Per Tree, Per Acre or Lump Sum: Which Protects You?
Updated 3 November 2026 · Land & Property editorial team
Standing trees are priced per tree, per acre or as a lump sum. A per-tree price follows the true count, so a miscount costs neither side. A per-acre or lump-sum price fixes the total, so a miscount hands money to one side: fewer trees than assumed means the buyer overpays, and more means the seller is underpaid. Write a count check into the contract, as of November 2026.
- Per tree
- Total follows the true count, so a miscount costs neither side
- Per acre
- Fixed total: buyer overpays if trees are fewer, seller is underpaid if more, unless a true-up is written in
- Lump sum
- Fixed total, so the count must be proved before signing
- Reported 2024 reference
- About UGX 30,000 a tree, UGX 6 million an acre, 200 trees an acre (InfoNile)
What are the three ways to price standing trees?
Every trees-only offer is built on one of three bases. They look similar on a sheet of paper and behave very differently when the count turns out to differ from the estimate.
| Basis | How the total is set | Who carries count risk | Best when | Main weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per tree | Rate times the number of trees counted | Neither side. The total moves with the count. | Trees are uneven in size, or the count is uncertain | A single rate for different sizes can be unfair |
| Per acre | Rate times the planted acres | Whoever is wrong about the count: the buyer if there are fewer trees, the seller if more, unless the contract adjusts | Stand is even and dense, and the acreage is certain | The count is hidden inside the price |
| Lump sum | One agreed total for the whole block | Buyer if the count turns out lower, seller if higher, once signed | Both sides have counted jointly and trust the figure | No later adjustment, so errors are locked in |
Whatever the basis, the planted area and the number of trees should come from a measured count, as set out in what a forest inventory report should contain and how to check the number of trees. Forest listings on Land & Property show both the price per acre and the price per tree, together with the estimated number of trees and the tree age, so that buyers can see which basis you used.
What does a worked example show?
Use the 2024 reporting by InfoNile as a reference point, for arithmetic only. InfoNile said an acre of mature eucalyptus could sell for as little as UGX 6 million, and that with about 200 trees an acre the average was about UGX 30,000 a tree. "As little as" is a floor, not an average. We use it because it is the best dated public figure we found. It is not a price for your trees.
Suppose a 10-acre block is offered for 10 acres at UGX 6 million an acre, which is UGX 60 million, on the belief that it holds 2,000 trees. The same block could also be priced at UGX 30,000 a tree, or at a lump sum of UGX 60 million. Now see what each basis pays if the true count turns out to be different.
| True count on the block | Per tree at UGX 30,000 | Per acre at UGX 6 million | Lump sum UGX 60 million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,700 trees | UGX 51 million | UGX 60 million | UGX 60 million |
| 2,000 trees | UGX 60 million | UGX 60 million | UGX 60 million |
| 2,300 trees | UGX 69 million | UGX 60 million | UGX 60 million |
If the stand has only 1,700 trees, a per-acre or lump-sum price pays the same UGX 60 million as for 2,000, so the buyer loses UGX 9 million and will want a way out. If the stand has 2,300 trees, the seller loses the same UGX 9 million on a per-acre or lump-sum deal, while a per-tree price pays the seller for every tree. The bases differ only in who bears the surprise. A fair contract either prices per tree or writes a count adjustment into the per-acre price.
Who carries the count risk in each basis?
Put plainly:
- Per tree. Neither side carries it, because the total follows the count. The risk left is disagreement about what counts as a tree, such as dead, stunted and forked trees, and which size gets which rate. Write a definition and a rate per size class if sizes vary.
- Per acre. The buyer overpays if trees are fewer than expected, and the seller is underpaid if there are more. A seller who has not counted cannot tell which way the price is wrong, which is why a count band with a true-up is worth having. Add a true-up: if the joint count differs from the stated count by more than an agreed band, the price changes by a stated rate per tree.
- Lump sum. Risk is fixed at signing. It suits a stand that both sides have counted together, with the agreed number written into the contract. Without a joint count it is a bet.
Another source of risk is the unit itself. Land in Uganda is sold in acres and in decimals, where 100 decimals make an acre, and our own listings show it: one plot is advertised as "25 decimals (quarter an acre)". Do not mix up the price of an acre of land with the price of the trees on it. In our listings snapshot of 3 November 2026, 19 farmland listings in Nakaseke, Nakasongola and Luwero state a price per acre of land: 17 between UGX 5.8 million and UGX 15 million, and two smaller holdings at UGX 30 million and UGX 32 million. The 2024 tree reference above is for trees only, and these are for land. See price per decimal versus per acre and the price of an acre of land in Uganda. A forest listing here sells the trees only, and the land is not included.
Which basis protects me as a seller?
It depends on what you know. The table puts it as a decision guide.
| Your situation | Best basis | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You have a measured count and an even stand | Per acre with a count band | Simple to compare with other offers, and the band protects both sides |
| You have no count, or trees vary in size | Per tree, by size class | The total follows what is really there |
| You and the buyer have counted jointly, and want a clean deal | Lump sum | One number, no later argument, with the count written in |
| You need cash in stages | Per tree or per block, paid before each block is cut | Payment follows harvest progress, see payment terms |
A seller who has not counted is the weakest, so count first. For how offers should be compared and bargained over, see price negotiation for standing trees, and for how a price is built, how standing timber is valued. For pine, which sells mostly as sawlogs, read how much is my pine plantation worth. To see what it costs to grow a stand, see cost to establish an acre.
What contract wording handles count and price?
Ask an advocate to word it. The shapes below show what the clauses should do. They are not templates.
- Per tree. "The price is UGX [rate] for each living tree of [class] in the block, counted jointly before felling. Dead, broken or forked trees are listed separately and are not paid for."
- Per acre with true-up. "The price is UGX [rate] an acre for [number] acres, on an estimated [number] trees an acre. If the joint count differs from the estimate by more than [percentage], the price changes by UGX [rate] for each tree above or below the band."
- Lump sum. "The price is UGX [total] for the trees in the block shown on the map, which the parties counted on [date] and found to be [number]. The price will not change unless a joint recount before felling shows a difference of more than [percentage]."
Section 10(5) of the Contracts Act, 2010 requires a contract above 25 currency points, about UGX 500,000, to be in writing, so all of the above must be on paper. Section 62 of the Act limits a named sum for breach to reasonable compensation, which matters if the contract adds a charge for a late or wrong count. The full clause list is on the 12 clauses of a standing timber sale contract.
What should I do next?
Count the trees, choose a basis that fits what you know, and ask at least three buyers to offer on the same basis, so you compare like with like. Then list your forest and read how to sell standing trees. Buyers see current stands on the forest listings page, and the forest trees hub links the rest. This is general information, as of November 2026, and not legal or financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to sell per tree or per acre?
Per tree follows the true count, so it protects you if you have not counted or trees vary in size. Per acre is simpler to compare, but the count hides inside the price, so add a written count adjustment. If you have a joint count and want one clean figure, a lump sum can work.
What is a lump-sum sale?
A lump-sum sale fixes one total price for all the trees in a defined block, whatever the count turns out to be. It is fair only if both sides counted together before signing and wrote the count into the contract. Otherwise one side wins and the other loses when the count differs.
Who loses if the count is wrong in a per-acre sale?
Whoever is wrong about the count. The price stays the same, so the buyer overpays if there are fewer trees than expected and the seller is underpaid if there are more. A true-up clause fixes this by changing the price by a set rate per tree when the joint count is outside an agreed band.
Is a price per acre of trees the same as a price per acre of land?
No. A forest listing here sells the trees only, and the land is not included. Land is often advertised per acre or per decimal, with 100 decimals to an acre. Always check whether a figure is for trees, land, or both.
Sources
- Museveni timber export ban bites: technocrats blame Chinese veneer processors, local tree growers blame the technocrats, InfoNile (R. Musoke), 20 August 2024 (accessed 2026-11)
- Contracts Act, 2010 (Chapter 284), text as at 28 May 2010, Government of Uganda, via ULII (accessed 2026-11)
- National Forestry and Tree Planting Act, 2003 (Act 8 of 2003), Government of Uganda, via UNEP LEAP (accessed 2026-11)
- National Forestry Authority: frequently asked questions, National Forestry Authority (NFA) (accessed 2026-11)
- Land & Property listings snapshot, 3 November 2026, Land & Property (own data) (accessed 2026-11)