During the past three years, Pennsylvania woodland owners have seen the following general price trends for timber:
- Prices for most species rose rapidly from early 2021 through mid-2022.
- Around July of 2022, prices for most species began to soften. And, that trend continues.
- While white oak demand and pricing had been “middle of the pack” relative to other species for much of the past 30 years, white oak is now one of the highest valued species, although its abundance varies widely across the region.
- Demand and pricing for cherry has continued to weaken – especially when compared to its historic peaks.
The following nine charts illustrate historical price trends for hardwood timber stumpage, using data sourced from Pennsylvania University’s quarterly Timber Market Report. We encourage you to keep the following in mind as you enjoy the information in the charts below: The Penn State timber pricing information is from a small number of sellers who voluntarily submit their information. Thus, it reflects the price received by a small sample of other sellers. The pricing information is published quarterly, generally 45 days after quarter-end and is thus over three-and-a-half months old as of this writing. Lastly, the per-species stumpage prices all stem from multi-county averages for their respective region of the state. For all these reasons, the value of your timber may differ widely from these multi-county averages. Pricing for your specific property’s timber is subject to ever-changing, highly-localized markets.
For local, customized expertise regarding your unique property, we encourage you to work with one of our seasoned foresters. We can help.