Fund The Job. Cover The Job.
Two kinds of desk work this page, and both of them now compete for your business blind. Post what you need financed and it goes out sealed to every listed lender desk that writes that paper, in your state, at your deal size. Post what you need covered - general liability, workers comp, log-truck auto, equipment floaters, and the crew's health and life in the same request - and it goes out sealed to every listed agency licensed to write that line where you work. Lenders bid, agencies quote, and you see all of it at once when your window closes.
Not sure what you are looking at yet? Capital & Risk is the read-first companion to this page: how timberland lending, the Farm Credit System, federal cost-share programs, timber insurance and casualty-loss tax treatment actually work - written for a landowner or logger who has not met this paperwork before, and worth ten minutes before you post anything.
AXE USA is not a lender, broker, insurer, or agent. We do not originate, underwrite, or service loans, and we are not a party to any financing. Every desk here wrote its own entry - products, licence numbers, rates, and turnaround - and we check none of it. Nothing on this page is financial, legal, or tax advice, and every range shown is typical only. Ask for licences and read the terms yourself before you sign. Borrowers use this free.
Lenders Bid On Your Project
The same sealed mechanic this site runs for timber sales, applied to money. You post a financing request; listed lender desks that write that product in your state compete for it blind. Nobody sees a competing offer, so every bid has to be a real one. Coverage runs on the same mechanic with one difference in the wording: agencies return quotes, not bids, and a coverage request carries up to ten lines at once so one agency can price your whole book.
Post The Project
A logger needing working capital to complete a contracted timber job, or a landowner borrowing against standing timber, posts the project with the numbers behind it.
Lenders Review The Package
Member lenders - institutions and private or direct lenders alike, both welcome here - review the collateral package: timber cruise, harvest contract, mill agreement.
Lenders Bid Rate & Terms
Each lender submits rate and terms sealed, without seeing competing offers. The borrower compares every bid side by side and picks the one that works.
Secured Payoff At The Mill
The loan is secured by the timber itself with a payment assignment at the mill: the mill pays the lender first out of settlement proceeds, and the logger or landowner receives the remainder. First position on the wood for the lender, capital for the borrower without pledging the whole business.
300-Acre Contracted Pine Harvest
Working capital to complete a contracted 300-acre pine harvest - fuel, payroll, and a rented loader - secured by a payment assignment at the receiving mill.
Post A Request Like ThisLoan Against Cruised Standing Timber
Landowner borrowing against cruised standing timber value today, with the harvest scheduled for 2028. Repayment from harvest proceeds via mill assignment.
Post A Request Like ThisLend Direct To The Industry
Institutions and private lenders both bid here. List your desk yourself - free, no queue, nothing to wait on - state the paper you write, the states you cover, and your deal-size band, and matching financing requests start landing in front of you.
List My Desk FreeLoans Built For Rural Ground
Banks that write suburban mortgages get nervous at the county line. These are the loan types that actually close on timberland, acreage builds, and working forestry operations - with typical ranges, because every lender differs.
Raw Land / Timberland Purchase
- Who it's for
- Buyers of bare acreage or standing timber tracts, from 40 acres to whole ownerships.
- Typical terms
- Typically 15-30 year terms with 15-25% down. Rates run higher than a house mortgage because bare land carries more lender risk.
- Lenders look for
- A recent timber cruise can support the valuation - standing timber is real collateral value, and lenders who know timberland will count it.
Farm Credit System & Ag Lenders
- Who it's for
- Anyone buying rural land who qualifies - these cooperative lenders exist for exactly this.
- Typical terms
- Long terms and competitive rural rates. As member-owned co-ops, many pay patronage dividends that effectively refund part of your interest.
- Lenders look for
- They understand cruises, management plans, and timber income. Often the most comfortable lender at the table for a timberland deal.
Home Construction On Acreage
- Who it's for
- Landowners building a primary or second home on rural ground they own or are buying.
- Typical terms
- Construction-to-permanent loans fund the build, then convert to a mortgage in one closing - one set of closing costs, one rate lock.
- Lenders look for
- A licensed builder, full plans and a budget, and a well or septic plan. Owning the land outright can count toward your down payment.
Barns & Farm Outbuildings
- Who it's for
- Owners adding equipment sheds, hay barns, shops, or stock barns to working land.
- Typical terms
- Financed as farm improvement loans, home equity, or ag credit lines. Terms commonly 7-20 years depending on the structure and lender.
- Lenders look for
- A firm builder quote and a structure that adds appraisable value to the property. Ag lenders are usually the easiest conversation.
Pole Barns / Post-Frame
- Who it's for
- Owners putting up post-frame buildings - fast to build, cheaper per square foot.
- Typical terms
- Often financed as personal or ag improvement loans rather than mortgages. Some lenders treat post-frame as chattel, which changes rate and term.
- Lenders look for
- Ask up front how the lender classifies post-frame. A concrete foundation and permanent utilities help it count as real property.
Barndominiums
- Who it's for
- Buyers who want a post-frame or steel shell finished out as a full-time residence.
- Typical terms
- Honest note: harder to finance than a stick-built house. Fewer comparable sales means appraisals come in conservative and some lenders pass.
- Lenders look for
- Ask specifically for lenders who do post-frame residential, and pair a construction-to-perm loan with a builder who has real barndo experience.
Equipment & Operating Loans
- Who it's for
- Logging crews, sawmill operators, and landowners buying iron - skidders to sawmills.
- Typical terms
- Equipment loans typically 3-7 years secured by the machine. Operating lines of credit carry crews between timber settlements.
- Lenders look for
- Time in business, contracts or stumpage agreements in hand, and clean equipment titles. Dealers and ag lenders both play in this space.
Hunting / Recreational Land
- Who it's for
- Buyers of hunting ground and recreational tracts that may never see a harvest.
- Typical terms
- Dedicated rec-land programs typically run 15-30 years with 15-25% down. Expect rates a step above residential.
- Lenders look for
- Documented access and a survey. Hunting-lease income on the tract can help carry the note - bring the lease to the lender.
Ranges shown are typical for 2026 and nothing more. Down payments, terms, and rates depend on your credit, the tract, and the lender - which is exactly why you make more than one of them bid.
Coverage Forestry Actually Needs
General liability, log-truck and commercial auto, workers comp, equipment floaters and inland marine, timberland property, umbrella, the standing timber itself - and the group health, life, and disability nobody in this industry gets quoted properly. A standard homeowner or business policy leaves every one of those exposed. Tick the lines you want and post one sealed coverage request: listed agencies licensed in your state quote it blind. Rather do it yourself? The directory is still there and the phone numbers are on the cards.
Standing Timber Insurance
- What it covers
- Fire, lightning, windstorm and hurricane, and ice damage to the standing crop itself.
- Who needs it
- Owners with real timber value on the stump - especially near harvest, when decades of growth are exposed.
- Worth knowing
- Honest note: your homeowner policy does not cover the trees. This is a specialty market, priced per acre or per insured value, and not every agent can place it.
Crop Insurance For Tree Operations
- What it covers
- Nursery stock, Christmas tree plantations, and orchard-style tree operations against weather and disaster losses.
- Who needs it
- Growers running trees as an annual or short-rotation crop rather than long-rotation timber.
- Worth knowing
- USDA / RMA programs apply to some tree crops in some counties. A crop insurance agent can tell you what is written where you grow.
Landowner Liability
- What it covers
- Injury claims from hunters, trespassers, and recreational users on your ground - and the legal defense that comes with them.
- Who needs it
- Every landowner who lets anyone on the property, and anyone running a hunting lease.
- Worth knowing
- Pairs directly with the hunting-lease requirements elsewhere on this site. An umbrella policy over your base coverage is cheap protection at timberland scale.
Environmental / Pollution Liability
- What it covers
- Cleanup costs and legal defense when contamination is found on your land - whether you put it there or bought it without knowing.
- Who needs it
- Anyone buying rural land, and anyone running fuel, hydraulic fluid, or herbicide through an operation.
- Worth knowing
- Lenders increasingly require a Phase I environmental site assessment on land purchases. This coverage backstops what a Phase I can miss - a Phase I is a records-and-walkthrough review, not a guarantee.
Logging Contractor Liability & Equipment
- What it covers
- General liability for harvest operations, plus inland marine coverage on the iron working in the woods.
- Who needs it
- Logging crews and forestry contractors - and it is what landowners should demand a certificate of before a crew rolls in.
- Worth knowing
- Standard commercial policies often exclude logging. Carriers that actually write timber know the difference; get quoted by one of them.
Workers' Compensation For Forestry Crews
- What it covers
- Medical costs and lost wages for crew injuries - required in nearly every state once you have employees.
- Who needs it
- Any logging or forestry operation with a crew on the payroll.
- Worth knowing
- Logging is one of the highest-rate work comp classes there is. Shop specialty carriers and state programs - the spread between quotes can be enormous.
Prescribed Burn / Smoke Liability
- What it covers
- Escaped fire and smoke damage claims from controlled burns - including smoke drifting over a road or a neighbor.
- Who needs it
- Landowners and contractors using prescribed fire for site prep, fuel reduction, or wildlife habitat.
- Worth knowing
- Many states cap liability for certified burners following a written burn plan. Certification plus this coverage is how burns get done without betting the farm.
Write coverage yourself?List your desk freeand sealed coverage requests matching the lines you write, in the states you are licensed in, start landing in front of you - plus members filtering the directory can still call you direct. You state your own lines and licence numbers; AXE USA checks none of it.
Capital For Logging & Timber Companies
The business side runs on iron, fuel, and mill settlements that never land on payday. These are the structures commercial lenders actually write for timber operations - typical shapes only, every lender differs.
Equipment Financing
- Who it's for
- Crews buying skidders, loaders, and trucks - new or used, from a dealer or a private party.
- Typical structure
- Typically 10-25% down over 3-7 year terms, secured by the machine. Private-party deals close too, just with more title paperwork.
Equipment Cash-Out / Refinance
- Who it's for
- Companies with iron owned free and clear that need capital without selling anything.
- Typical structure
- A lien cashout: the lender takes a lien on titled equipment you already own and wires funds against its value. One of the fastest ways a logging company raises real money.
Business Term Loans
- Who it's for
- Established operations expanding - buying out a competitor, adding trucks, standing up a second crew.
- Typical structure
- Fixed payments over a set term, sized to financials and time in business. Expect the lender to want tax returns and a story for where the money goes.
Operating Capital / Lines Of Credit
- Who it's for
- Crews covering payroll, fuel, and insurance premiums between mill settlements.
- Typical structure
- Revolving lines sized to monthly production - draw when the settlement is late, pay down when it lands, pay interest only on what you use.
Receivables / Mill-Settlement Factoring
- Who it's for
- Loggers sitting on delivered-but-unpaid mill tickets who need the cash now.
- Typical structure
- The factor advances most of the ticket value immediately and collects from the mill. Costs more than a bank line - price it against what waiting costs you.
SBA & USDA-Backed Programs
- Who it's for
- Rural timber businesses that qualify for government-guaranteed lending - SBA 7(a), USDA B&I.
- Typical structure
- Longer terms and lower down payments than conventional, in exchange for more paperwork and a slower close. Worth it when the deal fits.
Cash From Timber Before The Harvest
Standing timber is value you can reach before the saws ever run. Two honest ways landowners turn it into cash early - and the trade each one makes.
Sell Early (Timber Deed / Forward Sale)
Sell the standing timber before it is harvest-ready to a buyer at a discount to its future value. Cash now; the buyer takes the growth and market risk from here.
- Conveyed by timber deed with a defined harvest window
- You keep the land - only the timber changes hands
- The discount versus waiting is real: price it before you sign
Borrow Against It
Keep ownership and take a private loan secured by the cruised timber value. Repay from harvest proceeds through the mill-assignment structure above.
- You keep the timber and the upside if markets rise
- Lender holds first position on the wood until paid
- Interest cost versus the forward-sale discount is the comparison to run
Either path leaves decades of growth standing until the harvest window opens, and fire, wind, and ice do not wait for it. Standing timber insurance is the coverage that sits behind the collateral - your homeowner policy does not touch the trees.
What Lenders Want On Timberland
A timberland loan file is not a house loan file. Have these ready and the financing bids that come back are real terms instead of hedged guesses - which is worth basis points. An agency asking to quote your coverage will want most of the same paperwork.
A Recent Timber Cruise
Standing timber is collateral value. A current cruise by volume, species, and grade tells the lender what the tract is actually worth beyond the dirt.
Survey & Legal Description
A clean boundary survey and legal description are non-negotiable. Vague deed calls and disputed lines stall closings.
Access, Documented
A deeded easement or road frontage in writing. Landlocked ground kills deals - "the neighbor lets us through" is not access.
A Management Plan Helps
A written forest management plan shows the lender the timber is an asset being managed, not just trees standing there.
Entity vs. Personal Ownership
Buying in an LLC, partnership, or trust changes underwriting, guarantees, and sometimes the loan program. Decide the structure before you apply.
Expect Land-Loan Pricing
Bare land rates run higher than a house mortgage, full stop. Anyone quoting you residential rates on raw timberland is guessing.
Before You Buy: What Lenders And Insurers Both Want
The environmental history of a tract decides whether your lender closes and whether your insurer pays. Five things to do before the earnest money goes hard - none of them optional on ground with a working past.
Why it matters: under federal cleanup law, the current owner can be on the hook for contamination they never caused. Diligence before closing is the defense; pollution coverage is the backstop.
- 01Order a Phase I environmental site assessment on any sizable purchase - many lenders now require it anyway.
- 02Walk the land yourself: look for old dump sites, rusted drums, dip vats, and abandoned fuel tanks.
- 03Ask about prior use. Cattle dip operations and old orchards can leave arsenic and lead behind; old homesites hide buried tanks.
- 04Run the title search for prior industrial or agricultural operations, not just ownership.
- 05If anything surfaces, price the cleanup risk into your offer - and get pollution coverage bound at closing, not after.
Tell Lenders What You Need
Financing only - this one goes to lenders. It becomes a sealed-bid request that reaches every listed lender desk writing that product in your state at your deal size, and the form tells you how many that is before you post and exactly who saw it after. Insurance has its own form directly below, because the two product lists never mix.
Looking to get insured instead? Post a coverage request - same sealed mechanic, quotes instead of bids.
Make Agencies Quote You
Tick up to ten lines - general liability, workers comp, log-truck auto, equipment floater, and the crew's health, life, and disability if you want them on the same quote. It goes out sealed to every listed agency licensed to write your primary line in your state. They quote blind, you see every quote at once when your window closes, and no quote obligates you to bind anything.
Need a loan, not a policy?
Financing runs on its own form and its own product list, because a lender desk and an insurance desk never see each other's requests. Same sealed mechanic - lenders bid instead of quote.
Post a financing requestRather call one yourself?
Every listed agency is searchable by line, state, and the turnaround it claims, with its phone number on the card - members only. Posting a request and calling an agency are both open to you; neither one closes the other off.
Open the agency directoryLender or insurance agency?
List your own desk - free, instant, no queue. Lenders get matching financing requests routed to them and agencies get matching coverage requests, both sealed. You state your products, states, deal band or policy limits, and licence numbers; AXE USA checks none of it and says so on your card.
List my desk