Believing that high-end specialty logs could fetch far higher prices, Huber Resources Corporation's team in Millinocket, ME, came up with a creative method to maximize this scarce resource. Instead of selling its unique and top quality logs in bulk, the team operating the log optimizer decided to market and offer them one at a time in an organized bidding process. The results have been significant.

According to Peter Triandafillou, Vice President - Woodlands, "The bid sale increased the selling price of our high value products by 11 percent over the price we were getting for those products before we tried the bid sale. More importantly, it increased the selling price of 'birdseye' logs by 49 percent. The grading of these logs is very subjective and highly variable. By having the buyers bid on each log, we were able to assure that each log went to the market that valued it the most." Birdseye maple logs have an internal figure that looks like an eye. Once considered defective, it is now among the most valuable woods in the world. Birdseye veneer and solid wood is used in fine furniture, architectural details and luxury car interiors.

The innovation worked so well that the bidding process has become a regular occurrence at the Maine operation. Learning from the initial event, the bids are held more frequently on a smaller scale - about 100 pieces - to minimize potential damage to the logs as they were being removed from the yard. Some logs with very particular characteristics that might not be of interest to large commercial markets have found their way into the woodshops of artisans seeking out unique pieces.

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