CHARLESTOn, W.Va. -- An out-of-state timber investment group hopes to sell 7,000 acres of undeveloped land later this month in what's being called the largest single-day auction of timberlands in West Virginia history.

 Also, a second large land auction is scheduled this month, with bidders coming to Tamarack Conference Center in Beckley to make selections from tracts in three counties.

The economic downturn has sparked a flurry of auctions of undeveloped timberland across the United States as investors seek an alternative to the unpredictable stock market.

The properties are in Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Monroe, Nicholas, Raleigh and Summers counties.

"When you look at this type of acreage, it makes things very interesting," said Ed Maguire, a consultant to the timber group selling the 7,000 acres. He declined to name the group.

"It's going to be quite an event. We've got a lot of properties," he said.

The 7,000 acres will be offered for sale in 47 parcels.

The timberland is expected to sell for between $1,000 and $4,000 an acre, depending on location.

The tracts range from 38 acres to 1,200 acres. The investment group purchased the properties from private landowners in recent years. 

 "There's a lot of diversity in the size of the properties," Maguire said.

The sale includes several tracts near Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs, two tracts within a short drive of Summersville Lake, and a large wooded parcel three miles south of the New River Gorge Bridge within sight of the Lowe's and Wal-Mart shopping center in Fayetteville.

The auction is scheduled to take place 10 a.m. Nov. 16 at the State Fairgrounds in Fairlea. The Virginias Auction Group of Lewisburg is overseeing the sale.

The total inventory of hardwood saw timber across all properties exceeds 18 million board feet, said Girlonza "G" Scott, president of the auction group.

"This auction will allow the general public to invest in properties that are not normally available on the traditional real estate market," Scott said. "Each of the properties has been professionally managed by the current owner for long-term timber investment."

Timber investors and companies are expected to purchase the bulk of the 7,000 acres. Recreation and tourism companies, as well as hunting groups, also have expressed interest, Maguire said.

In Fayette County, several rafting outfitters have inquired about tracts near the New River National River park.

"Some of these tracts have excellent hunting on them, and they offer a lot of recreational opportunities," Maguire said.

The sale of large, undeveloped properties has become part of a national trend, he said. Sellers see auctions as a quick and efficient way to unload their properties to investors.

"They decided to try the auction route and see how it goes," Maguire said. "It's a pretty quick way to sell a piece of property. All properties will be sold to the highest bidder, provided the seller agrees it's a fair price."

CHARLESTOn, W.Va. -- An out-of-state timber investment group hopes to sell 7,000 acres of undeveloped land later this month in what's being called the largest single-day auction of timberlands in West Virginia history.

 Also, a second large land auction is scheduled this month, with bidders coming to Tamarack Conference Center in Beckley to make selections from tracts in three counties.

The economic downturn has sparked a flurry of auctions of undeveloped timberland across the United States as investors seek an alternative to the unpredictable stock market.

The properties are in Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Monroe, Nicholas, Raleigh and Summers counties.

"When you look at this type of acreage, it makes things very interesting," said Ed Maguire, a consultant to the timber group selling the 7,000 acres. He declined to name the group.

"It's going to be quite an event. We've got a lot of properties," he said.

The 7,000 acres will be offered for sale in 47 parcels.

The timberland is expected to sell for between $1,000 and $4,000 an acre, depending on location.

The tracts range from 38 acres to 1,200 acres. The investment group purchased the properties from private landowners in recent years. 

 "There's a lot of diversity in the size of the properties," Maguire said.

The sale includes several tracts near Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs, two tracts within a short drive of Summersville Lake, and a large wooded parcel three miles south of the New River Gorge Bridge within sight of the Lowe's and Wal-Mart shopping center in Fayetteville.

The auction is scheduled to take place 10 a.m. Nov. 16 at the State Fairgrounds in Fairlea. The Virginias Auction Group of Lewisburg is overseeing the sale.

The total inventory of hardwood saw timber across all properties exceeds 18 million board feet, said Girlonza "G" Scott, president of the auction group.

"This auction will allow the general public to invest in properties that are not normally available on the traditional real estate market," Scott said. "Each of the properties has been professionally managed by the current owner for long-term timber investment."

Timber investors and companies are expected to purchase the bulk of the 7,000 acres. Recreation and tourism companies, as well as hunting groups, also have expressed interest, Maguire said.

In Fayette County, several rafting outfitters have inquired about tracts near the New River National River park.

"Some of these tracts have excellent hunting on them, and they offer a lot of recreational opportunities," Maguire said.

The sale of large, undeveloped properties has become part of a national trend, he said. Sellers see auctions as a quick and efficient way to unload their properties to investors.

"They decided to try the auction route and see how it goes," Maguire said. "It's a pretty quick way to sell a piece of property. All properties will be sold to the highest bidder, provided the seller agrees it's a fair price."

The auction group predicts as many as 300 people could show up for the sale. People also can call in bids during the event.

"There's been such a big interest," said Maguire, who is showing several of the properties to potential buyers. "It's been kind of chaotic in the weeks leading up to the event."

For information, contact The Virginias Auction Group at 304-667-3206 or go to the company's Web site at www.virginiasauctiongroup.com.

Protecting the viewshed

The Greenbrier County auction isn't the only massive land sale this month.

On Nov. 14, a Virginia company will oversee the auction of more than 4,400 acres in West Virginia's New River Gorge, including timber tracts and hunting grounds. The property belongs to Cranberry Hardwoods Inc.

Woltz & Associates of Roanoke has set the auction at Tamarack in Beckley. Bidders must be registered.

Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Tamarack. People who want to register to bid must bring a driver's license for identification. The auction will start at 11 a.m.

With some of the acreage near the New River Gorge, many people raised concerns about what would happen if timbering took place within the viewshed of the New River Gorge National River.

But a conservation group already has purchased a portion of the land for auction located on Beury Mountain near Thurmond.

Jim Woltz, auctioneer and real estate broker for Woltz & Associates, said he would like to withhold the conservation group's name until the sale is final. But he said the group will eventually put the property in the hands of the New River Gorge National River.

Woltz also said he does not usually do pre-sale transactions, but he said he was happy to know that the Beury Mountain property would become part of the national park system.

Debbie Darden, deputy superintendent for the National River, said by law members of the park service cannot bid for land at a public auction.

She also said that as far as she knows most of the property for auction will be outside the park.

The Woltz auction includes land in Fayette, Greenbrier and Raleigh counties. Besides property near the New River Gorge, the company also is offering land for sale near Plum Orchard Lake, a recreational area in Fayette County. 

The land includes more than 10 million board-feet of hardwood timber with tracts ranging from 20 to 797 acres. An additional 583 acres in Raleigh County offer more than 2 million board-feet of timber, while 475 acres in Greenbrier County offer hunting and hardwood.

Information is available at www.woltz.com, which has directions to each tract and detailed information about the property's features. Interested people also may call 540-342-3560 or 1-800-551-3588 for information.

Reach Eric Eyre at erice...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-4869.

Reach Susan Williams at susanwilli...@wvgazette.com">susanwilli...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5112.