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Firewood prices and woodlot management

Started by Frickman, December 28, 2005, 09:34:51 PM

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Frickman

The current high fossil fuel prices has provided one benefit to those involved with managing and harvesting timber. The corresponding high firewood prices have enabled us to profitably harvest alot of low-grade wood. When done properly this will greatly improve the forest in the future. I personally cannot survive solely on low-grade wood, but I am harvesting alot more lower-grade tracts than I did a couple of years ago.
If you're not broke down once in a while, you're not working hard enough

I'm not a hillbilly. I'm an "Appalachian American"

Retired  Conventional hand-felling logging operation with cable skidder and forwarder, Frick 01 handset sawmill

Pretend farmer when I have the time

jon12345

Lower grade wood is a generality around here, since there has been so much high grading.  It is up to responsible land owners and foresters to take care of the forest to create good timber otherwise some day there will just be firewood, that is sawed into lumber, or sawlogs will have to be imported.
A.A.S. in Forest Technology.....Ironworker

crtreedude

High-grading here is a BIG problem - loggers will even do it in plantations if you don't watch them. One logger recently went to jail for destroying someones plantation. The trees were clearly marked, and he went in and removed the best trees. Found out the hard way the land owner was a judge.  :o

Not much call for firewood here either so a high graded forest is a real problem.
So, how did I end up here anyway?

Frank_Pender

I sure wish we could put those kinds of jokers in the pen, when they do that here in my neck of the woods.  I am sure we would have some better thought out logging practices happening.
Frank Pender

crtreedude

Well, that joker is completely out of business - all his assets were liquidated to pay for the future damage to the plantation. Boy was he surprised! A few of the other bottom crawlers took note too.

No tears were shed for him either.  >:(
So, how did I end up here anyway?

SwampDonkey

Low grade wood here is just a fact of life when talking hardwood. You'll go broke quick if your trying to chase high grade logs. We have a surplus of low grade wood which is getting harder to move with pulp mills closing.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Woodhog

Here  the lowest grade is balsam fir, we used to sell it as pulpwood for the newsprint mills.

Now it is down to 47.00 per cord, not worth the cost to bring it out of the woods, we just cut it up and let it rot....

There is a point if the price is not enough it is no sense to bother with it...

If you are trying to manage a piece of land with a lot of fir mixed in it makes a real mess...

I think this industry is on the verge of being wiped out if things dont soon improve, after this winter you will see a lot of iron for sale by the banks....

Ron Wenrich

Was there ever a market for balsam fir?  If a species doesn't have a historic market, then maybe it isn't worthwhile to take out, but it isn't worthwhile to leave, either.

In our area, pine and hemlock are not worth much.  Not because they don't grow well, but most guys don't know what to do with them.  Most times, they are removed from the forest and they are getting real hard to find other than scattered about.

Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

SwampDonkey

In the maritimes fir has been a significant component of the pulpwood market as well as sawlog market. In fact the industry are required to use it and will use some very poor fir sometimes while rejecting it off private woodlots. Just 3 years ago we were getting $90 - $145/cord for 4 foot pulp. Currently our biggest buyer of softwood pulp have now placed private sources of softwood pulp on quota, where tickets are issued from the local marketing boards. The trouble with fir is it's realively fast growing and short lived. The further south you go the less longevity you get and the piece size is smaller. Most mills buying fir for sawlogs locally want a 5 inch top and 22 " butt max and min 12'-6" length. In some areas south it's hard to get fir in that spec and be sound. With more intensive silviculture it can improve. Trouble is there are some woodlots where they don't get attention until the wood starts to fall down. That's mostly due to the fact that people have a regular paying job and the woodlot takes a back seat. I've seen countless of woodlots where the owner says 'dad never cut wood there since the 60's', you go in and the fir is on the ground or you can shove the inky borer through the trees because there is less than an inch of sapwood and little else.  ;)

Hemlock and white pine here in my location are never touched, sometimes that's all that is left standing.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

bwalker

QuoteHemlock and white pine here in my location are never touched, sometimes that's all that is left standing.
Why? Dont both make excellant lumber?
I have noticed the same thing around here.  Nice White pine and Hemlock  saw logs are sold for pulp. I have never understood this as at one time the white pine from this area rebuilt Chicago after the great fire.

SwampDonkey

It's mainly market and density or tree distribution. Often times there are only 2 or 3 white pine or hemlock on 200 acres of ground, not enough to make a load. You can't leave white pine lying around long or it will stain. Hemlock is full of shake caused by sapsucker. I remember a couple of procurement people came from a mill looking for white pine and I said unless they were willing to run around with their log truck to pick up a log here and there, don't expect anyone to be willing to cut it. That was the last they came looking for white pine. They run a mill that saws white pine exclusively in Doaktown, 120 miles away. Their specs are quite high to, leaving alot of wasted wood on the ground.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

jon12345

The biggest balsam I've seen is one I cut,  ;D about 20'' on the stump and with a 16'' bar  ::) cause thats the saw I was given to do it, usually they are a lot smaller and get blown down or rot before you can use them.  I have seen cabins built out of them though.

The sap used to be harvested from sap blisters to make different things, but nothing that cant be made cheaper now without pokin holes in thousands of blisters.

Balsam needles are baked and the oil produced is used to make perfume and incense
A.A.S. in Forest Technology.....Ironworker

thecfarm

I live here in Maine and there is a market for white pine logs,in any grade.I'm having mine big pine cut this winter.Most are more than 3 feet across.Really too big for my 40 hp tractor,but I have done it.I'm also having the big hemlock cut too.Not much of a market for money there.Smaller ones will be left for me to cut at a future date.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

jon12345

hemlock can make some good dimension lumber, except for the shake... and smellll

in northern NY I know there is a lot of white pine cut, especially for ship masts    :D     hundreds of years ago anyway......
A.A.S. in Forest Technology.....Ironworker

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