Newnans Lake Timber Sale

The Governing Board of the St. Johns River Water Management District is soliciting bids on a timber sale comprising approximately 135.8 acres within the Newnans Lake Conservation Area in Alachua County, Florida, with bids due August 31, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. and public opening immediately following. Compensation is per-ton basis for pine pulpwood and better.

The sale includes two components: 36.5 acres of marked mature longleaf pine with harvest trees identified by blue paint at eye level, and 99.3 acres of logger-select thinning in planted longleaf pine established in 2007. The thinning prescription requires removal of every third row for access, followed by selective thinning within leave rows to achieve an average target density of 150–200 trees per acre, with priority given to harvesting diseased, defective, and suppressed trees before intermediate and co-dominant trees; dominant trees shall not be harvested from leave rows. Timber must meet a minimum 4.5-inch diameter at breast height, 3-inch top diameter, and 16-foot minimum length. The District estimates approximately 3,000 tons of pine pulpwood and better available, though no volume guarantee is provided.

The logging crew supervisor must hold current certification from a Sustainable Forestry Initiative-approved logger training program (Florida's "Master Logger," Georgia's "Master Timber Harvester," or Alabama's "Professional Logging Manager"). Respondents must provide active business registration with E-Verify, a Certificate of Entity's Authority to do Business in Florida, and proof of required insurance: workers' compensation, commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, and automobile liability of $100,000/$300,000/$100,000.

An advance payment of 20 percent of the estimated timber sale value is required before Agreement execution (non-refundable but credited against initial weekly payments) and a $5,000 security deposit is also required. The Agreement term is 12 months from effective date, with 50 percent of acres required to be harvested within nine months if adequate harvesting conditions exist. Weekly payments are due based on net load weight. Addendum 1 (dated August 20, 2026) provides georeferenced PDF maps for GPS-enabled navigation and requires bidders to acknowledge receipt of the addendum in their submittal. Contact Breanna Pierce, Procurement Specialist, at bpierce@sjrwmd.com for questions.