So a logger came up to us today and offered us a contract.

[Jeff]

People think you cant trust loggers you can only trust a forester

That has never been said here. Never, not once. Let me guess. You are a logger.

some people just cant trust loggers?

I never said that, those are your words, quoted from your post. I can sense you developing an attitude with me. I'm going to tell you one time, dont do it. You won't like it.

[SwampDonkey]

It's certainly not thousands of dollars to write a plan, not much to advertise a sale and most visits to the job after the initial layout is not all day. 10-12 acres can be marked per day on snowshoes in winter including trails. So 15 could conceivably be marked in summer. So maybe two weeks salary involved marking. I've done it all it's not double digit thousands, in fact well under $10,000. Now with that being said you can't drag out the harvest for months on end. I've seen guys do a good job on 100 acres and be done a single tree selection and some patch cc (under an acre each) and be gone in 4 months. That being said I would imagine the forester has 2, maybe 3 jobs going at any time if he's reputable. Trouble is around here most have the mindset that a middle man is bad for their interest. And the main interest is $$, not what to leave. I just took a ride today and saw about 5 cuts, maybe 3-4 years old and mostly coming to pincherry with aspen mixed in. Some fir scattered but it was suppressed junk. That's your next woods for those lots.

[bill m]

They chose not to go that route this time

Big thanks can go to the forester that didn't have it over-logged 15 yrs ago. He made money for the landowner and didn't get a commission.  :

I've had jobs where the consultant used all the $$ from the sale and gave the land owner a bill on top of that. 

I can see that happening if there is nothing but junk on the lot. If it is junk or a TSI job a good forester will try to get what needs to be done at no cost to the land owner and maybe even a little in their pocket.

[ga jones]

Im sorry Jeff. I never meant to slander you. I dont have any bad feelings toward you.

[gjersy]

Tell him thanks, but no thanks.  Your post is full of red flags.  Do you, or would you, buy insurance from someone that shows up at your door and says that I want to sell you this while I'm in the neighborhood? ?  Don't rush into anything.  Do your homework. Get the services of a reputable professional forester.  It will pay in the long run.  My advice is don't even consider consider it

Good luck.  And keep us posted.

Norm

What?! "Don't even consider it" I'm a 4th generation logger and I can tell you us loggers talk to the neighbors where we're logging all the time, NO BIGGIE, in fact I get a lot of work from neighboring land owners that approach me often, it's common place. It's simple to check his credentials, most loggers are reputable and will do a great job managing, harvesting your forest.

[bill m]

gjersy, I agree most loggers are reputable and can do a good job harvesting your forest but not very many of them have the qualifications to manage a forest. Growing a good productive forest is a science. It's knowing how trees grow and what they need to grow. It's knowing soils and how they affect a trees ability to grow. It's knowing why we need to thin, when to thin and the best way to do it. I'm sure a forester on here can also point out other aspects of managing a forest that I am not aware of.

[gjersy]

I work with, hire a forester by the acre to mark tree's when necessary as do most of the loggers i know, the big loggers around here have foresters on there payroll. When I say logger i'm not talking about a firewood cutter or part time weekend pulp cutter with a tractor, I'm talking full time, certified, contract loggers, they will do a good job, for the most part, like I said check there credentials bud.