Question

[High Rustler]

did a few searches and could not find anything on point.  So what do you think about this situation.

Owner has timber block and forester brings logger to owner to clear cut block and forester takes 10% commission on proceeds. Owner and Forester have worked together for a long, long time.  Contract says logger will pay 25 for sawtimber and 15 for pulpwood.   Logger shorts the proceeds estimated, by formal appraisal, by the forester, by a pretty large amount.  Says his forman sent all the wood to the pulpwood processor.  Proceeds are short by about half. from the forester's written estimate. All the players know and have acknowledged, in writing, that there was substantial saw timber on the property.  Logger's posture is to say he's gonna do something and never does, as he knows recovery will involve a very expensive lawsuit, and is a long, nasty process in this state. Plus, contract is silent on legal fees.

Thoughts? Insight? Is this common?

[Southside]

Go visit the pulpwood processor and ask to see receipts from the sale. If they are upfront they will show them. If the volume does not match what was harvested have a little heart to heart with the logger and see where it goes.
 
I  imagine if it's serious money the foreman is not going to hang for the logger if he knows the jig is up. 

[High Rustler]

Appreciate your response.  There has been talk of tickets and I beleive they substantiate the tonnage logger claims was cut/sent. Logger says he has fired the foreman.  still, Owner is out a pretty serious amount of money.

My personal view is ultimately it Is the forester is who effed up;  sending an unknown/unproven logger to a longtime client.  but looking for other perspectives...  

[mike_belben]

I dont know how you start to recoup that.  Incompetence snuck into the mix somewhere and the wastefulness of it shorted everyone.  Spilled milk.  

[Southside]

How many acres are we talking about here?  Was there no on going oversight by the forester or the logger himself?  Weekly check ins by the forester are common.  What makes this more odd is the fact the logger himself would have lost money as well, so why was he not on top of his crew?

[Skeans1]

What's to say there wasn't defect or rot, I've had land owners come out and ask me why this 6" piece is in the pulp pile you pull it out and it looks like a snake. Now comes the argument that's a log and my forester says that should be a log.

[High Rustler]

^ which goes to the heart of why this owner is asking here; appreciate your perspective.  

I continue to struggle with the forester's role in all this.  Seems negligent/Lazy to me. 

[timberking]

I hate to say it but sounds like your forester is double dipping.  Whose best interest is he watching over.  You say he brought a logger.  Was he high bid?