South Carolina Timber Prices Q4 2025
South Carolina timber prices dropped across all major product categories in Q4 2025, with pine sawtimber falling to $18.46/ton—its lowest level in years—and pine pulpwood collapsing to just $5.08/ton. The declines reflect a structural shift in Southern timber markets driven by the closure of more than 10 major pulp facilities since 2023, lingering Hurricane Helene salvage supply, and a weak housing market. SC prices now sit well below South-wide averages, marking the state as one of the softest timber markets in the region.
WARNING: There Are No Second Chances When Selling Timber
If you are reading this and plan to sell your timber (harvest your timber), bear in mind that you only have one shot. Once those trees are cut, you may not be able to harvest again in your lifetime. It is imperative you get it right the first time. That means getting the most money possible without your land and forest being permanently ruined by ruts, tree damage, and mud. That’s why I wrote How to Sell Your Timber Without Destroying Your Land, a comprehensive guide that walks landowners through every step of the process, regardless of whether you hire a forester or sell to loggers directly. It covers everything from deciding whether to harvest or keep growing and finding timber buyers to optimizing timber taxes so the IRS doesn’t take half. If you want to have a timber harvest you don’t regret later, check it out.
Q4 2025 SC Stumpage Price Table
According to the 4Q 2025 TimberMart-South Bulletin, all prices below are stumpage (paid to the standing timber owner) in dollars per green ton.
| Product | Low ($/ton) | High ($/ton) | Q4 2025 Avg | Q4 2024 Avg | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Pulpwood | $3.50 | $7.50 | $5.08 | $7.73 | −34% |
| Pine Chip-n-Saw | $11.00 | $19.50 | $15.17 | $17.02 | −11% |
| Pine Sawtimber | $13.00 | $24.00 | $18.46 | $22.44 | −18% |
| Hardwood Pulpwood | $4.00 | $9.00 | $6.32 | $9.65 | −35% |
| Hardwood Sawtimber | $10.00 | $26.00 | $17.43 | $24.14 | −28% |
| Pine Poles* | $38.00 | $55.00 | ~$44–49 | ~$46–50 | est. flat |
*Pine pole prices are not tracked in the standard SC report. The range above reflects South-wide averages for utility/telephone poles, which command roughly 2.5× the sawtimber price due to strict quality requirements for straightness and length.
Pine sawtimber had fluctuated between $21–$24/ton for the prior two years, making the Q4 drop to $18.46 a sharp break from the recent range. Pine pulpwood at $5.08/ton is among the lowest readings in recent history. Hardwood pulpwood showed the only meaningful quarter-over-quarter improvement, rebounding 41% from Q3’s anomalous $4.49 low, though it remains far below year-ago levels. Note that Longleaf pine is not separately priced in SC market reports—all Southern pine species trade collectively as Southern Yellow Pine, with Loblolly dominating SC’s pine inventory.
How to Estimate What Your Timber Is Worth
These South Carolina timber prices give you the market rates per unit of timber in your area, but they’re not particularly useful on their own—you need to know how much wood you actually have standing on your land.
The most accurate way to determine your timber volume is to hire a professional forester to conduct a timber cruise, which involves systematically measuring sample plots across your property. This can cost $1,000 or more depending on your acreage and timber complexity.
For a quicker, DIY estimate, you can use SilviCultural—forestry mapping software designed for small woodland owners. It includes an amateur-friendly cruise system that walks you through measuring your timber and calculating volumes by species and product class.
Once you have volume estimates (in MBF, cords, tons, etc.), you can multiply them by the stumpage prices above to get a rough sense of your timber’s market value. For example:
- 50 MBF of pine sawlogs × $400/MBF = $20,000
- 100 cords of mixed hardwood pulpwood × $15/cord = $1,500
Keep in mind: Actual sale prices vary based on access, timber quality, market timing, and logger availability. These calculations give you a ballpark figure—always consult with a forester before making harvest decisions.
Market Update
Mill Closures Are the Dominant Story
The single most important structural factor weighing on South Carolina timber prices is the loss of over 8 million tons of annual wood demand from a cascade of mill closures. Canfor permanently closed its Darlington and Estill sawmills in August 2025, eliminating roughly 350 million board feet of annual capacity and citing “persistently weak market conditions and sustained financial losses” after a $942 million operating loss in 2024. International Paper’s Georgetown pulp mill also went dark, removing 300,000+ tons of fluff pulp demand and 674 jobs from the local economy. WestRock’s Charleston paper mill closed in 2023, and Sonoco’s Hartsville mill transitioned fully to recycled fiber.
Across the broader South, more than 10 major pulp facilities have closed since 2023, removing an estimated 25 million tons of annual fiber demand. The SC Forestry Commission has formed a Forest Recovery Task Force to develop new markets for stranded pulpwood supply. On a brighter note, Hampton Affiliates broke ground on a new $225 million sawmill in Fairfax, SC (Allendale County) in November 2025, expected to begin operations in early 2027—but that demand is still two years out.
Housing Starts Stayed Weak Through Year-End
According to Southern Ag Today’s analysis of South-wide timber trends, pine sawtimber prices softened into Q4 2025 as pine pulpwood continued its multi-quarter slide. The proximate cause is no mystery: US housing starts totaled approximately 1.36 million in 2025, essentially flat year-over-year, with single-family starts at 943,000—down nearly 7% from 2024. Single-family construction drives more than 70% of US softwood lumber consumption, so when homebuilding stalls, sawtimber demand stalls with it. Mortgage rates hovered around 6.25% through late 2025, and single-family building permits fell to 876,000 in October, signaling continued near-term softness heading into 2026.
Hurricane Helene’s Salvage Supply Is Still Hitting SC Markets
Hurricane Helene caused nearly $200 million in damage to SC forests, including $83 million in direct timber losses across 234,000 acres. Edgefield County was hardest hit, with $24 million in losses across 56,000+ damaged acres. Salvage logging from that damage flooded SC and Georgia markets throughout 2025, adding a persistent supply overhang that pushed pulpwood prices in particular to historic lows. Abnormally dry Q4 conditions compounded the problem—loggers could operate without weather interruptions, keeping supply elevated even as demand fell.
Lumber Prices Stabilized But Remain Depressed
Southern Yellow Pine 2×4 lumber traded at approximately $365/MBF in mid-November—below 2019 levels. Mill utilization rates declined to just 68% in Q3 2025, with multiple producers announcing curtailments. Canadian softwood lumber duties climbed to ~34.5%, which could redirect some import volume to Southern mills. PotlatchDeltic’s CEO projected 2026 prices $30–$40/MBF above 2025 levels, and the PotlatchDeltic-Rayonier merger (announced October 14, 2025) created a 4.2-million-acre timberland company that signals continued institutional confidence in Southern timber assets long-term.
Clemson Extension’s ongoing stumpage price tracking provides the best publicly available source for SC-specific price trends by region and product. Landowners considering a timber sale in the current environment should consult a licensed forester before marketing any timber—Q4 2025 represents one of the weakest stumpage markets in recent memory, and timing and product mix can have an outsized impact on returns in a depressed market.
Prices reported as stumpage (standing timber) in dollars per green ton. Sources: TimberMart-South, Clemson Extension Forestry & Wildlife, SC Forestry Commission, Southern Ag Today.
