Very large black cherry tree market?

[air1514]

The place I’m Logging in arkansas has a black cherry tree that’s about the size of full-size pickup trucks hood at the base of it. It holds its size well and is probably 70 ft tall where it would be topped. Is there a market at all for black cherry?

[Resonator]

There's a current subject thread on cherry yard logs in saw milling you could read.

[TKehl]

Nope.  Just send me your address and I'll take that troublesome tree off your hands.  Can't be more than 4-8 hour drive one way.   

[BargeMonkey]

 Your best bet is to get a hold of whatever log buyer you've got, get it out and let them mark it, cherry is hard to tell, between bird peck and "target".

[TKehl]

Good chance it is full of ants or hollow.  That's what the big cherry up here tends to do.

Defect to a log buyer, but something a woodworker can make good use of.  Ant holes+Epoxy=awesome.   

[Decked]

and to think back in my heyday, our Black Cherry was going for $5+ per foot...

[nativewolf]

and to think back in my heyday, our Black Cherry was going for $5+ per foot...

I know I know, prices are low now but, not terrible.  We are getting 600-800/MBF for ok logs.  If we had a veneer log we can get 2000/mbf

[nativewolf]

 

 

We are seeing quite a few older large cherry on two tracts where we are chasing Walnut.  I wonder if it is because prices fell so much? 

[Firewoodjoe]

Black cherry around here is right up there with the rest. Native you act like 6-800 is ok but not the best? I can only remember the highest grade was 1200. That was hard maple before 2008. The mill we haul to is selling veneer to China for $5 a foot.

[nativewolf]

Black cherry around here is right up there with the rest. Native you act like 6-800 is ok but not the best? I can only remember the highest grade was 1200. That was hard maple before 2008. The mill we haul to is selling veneer to China for $5 a foot.

Veneer Cherry logs or Veneer Maple wood? 

Either way if they are paying $1.2 /bdft for logs, and selling end product at $5.00 I think that's a pretty steep increase.  Wouldn't 3x be more normal? so 3.6.  That extra $1.4  split between mill and logger would bump cherry up to $1.9 and that sounds much better to me  .   However, I may be off base.  I can remember when, long ago, Cherry did get over 2/bdft if it was PA or Appalachian Cherry. 

In dimensional lumber the price markup is much much less and in Walnut, what I know best, the markup is less. 

[nativewolf]

Your best bet is to get a hold of whatever log buyer you've got, get it out and let them mark it, cherry is hard to tell, between bird peck and "target".

Also, we have lots of heart rot here in VA.  Well maybe we get to see what that Cherry looks like, bids are in.

[Firewoodjoe]

Logger bought Stumpage cut and trucked to the mill grade only in log form is what I'm talking. And the veneer at $5 a foot is the mill reselling it in log form.

[nativewolf]

Logger bought Stumpage cut and trucked to the mill grade only in log form is what I'm talking. And the veneer at $5 a foot is the mill reselling it in log form.

So reselling the veneer logs at $5/bdft wow...can't you find a log exporter?  Here in N VA the log exporters make all the world of difference and have doubled the price we get for Walnut. 

If you grade and remove the veneer logs and #1 logs for sale to the exporter you might find a huge jump in income.

[Stoneyacrefarm]

Hard to get veneer quality up our way.
Like barge said. Bird peck. Pitch.
I've sold 2 trailer loads of it and not 1 stick graded veneer.
I pulled a nice stem out last Saturday.
It was 62' long. 23" at the tip. 

[Stoneyacrefarm]

 

  

  

 
Forgot to add pics.

[JB Griffin]

Nope. It ain't worth much here. Most likely shakey as all get out, most if not all the big one are around here. I have two logs laying around that will almost split themselves they are so shakey, one is 24" across the butt 20" top and has several shakes that all but make a full circle.

[Stoneyacrefarm]

Ours isn't shakey at all.
Just bird peck and pitch on some of it.
I have some nice clear logs.
They just don't get excited about it like they do in Pennsylvania.
I'm curious to see what it will bring for the truck load.

[TKehl]

Our local cherry doesn't grow very well.  I think it is a combo of the wind and the ground I think.  Very crooked growth and if it gets to 10" before dying dad and I look on with amazement at such a big Cherry.   

There are exceptions, but rare, and usually grow under the canopy of mature Oaks.  As such they grow so slow, that most are hollow or at least filled with ants. 

[nativewolf]

Ours isn't shakey at all.
Just bird peck and pitch on some of it.
I have some nice clear logs.
They just don't get excited about it like they do in Pennsylvania.
I'm curious to see what it will bring for the truck load.

Doesn't look like that should have a problem grading well.  Nice tree .

[mike_belben]

We have the same cherry as Tkehl.  3" thick mcdonalds arches, only good for deer thickets and ivy ladders.