PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Bruck, Sonia R.
AU  - Mihiar, Christopher
AU  - Mei, Bin
AU  - Brandeis, Thomas
AU  - Chambers, Matthew
AU  - Hass, Julie L.
AU  - Wentland, Scott
AU  - Warziniack, Travis
TI  - Toward a timber asset account for the United States
AID  - 10.3368/le.103.1.091425-0079R
DP  - 2026 Jul 26
TA  - Land Economics
PG  - 091425-0079R
4099  - http://le.uwpress.org/content/early/2026/07/16/le.103.1.091425-0079R.short
4100  - http://le.uwpress.org/content/early/2026/07/16/le.103.1.091425-0079R.full
AB  - This paper develops a pilot timber asset account for the United States, demonstrating how a novel discount price method can value timber stocks in Georgia. While valuing merchantable timber is straightforward, an important methodological challenge is valuing trees that are not yet harvestable. Our approach values young stands by discounting their expected harvest price until they reach merchantable size. This method requires standard forest inventory data and market prices currently available in the U.S., making it promising candidate for scaling nationally. For southern yellow pine in Georgia, we estimate timber assets of $5.9 billion, with pre-merchantable timber contributing $257.7 million.