Posted: 7/19/2009 6:03:01 AM EDT
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I have an acre or so of old growth red, white oaks and poplars diameters in the range 30+inches
Also have a bunch of 12"-18" diameter black walnut trees. I know the market is down but is there any desire for such timber? |
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The ads I've seen in the local papers from loggers around me (between Fredericksburg and Richmond) say they are only going out to cut lots that are 20 acres or more.
Sounds like a nice little forest you've got there! Majority of what grows around me are scrubby looking pines. |
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I was on a job talking to one of the smaller loggers in my work area on Friday and he told me that the White Oak was bringing up to $1500/K bd feet, Poplar was about $600/K bd feet. I can't remember what the Red Oak was bringing. There are loggers that will cut that small an area but you have to be careful who you choose. PM me where in the state you are located and I can put you in touch with the local forester that can aim you in the right direction and give you information to protect your interests.
Paul |
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I'm not questioning you at all Paul, but who ever told you that was either intentionally or by his own ignorance giving a VERY misleading statement. The values of standing timber has dropped, due to the economy, by almost 40% in the past 12 months. I own a commercial sawmill and my brother owns a large logging operation so I KNOW what timber is worth. Yes, SOME white oak will still bring $1,500/mbf but it has to be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT with NO blemishes / knots / cracks / veins / fire rings / cat faces / "bad color" or other wise good excuse for the veneer buyer to dock the price. When we buy a 100 acre tract of really good oak timber we may get 10 logs that bring that price to a highly specialized "veneer buyer" who comes to the site. The average price for oak logs, delivered to the sawmill, is more in the area $250-$400 / K bd ft, depending on the "log scale" used to measure the logs. ( "International" or "Doyle" ) Poplar and walnut will average about $300/mbf, today. Walnut hasn't brought those high prices of the 70's & 80's for years but people still remember those numbers from back then and think their one walnut tree is worth $1,000, it's not. A 1 Acre lot is very hard to get logged unless you find a guy who has a very small truck and most likely uses a farm tractor or skid steer loader to snake (drag) and load the logs. A commercial logging operation can't afford to move in for less than 20 acres, and to move for 20 acres requires good timber. The logger generally gets 50% of what the logs bring for his share and the landowner the other 50%. If the timber is "veneer" the landowner should get a higher %, in some cases up to 75%. Back to the above paragraph, to get that smaller logger to come for 1 acre he's probably going to need 60-75% across the board to offset the cost of moving his equipment and the lost time in doing that. The owner can sell the timber in one of two ways. The first, and safest, is to have the logger quote you a fixed price for the timber before he starts and have a check for at least 50% before he starts his equipment, the balance at 1/2 way. (For a 1 acre lot require 100% up front) The second is to cut on shares, the % mentioned above. The benefit of cutting on shares is that an honest logger will market it to the best market and you will most likely get more money in the end, note I said honest logger. Like in all professions, not all are honest. A dishonest logger will try to short you in every way imaginable. Unless you get several really good references on a logger you're better off to sell for a "lump sum" paid up front. To put it in dollars and cents for the OP, if the timber is as pristine as you describe, but I'll warn you timber is rarely as perfect as it appears to the untrained eye, you may get as much as $3,000 for a 1 acre tract if you find a logger who needs work and has some very good contacts. In all reality, to get it cut by a reputable logger you're probably looking at actually getting a check in the range of $500 to $1,500 for the acre of timber, again stipulating that there are blemishes in logs that only the best trained eye, either buyer or seller, can see that will drop the price of that first log from $1,500 / mbf down to $450/mbf. These prices assume you already have a road to this timber as well. There's a lot of trust involved in selling on percentages, in the Oliver's shoes I'd sell "lump sum, up front" Oliver, you didn't mention what part of the state you're in. If you pm me your location I may know someone in your area, if Paul doesn't. Sorry for the long reply, I just hate to see landowners be given bad information and think their timber is worth more than it is and then be disappointed. Ed |
| I've seen plenty of loggers in our neck of the woods Oliver but most are 'pulp wood' cutters. I can ask around locally and should be able to find some good recommendations for your county, I know a guy who will definitely be able to tell you who to call. I'll call you this week with what I can dig up. |
Send an IM to VTHOKIESHOOTER. He worked in the logging industry before his employer's mill went up in flames. He might be able to answer this for you (honestly I'm surprised he hasn't already chimed in –– maybe he's just spending too much time in the GD again  )
_MaH ETA: Here you go. Click here to PM VTHOKIESHOOTER |