Kissimmee Valley Foresters
About Kissimmee Valley Foresters
Kissimmee Valley Foresters is a forestry consulting firm in Babson Park, Florida, founded in the spring of 1991 by Sam Van Hook. Its work covers prescribed fire, timber management and sales, tree planting, seed harvest, forest management plans, property management, mitigation bank services and drone services. It works in Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Polk, Sarasota, St. Lucie and Volusia counties. On timber, the firm's own line is "As consultants, KVF works for YOU." It does not buy timber, so it says there is no conflict of interest, and it works with several timber buyers and several contract logging crews, picking the crew that fits each job. The species it names are longleaf pine, slash pine and South Florida slash. Prescribed burns run with a minimum crew of four certified prescribed burners, and safety is its top priority. Florida Certified Burner is among its stated certifications. Each year it plants an average of 250,000 pine seedlings, wire grass plugs and other native species, using contract hand crews or its own mechanical planters. Zach Van Hook holds certifications as a certified burn manager, tree farm inspector and herbicide applicator. Sam Van Hook spent thirty years as a federal forester at the Avon Park Bombing Range before expanding the company. It suits a landowner who wants a consultant working for them on a timber sale, or who needs burning, planting or native seed work in one of those counties. From kissimmeevalleyforesters.com, read 18 October 2026.
Can they handle a timber sale?
Selling standing timber properly takes three things. Here's what the state register credits this firm with.
Timber AppraisalAn estimate of what your standing timber is worth in dollars, based on how much there is, its quality, and current prices. When you are selling, settling an estate, dividing property, or need a value for taxes or insurance.What does this mean? → — not listed
works out what your standing timber is worth
Timber Cruise & Volume EstimateA field measurement of your standing trees — their species, sizes, and quality — that adds up to how much wood you actually have. Before you sell, so you go in knowing roughly what is out there rather than taking a buyer's word for it.What does this mean? → — not listed
measures and grades what's actually out there
Timber Sale & Contract AdministrationRunning the sale for you: advertising the timber, taking bids, writing the contract, and overseeing the logging so the agreed terms are met. When you want someone on your side handling the whole sale rather than dealing with buyers and loggers yourself.What does this mean? → — not listed
runs the sale and handles the contract
This firm isn't credited with all three, which doesn't make it a worse forester — plenty specialise in management planning, wildlife or wetlands. It does mean that if your goal is to sell timber, you'd likely need someone else for the part that's missing.
Everything they're registered for
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Kissimmee Valley Foresters
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