Tree service sells walnut for $1300

[Daren]

I got a call from a guy in Ohio this evening who had visited my site. He is looking into further processing, has a sawyer buddy, contacted me about kiln plans. He said he had a walnut log 34" butt (didn't say how long, I didn't ask) in his yard that he cut down for a customer. The tree service work was $700 he told me, and asked what the deal was, what was the high price for the log all about. A feller from a local mill offered him $1300 for it, he took it. I asked about the buyer and he said it was a well established production mill...that was backed up on orders for quality walnut.  I did not see the log obviously, but it must have been a beauty, and the guy was lucky to have a buyer knock on the door. His question was, if this dude paid $1300 for that log how much is the buyer making and how does he get a bigger piece. I told him all the variables (if a mill is going to tree services and paying top $, they are probably just trying to keep a customer and may just break even on this one, maybe lose $ to keep a good customer?) I told him $2000 for a yard tree removing and then selling is good money, hang in there.
Good for him...and glad he is 400 miles away. That mill buyer would put me out of business. $1300 was laying in the yard, they picked up. Curly? Or is the walnut market that strong?

[Dodgy Loner]

Are you sure the mill in question isn't a veneer mill?  That's the only way I can see somebody paying $1300 for a 34" walnut and still making a profit.

[Daren]

Are you sure the mill in question isn't a veneer mill?  That's the only way I can see somebody paying $1300 for a 34" walnut and still making a profit.

I don't know, I asked and he was not sure what the mill did. Not being derogatory, but most tree services are disconnected from a profitable end use. How many veneer logs come out of yards? Some I reckon, but there are plenty in the timber here in hardwood country for less that $1300. And not ones and 2's, I would think a veneer mill would prefer a truckload, not send buyers knocking on doors?

[Ernie]

Try this link for an idea of prices in New Zealand for some of your North American timbers as well as a lot of others.. We just milled some Tasmanian Blackwood--looks like Black Walnut and would love to get the prices they sell it for.

http://timspec.co.nz/downloads/Timspec_Ak_Pricelist_7Jun07.pdf

[Warren]

The tree surgeon is happy.  The mill is happy.  And the tree did not go to the land fill.  Sounds like a Win-Win-Win.    Good for the tree surgeon !   I would have done the same thing in a heart beat...

Warren

[Brad_S.]

Or is the walnut market that strong?

Around here, the walnut market is that strong. There is a local guy who buys every twig of walnut, right down to 8", from loggers, arborists and homeowners alike. A buyer from Quebec comes down once a month, buys it all from him and trucks it back to Canuckistan.

[Ron Wenrich]

I think I mentioned that in another thread.  We have paid for yard trees, and sold them for veneer for a profit.  You can do the same thing with white oak, red oak, cherry and hard maple.  Walnut has some nice growth characteristics, and their grading is a lot better on walnut than it is the other species.   I think the veneer is probably around $4-5/bf.

Walnut lumber is pretty good, as well.  I was getting $2/bf for log run walnut cut into 8/4.  There was not a butt log in the bunch, all 2nd and 3rd cuts and some limbs. 

[Daren]

I guess that explains why I have not seen a load like this lately (this is 1/2 the load, first picture, and there are several more not in the picture off to the right)  10'-12' logs, the one with the bar on it is 36' and clear. The second load was bigger, just a bunch of little ones though most under 20", all bigger that 14"....I guess the guy found someone who would give him more than a 12 pack for 5000 bft (?) of walnut  . I am not ashamed, heck I am proud of it. These logs would have been BURNED on a construction job. I just happened to know the driver in charge of "disposing" of them. I bet my mill ,somewhere within 50 miles of me there is a bigger pile on fire right now  .

[Frickman]

This past Sunday in the Pittsburgh,Pa Sunday paper there was an article about growing, or not growing, plants around yard walnut trees. The author, a lady connected to the University Extension Service, said that if you choose to remove a walnut tree from your yard, don't pay a tree service. She said that black walnut is a valuable wood, which it is, and you can sell your tree for a lot of money. That's all I need, more people calling with standing timber to sell and all it is is a yard tree.

[Ironwood]

Too many variables for me to spend that kinda money.

            Reid

[inspectorwoody]

Daren

You'll only see loads like that if the guys you are getting them from have kept their ear plugs in 24-7 and haven't heard anything about the Walnut Market! 

I don't know what your getting for your Walnut lumber etc. but a load like that, a guy might be better off to dump it on a mill/veneer yard.  You get it for free, handle it a little and make out well!

I have heard that what once was considered firewood is now worth around a buck and some change a foot. We are sawing anything 8" in diameter and larger minus the veneer logs. Crooked, dog bone etc.

I'm curious to see how long the strong market lasts and what will happen if it starts to drop. I think the overseas market is keeping it as strong as it is right now.

[Daren]

Daren

You'll only see loads like that if the guys you are getting them from have kept their ear plugs in 24-7 and haven't heard anything about the Walnut Market! 

I would never get a load like that for free from people who deal with trees (tree services/firewood guys...) I get them from excavation contractors, dirt men. "Those stupid trees are in the way of progress" they have $100,000's of equipment on a job, bridge job in the case of the walnut picture, and they are getting paid to move dirt. You would not believe the ignorance, they are not dumb men they are successful business men with multi million dollar operations. They are just ignorant to the value of the trees they are destroying. They only know dirt and how to move it to make $, the trees slow them down and most are glad to be rid of them.

For example I was thanked repeatedly for hauling this 60" x 14' (or around there, can't remember exactly, but it was large maybe bigger than that even?) oak log off. I brought a trailer and the guy loaded it with his high hoe. He was doing a clearing job for a farmer, digging a big hole and burning everything and burying it. He kept thanking me for hauling it off because "That big dude would have burned forever and I have to get this job done"
 

This is some of the lumber that came out of it, of course I got some 24" and curly and wide 1/4 sawn. I had a computer melt down and lost the pictures, and the lumber is already sold. The curl is slight, but it is there and made for interesting lumber. Better than plain oak, made it worth sawing.

 

I have many more stories of huge piles of burning hardwood, but that is not what this thread is about and it kinda bums me out anyway.

[jim king]

Even if those are NZ Dollars it seems very good to me. 

Live rates at 2007.08.13 20:35:33 UTC 
1.00 NZD = 0.739645 USD
New Zealand Dollars    United States Dollars 
1 NZD = 0.739645 USD   1 USD = 1.35200 NZD

[chainsaw_louie]

Dayton Ohio - "2 100' Walnut trees free if you have them cut down". 

There is a posting on Craigslist from 16th October 07.
I dont know anything more than whats in the ad. It may be worthwhile or it may not.
http://dayton.craigslist.org/zip/450593971.html

Tim

[inspectorwoody]

Picked up these Walnut logs tonight. 


Butt and Second Cut.

Third Cut.

Bucked the butt log at 8'6". Could have bucked it at 7'6" and got a defect free log but if I get those knots positioned just right, I'll still have some good clear lumber. 

Second and third cut aren't anything pretty but more lumber and it beats them being cut up into firewood.

[Dale Hatfield]

I never thought much of walnut firewood...

[Brian Beauchamp]

This past Sunday in the Pittsburgh,Pa Sunday paper there was an article about growing, or not growing, plants around yard walnut trees. The author, a lady connected to the University Extension Service, said that if you choose to remove a walnut tree from your yard, don't pay a tree service. She said that black walnut is a valuable wood, which it is, and you can sell your tree for a lot of money. That's all I need, more people calling with standing timber to sell and all it is is a yard tree.

I know what you mean...got a voicemail the other day from a lady that had an acreage with walnut on it. After I returned her call, I found out the acreage was her yard and she had one walnut on it and a big white pine...wanted to know how much they'd bring...$2000? $3000? ...no ma'am, sorry.    I always feel a little bad that I can't help them on those things...times can't be too good if you're looking to sell the tree in your yard.

[cantcutter]

 I would think a veneer mill would prefer a truckload, not send buyers knocking on doors?

Actually no.... We have a large veneer mill locally that I sold to a couple of years ago.... at the time the buyer told me he was lucky to get 3 or 4 walnut veneer logs per year.....too many walnut buttlogs have lower branches on them. 

[baronthered]

In the early and mid 20th century a good chunk of walnut that was cut went to gun stocks. Around here a good clean stock blank is worth $25-100 depending on any interesting character in the wood. I do some oddball stock work for folks in my area and the only walnut I've been able to find recently was given to me by my mother in law and that was because she thought me and her daughter needed firewood. and it was over her barn. I cut it down a couple years ago and am just now starting to put some of the wood to use. I have one nice stock I'm starting now for a remington 700 that should be nice when I'm done. There's always somebody wanting wood for something just need to find the right market.

[SwampDonkey]

Veneer buyers here like Columbia have men that buy 1, 2, 10, 30 logs at a time. Scale it and stamp it and send trucks to sorting yards to pick it up. We've had people come as far away as Indiana to pick up hard maple, nothing exceptional, maybe 14" -16" top for the bigger ones.

Select, kilned, rough walnut is $6-$7 a bf here coming from Ohio.