Five Recommended Books on Forest Finance and Owning Timberland

As a reader, writer, and researcher, books have been hugely important in my life. When asked for non-fiction book recommendations, I follow two simple rules:

1. Only recommend books that I’ve actually read. Would you write a recommendation for a person you’ve never met? Would you recommend a restaurant you’ve never eaten at?
2. Recommend books that I’ve reread (or would reread) or reference regularly. Which books do I actively revisit, for whatever reasons?

With those guidelines in mind, when fielding questions about ways to learn more about “forest finance” and timberland investment criteria or benchmarks, I recommend several books and resources, starting with two books I wrote☺.

Forisk Finance Simplified, 7th Edition (2025) by Brooks Mendell
Each year, I reread this book before teaching Forisk’s annual Applied Forest Finance workshop. The book distills forest finance themes into a question-and-answer format for those who want an accessible reference for analyzing timber investments and making forest management decisions. The new 7th Edition includes additional content on selecting financial criteria, benchmarking timberland investments, and evaluating financial statements.

Aunt Fanny Learns Forestry: Managing Timberland as an Investment by Brooks Mendell
My late grandmother, Frances Mendell, inspired the character of Aunt Fanny. She is sharp, loves salty jokes, and enjoys making a little money. However, her recently inherited forestland remains a bit of a mystery to her. This 2nd Edition, with drawings by forester and taxidermist Max Lang and a redesigned cover by Heather Clark, follows Aunt Fanny as she gets to know her forest, learns forest investment concepts, and implements a forest management plan. The book serves any investor, from individual to institution, interested in a tight and entertaining tutorial for prioritizing what matters and what does not when managing their timber assets as an investment.

Owning and Managing Forests: A Guide to Legal, Financial, and Practical Matters by Thom McEvoy
This 2005 book covers a range of questions related to contracts, forest management, taxes, and estate planning. It includes basic examples of contracts and explores the types of dilemmas or disputes encountered by forest owners. I regularly reference this book when answering questions for others.

Capital Ideas Live Podcast
Each quarter, Hayes Brown of the Alabama Forest Owner’s Association (AFOA) moderates a 20+ minute set of three to four-minute interviews with experts in forestry and related fields on topics ranging from timber markets to forest policy to wildlife management to silviculture. In addition, AFOA maintains a searchable website for the podcast where one can easily search previous episodes by topic, expert, or date.

National Timber Tax Website
When it comes to timber taxes, I happily direct questions to the National Timber Tax website, which is sponsored by a group of public agencies, associations, and universities. The site includes clear examples and current reference materials to support timberland owners, accountants, attorneys, consulting foresters and others who need help in better understanding the IRS tax treatment of timber related activities.