The calculation is a straightforward multiplication.

1. Estimate Board Foot Volume: First, you must determine the usable board foot volume of the tree. You can use our 'Standing Tree Volume Calculator' for this, which requires the tree's diameter and usable height.
2. Determine Market Price: Research the current stumpage price for your specific wood species and grade in your region. This price is typically expressed in dollars per thousand board feet ($/MBF). You will need to convert this to a price per board foot (e.g., $850/MBF = $0.85/BF).
3. Calculate Total Value: Multiply the estimated board feet by the price per board foot.
   Stumpage Value = Total Board Feet × Price per Board Foot

Example 1: A Walnut Sawlog
A tree scales at 500 BF and walnut stumpage is $0.85/BF.
Value: `500 × 0.85 = $425`. High-value species turn a single tree into a meaningful payday.

Example 2: A Low-Grade Poplar
A poplar tree at 400 BF, priced near $0.20/BF.
Value: `400 × 0.20 = $80`. Often less than the cost to fell and haul, which is why grade matters so much.

• Using Delivered Price as Stumpage: The mill's delivered rate includes logging and hauling costs; stumpage is only the standing-tree share.
• Ignoring Grade: Veneer-quality and #1 Common boards command far more per BF than pallet-grade wood from the same tree.
• Wrong MBF Conversion: A price quoted at $850/MBF is $0.85/BF — dividing by the wrong factor throws the value off by 1,000×.
• Omitting the Volume Step: Guessing board feet instead of scaling with a log rule produces an unreliable base for pricing.

"The number everyone quotes is price per thousand board feet, but the tree's grade is what actually moves the money. Two oaks with identical scaling can be a ten-fold difference in value if one is clear veneer material and the other is full of knots." — Timber Buyer

"Always work from a local, current stumpage report. National averages are useless for a single tree because access, species demand, and mill competition are all local."

• Selling Timber: Set an asking price and evaluate offers.
• Buying Standing Trees: Decide what you can pay a landowner and still profit.
• Estate & Tax Valuation: Document the standing-timber asset on a property.
• Casualty & Insurance Claims: Quantify the loss of trees to storm or disease.

• Stumpage Value: The value of a tree as it stands in the forest, before it is cut. It's the price a logger might pay a landowner for the right to harvest the tree.
• Board Foot (BF): A unit of lumber volume equal to 144 cubic inches.
• MBF: A unit representing one thousand board feet. Timber prices are often quoted per MBF.
• Grade: The quality classification of lumber based on clear faces and defects, which drives price per BF.