In many respects, landowners benefit greatly from having a professional forester assist with
the sale and administration of their timber. Those benefits typically include a well-planned
and therefore environmentally friendly harvesting operation, utilization of better forest
management practices, and realizing a higher sale price. In fact, a study conducted by the
U.S. Forest Service showed that landowners who have secured professional assistance and
used the competitive bid process have received 47 percent more money than initially offered,
with only about one-half the amount of timber being harvested.