21 July 2023

Watch: Timber categories and sales methods – conifer forest management

In this video, Sean Kelly who is the Purchasing Manager with Laois Sawmills explains the difference between different timber categories including pulpwood, stakewood, palletwood and sawlog.

Sean also discusses the three different ways how forest owners can sell their timber.
Laois Sawmills are located near Portlaoise and process 200,000 tonnes of timber annually.

Timber categories

The timber categories shown in this video are pulpwood, stakewood, palletwood (also called boxwood) and sawlog.

Timber is divided into categories or assortments based on the diameter and length of the logs cut during harvesting. The quantity (and price) of each category depends on the size, age and quality of the trees being harvested. Generally, there is a higher proportion of smaller, lower value assortments harvested from younger trees at first thinning stage. As trees grow and mature, larger value assortments develop.

Pulp

Trees removed during first thinning generally fall into the pulp category. Pulpwood is used for panel boards and wood energy. It also is cut from the top section of larger diameter trees. Poor quality large trees also fall into this category. It has a minimum small end diameter of 7cm. It usually has a lower value than the other larger assortments.

Better quality small dimension trees can be cut as stakewood.

Palletwood

Logs in this category have a minimum small end diameter of 14cm. It is used to manufacture products such as packaging, pallets, garden furniture and fencing and usually has a mid-range value compared with other assortments.

Sawlog

This is cut from the lower section of the tree and has a minimum small end diameter of 18 or 20cm. It is used to produce sawn timber for the construction industry and is the most valuable assortment. In general, first and second thinnings will not include trees large enough to fall into this category.

Selling timber

Timber can be sold in a number of ways, depending on who you are planning to sell to and how involved you or your forester intends to be in the sales and harvesting processes.

Standing Sale

This is when timber is sold as it stands in the forest at an agreed unit price (€ per tonne or € per cubic metre) in advance of harvesting. The buyer is then responsible for all costs associated with harvesting and haulage operations.

If the forest is being thinned, the agreed sale price will reflect the size of trees that should be removed during the thinning.

If the forest is being clearfelled, the agreed sale price will reflect the size and quality of all of the trees in the final crop.

Harvested Roadside Sale

This is when timber is sold from harvested assortments stacked at the forest roadside, at an agreed unit price (€ per tonne or € per cubic metre). A harvesting contractor is contracted and paid to harvest the timber and present it at roadside for the timber buyer. The buyer is then responsible for costs associated with haulage operations.

Harvested Mill Gate Sale

In this case, harvested assortments are delivered to an agreed processing location, at an agreed unit price (€ per tonne or € per cubic metre). The seller will contract and pay a harvesting contractor to harvest the timber and a haulage contractor to deliver it to the buyer.

Remember: the timber price will reflect the sales method!