paying landowners

[treeslayer2003]

for you guys contracting to a mill; why would you buck logs at all? I mean don't ya haul tree length any way or are you using strait trucks?
I buy my own stumpage and am fortunate to have a good relationship with a good buyer. he buys all my large hardwood tree length and he grades them.
and yes I am pleased with his grade, many times the whole load will grade.

[thecfarm]

I have not heard of not bucking logs for grade in my area. Just depends on how the mill you are selling to buy logs. Any of the sawmills that I know of around here does not buy tree length.

[treeslayer2003]

what I meant was, if your cutting the mill's timber. they would want it all any way right? I realize in some places every thing is hauled on strait trucks.

[1270d]

Our sawmills won't take pulp.  They only buy logs which you of course buck for grade.  Pulp will go to a separate mill.  If a pulp mill buys a sale they will usually still have you cut logs due to the higher value

[jwilly3879]

Around my area all the wood is bucked on the landing except maybe some are left tree length for the log buyer to decide how he wants them bucked. We buck everything, even veneer, my son worked for a log buyer and knows how to cut for grade. I worked with the buyer on some tree length and I know what he is looking for. We had a contractor cutting hardwood for us two years ago and his bucking skills weren't the best. He just didn't understand the grades. After a few loads we had them leave tree length on the landing and I bucked them. Big difference in the log checks.

We are paying $2.50/ ton on softwood pulp and $4.00/ton on hardwood and hemlock pulp, both the truckers buy the pulp from us and resell it.

[treeslayer2003]

I think I see now, y'all call every thing better than pulp grade? I guess it is in a way. different areas different terminology.
what size top minimum for a grade log then? 13" here but 14 is much better.
I would love to say 20 but that be dreaming lol.

[OntarioAl]

Folks
Up here the price the mills pay for private land wood is depressed by the cheap wood that the mills get off public land (there is no public bid for it). That restricts what I can pay a private landowner for their timber.
I would offer a blended price per cord by species (standing) with a signed contract. I would then try to maximize the high value products to off set the low value pulp and firewood. I have  an exemplary track record of fair price, careful logging practices and above all never ever removed any wood that the owner was not compensated for. Word got around that I was one to get and I always had people offering me stumpage.
My best advertising came from the victims of high stumpage offers from the crooks who cut and run.
Al

[jwilly3879]

When I say grade I'm referring to the log buyer will take, he will take a good butt log down to 11" but the better money is 13" and up. He has no interest in pallet logs, or tie logs as some call them, they need to be 10" small end. Basically anything that pays less than $200/mbf at the local hardwood mill goes for firewood.
The last load of hardwood we sold to him averaged $425.

We are paid for pine logs down to 8" small end, the lengths are 8'-16' with 12's + 16's preferred. They will take 8's, 10's and 14's but not too many, the owner of the mill worked in the woods for many years and understands sometimes you need to cut the not so desirable lengths cuz that's the best log you can get.

Like Al, we have people asking us to cut and don't shop for the highest price, we welcome them to visit the jobs we have done and the landowners we have worked are available for references.

[1270d]

#2 is down to 10 inch.  Pallet bolts down to 7.  Veneer is 10 minimum (perfectly straight pin heart hard maple)

[treeslayer2003]

pallet and tie logs pay 325 here, matt and high grade 350. 10" for pallet[tree tops] 13 every thing else. what I consider grade starts at 400, guess  y'all call all that veneer but veneer really is whats peeled. pine is the cryin shame here, we used to get 400 for them big ones but 300 is max now. yellow pine that is.
oh, jwilly we get red heart in pine to but the only out let for pulp here[Glatfelter satilite yard] will only take up to 18" big end and they don't really want no rot for paper chips.

[bill m]

When I am cutting on some ones property I feel I am there to make them the most money I can. I treat their woods with respect because the job I do today can affect their income for many years to come. Consequently I am paid a higher rate then most loggers in my area and all the firewood from the jobs is mine to do with as I see fit.

[1270d]

pallet and tie logs pay 325 here, matt and high grade 350. 10" for pallet[tree tops] 13 every thing else. what I consider grade starts at 400, guess  y'all call all that veneer but veneer really is whats peeled. pine is the cryin shame here, we used to get 400 for them big ones but 300 is max now. yellow pine that is.
oh, jwilly we get red heart in pine to but the only out let for pulp here[Glatfelter satilite yard] will only take up to 18" big end and they don't really want no rot for paper chips.

I'm not lumping everything as veneer.  We have #1 saw log,,#2 saw log, #3 saw log(ties) rotary veneer and slicer veneer with different grade levels of each.  Lengths are anywhere from 8'8" to 16'6". Whichever you can buck for best grade/scale.  Sometimes certain lengths are preferred depending on what the buyers want.

8 10 and 12 are most common for me due to taper and crooked wood.

[craigc]

When we buy a bid sell or a private sell I  put 10% down balance due before harvest.  I don't like buying on shares.  Last bid job I bought the Veneer paid for the job and the labor.  I still have 400 trees to cut.  If I did this on shares I would still owe them money, now I have a nice profit coming instead.

[jwilly3879]

Most of our pine pulp goes to a shavings plant for animal bedding. Same for aspen (popple), make out good on aspen because it is stick scaled. They are paying $90/cord, same as hardwood pulp. The grandson cut about 10 cord today, about 5 hrs. after everything got warmed up, it got up to 6 today.

[huntdibbs]

I pay percentage usually 60/40 for good timber [mainly r oak, w oak, maple, ash, and cherry in my area] . I sell road side and buyer splits the cks so I don't have to mess with paperwork.