An update on the Starke County Forest’s planned timber sale was given to the Starke County Park Board Tuesday. Forester Bruce Wakeland said he plans to invite 40 or more licensed timber companies to bid on the designated trees.
He expects the sale will generate at least $5,000 for the forest, but that figure could be closer to $8,000, if buyers think there’s a lot of grade lumber in those trees. Bids will be opened at the park board’s October 10 meeting.
The Starke County Forest is designed to be a self-sufficient park facility, with timber sales being the main funding source. Wakeland said the next sale is probably five to 10 years away, but the eventual goal is to have smaller sales more often. “It’s nice for a property like this to have some somewhat steady income,” he explained. “You don’t want a chunk of money and then 15 years and then another chunk. . . . At some point, the sales will become much smaller but much better because all those little walnut trees that are now about this big will start coming on board.”
He added that sales have to be big enough to be worthwhile economically, but small enough not to have a negative impact.
