Question re: Logging (Forester Came Today, 9-16)

[speckledhen]

Guy is coming out tomorrow morning to see if we have enough big trees to warrant buying them from us. We have over 3 acres of some very large oaks of several types, maples, sourwoods, hickories, a few big white pines, etc. We have more land, but it's too close to the house. He says he pays $5/ton, which seems a pittance, but he sells it for $15/ton, so maybe it's normal.

Our purpose is threefold: Open up the view to two mountains which we only really see in winter, open up the airspace for our satellite and antenna reception, get someone to do the dirty work so we can have some firewood from the slash they leave, and safely get huge trees down so they don't fall on power lines. We'd like to have most of the stumps pulled by someone after that, then my neighbor has a tractor and the attachment to till and rake the ground, then we could seed it with something.

My actual question is about what he pays. If we had a pro remove trees, it could cost us thousands, but at least this way, we get paid something. I realize it will be a real mess after he's done for quite awhile.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Have you checked to see if anyone in your area still logs with mules or horses? We have a couple of people here that still do and they make very little mess. A few drag lines and some brush & stumps left over but no skid roads or mud holes. Here they pay the same for the timber as the big companies, maybe a bit more on large hardwood.
Just a thought.

 

[silkiechicken]

We had loggers come by and harvest some of our 40 acres and our 7 acres. They seriously do leave a mess. I'm not sure how much they harvested from the 40 acres, but did know they only took the trees in the 80+ year old range that were pine or cedar. The 100+ year old trees went to make boards for export, and the rest were made into local lumber or chipped for wood pellets. They left behind anything skinny, small, all the branches, stumps, and only took the pine and cedar tree centers. The pay out was something like 12K, but they literally took over a hundred beautiful straight old trees that will likely never grow to that age again on those plots of land. In the scheme of things... the pay out is pretty dang low for the acreage they picked through, and will be back again in 7 years. However, a cord of firewood here also goes for 120-160. In this area, they pay for wood according to the number of board feet they can get. From a breif search, a cord of pine is something like 2.5tons, so if the wood from your lot is to be used as fire wood, he's getting about 37 bucks a raw cord, which might be the raw cost where you are. If we wanted stumps removed, it would cost more than what we got from the loggers.

I'd ask the loggers looking at your place how much "clean up" they will be doing. Having them just bull doze the branches off to the edges would save a ton of time and you can pick through it from there. If they don't bulldoze the "small" bits to the side, might ask how much that would cost. If they are there with the tools, you might ask how much it would be to bulldoze the stumps to the edges while they are at it. We requested them to move the stuff a hundred feet from the house or so, and glad we did because else it wouldn't go anywhere. Most of the debris and small stumps were moved in the process, but the larger stumps didn't go anywhere. When I say big, I mean 5 foot wide stumps. If they are willing to do some clean up on request, it might be worth it if they did not pay out.

Opening up space around the house will feel good. We get TONS more light since they took out the trees, and the branches they left are more than enough to make firewood from. Some of the branches are over a foot around the part which connected to the tree.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You should talk to your State Forestry Dept to see if they can help you
I think the guy you've talked to is low balling the price, and you will have no way of knowing how much he takes.

Get EVERYTHING in writing BEFORE they ever bring in any equipment

 

[speckledhen]

We can't find anyone in this area other than this guy who does this. The phone book is absolutely no help. Surely, there is someone other than this company. The guy may say it's not worth it to take off a mere 3 acres anyway. DH went to a lumber company in town and the guy didn't offer any help at all, said, "Uh, you need to talk to someone who does hardwoods, we only do pine". No leads at all, so he went to the pallet and fence company that is near our house, the guys who put in our picket fence when we moved here.

I'd love to find someone who did it with mules still, but I've never heard one word about that type operation anywhere around here. I know about that and would prefer it, but I don't think it exists in this area.

 

[Randy]

I agree with Bare Foot. You should talk to your sate forestry department. They will send someone out to look at your timber and tell you what you have and also put you in touch with timber buyers. I found the link for you to get you started. Good luck.


http://www.gfc.state.ga.us/ForestManagement/TimberSelling.cfm

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you! We'll see what this guy says today then check it out. I know the mess they make, and I hate cutting any trees, I really do, but we do need it thinned out for several reasons and can't pay someone to do it. I always hate going with the first person we consult on any job, but just haven't been able to locate anyone else.

 

[bigdawg]

5 dollars a ton. cheap. cheap. hardwoods here in mid tenn is were the real money is. hardwood prices are way up now. cedar is bought and sold by the ton. dont give your trees away.......

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Morning Cyn

Bigdawg is right....hardwood lumber prices are SKY HIGH right now (guess I should know, huh??, LOL), particularly for any type of hardwood lumber that can be used for ANYTHING other than pulp/paper....i.e., furniture, flooring, plywood, etc

I'm pretty sure there is/was an operation right there on 575/515, down close to the river if I remember right, that is a lumber drying/sawing operation. They probably don't harvest themselves, but might be able to tell you who could. Its in the right if you were going back to Blue Ridge from your house.

Let me know if you find someone. If not, I'll do a little diggin' for ya!!

Scott

 

[PortageGirl]

I can't advise about prices, but make SURE the contract is clear about clean up! A friend had a huge mess left in their yard. Another had a clause in the contract and the company cleaned things up very well, not perfect but quite acceptably.