Buying standing ERC in S.C

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I had a guy stop by the mill today and ask me if I'd like to buy standing Eastern Red Cedar from his farm. I would have to go and cut the trees myself. Load them and bring them home. The trees are only 2 miles from my mill. I saw stationary in my shed and do not travel.

My question is, what is a fair price to offer? He does not know how to sell and I don't know how to buy. We have no way to measure weight, so that's not an option.

Please tell me a fair way to give him a price per tree.

Thanks, David

[Cedarman]

I like to buy lump sum for any or all.  Sometimes owner has a size limit at dbh and that is ok.  Or buy by the board foot and measure each log as it comes out.  Use the cedar scale.  I figure fom 1/5 to 1/3 for the owner of mill prices that may be from 35 to 50 cents per board foot depending on where you are.  Depends on lay of land, how close trees are together, how far to drag, size of timber etc.  Also what does competition pay.  All those things may be considered when figuring value of the standing cedar.
Also, you will need to decide value of logs with rot.  Usually zero value in woods unless a shaving mill is close enough to buy them.

Hope this gets you started.
Richard

[SDB777]

Deleted comment




Here is an example of the kind of PM the Admins put up with fairly regularly when members (usually newer ones) get on their high horse and abuse the forum.  To make sure that the forum is punished sufficiently, they delete their posts, like this one did, or find some other way of trying to bolster their bravado. This one hails from Arkansas. I guess even a fine state like that has its grumps.

I suppose that this makes him feel better.

So if I offended your delicate feelings....so what! 

Well, back to trying to read all of the posts that are being made.  It's tough to keep up when you have to read them all.  Most are only concerned with five or six.  Heck, this guy only has 11 posts himself.  I guess he couldn't handle being a "Real" member.

[paul case]

i actually had a neighbor cut down about 15 erc trees, log them out and he gave them to me for 1 logs worth of planed boards. logs werent great and i had to go pick them up but it was just across the road from my mill.
when i buy oak logs, i pay $.10 bdft standing on the doyle scale. that means i cut them down and scale them, not i pay before they are cut. i dont buy any that isnt sound. if i get a big cedar in the bunch i would pay the same for it since i dont have a standing market for cedar lumber. although i could probably sell all the cedar lumber i could make for a little more than the oak, i would probably have to deal with pickers.   pc