I am a young second gen tree farmer that is still in school. I just reforested 150 acres (95 in pine and 55 in white and northern red oak) last year and have about 60 acres of standing hardwood that is about 25 years old. I was able to reforest for $130/ac w/ a cost share program. At $130/ac I am satisfied with the investment. I would rather have it in my family's land for me and my future kids/grandkids to enjoy than anywhere else. I know I will put more into it over the next 20 or more years with burns, hack and squirts, and other management practices. I guess now I wait and see what happens with the markets over the next 25+ years.

Father is getting $50 an acre for long leaf pine straw from a 15 yr stand of long leaf pines in south Alabama. It was previously enrolled in CRP program. Was crop land so it’s fairly easy for them to keep clean and get it baled.

At this point I see the timber on my place as nothing but means to support wildlife and offset the cost of having your own place. This is 240 acres of mostly 25 - 30 year old pines that have been thinned and burned every other year and like the rest of the state of Alabama, is waiting on timber prices to increase to be worth cutting. In the meantime the deer and turkeys are enjoying it, and I'm enjoying it with them.

Once we cut them and recoup some of our cost of ownership over the years, we probably wont make much of anything, but it has been fun going through the process. Did I mention the turkeys love it?

That’s cheap. I have heard the average price in southeast Alabama is $125/acre

You are right. He’s is actually getting $100 per acre which is more $50+ more than he was getting in CRP.