(2/7) The Thurmont Commissioners are
hoping to get more than $500,000 by selling
timber on town land.
During a recent meeting the Thurmont town
commissioners approved a proposal by Ridge and
Valley Forestry in Waynesboro to sell timber
on town lands.
“Value of the wood products to be sold from
your property would well exceed $500,000 with
a more accurate value known once the trees are
actually marked and measured,” Gregory Baker
with Ridge and Valley Forestry wrote in his
estimate to the town.
For a 7-percent commission, Ridge and
Valley will locate and mark boundaries, select
and mark trees to harvest, acquire any needed
permits, development a forest management plan,
advertise the sale to buyers and develop the
contracts.
Chief Financial Officer Bill Blakeslee said
not only was the Ridge and Forestry the best
bid in terms of commission and expected
income, Baker seemed the most interested in
the project.
Blakeslee expects the project will take up
to 18 months to complete and the money would
have to be used in the town water fund because
the town’s water department owns the land.
The proposal is not to clear cut the land,
but to have the larger trees, leaving the
smaller ones to continue growing.
