Different ways to sell timber
As a forest owner, you can sell timber in several ways—depending on how much work you want to do yourself and how much control you want over the process. Here’s an overview of the four main sales methods.
Roadside delivery (leveransvirke)
With roadside delivery, the forest owner is responsible for harvesting and transporting the timber to a road accessible by truck. The buyer pays based on the measured volume, according to a fixed price list.
This method suits active forest owners who have the time, expertise, and their own forestry machinery to handle harvesting themselves. One advantage is full control over bucking and assortmenting (aptering)—how stems are cut into different assortments—which can materially affect the financial outcome.
Harvesting contract (avverkningsuppdrag)
Here, harvesting and transport are handed over to the timber buyer. Legally, it’s a right of use: the buyer is granted the right to harvest forest on a specific property under the agreement.
The forest owner is paid for the harvested and measured volume according to an agreed price list. Payment is made only after the operation is completed and the buyer has deducted the harvesting costs.
A harvesting contract is a flexible option that lets you sell timber without personally managing the logistics of the operation. For Hyggligt’s continuous-cover harvests, we take on harvesting contracts and handle the entire operation—using centered selective cutting (centrerad plockhuggning) as the method, in line with the Hyggligt concept.
Standing sale (rotpost)
In a standing sale, the trees to be harvested are measured and marked (stämpling), and a tally list is prepared. That list is used to collect bids from different buyers. The forest owner receives a lump sum for the entire standing sale, and the buyer covers all harvesting and transport costs. This gives the forest owner a clear picture of revenue upfront and works well if you want a fixed payment without managing the harvest yourself.
Net roadside purchase (leveransrotköp)
With a net roadside purchase, the forest owner gets an agreed net price per harvested cubic meter. Volume is determined by measuring the harvested timber. The buyer is responsible for harvesting and transport, and the forest owner is paid based on the measured volume at the agreed price. This reduces financial risk if harvesting costs turn out higher than expected.