Timberland Helicopters

What Timberland Helicopters does

Timberland Helicopters, Inc. is a privately held aerial services operator headquartered in Ashland, Oregon with a second hub in Ogden, Utah, tracing its aviation operations to 1984 (the corporate parent originated as a contract logging company in 1981). The company runs two integrated service lines: a manned Helicopter Services division operating a fleet of Bell 206 B3 JetRanger, Bell 206 L3 LongRanger, Airbus AS355 TwinStar, and AStar 350 Eurocopter aircraft; and a UAV Division deploying DJI Mavic Pro, Splash Pro, S1000, S900, and Inspire platforms for high-resolution, thermal, corona, multi-spectral, and 3D point cloud imaging. Service offerings span powerline patrol and maintenance, firefighting and aerial ignition (including a turn-key helitorch module with up to 2,000-gallon gel batch truck), external load transport, pipeline patrol and survey, aerial seeding and fertilization, wildlife surveying, construction support, law enforcement and search-and-rescue, private charter, and adventure tourism.

The business sells primarily through long-term and call-when-needed contracts with federal and state agencies — USFS, BLM, Oregon Department of Forestry, Cal-Fire, DOI, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife — and with utility and pipeline operators including Pacific Power (95% of Northwest lines since 1994), Rocky Mountain Power (exclusive 5-state contract), PacifiCorp, PG&E, TC Energy, and Kern River Gas Transmission. Pricing is custom and not publicly disclosed; billing is structured around multi-year service agreements and per-flight quotes. The company is FAA-certified under Part 133 (external load), Part 135 (air carrier), and Part 137 (agricultural aircraft), with all pilots carded by USFS and the DOI Office of Aircraft Services. Leadership includes President Mark Gibson (HAI Chairman for two terms) and Director of Operations Ben Schumacher (~8,500 flight hours); Sean Holt leads the UAV Division as Director of Unmanned Systems and Special Projects. Customer concentration is high by design, anchored on multi-decade utility and government forestry relationships across the Western United States.

Name

Timberland Helicopters

Legal name

Timberland Helicopters, Inc.

Website

https://timberlandhelicopters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Timberland Helicopters is a privately held Western US aerial services operator providing helicopter and UAV-based firefighting, powerline and pipeline patrol, external load transport, wildlife survey, and adventure tourism to government agencies, utilities, and enterprise clients across Oregon, Utah, and the broader Rocky Mountain region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Helicopter Aviation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Forestry and Logging (113)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Timberland Asset Management & Consulting (AFAMAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Timberland Operations Planning & Contractor Management (AFAMAKAE), Helicopter Passenger Services (TLAFAAAE)

Keywords

• Aerial firefighting services
• Helicopter powerline patrol
• UAV inspection services
• External load transport
• Pipeline patrol services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts (CWN & Exclusive Use): Call-When-Needed (CWN) and Exclusive Use contracts with federal and state agencies including USFS, BLM, Oregon Department of Forestry, Cal-Fire, and Department of Interior. Provides firefighting, wildlife survey, and emergency services on standby or as-needed basis.
2. Utility Services Contracts: Long-term contracts with utility companies (Pacific Power, Rocky Mountain Power, PacifiCorp, PG&E) for power line patrol, construction, emergency services, and inspections. Includes visual, corona, and IR inspections.
3. Pipeline Patrol: Routine pipeline patrol services for energy companies including TC Energy, Kern River Gas Transmission. Services include visual inspection, laser gas leak detection, and corona inspections.
4. Charter and Tourism: Private charter flights, helicopter tours, and adventure experiences including heli-hiking, heli-snowshoeing, heli-fishing, and sightseeing tours primarily in Utah and Southern Oregon regions.
5. External Load Transport: Specialized long-line transport services for power poles, air conditioners, Christmas trees, mountaintop repeaters, weather antennae, generators, and construction materials to remote locations.
6. Aerial Seeding and Fertilization: Contracted aerial seeding and fertilization services for habitat restoration, fire restoration, and agricultural applications for government agencies.
7. UAV/Drone Services: Drone-based inspection, monitoring, and imaging services including asset monitoring, solar field inspections, thermal imaging, corona imaging, and 3D mapping for utility, energy, and agriculture clients.
8. UAV Training Services: FAA Part 107 commercial UAS licensing instructor training and professional training in aerial photography, cell tower inspections, LiDAR, mapping, thermography, and wind turbine inspections.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Timberland Helicopters operates a manned helicopter fleet and a UAV division delivering aviation services such as aerial firefighting and ignition, powerline and pipeline patrol, external load transport, aerial seeding, wildlife survey, construction support, search and rescue, and consumer tourism charters. The UAV division provides high-resolution imagery, asset monitoring, 3D mapping, thermal, corona, and multi-spectral inspection, along with UAV training. Operations are conducted under FAA Part 133, 135, and 137 certifications across offices in Oregon, Idaho, and Utah.

Product overview

Timberland Helicopters provides aerial services through two integrated divisions: a manned Helicopter Services division operating Bell 206 B3 JetRanger, Bell 206 L3 LongRanger, Airbus AS355 TwinStar, and Astar 350 helicopters; and a UAV Division utilizing DJI Mavic Pro, Splash Pro Waterproof, DJI S1000, DJI S900, and DJI Inspire drones. Services include private charter, aerial photography with gyro-stabilized Cineflex technology, powerline patrol and maintenance, firefighting with helitorch capabilities, external load transport, pipeline inspections, aerial seeding and fertilization, wildlife surveying, construction support, law enforcement/SAR, tourism, and comprehensive UAV inspection services including infrared thermal imaging, multi-spectral imaging, corona imaging, 3D point cloud mapping, and solar field inspections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UAV Division: Unmanned Aerial Systems division offering drone services for inspections, mapping, thermal imaging, and agricultural applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of Pacific Power lines in Northwest covered by contract
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pacific PowercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 1994, Timberland has maintained a contract with Pacific Power to provide helicopter power-line patrol and CWN services for 95% of Pacific Power lines in the Northwest. Relationship involves exclusive service provision for utility infrastructure inspection and emergency response.
• Rocky Mountain PowercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive contract with Rocky Mountain Power encompassing a 5 state radius in the Rockies for power line patrol, construction, and emergency services. Comprehensive utility services relationship covering multiple states.
• The Lodge at Blue SkyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with luxury mountain resort near Salt Lake City for helicopter adventure experiences. The Lodge at Blue Sky is a 3,500-acre private property resort 35 minutes from Salt Lake City Airport, offering mountain luxury and adventure experiences for guests.
• Siskiyou Transportation, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company providing trucking and snowcat services to clients throughout the Southern Oregon and Northern California region. Part of broader Timberland corporate family including Timberland Logging.
• Timberland LoggingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company within Timberland corporate family providing logging services in the region, historically the origin of the company's operations starting as a contract logging company.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PHI Aviation: PHI provides helicopter services across utility patrol, external load, and energy infrastructure, with overlapping capabilities in power-line and pipeline support work for North American utilities.
• Garber Brothers International: Garber Brothers operates a fleet of helicopters focused on external load, utility construction, and pipeline patrol across the Western and Midwestern US, with comparable service mix to Timberland's external load and utility businesses.
• PJ Helicopters: PJ Helicopters specializes in helicopter external load operations, utility line construction, and aerial firefighting, serving California and Western US utilities and agencies — closely overlapping Timberland's core offerings and geography.
• Coulson Aviation: Coulson Aviation is a global aerial firefighting operator running helitorch programs and large airtanker fleets, competing head-to-head with Timberland for USFS, BLM, and state forestry contracts.
• Helicopter Express: Helicopter Express is a US helicopter operator focused on external load, utility construction, and firefighting missions. Comparable to Timberland in services offered and customer base, particularly in Western US government contracts.
• Neptune Aviation: Neptune Aviation is a large airtanker and aerial firefighting operator holding USFS contracts, providing direct competitive overlap with Timberland's CWN firefighting business in the Western US.
• Aspen Helicopters: Aspen Helicopters provides utility line patrol, construction, and external load services to Western US utilities, with comparable customer relationships to Pacific Power and similar investor-owned utilities.
• Erickson Incorporated: Erickson is a US-based helicopter operator offering aerial firefighting, utility line construction, and government aviation services. Highly comparable to Timberland across firefighting, external load, and utility customers, though Erickson operates at a significantly larger fleet scale.

Broad incumbents

• CHC Helicopter: CHC Helicopter is a global helicopter operator offering offshore crew change, SAR, and emergency services. It competes in adjacent verticals to Timberland (government and industrial aviation) at much larger scale.
• Bristow Group: Bristow is a large, publicly traded helicopter services company with a global footprint across offshore energy, search and rescue, and government aviation. While its core focus is offshore oil and gas, Bristow increasingly competes in government SAR and utility-adjacent verticals.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/timberlandhelicopters
• Xx.com/Timberland_Heli

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Timberland Helicopters