The Forestry Forum

Years ago I knew a firewood guy who went to completed logging jobs and made a deal with the land owner for the tops.He pulled all the tops he could get to the landing and cut, split and loaded right there.  He seemed to have a good market, he probably did 8 cord a day.  What I'm getting at is,  do any of you loggers, who sell firewood make a deal for the tops and process at the landing?

Thanks

When our mill buys timber there are occasions when this happens. It all depends on the sale. I think the norm is a deal with the landowner not the logger.  When I was brning wood, I did this a few times on shares. Two for me, and one cut and left for the landowner.

The few loggers that I know who do firewood usually don't deal too much with the tops.  The wood is too small and crooked to make it very worthwhile.

Most guys will take the smaller, straight logs to either a scragg mill or they will process it in a central yard.  Firewood markets are very cyclical - meaning you usually don't sell too much wood from February to August.  That means you have to stockpile it.

More and more guys have mechanized processors which cut, split and load   These can do about 15-20 cords/day, depending on the logs.

Loggers who utilize tops generally use it for whole tree chips.  

When you get into a logging contract, usually the logger has all the timber for the marked trees.  However, it isn't unusual to have it that they can't subcontract the work out unless the landowner knows about it.  There are some liability issues.

After a finished logging job, it isn't unusual for landowners to allow others to come in and cut the tops.  Usually it involves a set amount per truckload.  You still have liability issu

I leave the tops lay in the woods. It's good fertilizer, and big, bushy tops help protect young saplings from deer browse. They're too much work for all you get. In my contract it states that after the harvest is over the landowner and I sign a document stating such that ownership of all tops and other debris revert back to the landowner. Whatever they do with them is their choice.