Eddy 24/25 Timber Sale

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida Forest Service is seeking sealed bids for the Eddy 24/25 Timber Sale, a fourth-row thinning project located in John M. Bethea State Forest in Baker County, Florida. The procurement involves harvesting timber from approximately 270 acres of 24- to 27-year-old planted slash pine, divided into two areas of 134 and 136 acres respectively. The timber sale requires removing every fourth row of trees and selectively harvesting additional trees to achieve a target basal area of 60 square feet per acre, with specific selection criteria prioritizing diseased, damaged, defective, forked, and suppressed trees. The estimated timber volume to be removed is 15,649 tons of pine pulpwood and 2,337 tons of pine chip-n-saw and better. The sale contract will be for twelve months, with bids to be opened on March 11, 2025, at 10:00 AM EDT at 1656 State Road 2, Sanderson, FL. Interested parties must contact Garrett Henderson at (904) 259-2157 to obtain complete bid information. The Florida Forest Service reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive any irregularities in the submissions.

The timber sale does not specify any specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations. The sale is an SFI Certified Forest (Certification #NSF-SFI-FM-C0245755), indicating compliance with sustainable forestry standards. Sale boundaries are clearly marked with property boundaries, roads, firelines, and wetlands, with decks and skid trails designated by blue paint and property boundary trees marked with white bands or signs. The Forester-in-Charge retains flexibility to adjust the target basal area per acre based on stand and site conditions. While no specific budget range is detailed, the comprehensive timber harvest suggests a significant commercial opportunity for logging and forestry operations. Potential bidders should carefully review the attached maps (Area1_EddyTS24-25.pdf, Area2_EddyTS24-25.pdf, and VicinityMap_EddyTS24-25.pdf) to understand the precise geographic and operational parameters of the timber sale.