I'm working with a landowner near Tampa, FL with 2,800 acres of primarily cypress, pine, and some oak hammock. I'm tasked with answering the question of "what's all this worth". I know this depends mainly on the specific species and the size/age of them, as well as other details like how difficult it would be to harvest them logistically.
I'm wondering what a good place to start would be. I've tried reaching out to local saw and pulp mills but haven't had much luck getting firm information. Any general guides (like some kind of annual market analysis would be great), or suggestions for who to contact in Florida, would be appreciated.
I'd start with the local/state forester for the area and see if he can't provide a list of foresters who can help with a timber cruise to provide a decent estimate as to the amount of each type logs/pulpwood available on your property. He may do this himself or more likely will give you a list of certified contractors you can do this for you. They can then help market your wood or link you up with someone who can. You should expect to pay a reasonable fee for these services as you would for anything else in life. Good luck.
Valuing timber on 2800 acres is quite a decent project and would require a professional forester. You can contact the Association of Consulting Foresters, acf-foresters.org for more help.
Factors that will determine the value range from species, to age, to size, to distance to markets, etc. Determining value will not be free, it is work. Getting the maximum value is also something best left for the professional forester, they get a % of the bid and can get the greatest number of loggers to bid, increasing rates.
Good luck!
http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/Our-Forests/Field-Operations/County-Foresters
The Florida Forest Service should be able to help or at least point you in the right direction.
Start with the state service forester. For a consultant, I've used Leonard Wood http://jowettandwood.com/JWForesters/About_Us.html. He lives in Fernandina, but his partner is a little closer to Tampa.
The pine will have a lower value than in the past. In the Tampa area most pine is used for mulch or shavings, there is limited interest in sawtimber and none for veneer. Cypress brings the best price to landowners in this region,supply is limited because of State land purchases. Most of your oak hammocks are probably heavy with live oaks, there is little interest in this species. Water and laurel oaks have a better market as saw timber. Most other hardwoods will sell as mulch in your area, with some limited use as sawlogs. We buy all these species, but not in great volumes. You seem to have a good grasp of the basic variables to timber pricing, look at land use regulations also, particularily county regs.
Mark