Bur Oak salvage value

[Nebraska]

Due to the flooding this spring and several wet years our city park has/is losing several big Bur Oak trees. The local tree service /walnut logger who  dropped them wasn't interested as his only market for them was cotton wood pallet mills both fifty miles away. The park manager is a friend and offered them to me, (free) ..Since its a small town I want to make a donation to the park fund because it's right and I don't want people begrudging the gift. The trees were down  I had to haul them with my equipment, one log scales around around 200bf, the other two are about 145, one is good other has some sweep a few knots, plus a couple shorter chunks and a bunch of firewood .  There will be more to come, what is Bur Oak stumpage worth in your parts of the world? Likely some green ash too but the big ones around here usually have punky  centers.

[Southside]

Don't forget about tramp metal too.  Honest, real world, value of those trees would be firewood.  I don't see a mill paying for them if they know where they came from, and the second one does not even sound like it is a tie log.  

[thecfarm]

Depends on what you make off each log. As said metal? I myself would cut them up and than give some money.  ;)

[barbender]

They're only worth your labor and equipment picking them up. The tree service would've charged them to haul them away.

[alan gage]

I'm no pro but I agree that you picking them up and hauling them out should be a good trade. A couple weeks ago I hauled some walnut out of a backyard in town from a tree that blew over in a storm. Most of the large branches were already cut off. Much of it was firewood but I'll probably get some good lumber from some of it, although I can see metal staining in the butt cut.

It took all evening, a big chainsaw and a couple dull blades (base of trunk was buried in the dirt) and it was all my skid loader could do to lift the butt log (it can handle 4500 pounds). I don't know how the guy views the trade but I sure think he came out way ahead when you look at the time it would have taken him to remove it himself (without big equipment) or pay someone else to come in and remove it. I don't feel like I owe him anything and wonder if it was even worth the time.

If the city has equipment to move them you could offer to pay if they delivered to your mill. Maybe they'd take you up on it or it would help reinforce how little value there is to the logs (from your description)

My city gives away its utility poles and last week I went and picked up a couple nice loads with some nice big cedar poles. I appreciate them letting me have them and would have been willing to pay but I doubt there's a good way to give monetary compensation. It's probably a no-no for anyone in the department to accept "tips". I'm thinking of buying them a dozen or so cupcakes, maybe with toothpick utility poles and black string licorice power lines. Something like that would be another option for compensation.

I see them burying more lines this summer. Maybe I'll offer to let them drop them at my place if they'd like since it's about a mile closer than their storage yard.

Alan

[Nebraska]

Ok pictures worth a thousand words I've  been trying to get this done since this morning. No time between appointments. Thank you for the replies.   Not expecting metal but I will run the detector over them, good point, it's not just for my REA poles.
 Made one slab off of the short log on the mill I thought it was really nice straight grained wood... just got started..then I had to stop and go see a sick 4-H goat got to treat  it  in a gas station parking lot, saved thirty miles for me and I wasn't on call but answered my phone anyway, such is life...I'm sawing for simple reason because I can, and I'm blessed to be able to. 

The tree company wouldn't have had to haul these, what's left will be burned in the waste pile they were left beside or cut up for firewood , it's a really small town.  

First  picture is the best log more than my small tractor will lift


 
Other two


 
6 ish footer on the mill (yes I wish it was bigger)

 
Sorry didn't rotate. 

[Nebraska]

To give credit where it is due,  found a nail. Southside was right salvage value plummited...Cheap Harbor freight metal detector paid for itself again..

[Brad_bb]

The ones on the trailer have very furrowed bark -like Burr Oak, but the others look smoother like actual White Oak.  Maybe just deceptive in the pics.  I'd RRQS it to get the most figure.

[Nebraska]

They are all Bur Oak part of an original prairie oak savanna area that was on the east bank of a small river, these trees escaped the Prairie fires, and settlers cabins probably  weren't logged as they would've been small.  My plan is to  split the log and quarter/rift saw them and dry for cabin flooring. I have a good client friend with a cabinet shop who would help me with the finish work.  I don't think true white Oak is native this far west.