They told me I was ripping them off

[Sawdust Lover]

I had a first today and I'm not sure if I was wrong or right. People call me in my area when they are taken trees down on there property to buy the logs. I have an add in the local paper sometimes saying logs wanted. Last week I went and looked at 2 walnut trees on an older womens front lawn. The trees were about 20 feet from the house. She thought I took trees down and I told her no I only come and load the logs and pay her for them. I told her I had a friend who owns a tree company and he would probably charge her over $1000.00 to take down and remove the trees. She said I was crazy! She already had a quote for $25.00 per tree. I asked her what were they going to do and she said that was to take down both 30" walnut trees and haul off the brush. I told her to make sure they had insurance and if so go for it. I offered her $250.00 for both trees that only had one 10' log in each. She called me yesturday and told me the trees were down and ready for me. I went back today to find both trees on top of each other and not limmed. I asked her when he was coming back and she told me he said I should limb the trees and cut her firewood and load out the logs if I was only going to give her $250.00. I was confussed! The man who cut the trees down told her I should give her at least $1000.00 for the logs. I told her no way are they worth that and she told me I was ripping her off. I hated to leave this 80 year old women with 2 trees on her front lawn but I wasn't paying that. I told her I would cut up the brush and stack her firewood for the logs and I woudn't owe her and she wouldn't owe me. Again I was ripping her off. I feel bad but somehow the whole thing got turned around. I had no choice but to leave.

[Okrafarmer]

Yep, this song and dance has been going around for far too long. All these people think that every walnut tree in their yard is worth $5,000, and that you will reverently harvest it and clean up the mess and pay them that just in order to get the log from them.

You aren't the only one. It does make you feel bad, but it's an urban myth that has gotten out of hand.

[GDinMaine]

It seems to me that Mr. $25/tree chainsaw wizard spat in the soup and ruined it for everyone.  Poor old lady will still have to pay to have the brush hauled away, and you feel like you did something wrong.  Sounds like the guy is a real gem.

[Okrafarmer]

They used to tar and feather people like that.  :(

[Sawdust Lover]

The guy does odd jobs around town. He has no idea what the market for lumber is or what goes into prosessing it. I thought her and I had a deal but she is taken his word because he's been mowing her lawn for years. I feel bad because she really thought I was taken advantage of her. I thought it was a fair price for 2 yard trees.

[Okrafarmer]

Well, you could always tell a sawmilling buddy to contact her about the logs, and offer her even less. And explain to her the same thing you did, that those logs really aren't worth what that joker told her.

[learner]

Do you know a Forest management person that would call her for you and explain things?  It sounds like the guy that dropped the trees told her that just to get the job.  People that don't know are very gullible when it comes to making money to make ends meet.
Especially the elderly.  What am I saying? I'm elderly now i guess!  :D  Anyway, If you are the man I believe you are, you'll keep trying to help her until All options are exhausted.  We have a neighbor that want's a 70' red oak dropped.
But it's 40 feet from her house and would cost more to drop than the going price for red oak.  I won't do the job myself because of insurance reasons and it's not worth the cost to pay someone to drop it.  In my case my neighbor understood.
But in your case I strongly suggest having an "Official" call and explain things to her.  That way you can go to bed knowing you did all you could to help her.

[Mooseherder]

Sounds like you know the guy who cut the trees and the small town Politics are a little worrisome for your reputation.  Tell chainsaw Dude to not refer you anymore to these type jobs to his face so he knows to not do that again.

[Solomon]

Like I said in the thread I started titled "Walnut"   I am going to get a whole load of walnut logs and crotches from out in the country because nobody wants to pay anything for them.  He is giving them to me. And this is a guy who once ran his own circle mill and knows  what hes doing.    Like  all of you have said,  poeple just have no clue. ??? :-\

[losttheplot]

Leave it be for now, eventually she will either sell them for a thousand dollars or call you back.
It's nice to help people but you can only do so much.

[YellowHammer]

This happens to all of us, I assume, certainly to me.  So I just stay professional and explain what my price and position is and thank them for their time and drive away.  Sometimes they call back, sometimes they don't but as long as you are convinced you were being fair, that's really what counts.  I take the attitude that it's just a tree, there will be another along shortly.  Don't let it get to you.
YH

[Okrafarmer]

Don't let the walnut fever cloud your judgment. I been there, done that, to my chagrin.  :-\

[logboy]

This thread has finally spurned me to get off my duff and do a writeup on the myth of the highly valuable walnut tree. I have been writing it in my head for weeks now, so I might as well put the proverbial pen to paper. I was just going to post it on my website for my customers (and those using google) but since we are all encountering the same problem I might as well just give it away to everyone. When I get through the draft, I'll post it here for everyone to look at and eye over and weigh in on. There will always be those who know more about certain aspects of the business and may be able to correct or tweak some aspects (veneer logs, etc).  I figure this might be a good collaborative project that will benefit everyone.

Thoughts? Comments? Criticism?

[Okrafarmer]

Sounds good. Maybe you should put it on the collaborative threads section.  ;)

[Jeff]

I usually just point people here.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/pdf/0044.pdf

[SwampDonkey]

Jeff, that sheet pretty much says it all. 

[Okrafarmer]

Jeff, that sheet pretty much says it all. 

Thank you, Jeff, a very good resource. And for all of that, I would still be happy to give $200 for the logs from the second tree, unless I could see metal hanging out of it. But I wouldn't cut it down and clean it up for that price.

[sealark37]

I answered a CL ad about "beautiful 40" walnut tree".  Nice lady says that I can take it down and give her $500 for the logs.  I arrived at the address, the tree is 6" from the house, and it is 40" circumference.  She says that she needs it down, and she will take $200.  I leave the tree and the lady.  I later check the GIS on the property.  She is a tenant, who does not own the property.  You got to be careful with "walnut for sale".    Regards, Clark

[francismilker]

I usually just point people here.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/pdf/0044.pdf

Lots of good info Jeff.  Thanks for posting. 

To the OP, I've only been back in the hobby milling business for a month now and word has spread like wildfire that there's a mill around.  I've been bombed with every kind of call from every species of tree that you can imagine from people willing to "let" me have their tree if I'll cut it down and haul off all the limbs.  When I explain that I'm not interested in the tree or the logs, they look in disbelief and shock of why I don't want their Winged Elm!

[Okrafarmer]

To the OP, I've only been back in the hobby milling business for a month now and word has spread like wildfire that there's a mill around.  I've been bombed with every kind of call from every species of tree that you can imagine from people willing to "let" me have their tree if I'll cut it down and haul off all the limbs.  When I explain that I'm not interested in the tree or the logs, they look in disbelief and shock of why I don't want their Winged Elm!

I usually tell people that if they bring the log to me, I'll be happy to take it for free.  ;D On the other hand, if they bring me something I actually want, I'll actually pay for it.

[mikeb1079]

don't feel too bad sawdust....that kind of silliness happens all the time.  the local craigslist is rife with folks that heard about walnut trees being made of gold.  they're perfectly free to ask for 3k for a junk yard tree (this ad was about a week ago) and of course the rest of us are perfectly free to let the tree sit on their front lawn.   :D :D  best you can do is to be patient and educate when possible.  oh and keep smiling too   ;D ;D

[Kansas]

I have several lines of defense. The first line is, "we don't have the specialized insurance of removing yard trees" and are not in the business. If they counter they are not near the house, (meaning at least 10 foot away in most peoples minds) I say our insurance would not allow us to remove them, and it would get cancelled if anything happened. When they want to know if we would buy it/them when it was down, I simply say, its not profitable to chase down a tree or two. Then they counter, well what about if I brought them in. I ask how large they are. They usually have some huge number on diameter. Then I tell them about metal in yard trees, and all the ways they pick it up. Then they say, I know this tree doesn't have  metal. I say, the size of the tree indicates it would be at least 80-100 years old. You don't know what the previous owner might have done. Sometimes that ends the conversation. If they come back, on no, I planted this tree  myself 20 years ago, I just politely tell them we are full up on logs right now, and aren't taking any.

On very rare occasion, if the tree is local, I will stop by and look at it. Maybe once a year at best.

[Slingshot]

  I have a walnut tree in a wooded area near a creek that looks similar to the one shown
in figure 1 in the Facks Sheet that Jeff posted. Just waiting to decide what I want to do
with it before I cut it. It's about 40 feet to the first limb.



 



 



 

These two are closer to the creek, not as tall but the one closer to the camera is
about as large in diameter as the one in upper pictures:


 


Several more on up the creek also.

___________________________-
Charles 

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Nice tree Charles. They'll be some beautiful lumber come out of that one. 

[Slingshot]

  Thanks, I'm planning to cut it  early next spring. I won't want all the lumber
for myself so will sell most of it.


__________________------
charles