Cottonwood logging

[D2 Cody]

Anybody do this? I usually send trucks of hardwood loads and some cedar but one of our mills about an hour our from our shop is wanting us to start logging cottonwood for them also. All we can cut they will buy the way it sounds which is great but never have logged cottonwood so just looking for somebody with experience. Trying to pencil the business side out and see what I can do to help them and still be profitable for me. Have only talked briefly with them and waiting to hear more info back but if anyone has any tips, tricks, pointers, anything from the logging side to the business side, and what not please feel free to chime in as I'm all ears.

[mills]

Well I'll be. We can't hardly sell cottonwood for saw logs here in my part of Kentucky. They may buy a log here and there for blocking timber, but that's it. Landowners have a hard time believing that no one wants their biggest, tallest, straightest tree in the woods. :D I wonder if cottonwood here is the same as your part of the country. As far as cutting it, think brittle poplar... soft wood, but splits easier. Hope it works out for you.

[thecfarm]

What's the cotton wood going to be used for?
Years ago we got in the Ugly white pine market. And I do mean Ugly. We had some BIG white pine,but they would crotch out at just about 7 feet. At least 2 and some 3 leaders. We had one of the 3 leaders pushed off to the side of our landing. It was a 8 footer. The trucker came in and loaded up and saw it. I was cutting with my Father on this land that I live. The trucker said they would buy that.My Father thought he was nuts. While he was telling him how they would not buy it,I went and got it. On the truck it went. My Father said no way will they take that and no way would they pay us. We got the slip back and there was only one 8 foot log on the slip. Never forgot my Father saying,They took it and they paid us for it. So we swapped gear and started to chase down every ugly tree we could find. As he said,you can sell good logs anytime,can't sell bad logs all the time. We sold them a few more of the 2-3 leaders. But after about the 4th one the trucker said no more crotches.  ;D We getting twice the price of pulp. All these so called logs was too big for pulp. Sold them alot with 6-8 inch dead knots too.This was being used to make window frames. The knots would be cut out for clear wood and than dove tailed. Now the price is just as much as pulp.

[D2 Cody]

Hi guys, the cottonwood logs will be going to a mill that sells certfied pallets all over the world. I hope I can make it work because when our other mill is full of hardwood sawlog and smaller hardwood firewood this would be a great way to keep the money coming in and also when my dozer business gets slow I could use this to help offset the slow times. I am not sure what kind of cottonwood you have your way Mills but they are probably close to the same family of nothing else. Lol the C farm I have been in your shoes before we were cutting semi loads of firewood logs to go to the mill to run through their huge firewood processor they oil behind a semi and our last load was to say the least very ugly as you said and the only reason they bought it was because I put a huge 28 to 30 inch by 14 foot walnut that was absolutely gorgeous in the load for veneer sawlog to sweeten the deal so that's the only reason they took the load. I made more on the walnut log than I made on the tonnage for the firewood logs lol.

[mike_belben]

Here in middle TN cottonwood is only every mills short list of what we wont buy.  I dont even know what it looks like.  Cant sell it, so why look

[NWP]

The Amish sawmill cuts a lot of it for pallets. The footage adds up fast on the big cottonwood. How much per bd ft are they paying?

[dgdrls]

It's supposed to be good for horse stalls, 

posted this in the general board as well
https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fpltn/fpltn-246.pdf

D

[sawguy21]

While young and still bulletproof I was on a construction crew clearing land for a campground, most of the trees were cottonwood. That was miserable to handle, slippery and HEAVY. I could barely lift the rounds using my knees for assistance. I don't remember where the wood went, nobody wanted it and it wouldn't burn.

[SFires]

My dad always told me about my grandpa and his brothers building barns out of cottonwood.  Apparently one of my great uncles had a circler mill that they would set up wherever they was building at and drag freash cut logs up with hores's then start building as soon as the boards came off the mill.