A couple of months ago I had the biologist out walking our place in Frankston TX to help come up with a wildlife management plan. After noticing several huge cedars that had been cut and left laying in the pasture, he said that was a waste of some good money. He told me that most of the really old big cedars growing on the place could fetch a pretty penny. Does anyone know of any sawmills in the Tyler, Jacksonville, Palestine area that may buy big old cedars and what the going price is?
Wellcome to the forum. I may be able to help you with that. I'll send you a mail.
Generally cedar is bought by weight, however if they have been laying a long time you need to sell them hand scaled. As long as they are still sound you shouldn't have any problem selling them.
There is a cedar mill in Rusk, Tx.
There is also a mill in Elkhart, TX that deals mainly in Cedar.
I imagine the mill in Rusk that Texas Ranger is talking about is Wilcox. They deal in cedar, mesquite and cypress mainly.
While the mill in Elkhart is small and the one in Rusk is larger, they are both well established reputable sawmills.
As CCC4 says;
Quote from: CCC4 on November 24, 2012, 04:23:03 PM
Generally cedar is bought by weight, however if they have been laying a long time you need to sell them hand scaled. As long as they are still sound you shouldn't have any problem selling them.
As your timber is still standing you would be better off selling by weight. The greener the heavier. I sent you an e-mail so you know you have at least One interested party. The main problem is getting the timber to a mill. A forestry consultant can get you the best price for it but you still have to consider the logging and transportation costs.
All these figure in to the amount paid when you sell the timber. I'm not certain what the rates are right now because I'm just the sawyer at our mill. The last I heard was around $26 per ton standing, $56 per ton if picked up at the logging site and $80 per ton delivered to the mill.
$80/ton does sound like good money! How many bf of cedar in a ton? (International scale) How big are these trees? I need some good cedar, but it's a bit too far for me.
Well okrafarmer I have 15 32' green cedar logs in my yard right now. They totalled 7 tons at $80 per ton so 560 for the logs. Accordinging to the international scale, I have about 1902 board feet.
So that's about 271bf per ton. If I'm figuring this right then that's around $3 a board foot.
If people are paying that much for the logs, they're made of gold!
Around here, I am paying about 1/10 of that, and I pay more than any other sawmill around. Of course our quality is not the quality you have, but still! I sell kiln-dried red cedar for $3 / bf, and green for $2. Price is more for premium quality stuff. Most of the mills around here treat cedar in the same price range as sweetgum. :-X
$3 BF in the log sounds way high to me.
So-- how much do you sell your lumber for, then? ???
Try your figures again. Works out to $0.30 BF
Quote from: LeeB on November 25, 2012, 12:04:10 AM
Try your figures again. Works out to $0.30 BF
Ah. That's about what I pay for premium logs. Which may be the type he has there. ;)
I did get my point off a bit huh :D It comes out to .29+
Quote from: learner on November 25, 2012, 07:13:29 PM
I did get my point off a bit huh :D It comes out to .29+
:D :D :D
Learner, you had us all excited there for a wee bitty.
So sorry Okrafarmer. I musta got the price we pay confused with what I'm thinking of selling it for per bf. The cedar at Lowes, Mccoys and other Home centers here is NO-Where near as nice or good as what we have. Sadly though, finding the going rate around here is difficult at best.
I don't think those tool-time walmarts sell ERC, I think it's either WRC or EWC.
Honestly, it looks like the sap wood. Light brown and ugly. No character to it.
I try to buy good cedar trees, I have a mill in Frankston
Wellcome to the forum Cedarmann. I had no idea there was a mill in Frankston. What mill do you have? Type and such. Are you just starting? Maybe i can help you find some cedar.
I didn't know they had a mill in Frankston either and I've been asking around for a while. I talked to learners dad about bringing them the to his mill in Palestine at $80 a ton. It was difficult finding someone to do the cutting for us, so me and the two guys i'm leasing hunting rights to will do the work ourselves.
I plan to start cutting some of the large cedars on the place on next week and the guys will cut the rest that I mark when they go up to hunt. We will fall the cedars and cut the limbs off and leave in the field until all the ones I plan to cut are down and I can find a flatbed trailer or two to load them up on.
Plan to take them to the mill the Wednesday or Thursday after Christmas. We want to start planting pines by the end of the month and American chestnuts and various oaks between January and March.
Two quick questions for learner...What is the minimum size in diameter will you guys accept for the cedars? There are quite a few very wide trees, but there are also a few that are very tall but with trunks with a diameter of maybe 8 inches. Also, can the the old cedars that were cut and left laying by nuckle heads last spring still be sold as long as they are still solid and intact? If so I can sort through and gather the solid unbleached trunks and bring in as well...
Normally we don't take smaller than 8" at the top cut. But we're gonna work with you on this so we'll take it all. Now the trees felled last spring will be drier and weigh less but we'll take those off your hands too. As long as they are solid it won't matter if they appear bleached out. We'll work it all out to everyones satisfaction.
On a side note, if you have trouble finding a trailer, just get with me and i might be able to help with that too.
My apologies to the Forestry Forum if this isn't the proper place for this type of post.
James
My apologies as well as I was only enquiring of a mill not too far from Frankston that bought cedars. My great uncle passed away and before he passed we found out that he owed over $10,000 in back taxes so I was had to try to come up with an idea on how to take care of those taxes. He once talked about selling timber to help pay for taxes but there's not a whole lot of timber cover on the place, only a little less than half of 33 acres. After the biologist told us we should sell the cedars I simply wanted to check the forum for mills located in the area in case it came down to selling them. Wasn't trying to advertise that I had wood to sell nor was I aware of the rules of posting here concerning selling as I was simply looking for info in case I had to go that route to keep our place. Was thankful to get some replies and contact the mill in Palestine for info, but again I was not here with the intent to use the forum to advertise our wood. Again my apologies....
If you're really feeling remorseful you could always make a small donation via the PayPal link right below the sponsors on the left. ;D
Thank you Sir Ryn but I've allready taken care of it with Jeff. Gotta keep the boss Happy! ;)
Quote from: learner on December 04, 2012, 08:46:13 PM
Thank you Sir Ryn but I've allready taken care of it with Jeff. Gotta keep the boss Happy! ;)
Ma'am, I do believe ;)
;D Point Well taken OF! My humble apologies Ryn.
You are certainly being ladies and gentlemen. I was enjoying the discussion because they were honest questions and good answers. I mill a similar tree and am very interested in log cost, criteria and availability. Good to see someone step into our community and be treated well. Thank you for the information about how things work in your neck of the woods.
I hope all of you stick around and find us as entertaining as we sometimes find ourselves (Speak Yooper? You will learn.)
Kderby
Din't have time to read the post but I have a sawmill in Hawkin TX that does cedar on the fifty thats fifty fuel fifty blades and fifty labor email me if interested. Migal
@Learner, I see that you've mentioned a mill in Elkhart and another in Rusk but can you tell me where your mill is located?
Quote from: learner on November 24, 2012, 09:54:38 PM
There is also a mill in Elkhart, TX that deals mainly in Cedar.
I imagine the mill in Rusk that Texas Ranger is talking about is Wilcox. They deal in cedar, mesquite and cypress mainly.
While the mill in Elkhart is small and the one in Rusk is larger, they are both well established reputable sawmills.
As your timber is still standing you would be better off selling by weight. The greener the heavier. I sent you an e-mail so you know you have at least One interested party. The main problem is getting the timber to a mill. A forestry consultant can get you the best price for it but you still have to consider the logging and transportation costs.
All these figure in to the amount paid when you sell the timber. I'm not certain what the rates are right now because I'm just the sawyer at our mill. The last I heard was around $26 per ton standing, $56 per ton if picked up at the logging site and $80 per ton delivered to the mill.
Wellcome to the Forestry Forum LA_DeMonico. We are located by the NASA Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility outside of Palestine, Tx. If you'll click on the little man at the bottom left it will show you my profile and a map of just where we are located.
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, LA_DeMonico. :)
It's been a while since this topic was last active, but thought I'd try to resurrect. I'm looking to sell about 20-30 cedar logs from my ranch about 10 miles east of Fairfield TX. The cedars succumbed to the drought of 2011/2012 and have been stacked for a few years. Their branches are trimmed off. Most are 1 to 1 and 1/2 feet in diameter, although a couple are much wider. Does anyone know of a mill somewhere near the Fairfield/Palestine area that would be willing to buy them? I called the Freestone County ag-extension agent, but didn't receive much help, so I thought I'd try posting here. Unfortunately, the upload photos feature doesn't seem to be working.
Lengths and diameter on the small end will be most important. Cedar can have a lot of taper, so diameter on big end doesn't really give much info.
Thanks, TKehl. My guesstimate was based upon the diameter, once past the trunk flare. From previous comments, I understand that anything less than 8" diameter at the tip is less desirable. However, some of the bases might be suitable for slabbing if anyone is doing that.
I have a sawmill near Tyler and buy cedar logs all the time. The price varies low end I pay 5 dollars a log. The high end is 10 dollars per log. That is for a 10 foot log. Most people give them to me to have them removed from their property. I would be interested in them if they are still available.
Thanks
Tommy
To put it into tons that going to be 20 dollars per ton is what I currently pay. That is me cutting them down and him loading them onto my trailer. Not sure this helps but maybe give you some frame of reference.
I've read though the topic about how to post photos and here are some images of the stack of logs:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/47438/IMG_0169.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1509540643)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/47438/IMG_0170.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1509540649)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/47438/IMG_0171.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1509540644)
I question whether our front-end loader can safely lift some of the larger logs onto a trailer, so that is a consideration for someone wishing to purchase them.
If they have been sitting, weight won't be an issue. Hard to get a payload on just off the stump. We come across a load every now and then. American Wood Fiber at Marshall buys some for shavings. Saterwhite Lumber in Longview has advertised for logs.
I was down over the weekend and confirmed that the majority of the logs are at least 1' in diameter once past the trunk flare. Some of the longer ones (25-30' in length) might need to be trimmed at the tip to get to an 8" tip diameter. They have been stacked for a couple of years, so they are dry.
My bobcat 742 is no powerhouse and will pick that up no problem (other than dropping them for lack of balance) so im guessing your loader ought to.
Quote from: running elk on November 01, 2017, 04:07:06 PM
I have a sawmill near Tyler and buy cedar logs all the time. The price varies low end I pay 5 dollars a log. The high end is 10 dollars per log. That is for a 10 foot log. Most people give them to me to have them removed from their property. I would be interested in them if they are still available.
Thanks
Tommy
Tommy, Are you still buying cedar?
Quote from: learner on November 24, 2012, 11:53:52 PM
Well okrafarmer I have 15 32' green cedar logs in my yard right now. They totalled 7 tons at $80 per ton so 560 for the logs. Accordinging to the international scale, I have about 1902 board feet.
So that's about 271bf per ton. If I'm figuring this right then that's around $3 a board foot.
$560 for 1900bd. ft. of cedar is not much. About half of what I pay for 8" tip up to 12" tip. after that
I pay $750 M , [.75 cents board foot international.]