How much should I pay for cedar logs?

[Snowman1988]

I'm just getting started with my Timberking 1220 and I had a guy call me that has a skid steer/tree sawing business that gets paid to clear cedar trees for farmer and land owners and he wanted to know how much I'd pay for logs. And honestly I'm not sure? How much do y'all pay?
I'm located in watonga, ok 
Thank you for your help!

[WV Sawmiller]

  Tell him you just got your mill and do not know your time and expenses to saw them yet. Ask him if he will make you an introductory offer and see what he says. Hopefully he will be understanding especially if he is the one who approached you to start with.

  Unless you know what your yield, sawing expenses, and have a use or market for them I don't see how you could answer this. If you want some to experiment on you might make him a one time price for them and tell him once you have processed them you can come back with a better offer. What is the chances each load will be similar anyway?

  Good luck.

[btulloh]

Around here you can get ERC logs anywhere from free to $15 a ton. 

[stavebuyer]

Eastern Red Cedar logs in central KY bring $85 a ton for shaving logs and around $.45bd/ft on the 2/3 cedar rule. Eastern Red Cedar has its own log rule. A 6" diameter 8' log could be expected to square into a 4x4x8 thus scales at 11bd/ft on the cedar rule.

[moodnacreek]

Eastern Red Cedar logs in central KY bring $85 a ton for shaving logs and around $.45bd/ft on the 2/3 cedar rule. Eastern Red Cedar has its own log rule. A 6" diameter 8' log could be expected to square into a 4x4x8 thus scales at 11bd/ft on the cedar rule.

Well  I never herd of the cedar scale.  I pay 500 m, $.50 board foot 8" tip and up  be it red or white , international.

[Patrick NC]

I've been paying $.55 if I pick up. But what I've been getting is really nice stuff. 16"+ and 12 to 16 foot long. Smaller size or heart rot , $.25 to $.30. International. 

[Stephen1]

I am going to saw some EWC for a customer next week and he wants to sell me some. 
I am building next year and if they are good logs I will buy some to turn into 5/4 decking. 
Thanks for the price down south. It gives me an idea in Ontario. 

[SpaceBus]

I've been paying $.55 if I pick up. But what I've been getting is really nice stuff. 16"+ and 12 to 16 foot long. Smaller size or heart rot , $.25 to $.30. International.

I assume those prices are per board foot, correct? My wife and I are curious about buying white cedar or some nice sugar maple logs since we have none on our property. 

[Patrick NC]

I've been paying $.55 if I pick up. But what I've been getting is really nice stuff. 16"+ and 12 to 16 foot long. Smaller size or heart rot , $.25 to $.30. International.

I assume those prices are per board foot, correct? My wife and I are curious about buying white cedar or some nice sugar maple logs since we have none on our property.

Yes. That's per board foot. Eastern Red Cedar 

[doc henderson]

be sure to let him know what size range you are looking for.  I have a buddy, who gave over a hundred 20 foot ERCs but they are mostly 8 inch large end.  I can get some stuff, but I would not pay much for them!  if he is clearing pasture and such, as is done here, he needs to know not to bring you and charge you for  inch crooked trees.

[LeeB]

I had a guy call me that has a skid steer/tree sawing business that gets paid to clear cedar trees for farmer and land owners

He's already been paid for them once. It would cost him to dispose of them. 

[WV Sawmiller]

be sure to let him know what size range you are looking for.  I have a buddy, who gave over a hundred 20 foot ERCs but they are mostly 8 inch large end.  I can get some stuff, but I would not pay much for them!  if he is clearing pasture and such, as is done here, he needs to know not to bring you and charge you for  inch crooked trees.

Doc,

   Don't ERC make good fence posts? If it would not make lumber wouldn't it make a post? Couldn't these small trees just be cut into fencepost lengths and sold? Is there a market for them? I sold a bunch of locust fence posts a few years back and one guy hired a trucker to haul a load them several hundred miles.

[KenMac]

I have found that ERC has a large amount of waste when sawed. Some of that is dependent on what your customer is using the wood for. If nearly clear red heart is ordered as my customers prefer then there will be only a small percentage of sellable lumber produced unless your logs are much better quality than mine.

[doc henderson]

wv the ERC heartwood is rot resistant, but not real strong.  the sapwood will rot off.  around here it is hedge or metal t-posts all day long.  I thought about a rustic siding from the smaller ERC logs.  I love the wood, and a lot of projects are made from it.  I love to not waste much.  the sapwood slabs make good chimenea  or camp firewood.  or to stoke a fire to make lump charcoal in a retort.  some will use ERC in a fence line.  

[Patrick NC]

I have found that ERC has a large amount of waste when sawed. Some of that is dependent on what your customer is using the wood for. If nearly clear red heart is ordered as my customers prefer then there will be only a small percentage of sellable lumber produced unless your logs are much better quality than mine.

 
There wasn't much wasted in these. 

[Patrick NC]

I have found that ERC has a large amount of waste when sawed. Some of that is dependent on what your customer is using the wood for. If nearly clear red heart is ordered as my customers prefer then there will be only a small percentage of sellable lumber produced unless your logs are much better quality than mine.

 
There wasn't much wasted in these.

 
These were pretty good too. 

[Patrick NC]

 

 

[btulloh]

Patrick, you've got some good ERC growing around there or at least you're getting all the good stuff.  Nice.

[Patrick NC]

I get a lot that's not as nice as that. I just don't take pictures of the ugly ones!🤣 But seriously, you can still cut some nice lumber from ugly logs. Just have to get creative on how you saw it. I cut closet lining from the bad ones and can usually salvage enough to make it worthwhile. 

[KenMac]

Patrick, I haven't seen any logs any where near the quality of those around here. My last customer said mine were about average for what he sees locally, but has seen and bought some from Arkansas that were really good and much darker than mine. I know they exist, but I haven't cut any yet. Thanks for the pictures.

[twobears]

waste on cedar?? i cut alot of cedar and i sell every bit of it..rot included.in the timber industry you need to develop your own markets..look around and find out what people need and can use and put ideas in their head on ways to use it.on cedar i sell the whole tree.the outside slabs and branches included..i even sell the rot that cedar is known for.one guy i sell to took a long rotten log and turned it into a project and sold it for $800.he cleaned it up and turned it into a flower planter.

[SpaceBus]

What do you do with the limbs? 

[Cedarman]

Large acreages of cedar in Ok are cut down.  Land owner pays to have them cut.  Then the landowner has to pay to have them pushed into piles and burned.
There are two types of cedar in Ok.  Upland cedar that grows in the pastures and has limbs from ground level all the way up.  And lots of limbs.  Not very useful to get a saw log. Sometimes the cedar grows in clumps or is thick. These cedars will grow taller and have a lot less limbs. Best cedar grows on the gully slopes and makes for fine logs.
If the cedar is cut and let to dry, there can be some large drying cracks.  The needles act like wicks and will suck most of the moisture from the tree.  Not unusual to see wood with limbs attached be at 10 to 12%.  I have put moisture meters on the wood to prove this.  Get the logs from fresh cut trees.  Lot of cedar around Watonga.  10,000,000 acres in Ok.
Price of logs will be whatever you can negotiate.
Cutter gets paid to push up and burn.  But I am sure they would hate to see good logs burn.
Ok needs someone to saw cedar lumber.

[moodnacreek]

In my area half the e.r. cedar has deep flute in the butt log and all of it is small dia.  I buy down to 8" tip and am very happy to see 12". especially not fluted.  I always thought rocky ground causes the flute.

[okmulch]

This is what we do with the limbs and the whole tree.