Price Check South Central PA

[Firewoodjoe]

I'd say that's about normal depending on season and job quality. That ash is high for here though. But ours died years ago. 

[mudfarmer]

The ash is high for here too, Rob* so he knows something we don't 😎


*I am going to try a few different ones and see what fits

[Blackgreyhounds]

Update:  I had a good walk in my woods today with local Service Forester.  He confirmed that the local sawmill was high-grading the cut and low-balling the price.  Time to take a step back and work on a long term plan for our wood lot.  Now I need contact a real Consulting Forester.  I'm not criticizing the local mill, they are focused on short-term, high-grade, max profit work.  In contrast, I'm willing to sacrifice a little $ for long-term forest health.

[barbender]

Well, in my view if they are going to rape the quality timber off of your property they could at least pay you top dollar for it.

[stavebuyer]

Blackgreyhounds,

I couldn't imagine a better outcome. This thread needs to be pinned at the top of the forum in bold print as a "must read before selling timber". Thank you for sharing your experience. We usually hear complaints "after the fact". Sometimes landowners are as much at fault as the logger or sawmill because they only want to cut $500 trees. 

Important to note that the service forester is a key part of the process and not a wasted step because they have no financial interest in the outcome. There are a few less than stellar consultants who would choose to mark a high grade to boast about sales average and curry favor with buyers. A walk through with the state guy is always time well spent.

[nativewolf]

Update:  I had a good walk in my woods today with local Service Forester.  He confirmed that the local sawmill was high-grading the cut and low-balling the price.  Time to take a step back and work on a long term plan for our wood lot.  Now I need contact a real Consulting Forester.  I'm not criticizing the local mill, they are focused on short-term, high-grade, max profit work.  In contrast, I'm willing to sacrifice a little $ for long-term forest health.

Good to hear, though I would criticize the local mill.  They proposed leaving behind a high graded mess of a forests that would be lost for generations as far as managed forestry goes.  That sort of deliberate short term destruction of a forests is a gross injury to this and future generations.  They low balled you to boot.  

[Blackgreyhounds]

Thanks a million everyone.  

[Blackgreyhounds]

Hmmm...  I let the mill know that I was no longer interested for now and let them know that their offer was way below market surveys. Amazingly, they upped their offer by 20%! I'm still not interested in their plan for now, but good confirmation that they were low-balling the first offer.

[Blackgreyhounds]

Welp, had a good visit with a contracting forester. We will be putting together a formal management plan, starting with controlling invasives and maybe a limited salvage harvest of a dozen or so higher quality, dead standing. 

[Ron Scott]

Great, that you are now working with a professional forester to complete a formal management plan to meet your objectives. 

[nativewolf]

Glad you got a forester.  I take it by this that the forests has issues, with no invasive control he doesn't expect regeneration of oaks.  Is it bittersweet ?  Or a combo of invasives?  Interesting he's only talking about cutting a few standing dead trees.  Is the forest in decline?  

What did he think of the valuation and proposed harvest?

[ehp]

Standing timber where I log is Way Way higher on stumpage than what Barge post is saying. Good white pine can be 10 times that amount on the stump. Everything is 2 or 3 or 4 times that amount other than white ash. We do not have hardly any white ash standing now . Ya you get the odd tree but not much volume of it 

[Blackgreyhounds]

Glad you got a forester.  I take it by this that the forests has issues, with no invasive control he doesn't expect regeneration of oaks.  Is it bittersweet ?  Or a combo of invasives?  Interesting he's only talking about cutting a few standing dead trees.  Is the forest in decline?  

What did he think of the valuation and proposed harvest?

1. Stilt grass and mile-a-minute vine are our most prevalent invasives. They overgrow anywhere sun gets through the canopy. We have plenty of other invasives, too.
2. I don't know exactly the definition of decline. In the mid-Atlantic here, the chestnut oaks have been dying for the last 10+ years. I've talked to many foresters, all say "multiple factors." So, I wouldn't say our plot is any worse than anything else.  However, some portions are fully mature with red and white oaks >30" dbh and up to ~125 year old, so getting pretty geriatric for the reds.(?)
3. We haven't really discussed the details of whether we can even find a logger who would be willing to take out such a small number of trees to start with.  I've  been picking away at them for the last 5-10 yrs. Maybe I'll wind up cutting and skidding a few more of the highest quality, recently dead trees, too. (?) Down the road, we are looking at about 70-80 MBf harvest.

[Southside]

Do you have mills that will pay for dead timber?  

[nativewolf]

The mills in southern PA do buy standing dead as long as not too far gone.  Well they buy the walnuts and oaks, even poplar if not too far gone.

[Blackgreyhounds]

Do you have mills that will pay for dead timber?  

Local mill was going to take dead standing on the stump. Unfortunately, they won't take all the logs I have already cut and skidded.  I would really love to find someone who would be willing to by 3-4 triaxle loads of recently dead and fresh fallen oak logs that I have ready to go.  

[newoodguy78]

Any Amish mills around sawing fence boards or pallet stock? Certainly wouldn't get top dollar but it would get it out of the way.