Negotiating the Price of Standing Trees

How do buyers build an offer for standing trees?

A buyer works backwards from what the harvested trees will sell for. Offer = expected sales value of the poles, logs or firewood, minus the cost of felling, cutting to length, moving the wood to the road, haulage, permits and paperwork, minus the buyer's margin and a cushion for losses. Knowing this lets a seller see why two offers per tree can differ so much.

The table below shows the parts of a buyer's calculation and what moves each one.

An illustration with made-up round numbers, not a market quote: suppose a buyer expects to sell the output of 1,000 trees for UGX 35 million. Felling and cutting cost UGX 4 million, extraction and haulage UGX 6 million, permits and paperwork UGX 1 million, and the buyer wants UGX 5 million margin. The most the buyer can offer is UGX 35 million minus UGX 16 million, which is UGX 19 million, or UGX 19,000 per tree. Every UGX 1 million the seller removes from the buyer's costs, for example by improving the access track, can lift the offer by UGX 1,000 per tree. As of November 2026 these are not current prices.

What price evidence exists, and how old is it?

Public price evidence for standing trees in Uganda is thin and dated, so state the date whenever you quote a number. These are the figures we found and opened:

• After the 2023 directive on unprocessed timber exports, some growers reported selling 10-year-old eucalyptus or pine trees for as little as UGX 20,000, the same report put average mature trees at about UGX 30,000 and an acre of mature eucalyptus at as little as UGX 6 million. A source in the article said the same tree could have cost four times more before the directive (InfoNile, August 2024). These are reported prices from 2023 to 2024, not current ones.
• A Ugandan consultant's note dated August 2026 puts eucalyptus building poles at UGX 15,000 to 50,000 per pole and says transmission-grade poles are substantially higher, but gives no figure for standing trees per acre because it varies too widely without a measurement (EUCA Eco Consults, 12 August 2026). The page itself calls these indicative ranges, not a price list and not an offer.
• For pine, the same consultant says diameter dominates the price, that the price steps down hard once logs fall below sawlog diameter, and gives no UGX figures (EUCA Eco Consults, 6 September 2026). See our pine timber and sawlog prices page.

We found no dated 2025 or 2026 transaction price per acre. A July 2020 FAO policy brief said that, as a result of export restrictions, timber prices in Uganda were 25 to 30 percent lower than in Kenya (FAO, 2020), which shows why local prices are sensitive to export rules. A presidential timber export ban was recorded by Global Trade Alert as implemented on 29 June 2023 and in force until further notice, while InfoNile dates the directive to 24 May 2023; we could not confirm the 2026 position.

Treat asking prices on any site, including ours, as asking prices. Our standing timber calculator lets you test a price against your own count and grade assumptions.

How does a seller counter with an inventory?

A seller wins a better price by changing the buyer's guess into a measured fact. Buyers discount what they cannot see. If you hand over a count and diameter list, the buyer can no longer protect a low offer with "the trees may be smaller than you say".

1. Count in sample plots and write down the stems per plot, then the total. Our guide on how to check the number of trees shows how.
2. Measure diameters and group stems by grade, so the buyer can see how many reach pole or sawlog size.
3. Show the age and the planting date if you have it, since age sets which product the trees can become. Consultant guidance gives eucalyptus building poles at 5 to 8 years, transmission poles at 8 to 12 and sawlogs at 12 to 18 on a good central Uganda site (EUCA Eco Consults, August 2026).
4. Prepare the access. A cleared track and a dry landing area lower the buyer's costs, which you can claim back in price.
5. Ask for offers per tree and per acre, then compare. Our page on per tree, per acre or lump sum explains which basis protects you.

Ask more than one buyer. If you do not know who buys, see our directory of verified timber and pole buyers. Remember that a land sale and a tree sale are different negotiations; for land see land sale deposit percentage.

How do distance and access change the price?

Distance and access can move a price more than most sellers expect. A buyer pays for every kilometre between the trees and the road and between the road and the yard. A track that floods in the wet season may mean the buyer can only work in dry months, which shortens the working window and raises the buyer's risk.

A management plan summary for large plantations in Uganda lists high rainfall that floods low-lying areas, disrupts transport and causes erosion as a main environmental limitation (Land Matrix, 2023). If your trees sit in such an area, say how you will keep a route open, or accept that buyers will price it in. Buyers should ask for a recorded drive of the route and agree who repairs damage. Because the land is not included in a trees-only sale, the buyer's route and the seller's land use should be written into the contract, as explained in buying trees only.

What deadline trade-offs can you offer?

The harvesting deadline is a price lever for both sides. On Land & Property, the deadline of a forest listing is negotiable with the seller. A longer deadline lets the buyer wait for better prices or a better season, so a buyer may pay more for it, or may pay the same and use the time as an option. A short deadline gives the seller early cash and the land back sooner, so a seller may accept a lower price for it.

• Seller wants a quick, clean exit: offer a short deadline and ask for a higher first payment.
• Buyer wants flexibility: offer a longer deadline with a monthly extension charge, and a higher deposit to show you are serious.
• Either side: agree what happens to uncut trees at the deadline, and put it in the agreement. Consider a trees-only sale agreement with a clear extension clause.

Pine does not coppice, so uncut pine does not regrow; a consultant note says that after clear felling you must replant and pay establishment costs again, and that this belongs in the return calculation (EUCA Eco Consults, September 2026). A seller who intends to replant should say so, because the buyer's crew may damage young seedlings.

What is your walk-away price, and when should you leave?

Your walk-away price is the figure below which you would rather keep the trees and wait, or above which a buyer would rather leave. Decide it before the first call, in writing, and do not move it in the room.

For a seller, estimate it by asking what the trees will be worth if held for another one or two years, minus the risks of fire, theft, disease and price falls. Consultant guidance gives 3 to 5 years for eucalyptus firewood and charcoal and 12 to 18 years for sawlogs, so waiting can lift the grade as well as the risk (EUCA Eco Consults, August 2026). For a buyer, the walk-away price is the offer from your cost model with the margin you need. Leave if:

• the seller will not let you count or measure the trees;
• the seller cannot show a right to sell the trees, or the land owner will not agree to your entry;
• the seller asks for the full price before any felling or any signed agreement;
• the price depends on a count that no sample plots support.

Our guide to payment terms on tree sales covers how deposits and stages protect both sides, and buying standing trees lists the checks a buyer should complete first. Sellers can list your trees for sale, land not included, and buyers can browse forest and tree listings and compare asking prices. Return to the pine plantation for sale guide for the wider picture. This page is general information, not financial or legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Forest Trees for Sale in Uganda: Standing Pine and Eucalyptus
• Buying Standing Trees: 10 Checks Before You Pay
• Payment Terms on Tree Sales: Deposits and Stages
• Per Tree, Per Acre or Lump Sum: Which Protects You?
• Standing Timber Sale Contract: 12 Clauses Sellers Need
• List Your Forest on Land & Property