Where does timber money go?

Short answer: Right back into the forest and the local community.

Longer answer: The money from timber sales goes to support the local communities and the forest from which the timber was harvested, as well as projects across the national forest system. The types of projects and the amounts of money that go to support them depend on the type of timber sale.

1. Stewardship projects (stewardship contracts): The Forest Service can keep all of the money from the sale on the forest and reinvest them directly into on-the-ground work. Alabama uses stewardship authority often, so this is a big piece of the picture. Forest projects that stewardship contracts can include:

• Road and trail repairs
• Wildlife habitat improvements
• Stream and watershed restoration
• Invasive species removal
• Additional thinning or prescribed burning

2. National Forest Fund (traditional timber sales): Most traditional timber sales fall under the National Forest Fund. Under this model, the money from the timber sale is sent to the National Forest Fund, then a portion comes back to the forest to support projects like:

• Timber program operations
• Reforestation
• Stand improvement
• Planning and environmental analysis

3. Payments to counties: By law, 25% of timber receipts go back to the counties where the timber was harvested. In Alabama, that money supports:

• Local schools
• County roads
• Rural services

Some counties opt into the Secure Rural Schools program instead, but the purpose is the same — supporting local communities. To learn how much and where payments are made visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/secure-rural-schools/payments.

What this means for Alabama’s national forests

For the National Forests in Alabama, timber receipts help fund the very work that keeps forests healthy and productive:

• Longleaf pine restoration
• Thinning overcrowded stands
• Prescribed burning
• Red-cockaded woodpecker habitat work
• Road and recreation site maintenance

When people see timber being harvested, the revenue is part of a cycle that supports both forest health and local communities.