Finally, trees hitting the ground

[BSK]

I agree Truedouble. Should look great in a couple of years.

 

[Jarred525]

Jarred,

Might negotiate a foodplot per x number of acres cut. With a dozer in the woods I would think most loggers would be fine with spending a little extra time on the dozer.

Good thought. I had spoke to the logger about maybe trading some pulp out for that service. I have a 2 acre spot that I want to complete that is not the loading area. He told me he would pull the tops out in that area so it will basically be getting the stumps out and smoothing the area.

I also plan to leave a few spots of mature oak here and there as bow spots in the clearcuts. Planning on leaving them in areas that will allow for easy access during bow season where I will not bump the deer going in and out.

 

[Jarred525]

Anyone heard how timber prices are doing?

 

[FLIPPER]

What type of timber you cutting?

50 total acres in 3-5 acre patches (14 total patches). Removing everything except white, red and black oak smaller than 12 inches DBH.

Maximizing regrowth while keeping oak "seed trees" for rebuilding an oak-dominated forest.

Sad thing is...not in our or our childrens lifetime.

 

[pass-thru]

What type of timber you cutting?

50 total acres in 3-5 acre patches (14 total patches). Removing everything except white, red and black oak smaller than 12 inches DBH.

Maximizing regrowth while keeping oak "seed trees" for rebuilding an oak-dominated forest.

Sad thing is...not in our or our childrens lifetime.

You'd be amazed how fast those seed trees close to 12" dbh will become huge after the canopy is opened.

 

[swami]

Hey Jarred,prices have been dropping for about a month.Oak slow drop but poplar dropping fast.Walnut still holding its own.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

My forester is reccommending to not harvest. He has been holding my timber for 3 months now. He says prices just arent to good at this point. There was a spike in late Summer and everyone who had a saw got out and started logging, flooded the market and brought prices down.

 

[Jarred525]

Thanks, I cruised one 10 acre area yesterday and it is mainly hickory, and pulp. I actually went ahead in this area and marked all of the oak to not cut it. They were all small anyways and not a lot of them. Going to cruise the other area this weekend and see what is their. My recollection is that is was mainly poplar, not very big in size.

Spoke to my logger and he said maple was holding up pretty good due to the Jack Daniels demand. He did confirm oak is down. Forgot to ask him about poplar. Anyone heard anything on ash?

I am going to make a final call on what to do by December 15th. If my other cruise shows mainly pulp, I may go ahead. I think the 15 acres of maple that my neighbor has is what my logger is most interested in. I am just happy to have found someone that would mess with pulp.

 

[BSK]

What type of timber you cutting?

50 total acres in 3-5 acre patches (14 total patches). Removing everything except white, red and black oak smaller than 12 inches DBH.

Maximizing regrowth while keeping oak "seed trees" for rebuilding an oak-dominated forest.

Sad thing is...not in our or our childrens lifetime.

Are you kidding me? Clear-cuts I had made 16 years ago are now open-understory forest again. Now we won't see acorn production for another 10 years, but still...

 

[Jarred525]

Latest word on timber prices?

Ash?
Oak?
Poplar?
Walnut?
Maple?
Pulp?

Thanks.

 

[BSK]

Haven't checked lately. The loggers are off my place until deer season is over.

 

[Jarred525]

I got my guy lined up for right after Christmas. Just spoke with him and he was going to show me some price sheets from his current job Saturday.

 

[Jarred525]

Haven't checked lately. The loggers are off my place until deer season is over.

Appreciate all of your advice by the way. I have a good contract setup with this guy and feel pretty good about the arrangement. Just wish prices would have held steady from summer.

 

[BSK]

Get ready for rapid fluctuation. I can never keep up with the prices because they change so fast. My logger tells me about how a great maple log will pay top dollar one week and then the mills will hardly take the same log the next week. That is normal for the wood products market--rapid fluctuation.