Aspen as a log cabin?

[Jim Timber]

I know aspen gets punky if you look at it funny, and it's weak to begin with. What I'm wondering is, is it possible to treat it in such a way to prevent rot (debarked), and use it in a traditional stacked log single story structure? I'd elevate the floor, and use treated for anything in direct proximity of the ground.

1/3 of my stand is aspen (both big tooth and quaking) that I want to get rid of for the simple fact it's not worth growing anymore as well as opening the understory for a different forest structure. Our local paper mill burned down this summer, and with it went my only real customer for those trees. Removing them will release the more valuable timber in the stand, and I'm wondering how to recoupe the expense of getting them off the property. I'd like a couple "cabins" on the lot in addition to the future pole shed and proper home. If I could make these out of aspen, they'd be virtually free.

Is this a crazy idea?

I was also thinking I could get a heavy trailer and haul them somewhere else for direct sale to another mill (sawmills in my area don't pay squat for the wood). It's light enough, I could make a good haul with my half ton truck on a 10K trailer.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

There's lot's of OLD cabins made from aspen... You just need to get them up off the ground, keep a good roof on them and have plenty of eves to keep water off the logs.

SR

 

[Jim Timber]

I'm using steel for my roofing - lasts forever, and it's light and easy to work with.

Good to hear about the usage in the past.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

There are lot's of kinds of steel pannels, not all created equil, and not all last forever...

Lots of folks are using pole barn sideing on roofs, it won't last forever! Good steel will last a LONG time, but it's expensive so folks don't often use it.

SR

 

[Jim Timber]

My idea of forever is 50 years - I'm not likely to live to 90, so that's good enough for me.

I'll be buying roofing steel paneling. I know the thinner cheap siding steel won't handle the exposure, especially not in my climate. I'd rather do it right and cry about the bill once.

 

[johninky]

Metal roof on the family farm barn in Ohio is 54 years old and still going strong. Metal roof on the house was there when I was born back in 1948. Just don't purchase "seconds". Get the good stuff and forget about it the rest of your life. I'm talking commercial grade metal roofing, not that crap sold at Lowes/Home Depot.

 

[Jim Timber]

Yep. I'll save enough on building materials that a few extra bucks for the right steel won't matter.

 

[Dad2FourWI]

I am sitting in a lean-to on a very old farm house that is built with aspen logs (floor and walls) that is well over 100 years old!!!

It is still strong and I expect it to last beyond another 100 years! My father and I have maintained the roof (asphalt shingles... I WISH it was metal!) over the years... and like a previous poster said... if you keep it dry, it will last!

We too have several areas on the farm that are Aspen and our "best use" was paper-pulp for many years for Nekoosa Edwards, Georgia Pacific, and Domtar... but now we are dealing with Bell Lumber & Pole Bell Lumber & Pole - Utility Poles, Telephone Poles, Power Poles, Log Home Components, Sustainable Woodlands Management, Forestry Products and Services and they have done a great job finding the "best use" for our wood products. If you contact them, Juris Repsa has been our forester for more years than I like to admit! - and he is wonderful!!!

Feel free to contact me if you wish more info... you are pretty close to our area!

-Dad2FourWI

 

[Jim Timber]

The forester/logger I had out couldn't look past his own nose, so it's hard to say where a market exists. All I came away with from that experience was a disdain for the guy and a management plan that lacks 90% of the substance of my goals for the property, and a $400 lighter wallet from the bill...

The local small lumber mill (one pole barn with a woodmizer) about 30 miles away quoted me $15/cord for the aspen. So based on that, I'd do better selling it for firewood. But rather than burning it all (or selling it at a discount because of it's low density), I'd rather mill it myself and see about putting it to good use. I can also put more money on the trailer if I loaded cut lumber instead of saw logs. If a mill is paying 30/cord, that doesn't add up to much per truck load after you factor in fuel costs hauling it 3 hours away.

I have hundreds of 12-16" DBH aspen trees, so it's not like I need to look far for decent size logs. I'm just a bit unsure about their structural integrity given how weak they are standing.

 

[hamish]

Aspen or around my parts, poplar has been used as much as pine and cedar for camps and all kinds of other things. Many a dugout camp built in the 40's with aspen logs are still being used today. Nothing more than a a bunch of aspen logs cobbled into a side hill with a roof and door slapped on it.

 

[Dad2FourWI]

That is a shame about your forester/logger... but you may still want to give Bell Timber a fair shake...

We actually had a thinning this summer and out of that, a small portion went to paper pulp, some went for cabin decking (not exactly sure what that was - but it brought in more than pulp, so we were happy), some went for palette lumber, and some went for utility poles. Our forester had to think out of the box and look for the best use of the trees to find us a market.

FWIW, 12-16" DBH Aspens... around here those would be pretty "mature" trees... you would not want to sit on those too long... but your soil may be able to support them... we are in sand country here!!!

Hey, I bet those Aspens are looking pretty right about now!!

-Dad2FourWI

 

[Jim Timber]

They're somewhere around 40yrs old. I've got good heavy soils on top of sandy loam, and the water table is relatively high on much of my property, so they get lots to drink.

My forester said to hold off another 5-10 on cutting them, but we're seeing an increase in breakage with moderate windstorms, so I'm ready to knock them down before nature does it for me. Potlatch owned it before us, and they were getting ready to cut it next year on a 40 year cycle. The county land manager used to be a buyer, and he said they manage on a 50 year cycle preferring to get higher volume in the surviving stand than get more quantity in younger trees. Since there's no local market for sawlogs, that kind of logic fails - bumping your stand into the next class up DBH still leaves you with the same low value wood.

The way I see it, the land will only sustain so much timber, so if you're going to lose the trees anyway, might as well cut them and sell them instead of letting them die off and fall. They're choking out my high value hardwood, and I want them gone. If I remove those trees, and it allows my red oak to grow at 7% a year instead of the 4% it's growing at now - in the next 5 years I'll have increased my stand value by more than the entire value of the aspen as it stands, let alone just the increase it would gain in that time. Loggers don't seem to get that part.

 

[Dad2FourWI]

I understand what you mean... but be careful, if you allow too much light in on those Aspen roots... you'll end up with LOTS of very fast growing Aspen suckers! And since they are growing off of the established roots, I do mean fast growing!<grin>

For the heck of it, I emailed my forester with a question re any additional markets for your Aspen... when he replies, I will post it here.

-Dad2FourWI

 

[Jim Timber]

They'll have the other 70% of my stand to compete with for that extra light.

I want the sucker regen, but I don't want the full size trees. Deer and grouse, and other small game would be doing well with more ground level cover/browse. I'm going to start brush mowing to keep it down after a couple years and the stumps are down. In areas where they're a problem, I'll nuke the stumps - if it does kill the whole tree (I know they're all the same root system), I'm not going to cry about it.

Thanks for asking him for me. I looked at their site, but they didn't say anything about MN.

 

[Dad2FourWI]

Too funny... your comment about the deer and grouse... wow, that is a blast from the past! My dad and I clear cut a small patch of Aspen about 40 yrs ago for exactly this reason... but no one told us it had to be large enough for the sun to beat down upon the ground/roots!

So all that hard work was for naught... we just ended up with a small "hole" in the woods and a ton of fast-burning firewood!!! LOL!

I just checked my email but no response yet... I'll keep you posted.

Bell Lumber & Pole's head office is in New Brighton, MN 55112

They just put on a "Tree Farm Day" about two weeks ago in Wisconsin Rapids, WI and "markets" for our wood was one of the biggest discussions!!! (as you said, the mills are closing up all over!)

-Dad2FourWI

 

[Dad2FourWI]

OK, I just received an email from my Bell forester (sent at 6:49 PM... that is a long day!<grin>)

I emailed the Bell forester who takes care of Minnesota. There is a
market for aspen there, but it is a long ways to the mills which means
the price is low. If he is interested in getting it cut, I can give you
the number of the Minnesota Bell forester.

Let me know if you are interested... I have to admit, these people have been very fair with us!!! - and I am very impressed by how hard our forester tries to find markets for our timber!!! You can pm me or ask here and I will send on the request!

Cheers,
-Dad2FourWI

 

[rarefish383]

This is a cabin built in the 1930's just outside Washington D.C. It's Yellow Poplar, and if you look close, you can see the bark is still on the logs. The folks that live here, two doctors, say it is drafty as all get out, but they love it, Joe.

 

[Dad2FourWI]

We were out cutting some firewood for the upcoming winter today.... (short "seasoning" period!<grin>) and we went by an area that we clear-cut back about 5 years ago... and I thought about what you said...

How is that for Aspen regeneration!!!! (This was about 4 or 5 acres)

The grouse around here have really taken a hit with all the coyotes over the last 15 years!!! ... but we can hope the deer are making good use of the young Aspen!!

I saw my Bell Timber forester two days ago and reminded him to send me the foresters' contact info for you... I will PM it to you as soon as he follows through.

-Dad2FourWI