Timber Buyers & Forestry Professionals in Plains, MT

Thompson River Lumber is a sawmill and timber buyer in Thompson Falls, Montana, up in the northwestern part of the state. It was founded in 1993 by Roger Claridge as a family business, and it's still run that way today, with Dan Claridge handling the day to day work at the mill. If you've got timber to sell, this is a place that buys harvested logs straight from landowners. They say they pay a "fair and reasonable price," and they take timber ranging from 42 inches down to 5.6 inches on the top end, across five different species. When you sell to them, you work from a Log Purchase Agreement, and specific cutting instructions come as part of that timber contract package, so you know what's expected before any logging starts. They also do their own log receiving, loading, and shipping, moving lumber out by rail on BNSF and by truck. Beyond private landowners, Thompson River Lumber also partners with the Montana Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs on harvesting work tied to forest health. They have foresters on staff to talk through a sale or answer questions about where to go next with your timber. This looks like a fit for someone in or near northwestern Montana who already has timber cut, or close to it, and wants a straightforward buyer and mill rather than someone to walk a small, uncut tract from the ground up. From thompsonriverlumber.com, read 4 October 2026.