Pine Trees for Sale in Uganda: Plantations and Sawlogs

What do you buy when you buy pine trees on Land & Property?

You buy standing pine, not the land under it. A forest listing on Land & Property sells the trees only, the land is not included, and the harvesting deadline is negotiable with the seller. Because pine is a long crop, the deadline matters: thinnings, logging roads and mill availability all affect when it makes sense to cut. Write the access rights and the dates into the agreement, and read how standing trees are sold to see what a seller expects.

Each listing shows acres planted, price per acre, estimated number of trees, price per tree and tree age. On 3 November 2026 we held no live forest listings, because the category had just launched. Watch the pine search for new ones, and see the forest trees guide for the full market. Agents with plantations can list free at launch, and our forest agent guide explains how.

Which pine species grow in Uganda, and where do they do well?

Three pines dominate. A 2003 review by Byabashaija and Esegu at the Forestry Resources Research Institute described Pinus caribaea, Pinus oocarpa and Pinus patula as by far the most suitable for timber production in Uganda, after more than 170 species were tested in about 400 plots. Pine made up most of the area planted in the main planting wave: of 45,348 hectares of industrial plantations established from 2004 to 2013, about 39,056 hectares, or 86 percent, were pine and 13 percent eucalyptus, according to a 2019 FAO and SPGS presentation.

Site matters a great deal. A 2014 study by Kalanzi and colleagues measured 5-year-old Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis in three districts:

Growth in Nakasongola was far lower than in Gulu and Mubende, and the authors recommended following the stands for about 20 years. One study of one species at one age does not settle the question for every farm, but it is a reason to ask any seller of pine in a district like Nakasongola for measured diameters, not just an age. See our regional map of plantations for where large stands sit.

Should you thin pine, and when is it ready to harvest?

Thinning removes weaker stems so the rest can reach sawlog size. The ages below are typical for a decent site, from EUCA Eco Consults (September 2026), and they shift with site quality. A stand that was never thinned grades differently from one that was, so ask for the thinning history.

A buyer of mature pine is paying for the final crop, so check how many stems remain after thinning and what diameter they have reached. A stand that is 12 years old and unthinned may be crowded and slow. A stand that is 18 years old and well thinned may already be near its best value. Compare the age with your own plan, because carrying a stand for years costs money in security and risk of fire or theft. Our Buying a Forest as an Investment in Uganda guide covers cash-flow timelines.

How do the export directive and the supply glut affect pine prices?

Supply was expected to grow fast. An FAO and SPGS presentation of October 2019 estimated pine wood flows at 200,000 cubic metres a year in 2019, projected to reach 800,000 cubic metres by 2023, against a long-term sustainable yield of about one million cubic metres. It counted about five board mills and 45 mobile mills, with mobile-mill recovery of 25 to 40 percent, which it called very low, and said Kenyan prices were about 25 percent higher than Ugandan prices. It also projected that if export restrictions were removed and grading standards introduced, the internal rate of return would double from about 7 percent to about 15 percent. Those are 2019 projections, not current returns.

Then came the export directive. Global Trade Alert records that the Presidency imposed a ban on timber exports on 29 June 2023, listed as in force until further notice, with no revocation date. InfoNile, writing in August 2024, dates the directive to 24 May 2023 and says it ordered sawmills and wood factories to stop exporting unprocessed timber products. Sources quoted in that article disagreed on its scope, from logs only to veneer. InfoNile reported that a 10-year-old eucalyptus or pine tree had sold for as little as UGX 20,000, with the average mature tree around UGX 30,000. We could not confirm the ban's current scope as of November 2026, so ask any seller or buyer how it affects their buyers of logs. The directive concerns exports of unprocessed timber, and it does not itself stop a domestic sale of standing trees.

How much is a pine plantation per acre?

We found no dated, reliable per-acre price for standing pine in 2025 or 2026, and our own listings are empty, so we will not give you a figure. Be wary of undated asking prices on agent websites. The sound approach is to build the price from the stand itself:

• Number of stems per acre after thinning, counted in a sample plot.
• Diameter grades, because sawlog, pole and firewood stems sell at different prices.
• What you will spend to fell, cut, extract and haul the logs, which depends on road access and the mill.
• Time to harvest and the cost of carrying the stand until then.

As a sense of scale only, InfoNile's own example was an acre of mature eucalyptus with about 200 trees at UGX 30,000 a tree, which is UGX 6,000,000 an acre. That is a worked sum from one article about eucalyptus, not a price for any pine stand. See pine timber prices for how logs and sawn timber are priced, and compare with eucalyptus trees for sale if you are weighing the two crops.

How do I check a pine stand before paying?

• Confirm who owns the trees and the land, and the tenure. Start with Uganda land law and land titles.
• Ask for planting year, species, spacing and thinning records, then check them against what you see.
• Count and measure a sample plot. Look for foxtailing, fire scars, termite damage and encroachment.
• Walk the access route and ask whether logging trucks can reach it in the rains.
• Agree the harvest start date, the end date and who restores the road. Keep every payment on record.

Our escorted forest visits put a verified person on the ground for you. The NFA says trees outside central forest reserves are regulated by the District Forest Officer and advises telling the nearest forestry office before cutting, with a permit fee for trade. Check the current steps locally.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Forest Trees for Sale in Uganda: Standing Pine and Eucalyptus
• Eucalyptus Trees for Sale in Uganda: Buyer's Guide
• Pine Timber and Sawlog Prices in Uganda
• Where Uganda's Plantations Are: Regional Guide
• Buying a Forest as an Investment in Uganda
• How to Sell Standing Trees in Uganda: Seller's Guide