Who owns Alabama's timberland, and why should we care?
For starters, roughly 70 percent of Alabama is timberland, totaling 22.9 million acres (Hartsell 2014). Almost all (94 percent) of this land is privately owned by a changing mixture of individuals, families, and corporations (Hartsell and Cooper 2013). We cannot understand Alabama, and particularly rural Alabama, without understanding the dominant role that forestry plays in this state’s economy.
Since 1992, researchers in the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station have worked to understand how the extensive nature of Alabama’s timberlands and the dominant presence of the state’s forest products industry have shaped rural Alabama. A substantial body of social forestry research has been developed on this topic.
Much of this research in Alabama has confirmed findings from other parts of the country and the world, that rural areas dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods are likely to suffer relative poverty compared with rural areas not so dependent.
There are a number of explanations why this might be so.
- AMONG THE POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR THE CASE OF ALABAMA MIGHT BE CONCENTRATION OF TIMBERLAND OWNERSHIP, WHICH WOULD SUGGEST THAT ECONOMIC BENEFITS FROM TIMBER PRODUCTION WOULD NOT BE WIDELY SHARED (BLISS, SISOCK, AND BURCH 1998).
- A SECOND AND POSSIBLY RELATED EXPLANATION IS THAT ABSENTEE OWNERS CONTROL MUCH OF THE TIMBERLAND AND THAT WEALTH FROM THE LAND FLOWS OUT OF THE LOCAL ECONOMY (BAILEY AND MAJUMDAR 2014).
Recent research involved collecting 2012 ownership data from the tax offices of all 67 Alabama counties to determine who owns timberland in the state. We found that timberland ownership was highly concentrated.
- TEN OF THE LARGEST ENTITIES OWN 13% OF ALL TIMBERLAND (2.3 MILLION ACRES)
- THE TOP 30 OWNED OVER 20% (4 MILLION ACRES).
- 59% OF ALABAMA’S TIMBERLAND WAS OWNED BY ABSENTEE OWNERS
- 22% WAS OWNED BY ABSENTEES WHO LIVED OUTSIDE THE STATE OF ALABAMA.
This figure on out-of-state absentee ownership is actually misleadingly low as several of the top owners are Timber Investment Management Organizations (TIMOs) or Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). The largest of these is a TIMO, Resource Management Services, which manages timberland for pension funds and other investors. Because RMS is based in Birmingham, the over 600,000 acres they control is considered in-state. Thirteen of the largest private owners of timberland in Alabama are either REITs or TIMOs and collectively they control 2.2 million acres, over 11 percent of all timberland in Alabama.
One public policy question that has emerged from our research is that property taxes in Alabama are the lowest in the nation on a per capita basis (PARCA 2013) and this has made it more difficult to improve public education and other social services, particularly in rural counties. Alabama taxes timberland on a “current use” basis that provides an important tax break for owners. Given the concentration of timberland ownership in Alabama, many people have identified property taxes as an issue worthy of debate. To date this debate has been stymied by the absence of reliable data documenting who owns timberland in Alabama. As a researcher at a public university, I take no official position on this question but hope that the data provided through this site will help inform public discourse and debate.
We are using this webpage to share key parts of the data collected as part of a larger research project. The data are based on property tax records for 2012 for all 67 Alabama counties. You can find for the state as a whole and for each county:
- TOTAL ACRES OF LAND
- TOTAL TIMBERLAND ACRES
- WHO ARE THE TOP TEN OWNERS OF TIMBERLAND
- WHAT PERCENTAGE OF ALL TIMBERLAND IN THAT COUNTY IS OWNED BY THESE TOP TEN
- WHAT PERCENT OF ALL TIMBERLAND IS ABSENTEE OWNED (DEFINED BY TAX BILLS MAILED TO AN ADDRESS OUTSIDE THE COUNTY WHERE THE LAND IS LOCATED).
Data on property taxes are public records. Tax policy is established to achieve a public good. In the case of Alabama, the state provides tax benefits to owners of farmland, pastureland, and timberland in the form of a “current use” exemption that reduces property tax to 10 percent of appraised value.
The current use value of timberland may be well below market value, especially near metropolitan areas. That indeed was the purpose of this law, to protect family farmers and timberland owners from having to sell their lands if property taxes were driven upwards by higher-and-best market values which would occur in areas where populations and demand for land were growing.
The data presented here allows for an informed discussion of whether the current use exemption in Alabama is serving the purpose for which it was designed. Most of Alabama’s timberland is not located near any metropolitan area and the likelihood of commercial, residential, or industrial development having an impact on property values and therefore on tax liabilities related to such land is small. And the public tax roll data presented here suggest that large absentee owners are benefitting from property taxes commonly understood to be the lowest in the nation.
- THE CURRENT USE EXEMPTION WAS PUT INTO PLACE IN 1978 AND WAS LAST AMENDED IN 1982.
- ALMOST 400,000 ALABAMIANS OWN TIMBERLAND AND ARE POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES OF THIS TAX POLICY.
- HOWEVER, 220,000 OF THESE OWN LESS THAN TEN ACRES AND ONLY 58,000 OWNED AT LEAST 50 ACRES.
- THE FIVE LARGEST PRIVATE ENTITIES OWN NEARLY 10 PERCENT OF ALL TIMBERLAND IN ALABAMA
- THE TOP 30 OWN OVER 20 PERCENT, TOTALING OVER 4 MILLION ACRES.
The state government of Alabama has faced perennial budget crises, particularly with regard to the General Fund. In Alabama, the Education Fund covering K-12 and higher education is a separate budget and is supported by revenue sources with greater prospects of growth over time compared to the General Fund. The state receives $6.50 for every $1,000 of assessed value of property. Reconsidering parts of the current use exemption or changing the millage rate fall into the realm of possible policy options. Similarly, county governments in Alabama are chronically under-funded, and change either to the current use exemption or to millage rates would improve the ability of local governments to maintain roads, schools, and other necessary services.
In addition to property taxes, timberland owners are subject to two other taxes. There is an annual tax of $0.10 per acre paid to the state to be used in promoting the forestry sector. There are also severance and privilege taxes paid when timber is harvested and processed. These taxes are relatively small ($0.15 per ton for pine logs) and only paid once after years of growth.
The purpose of this webpage is to initiate a fact-based discussion about public policy, not to promote any solution to the complex funding issues facing state and local governments in Alabama.
Data to examine these explanations proved extraordinarily difficult to obtain. There is no state-wide database of land ownership and it took us a year to collect the data that support this website. The data were collected for purposes of research with funding from a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (award number 2011-68006-31051).
Dr. Andrew Gunnoe had primary responsibility for collecting and analyzing these data while he worked as a post-doctoral fellow on this project. Dr. Conner Bailey (Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology) served as Project Director. Dr. Larry Teeter and Dr. Rebecca Barlow, both of the School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences, also worked on this project.
Absentee Owner – An owner was defined as absentee if the property tax bills are mailed to addresses outside the county (and outside the state). There may be some cases where tax bills are mailed to the office of an attorney or the executor of an estate living outside the county where the land is located but the owners live in the county. Our review of the data suggests that these cases are relatively few in number and do not affect the overall accuracy of the figures presented.
Millage Rate – A “mil” is $1.00 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Property worth $1,000 would be assessed a property tax of $1.00 multiplied by the millage rate associated with that jurisdiction. Alabama levies a property tax of 6.5 mills. County governments have varying millage rates ranging from a low of 17.5 mills in Marion County to a high of 44.5 mills in Macon County. Millage rates in most Alabama counties are in the low- to mid-20s.
Timberland – As defined by the USDA Forest Service, timberland is defined as land capable of producing 20 cubic feet of wood per acre per year that has not been converted to another use (Hartsell and Johnson 2009). Timberland is not the same thing as forestland, which has a broader definition, requiring only that at least 10 percent of the land has forest trees of any size, or formerly had such tree cover if that land has not been developed for other purposes (Hartsell and Johnson 2009). In Alabama, timberland and forest land are nearly synonymous; 99.6 percent of all forestland meets the productivity threshold that would make such land capable of producing wood for industrial purposes (Hartsell 2014).
Top 30 owners
- RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SERVICES – 605,096
- WEYERHAEUSER COMPANY – 331,911
- WESTERVELT COMPANY – 316,737
- HANCOCK JOHN LIFE INSURANCE CO – 315,412
- RAYONIER – 289,797
- CEDAR CREEK LAND & TIMBER INC – 181,888
- UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION – 170,643
- SOTERRA LLC – 143,016
- THE HARRIGAN TIMBERLANDS – 144,564
- DUDLEY LUMBER CO INC – 128,878
- ALAWEST-AL, LLC – 126,244
- GMO THRESHOLD TIMBER LAND COMPANY LLC – 120,420
- PDS COMPANIES – 113,738
- REGIONS TIMBERLAND GROUP – 99,767
- McDONALDS INVESTMENT – 89,581
- TENSAW LAND & TIMBER CO. – 88,173
- AMSOUTH TIMBER COMPANY & Amsouth related – 85,385
- PLUM CREEK TIMBERLANDS L P – 82,894
- FOREST INVESTMENT ASSOCIATES – 82,849
- WELLS FARGO – 74,597
- TIMBERVEST – 65,662
- ALABAMA POWER COMPANY – 61,137
- MCMILLAN D.W. TRUST – 45,567
- SEVEN STATES TIMBERLANDS LLC – 43,730
- GULF STATES PAPER CORPORATION – 41,483
- DRUMMOND COAL, INC – 34,993
- DELANEY DEVELOPMENT INC – 33,694
- TIMBERLAND INVESTMENTS RESOURCES – 30,839
- MWV-LAND SALES INC – 30,451
- CAMPBELL TIMBER LLC – 29,871
Alabama counties' timberland
Please select a particular county to read more about: privately owned timberland property, total acres of land, timberland investment management organizations (TIMO), largest ownership entities, out-of-state absentee owners, international owners and more.
Total acres in county: 381,400
Total private timberland acres: 274,344
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 71.9%
Total timberland absentee owned: 41.8%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SERVICES – 72,136 ac, 26.3%
- CHEHA TIMBER – 7,509 ac, 2.7%
- AMSOUTH TIMBER CO TE – 5,415 ac, 2.0%
- SUSTAINABLE FORESTS LLC – 4,039 ac, 1.5%
- THE WINDERMERE ALABAMA LANDS – 1,899 ac, 0.7%
- GREY ROCKS RANCH – 1,829 ac, 0.7%
- FISCHER JR – 1,666 ac, 0.6%
- PEACE PROPERTIES – 1,463 ac, 0.5%
- PRATTVILLE DEVELOPMENT GROUP – 846 ac, 0.3%
- FORRESTOR LAND LLC – 237 ac, 0.1%
Top 5 – 90,997 ac, 33.2%
Top 10 – 97,038 ac, 35.4%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 35%
Total acres in county: 1,021,800
Total private timberland acres: 598,965
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 58.6%
Total timberland absentee owned: 73.9%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- RED MOUNTAIN TIMBERCO IV LLC – 77,003 ac, 12.9%
- SEVEN STATES TIMBERLANDS LLC – 41,378 ac, 6.9%
- RAYONIER FOREST RESOURCES LP – 27,980 ac, 4.7%
- AMSOUTH BANK NA, TRUST DEPARTMENT – 17,055 ac, 2.8%
- REGIONS BANK – 15,956 ac, 2.7%
- TIMBERVEST PARTNERS II ALABAMA LLC – 12,134 ac, 2.0%
- KEY, JACK B III (15.893% INT) ETAL KEY – 9,968 ac, 1.7%
- FIGURE 8 (ALABAMA) LLC – 7,142 ac, 1.2%
- BRADLEY FAMILY TIMBERLANDS LP – 6,650 ac, 1.1%
- MONTPELIER PROPERTIES LTD – 5,162 ac, 0.9%
Top 5 – 179,371 ac, 29.9%
Top 10 – 220,427 ac, 36.8%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 57.1%
Total private timberland acres: 405,079
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 71.5%
Total timberland absentee owned: 56.8%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- TIMBERLANDS II, LLC – 15,246 ac, 3.8%
- SLAWSON LANDS LLC – 12,345 ac, 3.0%
- RMACK LLC – 11,830 ac, 2.9%
- PLUM CREEK – 10,814 ac, 2.7%
- BRACEWELL FAMILY PARTNERSHIP – 10,006 ac, 2.5%
- DUDLEY LUMBER CO., INC. – 9,529 ac, 2.4%
- AZIMUTH RESOURCES LLC – 7,416 ac, 1.8%
- MWV-LAND SALES INC – 6,158 ac, 1.5%
- RED MOUNTAIN TIMBERLAND CO. I LLC – 4,969 ac, 1.2%
- HARRIS TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK – 4,669 ac, 1.2%
Top 5 – 60,241 ac, 14.9%
Top 10 – 220,427 ac, 23.0%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 28.7%
Total acres in county: 398,300
Total private timberland acres: 297,536
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 74.7%
Total timberland absentee owned: 67.2%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- THE WESTERVELT COMPANY – 38,275 ac, 12.9%
- RED MOUNTAIN TIMBERCO I LLC – 37,146 ac, 12.5%
- UNITED STATES STEEL CORP. – 20,270 ac, 6.8%
- HEADWATERS INVESTMENTS CORP – 8,178 ac, 2.7%
- JOHN HANCOCK LIFE INSURANCE GM – 9,926 ac, 3.3%
- AMSOUTH TIMBER COMPANY TE LLC – 4,643 ac, 1.6%
- HORNSBY FAMILY LIMITED – 4,543 ac, 1.5%
- CASE LLC – 3,942 ac, 1.3%
- CAHABA FARM LLC – 3,638 ac, 1.2%
- BELCHER FARM & TIMBER LLC – 2,752 ac, 0.9%
Top 5 – 113,796 ac, 38.2%
Top 10 – 133,313 ac, 44.8%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 47.9%
Total private timberland acres: 216,167
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 52.3%
Total timberland absentee owned: 56.2%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- SOTERRA LLC – 5,618 ac, 2.6%
- COMMONWEALTH FOREST INVESTMENTS INC – 4,215 ac, 1.9%
- DRENNEN LAND AND TIMBER LTD PARTNERSHIP – 4,043 ac, 1.9%
- FREEMAN FIVE, LLC – 2,800 ac, 1.3%
- TD FARMS, LLC – 2,700 ac, 1.2%
- GOLDEN ROD FARMS INCORPORATED – 2,107 ac, 1.0%
- ALAWEST-AL, LLC – 1,939 ac, 0.9%
- BLUE EAGLE FARMS, LLC – 1,832 ac, 0.8%
- MC EWEN DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, LLC – 1,743 ac, 0.8%
- CHENEY LIME & CEMENT COMPANY, INC – 1,695 ac, 0.8%
Top 5 – 19,376 ac, 9.0%
Top 10 – 28,692 ac, 13.3%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 59.9%
Total acres in county: 400,000
Total private timberland acres: 216,167
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 54%
Total timberland absentee owned: 71.7%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- RED MOUNTAIN TIMBERCO I LLC – 36070.14 ac, 12.78%
- TANYARD PROPERTIES, INC. – 19787.25 ac, 7.01%
- SEDGEFIELDS LLC – 7909.54 ac, 2.80%
- THREE NOTCH FARM LLC – 6024 ac, 2.14%
- TURKEY TROT/MIDWAY ALABAMA LP – 5732.65 ac, 2.03%
- BERMUDA FARMS, LLC – 4773.5 ac, 1.69%
- GRISWOLD, VICTOR MICHAEL, DIAN – 4517.71 ac, 1.60%
- GIBSON, WILEY T. JR – 4359 ac, 1.54%
- SLAWSON LANDS, LLC – 2382.96 ac, 0.84%
- PEACHBURG PLANTATION LTD – 2358.8 ac, 0.84%
Top 5 – 75,523.6 ac, 34.94%
Top 10 – 93,915.6 ac, 43.45%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 36.07%
Total acres in county: 497,200
Total private timberland acres: 396,433
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 79.7%
Total timberland absentee owned: 49.8%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- RED MOUNTAIN TIMBER CO I LLC – 133,448 ac, 33.7%
- RAYONIER TIMBERLANDS OPERATING COMPANY L – 12,041 ac, 3.0%
- TISDALE GEORGE GREEN – 7,119 ac, 1.8%
- MCGOWIN SUSAN (38%) & REGIONS BANK (62%) – 5,293 ac, 1.3%
- WEYERHAEUSER INC – 4,917 ac, 1.2%
- CRENSHAW T H ESTATE LP – 4,719 ac, 1.2%
- THIGPEN HILL LLC – 4,403 ac, 1.1%
- CEDAR CREEK LANDS LTD – 3,067 ac, 0.8%
- ECP LLC – 2,831 ac, 0.7%
- REGIONS BANK TRUST B MILLER BETTIE STALL – 2,657 ac, 0.7%
Top 5 – 162,819 ac, 41.07%
Top 10 – 180,496 ac, 45.5%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 48%
Total acres in county: 389,400
Total private timberland acres: 137,024
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 35.2%
Total timberland absentee owned: 41.7%
TOP FIVE OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- HANCOCK JOHN LIFE INSURANCE CO – 10,989 ac, 8.0%
- HUBBARD JANE C – 2,373 ac, 1.7%
- HEADWATERS INVESTMENTS CORPORATION – 2,301 ac, 1.7%
- STEED TIMBER INC – 2,059 ac, 1.5%
- MILLER FARMS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP LLP – 1,823 ac, 1.3%
- COOSA PINES LLC – 905 ac, 0.7%
Top 5 – 19,545 ac, 14.3%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 14.3%
Total acres in county: 382,300
Total private timberland acres: 294,849
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 77.1%
Total timberland absentee owned: 70.9%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- DUDLEY LUMBER COMPANY – 28,757 ac, 9.8%
- TIMBERLANDS II, LLC – 14,745 ac, 5.0%
- LANGLEY FAMILY – 11,071 ac, 3.8%
- HENNON KING PROPERTIES LLC – 7,622 ac, 2.6%
- KING FAMILY PROPERTYS – 5,664 ac, 1.9%
- JIMMY GRAVES TREE FARMS INC. – 3,317 ac, 1.1%
- TORBERT FAMILY LANDS – 3,168 ac, 1.1%
- JOHNSON TIMBER COMPANY – 1,347 ac, 0.5%
- PLUM CREEK TIMBERLANDS – 969 ac, 0.3%
- MWV-LAND SALES – 629 ac, 0.2%
Top 5 – 67,860 ac, 23.0%
Top 10 – 77,290 ac, 26.2%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 25.7%
Total acres in county: 354,000
Total private timberland acres: 148,244
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 41.9%
Total timberland absentee owned: 68.7%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- CROWN PINE REALTY 4 INC – 13,964 ac, 9.4%
- HANCOCK TIMBERLAND VIII INC – 9,265 ac, 6.2%
- PLUM CREEK TIMBERLANDS L P – 7,688 ac, 5.2%
- WILLIS GERALD & FRANCES – 4,332 ac, 2.9%
- CASH EDWARD EDMOND & MAX G – 3,196 ac, 2.2%
- COOSA PINES LLC – 2,686 ac, 1.8%
- PDS COMPANIES – 2,002 ac, 1.4%
- FORESTAR USA REAL ESTATE GROUP INC – 1,665 ac, 1.1%
- HENDERSON DAVID C – 1,612 ac, 1.1%
- HURLEY LARRY – 1,523 ac, 1.0%
Top 5 – 38,445 ac, 25.9%
Top 10 – 47,931 ac, 32.3%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 55.6%
Total acres in county: 444,200
Total private timberland acres: 290,106
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 65.3%
Total timberland absentee owned: 63.4%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- RED MOUNTAIN TIMBER CO I LLC – 26,161 ac, 9.0%
- JOHN HANCOCK LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY – 13,086 ac, 4.5%
- THE WESTERVELT COMPANY INC – 8,889 ac, 3.1%
- MILLER E S ESTATE – 3,390 ac, 1.2%
- RMS TIMBERLANDS LLC – 3,246 ac, 1.1%
- PARNELL INC – 2,938 ac, 1.0%
- WHITE OAK VALLEY LAND & GAME LLC – 2,665 ac, 0.9%
- HARPER LUMBER LLC – 2,464 ac, 0.8%
- HEADWATERS INVESTMENTS CORP – 2,347 ac, 0.8%
- MILLENNIUM LAND LLC – 2,266 ac, 0.8%
Top 5 – 54,772 ac, 18.9%
Top 10 – 67,452 ac, 23.3%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 46.2%
Total acres in county: 584,700
Total private timberland acres: 524,604
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 89.7%
Total timberland absentee owned: 51.6%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- L A TIMBERLANDS LLC – 31,497 ac, 6.0%
- SOUTH ALABAMA LAND & TIMBER COMPANY INC – 30,344 ac, 5.8%
- MCPHEARSON LEE – 13,788 ac, 2.6%
- WEYERHAUSER COMPANY – 10,517 ac, 2.0%
- UTSEY WILLIAM L ETUX TREOBYE B – 8,709 ac, 1.7%
- LANIER AND LANIER ENTERPRISES LTD – 8,321 ac, 1.6%
- TRIAD INVESTMENTS LTD – 8,127 ac, 1.5%
- THE JULIAN WATTERS III TRUST – 6,528 ac, 1.2%
- UNIVERSITY OF SO ALABAMA FOUNDATION – 5,681 ac, 1.1%
- JOHN HANCOCK MUTUAL LIFE INS CO – 5,333 ac, 1.0%
Top 5 – 94,855 ac, 18.1%
Top 10 – 128,845 ac, 24.6%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 47.1%
Total acres in county: 792,600
Total private timberland acres: 681,992
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 86%
Total timberland absentee owned: 44.3%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- THE HARRIGAN TIMBERLANDS – 135,261 ac, 19.8%
- C/O PDS COMPANIES – 32,068 ac, 4.7%
- SOTERRA LLC – 26,522 ac, 3.9%
- WHITE SMITH LAND COMPANY INC – 23,028 ac, 3.4%
- BRANNAN, KATHERINE G EXEC ETAL – 11,969 ac, 1.8%
- WEYERHAEUSER COMPANY – 9,142 ac, 1.3%
- DIVERSIFIED OPERATIONS CO INC – 7,990 ac, 1.2%
- BRENDA GRAY TIMBER LLC – 6,610 ac, 1.0%
- WILLIAM F MCCORQUODALE FAMILY – 5,920 ac, 0.9%
- LONESOME PINE LLC – 5,773 ac, 0.8%
Top 5 – 228,848 ac, 33.6%
Top 10 – 264,283 ac, 33.8%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 52.6%
Total acres in county: 387,300
Total private timberland acres: 243,080
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 62.8%
Total timberland absentee owned: 75.6%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- JOHN HANCOCK LIFE INS-FORESTREE V – 40,819 ac, 16.8%
- HEADWATERS INVESTMENTS CORPORATION – 7,628 ac, 3.1%
- EVERGREEN FOREST LLC – 3,371 ac, 1.4%
- CLEVELAND FARMS INC. – 3,148 ac, 1.3%
- DUDLEY LUMBER CO – 3,009 ac, 1.2%
- TALIAFERRO MARK JR. – 2,293 ac, 0.9%
- WOIKA SUZZANE PRUET – 2,200 ac, 0.9%
- STURGI LIMITED – 2,153 ac, 0.9%
- MURPHY NANCY LYNN PRUET – 2,054 ac, 0.8%
- WELLBORN FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP – 1,532 ac, 0.6%
Top 5 – 57,975 ac, 23.9%
Top 10 – 68,206 ac, 28.1%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 31.9%
Total acres in county: 358,500
Total private timberland acres: 199,532
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 55.7%
Total timberland absentee owned: 59.6%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- HANCOCK TIMBER VIII INCORPORATED – 27,157 ac, 13.6%
- CROWN PINE TIMBER 4, L.P. – 11,844 ac, 5.9%
- PFI TIMBERFUND I, LP – 9,962 ac, 5.0%
- HEADWATERS INVESTMENTS CORP – 8,537 ac, 4.3%
- PLUM CREEK TIMBERLANDS L.P. – 5,235 ac, 2.6%
- DAVIS FLOYD CALVIN – 2,920 ac, 1.5%
- BENNETT JACQUELINE – 1,981 ac, 1.0%
- JAMESTOWN TIMBER 1, L.P. – 1,948 ac, 1.0%
- RIGSBY ROBERT E & JEANNE S – 1,316 ac, 0.7%
- HENRY S MILLER JR FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP 1 – 1,145 ac, 0.6%
Top 5 – 62,734 ac, 31.4%
Top 10 – 72,044 ac, 36.1%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 36.7%
Total acres in county: 434,700
Total private timberland acres: 280,211
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 64.5%
Total timberland absentee owned: 43.8%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- FLACK MARITAL TRUST & FLACK ELEANOR E TR – 22,247 ac, 7.94%
- RAYONIER WOODLANDS LLC – 13,692 ac, 4.9%
- TIMBERVEST PARTNERS II ALABAMA LLC – 5,049 ac, 1.8%
- POWELL ROLAND E – 4,565 ac, 1.6%
- BRYARS A B JR – 3,301 ac, 1.2%
- PITTMAN PROPERTIES LLC – 2,048 ac, 0.7%
- LINDSEY G A – 1,707 ac, 0.6%
- CLARK FARMS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP – 1,678 ac, 0.6%
- MCCREARY FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP – 1,556 ac, 0.6%
- GUNTER FAMILY PARTNERSHIP LTD – 1,359 ac, 0.5%
Top 5 – 48,853 ac, 17.4%
Top 10 – 57,200 ac, 20.4%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 21.3%
Total acres in county: 380,500
Total private timberland acres: 168,277
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 44.2%
Total timberland absentee owned: 55.3%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- PDR COMPANY – 13,737 ac, 8.2%
- GMO THRESHOLD TIMBER COURTLAND LLC – 6,442 ac, 3.8%
- MARTIN, JOHN C – 5,162 ac, 3.1%
- MARTIN TIMBER COMPANY L P – 4,167 ac, 2.5%
- MCCOLLUM TIMBER LLC – 2,104 ac, 1.3%
- HOLLAND, J NOBLE – 1,883 ac, 1.1%
- HIGH POINT TIMBER MANAGEMENT LLC – 1,649 ac, 1.0%
- THE CAMPBELL GROUP – 1,354 ac, 0.8%
- MALONE, DWIGHT & VESTER GENE – 1,227 ac, 0.7%
- TOMLINSON FOREST INC 159008 – 1,191 ac, 0.7%
Top 5 – 31,612 ac, 18.8%
Top 10 – 38,916 ac, 23.1%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 25.8%
Total acres in county: 544,600
Total private timberland acres: 343,576
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 63.1%
Total timberland absentee owned: 87.4%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- CEDAR CREEK LAND & TIMBER INC – 48,804 ac, 14.2%
- RAYONIER TIMBERLANDS OPERATING CO. – 37,381 ac, 10.9%
- MCMILLAN D.W. TRUST – 30,600 ac, 8.9%
- JOHN HANCOCK LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY – 28,029 ac, 8.2%
- RED MOUNTAIN TIMBER CO I LLC – 19,333 ac, 5.6%
- McDONALDS INVESTMENTS S.A. TIMBERLANDS LLC – 13,786 ac, 4.0%
- LOWREY J F B – 13,652 ac, 4.0%
- SOTERRA LLC – 8,703 ac, 2.5%
- REGIONS BANK TRUST C FOR BENEFIT OF – 7,249 ac, 2.1%
- TISDALE GEORGE G. – 6,746 ac, 2.0%
Top 5 – 164,147 ac, – 47.8%
Top 10 – 214,283 ac, 62.4%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 72.8%
Total acres in county: 417,600
Total private timberland acres: 367,022
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 87.9%
Total timberland absentee owned: 84.1%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- PDS COMPANIES – 39,151 ac, 10.7%
- JOHN HANCOCK LIFE INSURANCE CO – 38,976 ac, 10.6%
- HEADWATERS INVESTMENTS CORP – 17,722 ac, 4.8%
- RED MOUNTAIN TIMBERCO I LLC – 17,379 ac, 4.7%
- ALABAMA POWER COMPANY – 11,042 ac, 3.0%
- EPPES, W D TRUST – 10,731 ac, 2.9%
- SOUTHEASTERN LAND, LLC – 3,167 ac, 0.9%
- COLLINS, J A – 3,115 ac, 0.8%
- MCDONALD 2004 TIMBER LLC – 2,868 ac, 0.8%
- COOSADA LAND COMPANY INC.*** – 2,731 ac, 0.7%
Top 5 – 124,270 ac, 33.9%
Top 10 – 146,881 ac, 40.0%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 43.1%
Total acres in county: 662,200
Total private timberland acres: 412,046
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 62.2%
Total timberland absentee owned: 58.1%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- RAYONIER – 106,425 ac, 25.8%
- DIXON-MOODY & C&G TIMBER – 38,862 ac, 9.4%
- RTG1 L.P. – 6,115 ac, 1.5%
- C AND C PARTNERS L.P. – 5,530 ac, 1.3%
- T IVEY POWELL AND SONS INC. – 5,093 ac, 1.2%
- TIMBERVEST PARTNERS II ALABAMA LLC – 4,078 ac, 1.0%
- RED MOUNTAIN TIMBERCO I, LLC – 3,928 ac, 1.0%
- VICK JOHN E – 2,213 ac, 0.5%
- COVINGTON PROPERTIES – 1,906 ac, 0.5%
- FOSHEE PARTNERSHIP LTD. – 1,676 ac, 0.4%
Top 5 – 162,026 ac, 39.3%
Top 10 – 175,827 ac, 42.7%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 44.6%
Total acres in county: 390,200
Total private timberland acres: 319,816
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 82%
Total timberland absentee owned: 75%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- RAYONIER – 32,657 ac, 10.2%
- RED MOUNTAIN TIMBERLANDS L.P. – 29,914 ac, 9.4%
- PLUM FOREST INC – 4,627 ac, 1.4%
- FOREST INC. – 4,218 ac, 1.3%
- RHA & CPA AND TLA & LSA LLC. – 3,647 ac, 1.1%
- BROWDER GEORGE G. & VICKI S. – 3,588 ac, 1.1%
- SELLERS FAMILY PARTNERSHIP LTD. – 3,503 ac, 1.1%
- FLACK J HUNTER, TRUSTEE – 2,927 ac, 0.9%
- TISDALE GEORGE GREEN – 2,170 ac, 0.7%
- TIMBERVEST PARTNERS II ALA LLC. – 2,166 ac, 0.7%
Top 5 – 75,064 ac, 23.5%
Top 10 – 89,418 ac, 28.0%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 34.2%
Total acres in county: 472,600
Total private timberland acres: 161,324
Private timberland acres as percent total acres: 34.1%
Total timberland absentee owned: 28.7%
TOP TEN OWNERS (Acres and % of total)
- HDJ LAND & TIMBER LTD – 9,909 ac, 6.1%
- SOTERRA LLC – 9,674 ac, 6.0%
- GOLDEN ROD FARMS INC – 4,115 ac, 2.6%
- DRUMMOND COAL, INC – 3,221 ac, 2.0%
- TINNEY LAND & TIMBER HOLDINGS – 3,074 ac, 1.9%
- ACTION REALTY LLC – 1,272 ac, 0.8%
- AVERETT, THOMAS RANDOLPH – 1,038 ac, 0.6%
- SAWYER FARMS LLC – 692 ac, 0.4%
- WSLAND LLC – 577 ac, 0.4%
- EDGEWATER LAND LLC – 387 ac, 0.2%
Top 5 – 29,993 ac, 18.6%
Top 10 – 33,959 ac, 21.1%
Percent of Timberland in holdings of over 1,000 acres – 20%
