Does any of you lease land from Rayonier? Thier food plot fee's
suck! $85.00 per acre for type 1 and $135.00/acre for type II

You got a new guy to gripe at on here now that might know how to help!!! Well not a new guy to the site, but a guy new to Rayonier. He will announce his presence one of these days

They charge for you to plant a plot?

Sho nuff... So does Nalte.

Timber companies charge for every area of non-productive land; i.e. land that they do not have trees growing on.

That's crazy!...I lease from a timber company.I pay my lease which is what I bid per acre and is what I'm comfortable paying plus insurance.No more no less.They don't charge me extra for food plots

Don't think of it as "extra", think of it as "value added".....

It is extra if they gonna charge me 600 bucks on top of my lease just for the plots I wanna plant.

Somebody will pay it. Look for more large leases to do this in the future.

Not all of them... We don't! We require you to plant it but we do not charge you for it. I hope corporate brass never has that idea either, I could get canned over that one

If the timber company I lease from starts charging for plots I'll quit planting and start baiting.

What? You're kidding me?!?! OK, I can understand limiting X number of food plot acres vs X number of total acres but there should be an allowance of acres to plant for wildlife!

What about environment/wildlife responsibility!?!?!? What about wildlife stewardship?!?!? Many companies already cut the SMZ's way too thin!!!!

They're charging you per acre? If anything, when you plant and keep food plots open for planting, you're INCREASING the value of their land from a recreational standpoint!!

I'm offended. Like they give a poop I'm offended! However, that's insulting to every part of conservation and I think it's taking advantage of land/wildlife stewards.

OK, lease my land and do nothing to it and don't enhance it or manage and you pay X dollar$!

Or, lease my land and if you want to increase the recreational value and be good stewards of wildlife then you're going to pay more!

Again, I'm not talking about a huge percentage of food plots acres vs. available planting acreage!

Yikes, that's just taking advantage of the wildlife and the hunters! Timber Companies should have a certain percent of total acres they're willing to set aside for wildlife enhancement and RESPONSIBILITY!!

Unbelievable!! Greed.

I totally agree! But you and I don't matter to them!

One of my leases is with them. They do not charge for planting landing areas, powerlines, roadsides, skidder trails, abandoned roads etc. Only area that could be used for merchantable timber production. These timber companies don't really give a rip about habitat improvement or wildlife stewardship. Increasing recreational value?? Private landowners, yes they might, timber companies, no they dont. They are in the business of growing timber for harvest and the only reason they lease it is because it keeps them from having the patrol all that property and it is an additional source of revenue with little to no cost associated with it. Nothing but business and all about the almighty $. That being said, one good thing about Rayonier is that they don't care where you put a plot. If you want to put a 5 acre plot in the most prime spot on the property, along side a creek in the dead middle of a 150 acre stand of planted pines, feel free. Just go clear it, plant it and pay them the $400. With Westervelt, Sottera and the other timber companies, you tell them you want to put a 5 acre plot in the middle of their planted pine plantation and they will flat out tell you no. In fact, not naming names but I know of a guy that took the liberty of clearing a few trees here and there on a big timber lease and putting in a couple extra plots and expanding a couple already exiting plots. Probably 2 acres total on roughly a 1500 acre lease. Forester saw it on a timber cruise and they came back and charged the guy for the trees he took down. Turned out real nasty and while the guy never paid for them, he did lose the lease which he had held for over 10 years.

Now your getting into my territory and I can tell you within reason we do not tell folks an all out no when it comes to food plots. A 5 acre food plot, no. Most people can't afford to plant a 5 acre food plot. We spent thousands stumping and clearing food plots for our clubs this year, so now you spoken a little out of term. I can't put food plots on everyone's lease all the time. I do have to look at terrain, timber age structure and budgeting issues but I assure we value our recreational business and our customers. I think you would find that out if you asked the Soterra customers here on this site. Yeah, I am sure there are a few we have ticked off but I think by and large we try our best to right by them. At least I do!

When it comes to clearing your own food plot without permission on leased land, that is a no no anywhere. The guy deserved to lose his lease. I would not do that on the property I lease and I don't expect anyone to do it on property they lease from me.

Just a side note on the food plots, we allow up to 1% of the lease acreage to be in permanent food plots. If they are enrolled in the perm. food plot program they must be planted.

All this other being said, you are going to see other companies taking more of an interest in their recreational clients. There is too much money in alternative recreation now.

I know this... when International Paper was selling off Portland Landing (I think that's who owned it.. I know IP did at one time), IP touted the recreational value a lot!!! They showed pictures of my buddy's 173" to everyone that was interested in buying that land.

Well, at least R doesn't charge for logging roads, roadsides, etc...

Again, I think that out of 100 acres of forest land, there should be a conservational aspect of interest in planting or allowing X number of acres for wildlife planting. That's social, environmental and.... let's see.... it's got to be something else as for as a "targeted" responsibility!!! LOL! It's responsible land ownership.

Hell, they cut all the hardwoods they can and cut up to the banks of streams and chemically prep recently cut areas that kills ALL browse... totally changing the landscape for profit.... I am not a tree hugger nor a liberal but it should be a win-win situation for all involved.

You should try being a Biologist that works for a timber company... It is a constant battle. I feel fortunate that our company is as good as they are about wildlife.

First off, Rayonier is not a timber company. They are a REIT. The company holds a fiduciary responsibility to investors to maximize profitability on their land investments.

Your comments are noted on the foodplot policy and will be considered in future management decisions. I can promise you Rayonier hunt clubs will see a difference in the coming years as they become the preferred leasing company through customer satisfaction, habitat improvement, and quality deer management.

Nice sales pitch Reb

Hope all is going well!!!