Forest Service timber bonds.
From $100.
When you buy timber from the USDA Forest Service, the timber sale contract can require a performance bond under 36 CFR part 223 securing your compliance with its terms. The penal sum is set in the sale prospectus; pricing is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, with one soft credit check that never affects your score.
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Three steps to a filed timber bond.
Your Forest Service timber contract is waiting on this bond. Here is the entire process:
Apply once, online
Business details, the contract number and date, the name of the National Forest, the bond amount, and the effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Reviewed & approved
Contract bonds get a quick underwriting look; if anything is needed, an underwriter reaches out within 48 hours. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score.
E-sign & file with the Forest Service
Pay online and receive the executed performance bond, ready to file with the contracting Forest Service office. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the office insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the timber bond actually covers
Sale and disposal of National Forest System timber is governed by 36 CFR part 223. A timber sale contract may require the purchaser to furnish a performance bond for satisfactory compliance with its terms (36 CFR 223.224) — and the penal sum is prescribed in the prospectus for the sale.
The bond backs your obligations under the contract: paying for the timber, completing the harvest under the contract terms, and meeting the road, slash, and environmental requirements the Forest Service sets. For stewardship contracts, a combined performance-and-payment bond may apply.
It is a three-party guarantee among you (the principal), the surety, and the United States (the obligee). If you default and the Forest Service incurs cost, it can recover against the bond — and if the surety pays, you repay the surety. Enter the amount from your prospectus and apply — pricing starts from $100.
You need this bond if you are
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including the contract number, the National Forest name, and a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is typically issued within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Federal bonds.
Timber sale bond, started today.
Pricing from $100, soft pull only. Enter the amount from your prospectus and e-sign in 1–2 business days.