For a landowner who might see that as unexpected money, what's the first thing they should understand before agreeing to anything?

Yeah, so I've been in this business for about 15 years and knowing every tree that's inside of a woods is impossible for me.

And we sell these things every day.

And, you know, we're selling many properties that have timber assets on them throughout the year.

And we always like to try to partner with a local forester to try to understand what what is in there so someone approaches you like you have so eloquently laid out here that they knock on the door and they say hey uh we're interested in purchasing your timber having an inventory of that timber is very very important to you um yes there is value in in that and a good forester will actually point to uh the current market and the conditions that are uh that are going on in the market right now to, you know, the timber market has changed drastically in the last 15 years.

And woods were seen as kind of this thing at the back of the farm that was a nuisance and I'm paying taxes on this and I don't get to use it.

That has changed drastically in the last 15 years.

What should landowners look for in timber contracts to make sure their property is protected and the job is completed responsibly?

What's driving the value of these species, and why might a woodlot that hasn't been harvested in decades be worth taking a closer look at now? We have

seen... regulations from governmental authorities around how you timber clear things that will prohibit people from having access to timbered acreage and hardwoods but also 200 years ago ty ohio was all trees all of them you know some of the best farmland in our state was a forest right so we're down to what's now left and uh rightfully so they're trying to preserve that And we have more human beings needing things like housing and cabinets and like you said, bourbon barrels and things like that.

So it's supply and demand, right? And what you have as a landowner in your wooded acreage is probably a lot greater than what you think because history has shown it's just there.

And now in today's present value, it's a lot more significant than what people are realizing.

A What should landowners look for in timber contracts to make sure their property is protected and the job is completed responsibly?

That's a good question.

And I kind of point back to the Forrester conversation because they are the hinge pin here that holds this conversation.

a forester accountable to the things in a contract.