hemlock in michigan

[karen s]

I'd like to know if there is any market for hemlock in Michigan?  I have big straight (not wind whipped) hemlock that I'd like to sell off.

[beenthere]

Welcome to the forum.
What is "big" ?  i.e. diameter at breast high, and length of stem to first limb?

What acerage do you have in these big trees?

Yep, they are leading questions. 

[Sawyerfortyish]

If the hemlock is of good diameter and if it's not to bad to get to and if you find the right sawmill they'll might take it off your hands. But thats a lot of if's. Don't expect to much. Altho I wish I had 30-40 thousand feet right now. I do a lot of barn siding and it just seems to disapear.

[karen s]

The hemlock I have average 14" and up at chest height,  roughly 20 acres m/l, located in central northern michigan.

[Geoff Kegerreis]

The hemlock I have average 14" and up at chest height,  roughly 20 acres m/l, located in central northern michigan.

What Sawyerfortyish said. 

Karen, I live in in the North central lower peninsula too, and am a forester here.  Small sawmills will saw Hemlock and typically give White pine log (or equivalent) prices for it - which means you can probably get it cut, but this is very small quantity and limited market species we're talking about.  Generally, I wouldn't bother cutting it unless it's negatively affecting timber production - simply because there is to much work involved in attempting to market a sale for it alone - and it is important for neo-tropical transmigratory warbler species.

No species is worth more $$$ as a landscape species in this state.

[karen s]

The hemlock is choking out other species of trees and is too thick to allow undergrowth.  Also, a few of the bigger ones have lost the tops due to wind in the last few years, I just don't want to see them wasted, even if they have to go thru as chips for the co-gen plant in Cadillac.  It is better than just letting them go.  Their removal is part of my forestry management plan.

[Sawyerfortyish]

If the wind blew hard enough to bust the tops out of some I'll bet there wind shook and if so arn't worth the time and effort to cut and skid for lumber. :(

[Furby]

So would you still be looking to remove them even if you had to pay for removal?
It don't sound like there is much if any value there.
Talking about chipping them, there is even less value and you might end up paying for removal.

[SwampDonkey]

Some want hemlock removed and I want some to grow.  :-\

[Ron Scott]

Karen,

As previously stated, there isn't much of a  market for hemlock here in north central lower Michigan. It is usually retained for wildlife thermal and escape cover and  landscape aesthetics and we have been loosing a lot in the Lake States for lack of it's regeneration.

Can you tell us what your management plan specifically says about your hemlock stand and it's need for harvest. What is the soil type and are there other tree species inclusions with the hemlock?

[karen s]

I have roughly 75 acres of various timber, red and white pine, maple, birch, cherry, oak, beech, poplar, ash (mostly harvested to avoid ash borer) and the hemlock.  The broken hemlock are along the water where the wind was able to hit them, most are away from the waters edge and have some wind protection.

No, I will not pay for removal, I just hate to see them simply cut down and wasted when I know they make beautiful lumber and timbers.  It seems noone is building with them anymore, even the Amish communities are using steel barns now.

Removing them now will allow for new growth of various species, thereby creating more useful timber in years to come.  They are currently so thick that no light penetrates, so no undergrowth survives.  Where I have removed them, the undergrowth is coming in nicely.

[beenthere]

karen
Those dark hemlock forests are what 'some' people in WI want our National Forests and State Forests to revert back to...as that is what they claim it used to be many year ago.  That is their desire...to have the forest floor without undergrowth.
So there are different desires ....  Seems if you have it, it would add to the desireability and aesthetics of your forest community. Call it diversity... ;D

[Rick Alger]

Might try some local horseoggers. The scale sounds right for a small operator at a relatively low stumpage rate. I do this kind of work in NH with my horses.