I have about 2 acres of pulpwood that I need to have cleared to create a construction site. The pulpwooder told me about 7 weeks ago that in would be a 'little while' before he could get to it. Well, 7 weeks later and I haven't even been given a start date. So, I am thinking of just having the land dozed :o. However, I don't want to shoot myself in the foot if there is a significant amount of pulp on the property. The trees are SYP, 8 feet between rows with trees on a 6 ft interval. Average dbh = 7". I know I should be able to estimate cords from this, but I suppose I am just too lazy to figure it all out. Does anyone know of a calculator or program that is available on-line for something like this or am I going to have start calculating the volume of a cylinder and extrapolating to the acre??? :o :o :o
My concern is that I may only be talking about a couple hundred dollars worth of pulp delaying the construction a shop that I really need to be moving into.
Thanks much.
Mike
For just a rough estimate, using the 'forum extras' tool box, and figuring one 6" x 8' bolt from each tree (at that spacing I get 1800 stems on the two acres), a loblolly pine bolt would weigh 83 pounds. That amounts to roughly 150,000 pounds of wood. Using 5400 pounds to the cord, then you are in the neighborhood of 28 cords of wood. If you get more than one stem per tree, it goes up from there.
All very rough estimates (and there is a risk of error ::) ) :)
That is about what I was thinking. I figured that I had MAYBE 50 cords at most. I don't think the wait will be worth it.
Thanks.
beenthere is correct on those calculations. Have you thought about doing some of the cutting yourself? You could cut, limb, and buck some of the trees and have them ready for a pulpwood buyer. Or as I would suggest much of this stuff could be bucked into posts and rails if the species of wood will allow it. If not then maybe you could cut a pile of firewood for sale. Just do not buldoze and burn, as that would be a waste of some good wood.
Brad.
Too bad the shop has to be on the same site as the plantation. Sounds like it's just starting to put on volume at a faster pace now. :'(
You should see what they do here. There can be red and white oak and hard maple some over 20dbh and they pull in with a 30" chipper and let er rip. Clear it in a day get there pay. Always in too much of a hurry to play with logs.
Swampdonkey,
Truth is the trees should be much larger. I have cut a few and they appear to be about 22 years old. If they had been thinned about 5 years ago, I'd be finding a different place for the shop ;D
As it is, they are really stunted and not of much use for anything other than pulp. I had considered trying to get 4x4s out of them on my mill, but after cutting a few down, I found that maybe one in 10 would make an 8' 4x4. Given the fact that I really need to be in this shop by mid-summer, I think my best bet is to have them cleared. If I had time, I'd cut and figure out how to get them to the mill myself.