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

[oldchickenlady]

I am in the same situation. I have 7.35 acres with about 3 that are loggable. I have some really big poplar, hickory, oak, and I don't know what else and I can't find anyone willing to log that small a property. I am needing to enlarge my horse pasture and there is no way we can cut those trees and no way we can afford to pay someone to do it. If anyone on here knows of someone in the middle TN area that could do it, it would be great! I live in Williamson county, but we are real close to the Hickman and Dickson county lines. Good luck in your search. I am not looking to make a bunch of money, just clear out the biggest trees so we can enlarge the pasture. Hope you find someone.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I agree with the others on the price does seem low for hardwoods. You already know they are going to make a mess but if the weather is wet and rainy when they log, the skidders will make mud holes you can loose a truck in. Isn't that a nice thought?

We have couple acres of old pines that I was going to have cut when we bought our place, the timber cruiser was drooling over them when we walked thru. Most are 2 feet+ in diameter, 100 feet tall and straight as an arrow. Our property is landlocked with a deeded right of way so there was only one way in and out - our driveway. What we would make on the trees would probably be just enough to fix the driveway after. When they log behind us again I will probably sell them then.

Steve

 

[speckledhen]

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

Scott, the operation on 515 in Blue Ridge does only pine. I think that's called Toccoa Lumber, but you may be talking about Appalachian which is sort of on the way out of Blue Ridge?

The lumber guy was just here. These guys have been in this area for many years. It was his brother who does the fence work and he does the lumbering and the pallet work. He will pay the same for the pine (we have some huge white pines and other types of pine, though the bulk of it is in oak) as he does the oak and maple. He said they won't cut the sourwoods and smaller stuff, but I know that machinery and falling trees will crush lots of what's left. He thinks, off the top of his head, that it would be $1000-1500 and we told him we'd think about it and let him know what we decide. They do not do anything to clean up, although he said they will pull some of the large limbs up to toward the house so we could cut firewood from them. He can't do it before the next three weeks so we have time to get another estimate and make a decision. Obviously, you can't pull all the stumps on that property for that price, though we could do a certain smaller area, at least.

I did email the forestry service and found the guy for our area--thanks for that information! If he doesn't email back in a bit, we'll call him and see if he can get out here in the next few days or so.​

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Cyn

Something just doesnt sound right....PINE is cheap, cheap. Used primarily for paper/pulp/pallets. However, hardwoods "should" fetch a better price. Let me see if I can find a current lumber pricing report

 

[Miltonchix]

Around here they won't even talk to you if you have less than 10 acres to cut. Not worth their time they say.

 

[speckledhen]

That's what I was wondering, but he says it's worth it to him. We will have to take down the back part of the livestock fencing so he can come up a bit into the other two acres nearest the house-there are some humongous oaks in there.

 

[Miltonchix]

Quote:
Try posting on Craigs list. I work with a guy who owns his own small mill in his backyard. He's always getting calls from people with just a few logs. There may be a few of them around you too.

 

[theoldchick]

15 years ago my Father In Law sold 10 acres of mixed old forest hardwoods/pines for $25,000 and the company replanted the area in pine trees. Now these trees are ready to be harvested.

 

[bluegoose]

Try to get more then one logger to look at your trees here where i live is all mountains and plenty of loggers. grade logs bring way more then $5.00 ton thats what chip wood brings.a grade log is anything bigger then 14 inchs around here in kentucky the seller gets 50 percent of what the loaded truck brings at the log yard. and also count the trucks when thay leave whith the logs so you will know what thay are takeing.most of the loggers will give you a check from the log yard but that wont tell you what thay made off of the trees keep a eye on what thay hual or YOU will get $5 ton.

 

[speckledhen]

Talked to the forester for this area, who is supposed to come out soon and assess the wood situation. He tells us that hardwood here is just pulp, that pine is the cash crop. Well, oak and maple are just pulp? What about making fine furniture? So, my hardwoods are trash and the few huge white pines are my only value? That seems so weird to me! We don't like lots of pine on our property because nothing will grow underneath it, the pine straw covers the ground.

Am looking for firewood (yeah, I know, I have plenty here, but no one to cut it for me) and the price has skyrocketed since last time we looked! I'm used to $120 per full cord, but they're charging $180 per full cord now! Crazy. Guess I need to sell a couple more quilts, then. Gosh, I wish someone would buy this place, someone with more physical ability and money to make it into the great place it can be. It has such potential for complete self sufficiency (or pretty darn close) if someone could do what needed to be done.