Investing in Timber

[schaef]

I don't want to be considered positive or negative, I want to be considered objective. I think I have both pointed out issues (including difficulty of purchasing lumber) and tried to get people to be objective.

Speaking of which, I think the discussion since the last time I checked in has been really great - much appreciated.

To set the record straight on lumber purchase, I think I was able to get fairly close to purchasing lumber from TATF. After I pursued it for a couple of months, I had something like a quote both for lumber and for shipping. I haven't yet decided to try to complete the purchase, but I believe it would be possible.

- I own 1996 Teak from the fairly recent (3 years ago) special sale and have not received a thinning report. Here is a quote from my last communication with TATF regarding thinnings:

Until either we have in place the volume value adding production and marketing, or until the lumber market normalizes, our judgment is to not proceed right now with additional thinnings. Once either of those occurs, we can recommence our thinnings. Fortunately the trees will continue to grow and mature.
We will soon be sending an update to everyone who owns trees that are of an age that could be thinned, reporting the above and offering each the opportunity to make their own decision with respect to their trees, either waiting until the market improves or until we have raised the capital, purchased and put into production the additional value-adding equipment and are marketing the value added products in volume, or electing to proceed now to thin their trees and mill and store their lumber. The report will include the approximate number of trees that could be thinned and an estimate of the cost to thin the trees and mill and store the lumber.

That communication was last month.