Burn Area Cleanup

I posted this thread in the Forestry and Logging forum, but I wanted to put it here as well to try to get some more insight.
Do any of you guys have experience working/charging insurance companies for burn area clean up or tree clean up in general? I have a few clients who would like a bid for me to clean up all their burned trees from a wildland fire. The clean up is going to be paid for by the insurance company of the landowner who started the fire. It is all old growth Ponderossa pine, big nasty stuff and is non merchantable so it's basically just a cut, pile, and chip process. Might save some logs for firewood but thats about it. It's rough steep country, approximately 50-60 acres on 4 different parcels. The landowner's say the insurance company wants a firm price, I want to be fair, but I want to make some money too. Most of the trees are all hazard trees, lots of widow makers, cat faced, etc. so my fire experience will be priceless. Any suggestions on how to bid something like that? Any ideas on price per acre or any thoughts I should consider? My plan is to go in and fall all the trees, use a self propelled track chipper with a winch to chip and broad cast everything the chipper is cabable of, then forward the logs out and deck. Possibly have my T300 with rotating log grapple and an excavator to help feed the chipper. It's going to be a lot of work, but I think there should be some good money in it, as long as I bid it correctly. Thanks for any help.

I've done a bid similar, I treat it like a lot clearing and survey the area for difficulty of access and try to figure a per acre estimate.

I'll make separate estis for slash piles and windrows, yarding logs vs cut and leave...Windrows and piles can be habitat. Leave a few snags near windrows for raptor habitat and such.

If it is gravey I price it to get me through the winter, which was the only one I won the bid on.

View attachment 109786

Here is a picture of some to of the area. Can you guys give me any ideas? Bid is for the removal of all the burnt trees (no stumping), chips can be blown on site, logs can be decked on site for fire wooders. What would you charge per acre to go into this kind of project. Remember, most of these trees are hazard trees, i.e. burnt root systems, cat faces, broken tops, widow makers, it's not very pretty. There is approximately 50-60 acres, this pic shows easiest portion so the terrain gets more difficult. Just a ball park from other professionals would help me a lot. Thanks guys!

Your licking yer chops on that one eh ASD??

Sick toys BTW!

50-60 acres ?
looks like alot of open area (grass) do you have a tree count?

I would send
2 saw men
1 track chipper
1 kobelco ex to load the chipper
1 carlton 8018 stump grinder (if the want the stumps gone)
1 bobcat t-320 with grapples and a mower head to deck/load the logs and dress up the area as we go

as to how long it would take 3 to 4 weeks

I wish ASD was closer too! Would love to colaborate on some of these projects. So ASD, 3-4 week job? This is how I'm trying to justify the purchase of the equipment we discussed on the phone the other day. Whats a fair price range?
The stumps do not have to be removed.

Thinning

A mulching head on an excavator would be the most practical and the safest, maybe a skid steer with grapple, and chipper for the stuff you have to skid off the steep slopes. If the the picture represents most of the stand densities and geography, 850-1250 an acre. 3-5 acres a day, maybe faster if the stands are all as thin as the picture indicates. If the ground is really steep you may be able to get 1500 an acre. How many bids are they getting? Best of luck man.

thansen said:

Whats a fair price range?
The stumps do not have to be removed.

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Go take an ATV over the hole site and just take the ac. #'s and put them in to this

flat ground xx ac. x 1000 = $xxx
mod slope 2 to 1 or less xx ac. x 1200 = $xxx
steep over 2 to 1 xx ac. x 1500 = $xxx

You will end up $60k to 90k for the trees +$100 per stump + some $$ to replant new trees on a 1 to 3 (1 dead = 3 new) +some $$ to replant some new brush on a 1 to 1


You said the ins. co. is paying for it and if I was the land owner I would not want all the stumps left as they pose a hazard to people/livestock/auto/ATVs

so I would also give a bid on the stumps at $100 EA.(grind and spread mulch)

also I would want some sort of replanting and compensation for the loss of the trees and other shrub's that our now gone

Thanks ASD, Great information. I will keep you posted how things progress.

flat ground xx ac. x 1000 = $xxx
mod slope 2 to 1 or less xx ac. x 1200 = $xxx
steep over 2 to 1 xx ac. x 1500 = $xxx

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How would you ballpark an abandoned quarry? I just looked at an old granite (rhyolite actually) with 90+ years of growth on it. Very little flat with a lot of big piles of detritus and winding roads around ridges.

John Paul Sanborn said:

How would you ballpark an abandoned quarry? I just looked at an old granite (rhyolite actually) with 90+ years of growth on it. Very little flat with a lot of big piles of detritus and winding roads around ridges.

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The pricing I gave was based on pic's of that site

Post some pic's and the scope of work and I wiil give you my .02's on your site