Thinking of Selling Your Timber? Beware of "High-Grading"

High-grading is a term used by forestry professionals to describe any harvesting method that removes only the most valuable timber and leaves the rest in the woods. "Diameter-based cutting" (when all trees of value are cut above a minimum diameter, such as 12 inches and up) and "selective cutting" (a term that has no agreed-upon meaning or scientific basis, but usually implies that the buyer selects what they want) are the two most widely used forms of high-grading.

High-grading is an exploitive practice that is not recommended by caring forestry professionals. It has many negative consequences. The extent of damage caused by high-grading varies according to many things, such as the age, size, species composition of the forest, quality of the site, species removed, and past cutting practices, to name a few. High-grading often leaves woodlands that contain mostly low-value, undesirable species, trees of poor form, conditions that do not lead to natural regeneration (young trees) of desirable species, and, thus, very little future potential.

Conversely, careful forest management under the guidance of a competent professional can yield income while improving forestlands in line with your values through the application of appropriate forestry practices and harvesting. Sound forestry practices control tree spacing and species composition, to allocate site resources, and encourage remaining selected trees, known as "crop trees," to grow and lead to natural regeneration.

For more detailed information about high-grading, view the article Forest Stewardship: Timber Harvesting: An Essential Management Tool, watch High Grade Timber Harvesting is Bad News For Forest Landowners and the Forestry Aesthetics and Nonprofessional Forestry videos. Also, if you are thinking of conducting a timber sale on your property, it's always wise to take your time, find out more about the process, and arrange a visit from your county's DCNR Service Forester to have them share their knowledge and advice.

Adapted by Sanford Smith, Extension Specialist, from the publication written by James Finley, Professor Emeritus of Forest Resources, entitled "Forest Stewardship: Timber Harvesting: An Essential Management Tool".