Tarkington Bayou Timberland is a great timberland ownership opportunity with productive soils and recreational opportunities just outside the Houston metropolitan area in Liberty County, Texas.
Tarkington Bayou Timberland is a well-managed timber tract in southeast Texas along Tarkington Bayou. Surrounded by timber tracts, the property borders over 500 acres of Houston Autobahn Society Forest to the west. The Autobahn Society Forest is intensely managed for avian wildlife diversity. Located just 30 minutes from the new HWY 99 bypass north of Houston allows quick access coming from the Greater Houston Metroplex. Recent developments to the immediate south suggest a growing economy in the area. The Houston IAH airport is only 45 minutes away from this tract.
The tract's access is through a recorded easement starting at the end of CR 308. There is a 60 ft wide easement running east to west, then turning north into a 50 ft wide easement onto the property. The total length of the private easement is approximately 1.22 miles. The main internal road begins at the entrance gate and ends at Tarkington Bayou. This road has recently been maintained and currently allows for 2-wheel drive vehicles under dry conditions. There are additional ATV trails throughout the property.
Tarkington Bayou Timberland is a great timberland tract offering recreational opportunities for hunting and wildlife enthusiasts. The tract features low-lying terrain in the Tarkington Bayou flood plane which offers very productive soil for timber production. Site indexes of 95 ft for loblolly pine at base age 50 with forest productivity of 135- 140 cu ft per acre per year according to soil type. A pipeline easement on the property could lead to additional income potential if a new pipeline is run next to the existing easement. This tract offers an abundance of wildlife, including white-tailed deer, small mammals, wood ducks, native songbirds, and birds of prey. There is also a 5-acre pond that attracts wintering waterfowl.
F&W Forestry Services, Inc. conducted a timber inventory in 2022. The property consists of 105 acres of mid-rotation (1999), merchantable timber, 125 acres of pre-merchantable timber (2014), and 63 acres of SMZ. The combined total commercial per acre volume is 91 tons for the merchantable timbered acreage. Stumpage values were assigned by F&W Forestry in July 2022, producing a property-wide merchantable timber value of $147,036. The pre-merchantable value of the 125 acres of young loblolly pine is $43,271 using the straight-line valuation method. The total timber value of the tract is believed to be $190,307 using current market assumptions. The mid-rotation pine (PULB 1999) was first thinned in 2020. This stand will offer second thinning revenue opportunities in approximately 2025 and will be ready for final harvesting anytime after 2029. A regular reforestation prescription would include an aerial application of site preparation spraying, a site prep burn, and hand planting of containerized loblolly seedlings at a rate of 517 trees per acre. The young pine (PULB 2014) will be ready for a first thin operation in approximately 2029. SMZ thins can be administered along with cuttings of adjacent stands.