Pine Timber Prices in Uganda: Sawlog, Thinnings and Sawn
Pine in Uganda is sold by volume and grade — per cubic metre or per log — not per tree the way eucalyptus poles are. That single difference changes how you should manage the crop.
Diameter dominates the price. A log below sawlog diameter is not a cheaper sawlog; it is a different, much lower-value product. This is why the thinning most Ugandan growers skip is the difference between a profitable rotation and a disappointing one.
How to read the figures on this page
- These are indicative ranges reflecting what growers, contractors and buyers we work with have been transacting at — not a price list and not an offer.
- Ugandan costs move with season, district, fuel price, land condition and who is quoting. A figure in Wakiso is not a figure in Gulu.
- Ranges are wide deliberately. A single tidy number would be more satisfying and less honest.
- Last reviewed: September 2026. For a current figure on a specific job, call +256 770 812010 — we will tell you what we are seeing this month at no charge.
How Pine Is Priced
| Product | Sold by | Typical source | Relative value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sawlogs | Cubic metre or per log by grade | Final harvest, years 15–20+ | Highest |
| Small logs / poles | Per piece | Later thinnings | Middle |
| Thinnings, first | Often little or nothing | Years 6–9 | Near zero — treat as an investment |
| Sawn timber | Per piece or per cubic metre | After milling | Highest, but you carry the processing |
| Offcuts / slabs | Per load | Milling residue | Low but not zero |
The choice that matters commercially: sell logs at the gate, or mill and sell sawn timber. Milling captures substantially more value per cubic metre but requires capital, a market for each grade, and the ability to handle offcuts. Most growers should sell logs and negotiate hard rather than half-enter processing.
Why Diameter Dominates
Sawmills buy logs to convert into boards. Below a certain diameter, recovery collapses — there is simply not enough usable timber inside the log once you account for the saw kerf and the taper. That is why the price does not fall smoothly as diameter drops; it steps down hard.
The consequence for management
- Thinning is not optional if you want sawlogs. Removing the poorest stems concentrates growth on the rest so they cross the diameter threshold.
- An unthinned block at year fifteen is a stand of uniformly thin stems — none of which reach sawlog grade, all of which sell as low-value material.
- The first thinning usually earns nothing. Budget it as a cost at planting. Growers who treat it as a revenue event skip it, and the crop pays.
- If you genuinely cannot fund thinning, plant wider from the start — 3m × 4m or 4m × 4m — and prune. See pine spacing and thinning.
What Thinnings Are Actually Worth
| Thinning | Roughly when | Material | Realistic value |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Years 6–9 | Small, suppressed, crooked stems | Often nothing; sometimes firewood or charcoal |
| Second | Years 11–14 | Small poles, posts, construction props | Modest but real |
| Third | Years 15–18 | Small sawlogs | Meaningful |
| Final harvest | Years 15–20+ | Sawlogs at full grade | The bulk of the return |
Timings shift with site quality. A good site in Bunyoro runs ahead of a poor one, and a site-specific prescription is worth having rather than following a generic schedule.
Where Pine Goes in Uganda
- Sawmills — the main outlet, converting logs to construction and furniture timber.
- Construction — roofing timber, shuttering, scaffolding props from smaller material.
- Furniture workshops — buying sawn rather than round.
- Treatment plants — where pine poles meet specification.
- Regional export — sawn timber into Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and DRC. Note Uganda has at times restricted unprocessed log export; see timber export.
Getting More For the Same Trees
- Thin on schedule. Nothing else in a pine rotation moves the final price as much.
- Prune for clear timber where the market rewards it. Knots downgrade boards.
- Measure before you market. Volume by grade, methodology stated so a buyer can verify it.
- Approach several mills. Mill demand varies with their own order book; the same logs can fetch noticeably different prices in the same month.
- Sort at the landing. Presenting sorted, graded logs rather than a mixed heap changes what a buyer will pay and how fast they will commit.
- Protect access. A block a lorry cannot reach in the wet season is discounted regardless of what is standing in it.
And plan the replant. Pine does not coppice — after clear felling you pay establishment again, and that belongs in the return calculation from the start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the price of pine trees in Uganda?
Pine is priced by volume and grade — per cubic metre or per log — rather than per tree, so a per-tree figure is not really how the market works.
The dominant variable is diameter: below sawlog diameter the price steps down hard, because mill recovery collapses. Two blocks of the same age can be worth very different sums.
How much are pine thinnings worth?
The first thinning at years 6–9 often earns nothing and should be budgeted as a cost, not a revenue event. The second at years 11–14 produces small poles and posts with modest value, and the third produces small sawlogs worth having.
Growers who expect the first thinning to pay for itself tend to skip it, and that decision costs them the sawlog crop.
Should I mill my own pine or sell logs?
Milling captures substantially more value per cubic metre but needs capital, a market for every grade including offcuts, and operational attention.
Most growers do better selling logs and negotiating hard across several mills than half-entering processing.
Why is my pine worth less than my neighbour's?
Almost always diameter, and almost always because of thinning. An unthinned block at year fifteen is uniformly thin stems that no mill will pay sawlog rates for.
Site quality and species choice matter too, but thinning is the variable growers control and most often neglect.
Does pine grow back after harvest like eucalyptus?
No. Pine does not coppice, so after clear felling you must replant and pay establishment costs again.
This is a material difference in the financial model and is regularly overlooked when pine and eucalyptus are compared.
Can I export pine timber from Uganda?
Sawn timber, generally yes, subject to documentation and the destination's requirements. Unprocessed logs are another matter — Uganda has at times restricted or banned raw log export to keep value addition onshore.
Confirm the current position before contracting. See our timber export guide.
Is Your Pine Block on Track for Sawlogs?
One assessment tells you whether the stand will reach sawlog diameter, whether thinning still helps, and what it is realistically worth.
Over a decade establishing, measuring and managing eucalyptus, pine and indigenous plantations across Uganda. Based in Wakiso, Kampala. Reviewed and updated September 6, 2026.