Timberwrights’ Guild
The timberwrights guild has a monopoly on
commercial logging. Timber rights are held by
landowners, who are free to cut timber for their
own or vassal’s use, but only timberwrights may
sell timber for profit. Timberwrights obtain
licenses from the landowner for stumpage fees
averaging 10% of the selling price – it is generally
a serious offence to cut trees without such license.
Some timberwrights obtain lumber from wilderness
areas, but this involves higher transportation and security costs. Most timberwrights
operate a sawmill, where logs (timber) are sawn by hand into planks (lumber) of
various dimensions. Timberwrights main customers are woodcrafters, shipwrights,
masons and charcoalers. Miners have the right to cut their own timber, but often
employ bonded timberwrights for their expertise.