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Coos Bay awards 2025 timber sale to Swanson for $857,908; forester recommends decade-long pause after harvest
Summary
The council awarded the city's Feb. 2025 timber sale (53 acres) to Swanson Company, which submitted the high bid of $857,908. Council also approved additional sale-related costs; the city's forester recommended pausing further sales for roughly 10 years after the 2025 harvest to allow stands to mature.
The Coos Bay City Council voted to award the city's 2025 timber sale to Swanson Company after receiving two bids for the advertised 53-acre sale.
City forester and staff reported that Swanson submitted a bid for $857,908 and Scott Timber Company submitted $716,088; both bids are based on estimated cruise volumes and the final payment may vary when actual harvest volumes are confirmed. The council also approved additional sale-related costs needed to complete the harvest, but the amount discussed in staff remarks ($87,150, including contingency) differed from the figure in the approval motion ($47,150); the council approved the motion authorizing additional costs not to exceed $47,150.
Jennifer, the staff presenter, said the city had delayed a sale in 2024 because of low markets and that the forester recommended pausing timber sales for about 10 years after the 2025 harvest because many stands are immature and need time to grow. Council members asked about timing, revenue uses and how long the buyer would have to complete harvesting; staff said the contract gives bidders until 2027 to complete harvest and that timber revenues have historically supported capital purchases such as police vehicles and larger maintenance projects.
Council discussion also covered the city's need for a longer-range timber-management plan; council agreed to ask staff to return with a plan and additional information on forest management and revenue forecasting. A motion to award the sale to Swanson and to approve the additional costs required to complete the 2025 sale (not to exceed $47,150) carried with no recorded opposition.
Staff noted that previously authorized sales (the 2022 sale) will be harvested this summer and that market volatility is a factor in timing harvesting decisions. The forester's forthcoming plan is expected to recommend a path forward, including possible pauses and staggered harvests to manage stand maturity and revenue continuity.
