Real Estate Services

Forestland Real Estate Management Services

Forestland Real Estate Management Services are defined as those activities that are necessary for ownership of forestland. These services are designed to compliment and facilitate other common forestland management activities such as harvesting, silviculture, and log marketing.

First Order of Business: Establish Landowner Objectives

Below is an outline of what we do and how we go about it:

Services Offerred

I. Income generating activities:

1. We are seeking opportunities to improve the financial return on your forestland.
   
   
2. Land sales: As part of the overall service plan, we help design selection criteria for possible land sales and a marketing plan for obtaining the highest price. We facilitate sales or exchanges of targeted properties that are difficult to manage due to location, or environmental issues, or land that has higher and better (H&B) use values. These services include all aspects of marketing and closing the land transactions. This is a very powerful tool for a forestland owner and provides the potential of financial returns much greater than obtained from normal forestry operations.
   
   
3. Peripheral timber harvesting: Typically, this includes low-production operations i.e., commercial thinning or scattered pockets of merch timber. These activities would be done in conjunction with the regular harvest plans of the tree farm.
   
   
4. Miscellaneous income: Examples include brush collecting permits, road use fees, and leases. Land trades do not generally generate immediate cash, but by design they increase management economies and lessen operational costs.

II. Maintenance

1. Appraisal: We can provide the necessary appraisal modeling and inputs to determine values for the client and for market expectations.
   
   
2. General land issues: We keep apprised of local and regional land-use issues and how they might affect the value of the tree farm.
   
   
3. Nuisance issues: These include gates, neighbors, trash, trespass, easements, and working with local authorities. Our services include recognizing these encumbrances and dealing with them.

Compensation

Our services are typically provided on a by the hour basis plus expenses. A minimal commission fee may also be included. This enables us to always keep the client's interest at the forefront. Coupled with this philosophy is our belief in frequent and complete communication so the landowner knows what we are working on, and we know what the expectations are. The final product of this approach is that the landowner is only paying for work which is done for his/her benefit.

Working Arrangement

We can provide all services associated with forestland real estate. We also have the flexibility to do portions thereof. Our goal is to communicate with the landowner and find out exactly what services are needed and to focus on those. We will provide advice where it is warranted. This outline can be used as a guide to that end.

Conflicts of Interest

Merrill & Ring has profitably managed its forests for over 100 years and intends to stay in the business. It is this background that gives us the experience and knowledge to provide these management services, but it also could give rise to potential conflicts of interest. Our philosophy is simple: full disclosure of related activities and interests. If we feel that, for any reason, the client's best interest is in question, we will discuss it immediately, openly, and frankly, and find a way to resolve the issue or refrain from being involved.