Bad timber buyer

[Luckyfarmer]

 A friend of mine had a buyer walk his timber for bid.  He checked in couple hours later and told him his big walnut had wire in it.  They walked in and he showed him a section of wire sticking out.  Next day he went back and looked again..  He pulled the wire out and it was rusty all over.  The man had drilled a hole and put the wire in trying to discount the log.  Heck of a world.

[Cedarman]

That will probably be the most expensive walnut that buyer ever came across.  With good word of mouth, his reputation should precede him where ever he goes. 
Keep us posted of any updates.

[Ron Scott]

If the landowner is sure of this, he should make the timber buyer aware that he knows what he did in trying to devalue his timber.

[WH_Conley]

Everybody has their own way, I would probably sure that it was in a very public, very crowded place.

[Texas Ranger]

Naw, newspaper, no names, write what was done, and if interested in the buyers name, call me.

That is a new one on me, but, saw a buyer in Missouri check a load of walnut, used a hammer on the butt logs.  Found one where the logger had meticulously carved a plug to fit in the butt cavity, then applied a little mud to help disguised the stunt.  How long do you think the buyer would have gone without finding it out, without the hammer?  How long do you think the logger would have been selling logs?

Dumb, dumb, dumb, but then, thieves are not renowned for their intelligence.

[beenthere]

Ron suggested, and I agree, that one needs to be sure that the landowner knows this for sure.

Some evidence that a hole was drilled, and that the wire was not ingrown into the tree/bark would be more telling than "the wire was rusty all over".  That statement by itself is pretty 'thin' to me.  : :

If in fact true, then no holds barred. Tar and feathers even....and on a rail outta town...

[jerry-m]

Do Not Bad Mouth this Guy Just Yet, Check around the base of the tree to try and find a few wood shavings from the drill bit... Also check the tree with a good metal detector to see if some more metal can be found, If there was one piece there is most likely some more...

Good luck, jerry

[Dave Shepard]

If there is fence wire in a tree, there will be a lot more trees around it that have wire in it. And golly gee, they all seem to be in sort of a line with each other, isn't that strange. Please tell me this was out in the woods where there had never been a fence before, it would only add to how foolish this guy was.

Dave

[Ron Wenrich]

I've hit lots of wire inside trees, along with old nails and other trash.  I never saw any that were bright and shiny.  Yep, about every one of those were rusty.  That old electric wire almost crumbles in your hand, and it will break off pretty easily.

Before making accusations, I would have a lot of proof.  Its hard to believe that a buyer would drag a drill into the woods, and have a ready supply of rusty wire at his disposal. 

There are several species of trees that I know I'm going to hit trash metal in.  Ash and walnut.  They both grow on good sites, and that's close to where people live.

[Cedarman]

I can never remember being able to pull a piece wire or nail from a tree and leave a hole.  They do break off at the surface though.  A metal detector will sure prove if there is more wire. 

I have had loggers put mud on the butts of cedar logs to hide the rotten wood.  The tape gets pulled hard on the whole load. 

[thecfarm]

I live on my Grandparents farm.I've seen lots of wire in tree and know where there is lots more.I've never been ever to pull it out and it's just like Ron and Cedarman said.These go into fire wood.Must take sometime to drill a small hole through a live tree.Some people.

[Ron Wenrich]

I have seen holes, if the fence breaks off inside the tree and have done it a few times.  Something like pulling a nail out of a tree.  It leaves a hole.

I've had loggers that tried the mud on the butt trick, when I was scaling logs.  I always got my money back, and then some.  Maybe not on the next load, but on other loads.  And, I always was a little harder on their logs, to make up for the ones I missed.  

[Gary_C]

So some of you are going to lynch this "bad timber buyer" because a "friend" told me that a buyer found some rusty wire in one of his walnut trees and he MUST have put it there because he has never had any wire in his walnut trees before that buyer got there.  :   And you read this on the internet and believe everything you read on the internet.   

But I also do not trust timber and log buyers either. They pick out every single defect and get mad at you if you try to cover up anything plus they have short scale sticks.   :D :D

[Ron Scott]

We often find wire in trees and not always in property line or fence line trees. We also come across old pasture fences in the most odd and unexpected places. We cruise those trees accordingly and mark them so that the cutter is aware of the "metal defect" before putting the saw to them.

[Cedarman]

Gary_C, you bring appropriate points.   There is chicanary on both sides of the barbed wire.  Sellers play tricks and buyers play tricks.  A lot depends on the source of the story you hear. If my next door neighbor tells me, then I'm likely to go wanna hava see.  If I hear if 3d or 4th hand then I file it away for future reference or see if it jives with other things I have heard.

But to jump to a conclusion based on hearsay isn't good.

But in the same token to not say something after assuring yourself that you have had a scam attempted is bad.  I tell others which loggers I ban and why.  It is not hard to track a rumor down and if you can't track it down then it does become very suspicious.

[Gary_C]

Cedarman, yes I agree with you. When people come with these problems, it's hard not to jump in with the things to do with the scoundrel. And to make light of the person who makes these posts or to discourage people that come for help with legitmate problems is not my intent either. But it seems like there is a continual stream of these posts that badmouth loggers or buyers and only one side of the story is heard. And especially when it is the persons first post (this one was the 39th)and they disappear into the vast reaches of the internet, I wonder if we are not just someones entertainment.  :

So to Luckyfarmer, if you think I have offended you or made light of this situation, I apologize. But I can't help but want to see a picture or more evidence to prove the buyer has done something wrong. I do find it hard to believe that even an ethically challenged buyer would carry a drill into the woods to deliberately damage a walnut tree he was fixing to buy. And beyond that, the best advice you could give your friend to prevent any incentive for this happening again is to either get some professional help to sell your trees or to make sure the buyers know that you are getting more than just his bid.