber being a good source ofNot everyone can become timber buyers though
income, many landowners are into the timbersince there are some countries and states in the US
business and timber buyers are getting into the actthat require the timber buyers to be registered
as well.before they can get to participate in the industry. For
Timber buyers and the landowners as the mainexample in the state of Indiana, the timber buyers in
players in the industrythe state should be licensed through the Indiana
Timber buyers and the landowners are just two ofDepartment of Natural Resources Division of Forestry
the many stakeholders in the timber industry. Therebefore that they buy the timber products within the
are a number of players in the timber industrystate. These timber buyers are paid by the logger,
market but among these many stakeholders, thethe landowner, sawmill or the veneer mill and the
landowners and the timber buyers are considered asmain job of these timber buyers is to buy the timber
two of the major players. And the timber buyers andas needed by these mills. And as observed by
the landowners are entities that have a say on theinsiders and outsiders, the timber buyers will come as
movement and the direction of the timber industry.good buyers or bad buyers too. These buyers buy
In the industry of timber, the landowners and thethe timber in one of two ways.
timber buyers directly interact with one another. InTwo ways on how timber buyers buy their timber
the year-round activities of the timber industry, theHere are two methods on how timber buyers buy
timber buyers and the landowners will regularly get intheir timber in the market:
touch with one another in order to affect the sales· In the first method, these timber buyers work
and to promote the production of the timber.with the landowner in order to select and mark the
Role of the timber buyers in the industrytrees that will be removed and the buyers and the
As everyone knows, the landowner is an importantlandowner then talks for the price of these timbers.
stakeholder in the industry as he is the one who· In the second method, the buyers will submit the
plants and cultivates the trees that become thesealed bid sale, and a third party marks the trees for
timber. The timber buyers on the other hand are thesale. For example the consultant or the district
entities that buy the timber form the forestforester who works for the landowner will be the
landowner. Timber buyers usually work for the sawone that will select and mark the trees for sale. The
mills, the veneer mills or these timber buyers workforester then arranges the bid sale.
for the logger. In most cases, these timber prices are