| 1. |
Solicit the
cooperation of others in watching over your trees. Absentee landowners are
particularly vulnerable to timber theft. Get to know other landowners near the property.
Neighborhood Watch groups work in the country as well as in the city. |
|
| 2. |
A hunting club lease
should include year long monitoring of the property for unlawful trespass or theft. Have
lease holders report any illegal activities to you and local law enforcement authorities. |
|
| 3. |
To reduce honest
mistakes by loggers cutting on adjacent property, make sure your property boundries are
highly visible and marked correctly. Properly marked boundries make it easier to prove a
case if theft occurs. |
|
| 4. |
Always have a
management plan for your property that tells when and how you should harvest timber. The
AFC, a forestry consultant, or timber company landowner assistance program forester can
write a forest management plan. |
|
| 5. |
Know the value of
your timber before you sell. Prices fluctuate. Check with a forestry consultant, industry
forester, cooperative extension forester, or AFC forester for the latest price
information. |
|
| 6. |
Get more than one bid
on your timber. The first price someone offers you is rarely the highest. |
|
| 7. |
Always have a timber
sale or cutting agreement in writing. Don't assume everyone involved will remember and
abide by terms of an oral agreement. Keep a copy of the contract. |
|
| 8. |
The contract should
specify how the contractor will pay for the timber. Lump-sum and pay-as-cut are the
most common methods of payment. In a Pay-as-cut sale the contractor generally pays the
landowner as the timber is hauled to the mill. The landowner and contractor should agree
on the frequency of payment before any timber is harvested. |
|
| 9. |
The contract should
also specify: |
|
a) |
What products are to be
harvested. |
|
b) |
The price paid for each product. |
|
c) |
To which sawmills or woodyards
the different products will be hauled. |
|
| 10. |
Spend time monitoring
logging operations on your property. Understand that timber theft could be occurring. |
|
a) |
Count the loads of logs removed
from your property and compare with the records provided by the contractor. |
|
b) |
If the trees to be cut were
previously marked, check for fresh paint to see if the contractor has marked additional
trees without permission. |
|
c) |
Don't establish a pattern for
monitoring the logging operation. |
|
| 11. |
Develop and maintain
good records on every timber sale. Keep: |
|
a) |
Records of appraisals. |
|
b) |
Mill scale tickets. |
|
c) |
Copies of checks. |
|
d) |
Correspondence including
envelopes. |
|
| 12. |
Check your records
with sawmill or woodyard records. |
|
| 13. |
Report thefts
immediately to your county sheriff's department and/or your local AFC office. |
