I have a good amount of walnuts, maples, oaks, poplars, sycamores, and a few other hardwoods that my father and I are looking to cut and sell. Not sure if we're going get them cut down to boards before we sell or if we would sell whole logs. But, my main question is, how long should we cut the logs? Just wondering what the most commonly sought after length is.
Log length will likely depend on markets and what the end product will be. Your best bet would probably be to contact the log buyers/sawmills who you are planning to sell to, they should be able to give you specifications on what size, length and species they are after.
jg
Welcome to the Forestry Forum.
If you are not after a certain particular length and just stocking logs, then buck the logs at quality breaks. Often a log will tell you where the limbs start showing up, and where the log has a crook in it, or where the seam stops. Let the log speak for itself, and hopefully the buyers will recognize the quality that you have cut out.
If you cut them in to boards, then that quality will show in those boards as well.
This somewhat depends on the products you are going to try to sell as well, if it be boards.
But just to make a pile of the same length logs likely isn't the best... but it looks neat. :)
if you have room, skid out 20 trees, leave them uncut, then bring in a couple buyers to look at them and see what they have to say. You will get a quick education about value that way.
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, jgroberts2
Some good advice given. Always check with your local mills and log buyers as to what log lengths they prefer before you cut and buck the trees.
jgroberts2,welcome to the forum. There is a lot to grading the logs too. You can cut 2 feet of a 16 foot log and it might be worth more.
Thanks for all the info everyone! We've dropped quite a few good trees already and have buyers coming in to look at them and give us insight. Thanks again!
I was also planning on cutting some trees down and have some buyers come in to get bids. Problem is i cant find any buyers willing to do that. They all seem to want to do the cutting themselves. Any idea how to find willing buyers that will just give bids?