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Cruising

Started by brysonfarmer, March 24, 2016, 02:21:39 AM

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brysonfarmer

Hi - this is my first post. I recently bought a farm in western Quebec about 40 miles from Ottawa near Shawville which is about a 20 minute drive to Renfrew, Ontario. I have tillable land (170 acres) and 350 acres of forest. I currently rent out the crop land to a buddy. I currently don't live there but plan to eventually live there when I retire. My question is what to do with the forest? I would like to hire a reputable person to do a cruise and then go from there. I plan to buy a firewood processor and make some extra cash selling firewood and keep in shape but would like to sell SOME of the good timber. I have lots of hardwood mostly sugar maple-white oak-red oak-ash-beech. Also have a 30 acre stand of eastern white pine - a lot of these trees are 80-90 feet high. The old guy I bought the farm from logged 70 thousand board feet of red oak off the property back in 74 - other than that the trees have never been touched. His family has owned the land for 130 years. Does anyone know a guy I could hire to do a cruise? Thanks.

WildlandFirefighter912

What you need to do is hire a reputable forester since you dont know about forestry too much. Though, i recommend you start reading and studying forestry since you have it and can know to a point if someone is pulling your chain.


Logging companies usually have their own timber cruisers who cruise the merchantable timber then they will give you their bids based on what their cruiser came up with. This will vary.

Now, if you hire your own forester who can help you manage the business end of it..then he can go cruise it and let you know..then he can also deal with the loggers and make sure they aint stealing loads or messing up things.

Another thing is with what to do with it is..what are your goals? Hunting, firewood, or for growing for timber harvest? Do you want a yearly income or several years until you get an income?

brysonfarmer

I will try and find a reputable forester to help me decide what to do.

I am 55 and will retire in a couple years. My wife is retired now. I plan to buy a firewood processor and sell firewood - a 100 or so cord a year. One man operation. Also, will be lots of other stuff - big garden - restore the old barn - refurbish the old house - so would be nice to sell off some timber as well for extra income.

WildlandFirefighter912

You can also lease it out for hunting if you want to.

brysonfarmer

Yes, I put some thought into that. Good whitetail, black bear and turkey land. Overrun with turkeys...they love the soybean. Had a flock of 60 birds that stayed all last winter.

WildlandFirefighter912

I would lease it for respectable hunting if you dont hunt it much. Thats what we do with ours. Pays the land taxes.

Gary_C

Just remember that buying iron to "make a little money" is a disease that can be expensive to satisfy or cure. You can't just buy a firewood processor. You will need chain saws, tractor/loaders to move the wood, trucks/trailers, etc. There is a never ending list of things you will need.  ;D
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

brysonfarmer

Haha yes that's true. I have two old diesel International tractors both 45 hp - one with a front end loader and various trailers and lots of chainsaws. My Dad has been cutting his and the original owner's furnace wood on this land for 40 years since we are friends of the original owners. I worked on this farm as a kid and all the farm equipment/tools came with the sale of the property. Thinking I will buy a good winch system for one of the tractors and was looking at a Wallenstein (860) processor to start with. I drove over to Cord King last time I was home but want to see how things go before making a 40-50 grand investment on a processor but I can really see that happening at some point. I think I can selectively cut a couple hundred cord of wood of this land each year if I understand things correctly?

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