Standing trees killed by drought

[beenthere]

Lynn
You are the one in charge. Move forward at your pace, not someone else's desires. Please.

[Magicman]

Another previous customer called this morning that I have not returned the call yet. 

I successfully got rid of that one.  ;)

[jasonb]

I can see a lot of opportunity to saw many logs coming up this spring.  I need to clear my workload to prepare.

[Magicman]

Yup, years ago I would have eagerly welcomed it but I am cutting back on my sawing and being choosy about the jobs that I take.  Problem is that there is no one to pass them off to.  My regular buddy is as booked as I am, or maybe more so.

I can only saw what I can saw.

[beenthere]

 Problem is that there is no one to pass them off to

Someone will step in and pick up the slack, and it just may be one of your customers in need. 

[Magicman]

Well this unseen and unknown person with a sawmill had better be showing up quickly because he is needed now. 

I drove I55 to Jackson yesterday and the highway dept has dropped thousands of trees and windrowed them in the median.  There is no way that anyone that has not actually seen this can begin to imagine how many dead SYP trees that we have.

[Magicman]

Some of my dire predictions regarding us sawyers becoming swamped with calls are coming true.  Landowners are beginning to fall trees, buck them into logs, and calling for sawing.  I am getting calls daily and we are only at the beginning.  Even with passing off jobs that are ~30+ miles away, I still have 22 names in my schedule book.  I can't pass any more off because he is overbooked too.  No sawing this week because of the rain.

I have read suggestions on here several times that one way to weed out the callers is to raise your sawing rates, so I have.  So far that has not reduced anything because folks are still asking "when".

I am an old man but I do not want to quit nor sell my sawmill, just slow down. 

[jasonb]

You need to schedule more vacations.

[Magicman]

And charge more for sawing so I can afford them.

[Magicman]

Our next door neighbor marked two trees for removal today:

This about 26" butt White Oak that hopefully I can get when it is taken down.  I am hoping for a couple of 12' logs plus the firewood.  White Oak is not a favorite firewood for me but this is too lose to be choosy.  This is the donor tree that has provided a couple of boxes of acorns that I shipped to Chuck White.

And then this ~34" butt SYP that I do not want any part of. 

[doc henderson]

the white pine could make framing to build a shed to store all your many cords of firewood.  

[Magicman]

It would probably be a "safe" yard tree and it is close.  Easily a couple of 16's or 20's.  MMmmmm.

[jpassardi]

Lynn,

Curious why you don't like WO for firewood, it has a lot of btu's/is dense but is slow to dry like all oaks.

[Magicman]

Oak is all that I ever burn and it is recovered from blow downs at the farm.  I do not remember the last time that I felled a tree for firewood.  At least 30+ years.

White Oak is much slower to dry and it also leaves considerably more ashes.  Given a choice, and I usually have one, Cherrybark Red Oak is my first choice with Water Oak being second. 

[jasonb]

And charge more for sawing so I can afford them.

I think that you might be creating a new business plan.

[Magicman]

Yup, repeat customers and those in the schedule book will remain @ the "old" sawing rate.  Any new customers will be @ the new rate.  Travel & setup and return trip cost will remain the same.

This is not such a big deal and if it will somewhat reduce my sawing load without significantly reducing my income it will be good.  

Fact is that I have no idea what any competition is charging.  Don't matter, don't care.  My rates are based on my expenses and to produce a good rate of return.

[Magicman]

I attended my County Forestry Field Day this past weekend and learned that our major Pine problem is Ips Beetles LINK attacking drought, etc. stressed trees.

The advice that I was given regarding the beetle killed Pines on my property is to do nothing.  Possibly damaging healthy trees plus creating slash piles would/could be more harmful than trying to stop them.  Let nature take it's course.

I called my logger that had looked at it and he was actually happy about my decision.  He said that due to his age and not being able to get help, he is now passing work on to another logger and is retiring.  He is closing his 50 year operation and selling out.

[customsawyer]

The beetles sure like weakened trees. regardless of why they are.