Boiler fuel market in Ohio

[rdobb13]

I've tried looking through old posts and found chipping is a short learning curve.  I'm looking for boiler fuel markets in Ohio.  

I wanna keep the chipping to tops mostly, there is an excellent pulp wood and pallet material market in my area.  I have an opportunity that requires chipping, landowner is good for the chipper.  There are a thousand details not mentioned but this whole idea is a rough draft.  Looking for any market tips and ideas.

Thanks, Randy

[Southside]

I have a hard time believing a guy can chip boiler fuel at $5 diesel and stay in business long.  

[rdobb13]

I've heard that boiler fuel is pretty.low paying, it's unfortunately a necessity to get rid of the tops and waste.  It's only being chipped to avoid burning extra fuel in the mulching machines that are gonna grind the stumps to turn it into pasture.  It's gonna cost fuel money either way cause the tops will get processed one way or the other.  At least this returns some of the fuel money.  This guy's wants more cows.  

I was quoted a price on chips for the main stem by the paper mill but other wood prices are better, without the extra expense and headache of chipping it.  So that leaves the rest to find a home for.  

[Southside]

Well those chips will need to be trucked too costing more fuel. Can you burn them on site instead? 

[peakbagger]

I did biomass consulting for several years, the rule of thumb on small biomass power plants was they were sized to match the available low grade residual supply for a 60 mile radius. With wet out of the woods chips, the btu content of the diesel required to haul the wood from the site to the plant started to exceed the BTU content of the wood inside the trailer. The big exception was if the biomass plant had subsidies. The largest biomass plant in the northeast is near me in Berlin NH. They get a heavy subsidy from the state for "green" power to run based on the a complicated formula. The subsidy is supposed to be capped but they come back to the state every few years to raise the cap. Since they are effectively guaranteed a profit, wood from all over gets hauled to the plant to keep it running.   

[mike_belben]

Id rather chip it into the soil and have a pasture that doesnt need expensive fertilizer for the rest of my life due to high organic matter


Rotting wood is gods soil ammendment and i accept it by the dumptruck load.   Pushed around with some dirt periodically, it turns to wonderful soil with high organic matter in about 2 or 3 years.  Put the piles on the high ground and rain will spread it pretty good in time. 

[rdobb13]

Well those chips will need to be trucked too costing more fuel. Can you burn them on site instead?

It's a possibility.  The section his is planning on cutting is 100 acres though.  We have done smaller sections and he mulched them and it's now grass.  His opinion on the mulching is it is better for him to not have the extra to grind up.  His tigercat is an impressive and effective machine, but costly to run.  He'd rather break even hauling chips and spend less mulching.  

[rdobb13]

Id rather chip it into the soil and have a pasture that doesnt need expensive fertilizer for the rest of my life due to high organic matter


Rotting wood is gods soil ammendment and i accept it by the dumptruck load.   Pushed around with some dirt periodically, it turns to wonderful soil with high organic matter in about 2 or 3 years.  Put the piles on the high ground and rain will spread it pretty good in time.

That's kind of what I mentioned, but still involves buying a chipper with no return on expense of chipping it.  He hauls a mulch compost, hog manure and chicken droppings.  This may be the final answer but just looking to lighten the load on the mulches and recover some money on a chipper.  

[rdobb13]

I did biomass consulting for several years, the rule of thumb on small biomass power plants was they were sized to match the available low grade residual supply for a 60 mile radius. With wet out of the woods chips, the btu content of the diesel required to haul the wood from the site to the plant started to exceed the BTU content of the wood inside the trailer. The big exception was if the biomass plant had subsidies. The largest biomass plant in the northeast is near me in Berlin NH. They get a heavy subsidy from the state for "green" power to run based on the a complicated formula. The subsidy is supposed to be capped but they come back to the state every few years to raise the cap. Since they are effectively guaranteed a profit, wood from all over gets hauled to the plant to keep it running.  

What area did you work? 

[peakbagger]

Maine NH and that NC project. I also worked on a few performance test procedures for some new plant during the rush about 10 years ago

[mike_belben]

Id rather chip it into the soil and have a pasture that doesnt need expensive fertilizer for the rest of my life due to high organic matter


Rotting wood is gods soil ammendment and i accept it by the dumptruck load.   Pushed around with some dirt periodically, it turns to wonderful soil with high organic matter in about 2 or 3 years.  Put the piles on the high ground and rain will spread it pretty good in time.

That's kind of what I mentioned, but still involves buying a chipper with no return on expense of chipping it.  He hauls a mulch compost, hog manure and chicken droppings.  This may be the final answer but just looking to lighten the load on the mulches and recover some money on a chipper.  

i never hire or rent anything, ever.. but in this case i think its wise to price out renting or hiring a chipping contractor to blow it out on the field. it may be economically most feasible when one considers the savings of buying machine, doing the work, trucking the product, and then buying fertility.  unless he really wants a chipper for future jobs. 


me personally, i would pull out everything over 3 inch for firewood and push the branch tips up with the dozer into dirt hills to ferment on the high ground.  ive done this before on an acre and about 2 years later it gave me a windrow of unexpectedly gorgeous dirt that i foolishly pushed out as fill to help level the huge hole i needed raised.

 wood alone composts real slow but wood with dirt is rapid.  yes 100 acres will take some time but its gonna be a chore no matter what this fellow decides.  


is the financial recovery on local firewood not better than trucking boiler chips? i bet some firewood guy would be happy to come break it down if piled where a truck can reach. 

[rdobb13]

Id rather chip it into the soil and have a pasture that doesnt need expensive fertilizer for the rest of my life due to high organic matter


Rotting wood is gods soil ammendment and i accept it by the dumptruck load.   Pushed around with some dirt periodically, it turns to wonderful soil with high organic matter in about 2 or 3 years.  Put the piles on the high ground and rain will spread it pretty good in time.

That's kind of what I mentioned, but still involves buying a chipper with no return on expense of chipping it.  He hauls a mulch compost, hog manure and chicken droppings.  This may be the final answer but just looking to lighten the load on the mulches and recover some money on a chipper.  

i never hire or rent anything, ever.. but in this case i think its wise to price out renting or hiring a chipping contractor to blow it out on the field. it may be economically most feasible when one considers the savings of buying machine, doing the work, trucking the product, and then buying fertility.  unless he really wants a chipper for future jobs.


me personally, i would pull out everything over 3 inch for firewood and push the branch tips up with the dozer into dirt hills to ferment on the high ground.  ive done this before on an acre and about 2 years later it gave me a windrow of unexpectedly gorgeous dirt that i foolishly pushed out as fill to help level the huge hole i needed raised.

wood alone composts real slow but wood with dirt is rapid.  yes 100 acres will take some time but its gonna be a chore no matter what this fellow decides.  


is the financial recovery on local firewood not better than trucking boiler chips? i bet some firewood guy would be happy to come break it down if piled where a truck can reach.

It all remains to be seen I guess.  He does have use for a chipper beyond this job though.  I have given up trying to figure out his methods because I call him crazy, but it usually works out.  

We are in different tax brackets because I could never justify 80k for a chipper knowing it's only gonna be around for two jobs just to sell it.  

[rdobb13]

Update, we have agreed to trim everything at the landing and push it into a ditch.  Boiler fuel prices aren't enough to fool with.  

[Riwaka]

Might want to check the local environmental rules, before pushing logging material into a ditch.

Some places use a helicopter to take logging residues out of the water ways. 
15 Helicopter Slash Grapple Presentation and Video - Keith Raymond, Forest Growers Research - YouTube

[rdobb13]

Might want to check the local environmental rules, before pushing logging material into a ditch.

Some places use a helicopter to take logging residues out of the water ways.
15 Helicopter Slash Grapple Presentation and Video - Keith Raymond, Forest Growers Research - YouTube

They Will be burnt as we go, it's not a stream.  It would be the head of a ravine.