Adapting to a Changing Landscape: How Wisconsin Loggers Persist in an Era of Parcelization

The average forest landowner in Wisconsin owns fewer than 30 acres, and in 2014, landowners with as few as 10 acres of
forestland were eligible to enroll in a tax program that required periodic timber harvests. These factors point to a need for
loggers capable of profitably harvesting small parcels of timber. A series of in-person interviews were conducted with
representatives of 15 Wisconsin logging firms previously identified as successful at harvesting small parcels of timber.
Ninety-two percent of mechanized loggers had harvested parcels of 10 acres and smaller within the past year. Eighty-five
percent of mechanized loggers were willing to harvest parcels as small as 5 acres assuming that only a short move (,5 mi)
was required between timber sales. The average direct moving cost for mechanized loggers was $406 per move, versus an
estimated $778 when the costs of idle employees and equipment are included. Seventy-seven percent of the participants in
this study purchased at least half of the timber that they harvested, and 85 percent performed services other than timber
harvesting, such as establishing food plots, as a procurement tool. This study demonstrates that properly equipped Wisconsin
loggers are profitably harvesting small parcels of timber; however, loggers and other timber buyers must recognize the
additional costs associated with these harvests and adjust stumpage rates to compensate for these costs.

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