Timber Stand Inventory Before Closing Saved My Entire Purchase

Most buyers eyeball the trees, maybe ask what species are present, and call it due diligence. I used to think a general walk-through was enough too — until I bought a 160-acre parcel in the early 2000s without commissioning a proper timber cruise first. Turned out a previous owner had high-graded the best white oaks years before, leaving behind what looked like a healthy canopy but was actually the culprits nobody wanted — scrubby post oak and overcrowded understory trash trees with almost zero merchantable value. The canopy fooled me completely at ground level. I overpaid by roughly what a legitimate selective harvest would have netted in the first decade. Now I hire a licensed consulting forester to walk every acre and produce a species-by-species basal area inventory before I make any offer on timbered ground. That report changes your negotiating position dramatically. It also tells you whether you're buying a productive working forest or someone else's already-cashed-out woodlot wearing a respectable disguise. Has anyone else had a timber cruise flip their purchase decision entirely, or do most of you still rely on a visual walk?