Are these worth anything

[MNClimber]

Not sure if this question belongs here. I am working on a small land clearing job of about 20 acres or so. Its all scrub and poplar the poplar is about 10-16 inch and about 16 ft of usably wood on each. So my question is is the poplar worth any thing? Also does anybody know of a sawmill or someone who buys hardwood around the twin cities? Sorry if this post is in the wrong place.

 

[PA Plumber]

Average small end diameter of 11" x 16' long is 49 board feet per log (Doyle).
If you have 500 of those trees you'll have about 24,500 board feet.

If you can find a mill that wants small Poplar pole timber you might be able to get some return. You sure are looking at a lot of work dropping, topping, limbing, bucking, loading, and hauling those small diameter trees.

Locally the larger trees, 18" dbh and up are, going for $.70/board foot. The price takes a nose dive under 16" diameter on the small end of the log.

Type in a search for local mill in white pages.com or yellow pages.com. Your local service forestry office/district forestry office may have a list of mills in your area.

Good luck.

 

[Husky137]

Contact a pulp mill.

 

[slowp]

I worked in Northern WI a couple of years. Do you by any chance mean
Popple? Popple being the name for Quaking Aspen.

 

[PA Plumber]

Locally the paper mill is at $2.00/ton for hardwood pulp. If you just wanted it cleared off, and they were willing, might work for both parties.

 

[MNClimber]

Ya its a lot of work to clear it. But its for an ecological development so the equipment that I am allowed to bring in is very limited. I was thinking of selling it for pulp wood but am not sure if I would profit from it by the time I move and haul all of the logs. As for slowp yes it is popple. I thought they where the same or pretty much the same thing.

 

[PA Plumber]

I was thinking along the lines of Tulip Poplar.

I do not know marketability of Popple.

Our Aspen trees are considered the "weeds" of the woods. Recommendation is to turn them into pulpwood, or to cut and leave them lay in the woods.

 

[slowp]

Aspen was a very desirable species for the pulp mills so you definitely want to check around. Let me see, come March and April, loggers used to take off to go "peel the popple" meaning they could strip the bark off with their processors and sell it at a premium. This happened with the sap rising season. Up North, Saapi Fine Paper bought it and others whom I have forgotten in the year and a half I've been gone. Anyway, check it out with your local folks. I never made it to the south part of Minnesota except to the airport. Good luck.

 

[skip]

Around here poplar are called peelers, same as popple? Poplar and aspen are related . Check with your local portable sawmill guys. Sounds like a lot of good wood fixin to go to waste.

 

[gjersy]

Hi, peeling the popple is a good thing u get more money 4 it,however the peeling season doesnt start till mid May - 1st part of July,& it's very slippery 2 handle until it drys.I just sold some popple for bolts yesterday they have to be 8inches & up on the small end, (8 foot 6 inches long).The pulp market is full around here right now,they seem not 2 want it if its 2 far from the mill,but I did get a contract for 50 cord,things can change in a few weeks though.What side of the cities r you on?

 

[PES+]

If you can find a small mill that makes pallets they pay well for that size though that is the small end of the scale they want

 

[MNClimber]

Gjersy I'm on the north east side of the cities. I live in Scandia if ya know where that is. I live about 20 minutes from Osceola and about 30 minutes north of Stillwater. As for pallets i don't know of a place around here that makes them.

 

[Grizzer]

Mn logs

There is a large mill/pallet mfg operation 1 mile S of Onamia E of hwy 169. They buy bulk & sort for pallets and quality hardwoods - further sell to specialty shops & brokers.

Another option is the Amish mills around St. Cloud to Staples. No phones so you have to go there, they may take all your inventory. They supply pallet parts, build houses, barns etc. There is a pulp mill N of Motley on Hwy 64.

Also a large mill on hwy 10 in Rice MN mostly inventories hardwoods but may know somebody interested in your stock.

The paper mill in Brainerd has reopened - they may point you to their suppliers. Sappi is huge in Cloquet/Duluth, as well as the Sauk Rapids paper mill.

Can you hold it a year or 2 for a better market? Probably best case split & package for retail sales in the cities for firewood city people won't know the difference opcorn:

 

[gjersy]

MNClimer your right by Rice lake thats where they take peeled popple, Magnum Timber, & they don't want it over 20 inches there, they also take rough popple that they debark,that might be your best bet.I'm sure there is a bolt mill around u close,I'll ask my buddy who logs up there.

 

[MNClimber]

Thanks for the replies guys! I didn't know there where so many mills. The rice lake one would be good but they would have to pick it up. It would be a 90 mile drive each way and I don't think that I can make that cost effective with the size loads that I can haul. Grizzer do you have th name of the mill in Onamia. It would still be a ways for me but maybe I could give them a call and see what they say.

 

[Grizzer]

The place was called Woodline Sawmills Inc. back in 2003. They were for sale so it may be renamed.

A thought for transport is if you call a log hauler with a semi and grapple can tote 10 cord +/- per load. He will need space and a a landing of sorts.

 

[MNClimber]

Thanks for the info Grizzer. I could definitely make a whole for the log truck. I'll call around in the next couple of days to see what they want and to see if that mill is still open.

 

[musch]

I haven't tried, but can any of you guys tell me the btu, or firewood value of quaking aspen or popple? I'm guessing its pretty poor.

 

[Husky137]

I'm too lazy to look it up but I remember it being in the neighborhood of 15-16 million btu's per cord, similar to pine.