On my property I've had some Cottonwood grow very fast. I have one that has a 20'' diameter and has only been alive 20-25 years. This could produce some nice sized logs in my lifetime. I see on the Missouri Price Trends, Cottonwood sells for between $40 and $100/ Mbf. Is there a demand for this wood? Will there be in the future? I understand that they're not as valuable as some species, but can I find a place to sell them?
How many of these, say 20" trees, would I need to be able to get a logger to harvest off my land?
A small sale of 20000 board feet might get a FEW looks in the mid west....dont bother letting the cotton get too big, cut what ya got, it gets really shaky when it gets over 24" -30" I would cut it out, itll grow back..... :)
I understand that equipment haulers use this wood to deck their trailers. It is also used for horse corrals
Ive never heard of cotton being used out doors ...it will rot within months :o :)
9shooter, I am from here in michigan where we saw a share of cottonwood and I can say we have never sold a board of cotton wood for those types of applications. As Buzz says. If not rotton in months, it will take weeks!
Inside Horse stalls, yes, a lot, but not outside corrals.
Friend of mine raises miniature horses and he built his stalls using rough sawed cotton wood. He said that the horses won't chew that wood for some reason. Looked like he was right the last I saw of the stalls.
I'de have to agree, cottonwood, black cottonwood or balsam poplar would not last long outside. In fact it's right up there with aspen which we call fertilizer or nursey trees which have a fast turnover with its deciduous leaves and fast decaying wood. Sure can produce some nice second growth hardwood with a mixture of cottonwood or aspen. Up here white ash, yellow birch and sugar maple grow superb on those sights with overgrown aspen, since the crown of aspen retreats quickly over the years until it matures leaving a small grown. At the same time this produces tall straight hardwoods with few lower branches also. In the mean time if your careful, and you have a decent market for the cottonwood or aspen you can harvest 2 crops as you release your hardwood. Assuming your young when you begin the process. My father cut 300 cord off 10 acres back in 1984, I'll be taking a crop off there in 2020, while retaining ash, yellow birch, maple and red oak. :)
cheers
I just replaced the cotton wood decking on my 16' trailer, I got about 2 years out of it.
We never had a problem with it rottening( is that a word?), but it was kinda weak when you started dropping logs on it.
We have a few Cottonwood Post & Beam barns around here. The side boards are pine though.
If cottonwood is kept dry it stays quite strong for a long time.
A couple years ago while I was on the fire department a farmer called and wanted to burn down and old hog house.
I went out to check on it.
It was a 40 x 100 and solid Walnut :o
Every post and knee brace were dry rotted and could not be salvaged :-/
Farmer said his dad hired a Steam powered portable sawmill to saw the logs that came off the farm ;D
I have heard also of people using Cottonwood for Horse Stall's inside .
They say the wood is bitter. & they won't chew on them ???
Never seen much use for wood that is 90% water. I was just out of school on a campground construction project.. We had some big cottons felled and bucked and were loading the blocks on a 1 ton. All I could do to press one of them off my knees onto the deck. 17 year old Little Jim threw them to the front. Really nice guy but nobody messed with him.