Sawmill Projects

Overview

Fueled by construction growth and a global shift to renewable building materials, the increasing demand for wood products is reshaping the forestry industry. Adams & Reese helps landowners and sawmill developers navigate the complex regulatory, financial, and environmental landscape to successfully meet this demand. Our team provides strategic guidance on economic incentives, conservation efforts, industry certifications, environmental considerations, and the legal frameworks essential for sustainable and profitable sawmill projects.

Development Guidance

Adams & Reese forestry and natural resources lawyers advise clients through every stage of sawmill development. Our attorneys work with clients to identify favorable locations and assess state boundary considerations during site selection. We help clients pursue funding opportunities and economic development incentives to support project feasibility. Our team structures land acquisitions to secure property efficiently and guides clients through construction contracting, as well as negotiating agreements for sawmill design and development. 

We help landowners and developers maintain regulatory compliance by addressing licensing, permitting, environmental, and insurance requirements quickly and efficiently. Adams & Reese also interacts with agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency and state environmental quality departments to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.

Agreement Negotiation

Adams & Reese forestry lawyers negotiate and structure agreements essential to sawmill operations, among them:

• Leases and easements: Securing land access and usage rights
• Supply agreements: Establishing reliable wood fiber procurement
• Mill sales: Structuring transactions for facility acquisitions and divestitures
• Offtake agreements: Maximizing value through byproduct sales, including hogfuel, chips, and shavings

Adams & Reese represents clients in zoning, boundary, noise, and development disputes, helping them navigate the legal, political, and community environment. We understand the complexities of hardwood and softwood production and the role sawmills play in sustainable forest management. With deep industry knowledge, we craft agreements that align with long-term operational and financial goals, ensuring stability and profitability.

Defining Strengths

• Chip-n-saw
• Conservation easements
• Cross-border transactions
• Easements
• Economic development incentives 
• Environmental site assessments
• EPA
• Forest appraisals
• Forest certifications
• Forest mills
• Forestry contracts
• Green energy
• Hardwood
• Land acquisition
• Leases
• Lending
• Mills
• Paper
• Pine
• Pulp
• Pulpwood
• Real estate
• Rights of way
• Sawtimber
• Site preparation
• Site selection and incentives
• Softwood
• Timberland purchase and sale agreements
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)