TheNorth Carolina standing timber marketthrough the first three quarters of 2025 delivered a clear message to landowners:value is shifting from low-grade trees to high-quality trees.This period was defined by exceptional strength in the sawtimber sector and a continued decline in the pulpwood market, creating both opportunity and risk for standing timber management.
The big winner wassawtimber, the high-quality wood used for construction. Statewide,mixed hardwood sawtimber (+8.73%) andpine sawtimber(+7.48%) delivered strong, consistent price gains over the first three quarters. Western North Carolina saw pine sawtimber surge over 18%.
This good news, however, came with a sign of volatility. The highest-priced standing timber,oak sawtimber, experienced significant swings, leading to net losses in the western half of North Carolina and only flat results in Eastern North Carolina. This suggests that oak prices are proving unpredictable.
The bad news was concentrated in the low-grade standing timber market.Hardwood pulpwoodwas the biggest casualty, suffering a catastrophic$17.61%price collapsestatewide. This signaled a major lack of demand or a severe oversupply for the wood used to make paper, cardboard, and other basic wood products.
Whilepine pulpwoodmanaged to hold steady overall, even posting an11%gain in the eastern half of North Carolina, the western half of the state saw its price drop by over12%. This regional flip-flop highlighted just how fragile and localized the pulpwood market remains.
The market was clearly divided by geography.Western NCenjoyed the boom, with strong gains across most sawtimber products. In theEast, the market was much tougher. While Eastern Hardwood Sawtimber held its own, high-valuePine Ply Logs(used for plywood) took a substantial hit,dropping over10%.
In short, 2025 appears to be the year for selling sawtimber, but not the year to be heavily reliant on the volatile, low prices of hardwood pulpwood.
For information on the third quarter 2025 state-wide average standing timber prices in North Carolina, please refer to the third quarter price report.
It is important to note that timber prices can vary significantly based on numerous factors, including location, species, product type, accessibility, and distance to processing mills. Consequently, timber prices presented in general reports may not precisely reflect the standing timber values for a specific stand of trees or within a particular region of the state. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that stakeholders seek professional assistance for an accurate valuation of standing timber assets. For more information and resources on selling timber visit the NC State Extension Forestry Timber Sales web page.
Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of Google Gemini.
