Wasted timber !

[shortlogger]

Went by a farm north of town and they are putting in another large chicken farm so to make room for the giant chicken houses they pushed and piled probably 30+ loads of hardwood timber . It makes me sick to see these giant piles of tie & pallet logs just wasted  . Do yall see much of this in other areas ? Why would you pay someone to push and burn marketable timber ?

[Autocar]

We see that around here all the time, people don't have any common sence anymore !

[treeslayer2003]

local folks usually call me first........some times its just junk but some times we gat a few good loads for them. pulp here ain't worth cutting but tie and pallet logs are strong.

[coxy]

we have the same thing here    the trouble I found is that people that have it thinks its worth a lot of money and when you tell them a fair price they say its not worth doing and push it up in a pile or they say we don't have time to monkey around and let it rot  then me and my big mouth always comes by and say if you got 2grand out of it it would be more than you have now

[goose63]

Thy do it all the time here the farmer has to farm every inch thy can .One guy doing the work calls me when there is good fire wood
The grove we are in now the farmer said at least the wood going to a good use told him not all was fire wood the nice big straight ones are was logs he asked me for my phone number

[Straightgrain]

Seems like a waste to me too.

I see it here with the timber companies (and the government's people's land) burning slash and cull. One former company (Willamina) used to issue free wood-cutting permits; Weyerhaeuser bought them out and put an abrupt end to that "nonsense".

The BLM and the State actually uses/wastes brand-new ($30.00) rolls of 3 mil plastic to cover the slash piles...looks like they get two piles per roll, when a mere 6'X6' square is needed.

I like burning the 20+ Y/O limbs in my wood-stove after they sit for 2 years (tight & clear grain=hot fire).

To some small degree though, the destruction of marketable timber (or any commodity) actually helps to increase the value of timber (or any similar commodity) slated for being marketed.

[thecfarm]

Than the EPA is all concerned about smoke from wood stoves.
Most times the trees are removed here in Maine.

[BargeMonkey]

We have a new pipeline addition coming thru the county, track chippers and hot saws. I hate seeing stuff wasted. After the flood i tried to buy 100+ cord of firewood that was just over the county line, but because it was an EAB quarantined county they wouldnt let me truck it 7 miles away. They decided to load it log length and truck it 40+ miles away into the same county and chip it there. Ash is going to be a  thing of the past here soon.

[enigmaT120]

In 2004/5 I got a wood cutting permit from Weyerhaeuser, and they put a splitter on the gate lock so that I could get in.  Maybe they don't do that now, or maybe it was because we're neighbors and I'd just sold them some trees, I don't know.  Somebody still cuts firewood around their slash piles but it may just be employees.  They sure do burn a lot of wood in those slash piles.  Even though I have more firewood off my own place than I know what to do with, it makes me want to go get some of theirs.  Mine is harder work!

[ga jones]

The gas companies do it all over here. Pipe lines from the wells also. The mills tried to buy the timber they piled up along the way. but the operators are construction guys and cut random lengths.

[BargeMonkey]

The gas companies do it all over here. Pipe lines from the wells also. The mills tried to buy the timber they piled up along the way. but the operators are construction guys and cut random lengths.

Our town road crew cried about the trees on a section of state woods so they marked the wood and the town guys cut it down and dragged it into piles. some was real decent oak. Not 1 log was correct, had more 7-8 ft sticks than you can imagine. it was supposed to be cut to longer tree lengths, top and body wood so the state could add it to an adjoining timber sale. Bought it for 400 bucks after the forester figured it out.  :D :D  :D

[Logger003]

All the timber I saw is from farmers who are getting ready to clear land. When they hire me to clear land, I log the marketable timber first then pile the rest. We make a deal for what the timber is worth. I think
It's a good deal for both me and the farmer he gets it cleared for less and I get saw logs

[ely]

most of the reason for the waste is haste... folks are in a hurry to clear the land and get on with the progress. if you have the land logged and timber brings 2000 dollars to your pocket then you spend several days with a track hoe out there digging up the stumps so you can construct chicken houses, it doesent take much of that to eat up your 2k you made on the timber sale.

we all know that most timber that is pushed with a dozer or taken down with a track hoe is not good for saw logs. but its the fastest way and time is money. trees are taken out quickly with the rootball intact.

[Ron Wenrich]

We have land clearers that cut all the timber, sell chips and logs and keep the cash.  In addition, they get paid to clear the land.  Only downside is there usually is more trash metal then in a typical timber sale.

[gww]

ely

we all know that most timber that is pushed with a dozer or taken down with a track hoe is not good for saw logs. but its the fastest way and time is money. trees are taken out quickly with the rootball intact

Why is this?  I have a brother that is going to build a lake and about 3 acres is woods. We were going to let the dozer push and pile the trees for speed and then take our time and pull out what we want with my dads backhoe.  This won't work?
Thanks
gww

[beenthere]

It'll "work", but you maybe will not like the dirt that is mixed in with the logs, and the little branches etc. that come out with the logs. At least that is what I've found out when gleaning out logs from a bulldozed pile.
Might be a bit better with the hoe pulling out logs.
Let us know how ya like it.

But it will "work".  ;)

[gww]

I doubt I will like it but don't see much coice.  I have very few prime trees and he has to pay someone else to clear.  It has done been discussed the cutting first but the lake builder needs the weight of the trees to help push the root ball out of the ground and the price goes up for just stumps.

Right now it is taking me hours to get just one log back to my mill cause I only have a atv, trailer and hand winch.  It may be easier to deliver logs from there, roll them off the trailer and power wash them.  I do intend to build something better for moving logs at my house.  When the logged my dads woods, they piled all the culls in one place and we just waded in and cut it into fire wood.  It still ended up being easier then dropping trees and cutting them.  It also did eat chains due to the grit from draging the logs.

I am open to suggestions for a better way to handle this situation.
Thanks
gww

[Loghauler86]

I doubt you will be happy with the results. I despise few things more than cleaning up a pushed over and piled up whole trees. It's always a dirty, split, broken and tangled mess. When I get the reason well, "we saved you time", it's aggravating because it's a painfull process to clean up one of these disasters. The logic that pushing the tree with the stump is faster is true, but it makes the log salvaging and chipping ten times more painfull with all the extra debris and dirt. Good logs and firewood are usually destroyed in the process as well. I consider stumping to be excavation, not tree work and i feel they don't go together. Pulling stumps is not a big deal with the right equipment and some thinking. It's always cheaper to have someone to clear and stump separately in my opinion than to have to clean up a pushed over mess.

[gww]

Log hauler
I am a complete newby.  The lake will probly be built even though it is on the outside limit of the financial ability of my brother.  It is also a life long dream and will come before any other consideration.  There won't be that much good saleable logs on the three acres.  The trees are not quite big enough.  They would probly work for me to piddle on with my homemade manual saw mill and no real plan for the wood.

This thread was about wasted wood and I had run a few ideals on salvaging the cream of the crop, like maby cutting and just hauling to a sawmill and trying to recoup some of the lake cost.  Or following the dozer and trying to cut the best logs after the tree is pushed over.  Most of my ideals don't really add to the picture enough to make the effort worth while compared to the added cost the lake builder would tack on due to the hassel.  He said he would try to push the best to a seperate location. 

The mess doesn't have to be cleaned up. It can be piled in a corner to rot.  My dad has finily gotten old enough to not be burning 12 to 14 cords of wood a year and has switched to propane so unless we tryied to sell the wood, there is no need for large amounts of fire wood anymore.  I would like to play with some of the logs but don't have a true need for them.

Dad does have the back hoe though and his trailer would haul a few logs at a time and everyone wants the best deal posible made for themselves.

Except for cutting firewood and a few stabolts when I was younger, my only experiance with how to handle stuff is to look on you tube and use a little common sence.  I do know a back hoe is not the piece of equiptment to clear three acres with as the last stump I dug out took a long time to do.

I guess my next internet search will be on stump excavation.
Thanks
gww

[Logger003]

It's true that it takes longer to clear after it's been logged, I have a ripper that mounts to the dozer blade so I pile what I can working around the stumps put the ripper on and get the stumps out then finish piling. I don't charge by the hour when I do this I found if we agree on a price for the job were both happy

[gww]

Logger
I looked over some of the trees (mushroom hunting).  I have zero experiance but know enough that he actually has some pretty big trees in the three acres.  Nobody would move their equiptment to do ten to twenty acres for just 40 or 50 really decent trees even were he to log it all, so I know that 3 acres is small.

I still hate to let it go.  We thought about cutting really low and leaving the stumps in the lake but the builder indicated maby needing to use the dirt and so that also could cause problims.

The builder had not given the land clearing part of the bid as of yet so we still have another chance to see what his ideals may be before the final cost comes in.  I think he charges about $190 per hour.

Still thinking on the issue.  Thanks for the comments.
gww

[Loghauler86]

Every region is different but we move for small clearing and sometimes with the right wood small logging lots as well. I would jump all over that three acres. We've done jobs were it takes longer to move than to do the job. With that aside, have you had a land clearing/logger come look at it? Maybe someone could clear and credit you money for the logs. It's worth the inquiry, because you may be able to get someone to clear it and chip or burn the slash for the same amount as pushing it over and piling it. If it's still cheaper to have the excavator push and pile it at the end of the day then I guess that's the direction to go.

[gww]

Loghauler

It's worth the inquiry, because you may be able to get someone to clear it and chip or burn the slash for the same amount as pushing it over and piling it. If it's still cheaper to have the excavator push and pile it at the end of the day then I guess that's the direction to go.

Yes thats the question.  I don't know if that will happen as I am not even sure if they are going to get three bids.  They had three names but I think mostly liked the first guy they talked to, though he still has to come back and look at the clearing portion. 

My dad had 40 acres logged about 10/15 years ago and they werent interested in moving even close for small acrage.  His neibor just had a section logged.  Man they really destroyed his place.  If I had enough energy I could probly cut some pretty easy firewood off the tops laying everywhere on his place.  I would have to ask and would if dad still needed wood but I don't really want the job of cutting firewood and selling it.  It's going to end up rotting also.  Some good opertunitie if a guy wanted to make a hard living and was in good enough shape to do it.

I know my brother is straped and thinking of options also but it is hard to know what is out there to even check into and with the lake guy, he sorta has to like the end result also or will reflect his dislike in cost.  He may have some ideals also if they remember to persue it with him.
Thanks for the responce
gww

PS  My brothers trees are not all big but there are some nice ones mixed in,  His is much better then what I will be able to get off my 12 acres of woods.  His 3 acres might be better then my whole 12 unless it was firewood a person was cutting.