Pine Tree's

[Randy]

Help me out here Fellow Sawyers. I have been going aroung the neighbor hood for the last year collecting a little over 100 pine logs from 8ft to 20ft, but have hit a dry spell here---can't find any free ones to pick up lately. I have a neighbor that owns some farm land next to me, he lives 250 miles away. He has about 20 nice pines 18 to 30" on his property--I just called him and he wants me to look them over and make him a offer. I was thinking it would be worth something to not have to load and trailer them from miles away(if I could find some), but HOW MUCH?? Never bought any.  He doesn't have enough to get a logging crew. These logs would be used for my personal usage--not for resale. What you guys think? Thanks Randy

[WH_Conley]

You are a pretty good piece away and I don't know the market there, but here pine is pretty much a free wood, if you can find someone to cut it. Most any will bring at any mill around here is $200.00 mbf Doyle, only 16 inch and up. I can get it cheap but can't sell it after sawed. Only guess I could make would be to find out what the going rate at the local mills is and offer a percentage for stumpage.

[Randy]

I asked a timber cruiser---he said that most logging crew's pay the timber owner $200  up to $350 per thousand for pine, but he said if the timber owner doesn't have enough to get a logging crew--the tree's are not worth anything to "Them". He said I should pay little to nothing for the tree's, but they would be worth something to me---I was thinking of offering him $25 per tree and I make sure the fields are cleared of all limb's, but I don't feel he will accept the offer---that is why I wanted to ask all of you------maybe I should pay more--it would be alot easier to cut them, hook to the tractor and pull to the mill------no loading or unloading. They are within 1 to 200 yards from where I have the mill set-up.  Might talk myself into paying more :D. Randy

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Hey Randy,

Keep in mind, reallllyyyy in mind, that these trees are not going to attract the attention
of any logger.   Just too few of them.   My broker/cruiser friends hardly raise an eyebrow
at less that 20 acres of trees, much less at 20 trees.   If these trees totalled
to say, 25 tons, they would bring about $1,500 dollars at a mill at top dollar.   Sadly, the problem
for your neighbor is getting them off those stumps and to a mill; and nobody is around to
work on a small scale anymore for 20 trees.

A tree surgeon friend of mine offered to help me in  a similar situation for $1000 dollars
to handle  an equivalent number of less valuable logs.   When I realized the situation - that
these trees were going nowhere - I offered the property owner a tiny stumpage fee.  I then
promptly set up on site to saw them right there, rather than move them.

I think you are in the ballpark at $25 a tree.   Just explain this to him.   After all the trees are
worth their dollar value, less the cost of harvesting.  You end up at $500 which is $25 per tree. :

Phil L.

[Brad_S.]

he said that most logging crew's pay the timber owner $200  up to $350 per thousand for pine,

I don't know your local market but here I buy logs from the loggers, trucked to my mill for those prices. They landowner only gets about a third of that.

[Randy]

I don't know your local market but here I buy logs from the loggers, trucked to my mill for those prices. They landowner only gets about a third of that.

Yea--I Felt he was telling me wrong---------Lowes is app $600 per thousand for planed pine lumber----if the timber owner was getting $300--wouldn't leave alot for the loggers/trucks/mill etc. Thanks Randy

[Randy]

OK, Here is what the man has------in pines---- 4-- between 20 and 24, 14--between 12 and 16", 10 between 16  to 19" Total 28 pines. All fairly straight!! I figure I could get app. 56 logs 16ft, probably 30 12ft and 25 8ft---App 110 logs. He also has 5 poplar's from 15 to 22" and 2 -- 22" cypress. All measurements were taken chest high.  Here is the deal-------He didn't call me----I Called Him----So I am interested in the logs, because I am building a Cabin and Family meeting/cook house. All I have to do is drop my fence, cut the tree's and pull them onto my property. The fartherest tree's are app 150 yards---I Don't want to set-up the sawmill on his property-----I Want to get some of your opinion's on what to offer the man for the 35 tree's. I have never bought any. So what would you pay if you wanted them? Thanks Randy

[ellmoe]

Randy,

   The most I'd pay would be about $100/mbf international, and this only because it is next door and he's my neighbor. If you do buy on scale I suggest that you "price" out a couple of trees before cutting so that there are no misunderstanding what a tree is worth.  Also, I'd be real particular about clean-up. Many people don't understand what a logged site will look like. It'd be a shame to create a angry neighbor over a few trees. Maybe he'd be interested in some of the lumber from "his " logs. This may be an incentive to him.

Good luck.

Mark

[jon12345]

tell him there was a horrible windstorm and they all come down, but you're willing to clean them up for free    :D

[brucehuggins]

I'd tell you, "If I ever put a price on them I'll give you first refusal."

[D Martin]

I had a simmilar scenario a few years back. I was scoutining my land for the best pines when I saw my neighbor. I asked him If he knew exactly where the boundry lines were cause I was taking down a few trees. They didnt know exactly but offered me all of there pines ( 20 or so large dia straight ones) if I was willing to take em down cause pines were messy and they wanted a yard that would grow good grass and such. Not  having heavy equipment I said gimme some time to figure a way to get them skidded up over the hill to my property. I didnt act fast enough cause next thing I knew a small logging company was set up had em down and gone in a day. They had a sign on the neigbors lawn saying " free tree removal 25 tree minimum" I saw them at two other propertys on my road that summer they did little to no cleanup . I'd not offer a lot to your neighbor, see what he says and up the anny if he dont bite he may want them down any way and you'd be helpin him out.

[customsawyer]

be careful offering to do the clean up as that can be more work than the logs.

[dail_h]

   My opinion,and an opinion only.
   Stumpage is worth stumpage price. Conditions ,and circumstance are parameters for negotiating. Does neighbor need to sell,are the trees a problem for him,how good of a relationship do you have with him? If you lowball him will you sleep ok?
   Stumpage is fair market value,anything less is a bargainuntil it becomes inapproiate.
                                    JUST MY OPINION

[solodan]

wow, big difference out this way, pine goes $500 per thousand and retails about $1500 planed.  just drive it all out here and sell it. then fill the truck up with aluminum cans and go visit Jeff. I think they pay $.10 a can up there. ;) ;D

[toxedo_2000]

Maybe you recall that tread in wich  I said I had a pine too big for my mill ? Well, it was at a friend's house. The tree had to be cut off because my friends were afraid that somedays it would fall on the house. They have been charge 800 $ to cut the tree. And when the workers ask if they could take the cants (3), the owner said no, we gave it to a friend (me). The guys were very disappointed. They had hope to keep the wood for milling I think. So they would have had the wood, and charge $ for it.
Tox

[rebocardo]

I would ask about what happens to the tree tops and stumps before I made an offer.

Top clean up is most of the cost in pricing a small tree job. To me, if I had to clean/chip the tops I would offer nothing. THOUGH, if I really needed the wood, I would go to the closest Home Depot and offer 1/4 the price per board foot of what Home Depot was charging of the stuff I cut that actually made it into lumber. So, that might work out to $0.25 a BF.

As an example I would say, Home Depot is charging $6 for a 1x6x8, so I will pay you $1.25 per board and there should be ### of board in these trees. Deduct lot clean up from this figure.

[WeeksvilleWoodWorx]

WOW Rebo 25% of retail on the stump? To the timber owner?

What about logging, milling, drying, finishing, wholesale market and transportation?

Brian

[rbjones03]

I've several  people tell me they wished they had known that I could mill logs for them because they just had to pay the contractor to cut the trees off their building site  and haul them off. Seem the last one had about 40  trees and they could only get about 5 on a truck at a time. He said they were only about 40" in diameter. The contractor said he would do him a favor and haul them to the dump for him.  :D :D :D

Wish I had advertised more.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  I think that you would be better off to offer the $25 per tree and pile the tops up for him.   It is not an unfair price and most likly he's not going to get a better deal.   Here pine is going for $45 a ton for small saw logs and large bring $52.  Pulpwood is about $26 a ton.   It will come out about $0.20 per bdft on International 1/4 scale.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

And here we are again, back at $25 per tree, but $20
each for the 14 smaller trees - now that you have broken
down the sizes.

Sounds more than fair, if you only pile the tops/limbs.

(And if you do a total clean-up, you deduct from the total.)

Phil L.

[Randy]

OK--THANKS!! I will offer $25 per tree if he doesn't come up with a better price, because I called him and told him what he had that I wanted and for him to figure a price and get back to me. Shoot he might think they are GOLD!!  If I get them, The tree top's will be left where they fall. I will throw all the tree's that are close to the field into the wooded area, So I don't have to clean top's out the field---------------Oh,  This is wooded area around a field, no houses in site and what would be a good thing is I have been raised beside these fields and I know no fence has ever been put around them in the 40+ years I have lived here. They should be metal free. One man gave me 17 tree's---Every bottom log had wire grown into it, mercy that was a Mess!! Randy

[rebocardo]

> WOW Rebo 25% of retail on the stump? To the timber owner?

Sure, if I -> wanted <- the wood.  Still, if I pay him $0.25 a foot when I have to buy it at $1.00+ a foot, I still save a bunch of money if talking 1000s of feet. Plus, I get better quality stuff then I ever could in a mass market store.

I did only two sawing jobs with DonE11 so far, but, I had the wood SOLD before he was even 1/2 way through sawing. $.25 a foot for Don and $.25 a foot for me. If I am taking the home owners wood for free, I usually discount the tree work a fair amount based on what I think we will saw. Unfortunately, his mill broke on the last job and I had to track the guy down who bought the wood (who was passing by) and return $300 of his $400 he prepaid for the wood we were going to cut.

To me a good deal is where everyone is happy. If a property owner wants or needs money and I am cutting the wood into boards (making money), I have no problem paying a home owner a decent price on his/her wood as long as everyone gets paid .