Oak Prices per MBF in Oklahoma...?

[BlackenedTimber]

Howdy All,

I found a gentleman in the Southeast Oklahoma area that has some big tracts of timber he would like harvested. The predominant species is Red Oak, with scattered stands of White Oak and Shagbark Hickory, from what I can tell on a breif cruise.

There is a local mill that is buying red oak by the ton, low quality (IMO) timber for cutting ties.

Does anyone know what the going rate in this area for Red Oak Veneer/Grade 1/2 saw logs would be?

A few years ago when I was cutting in NY, the prices were awesome, but I know the timber industry is hurting bad right now...

I'm trying to determine if it would be best to cut these tracts and sell straight to mr. railroad ties, with tops and armwood going to firewood, or continue to investigate a mill that is cutting dimensional and thus buying graded sawlogs.

Answers/Opinons welcome and appreciated.

Thanks,

T

 

[hammerlogging]

Well, if they're big tracts, I'd get wood rolling now with the lower grade/quality stands and mostly feed the tielog man. Definately hold your high grad for better markets- veneer and grade 1, for sure. But, the other wood you are lucky to have something to do with your low grade wood and if it pays and gets the landowner some stumpage, great. If you sent him veneer and grade 1 I can pretty well guarantee you he'd be re-selling that wood himself rather than milling it for ties.

Point is, there's still markets for the really good, but low grade is hard to move and the pulp trucks are all heavy because theres more bigger wood on there than there used to be.

Look for maybe around $500/mbf redoak grade 1?

Take with a grain of salt, this is just the word around the landing.... I work on the front end, not the market end.

 

[BlackenedTimber]

thanks for the input! whre in WV are you cutting? I was just working in Mount Storm, out to the western end of the state. We are installing 174 miles of high-line, and there is wood EVERYWHERE from the right-of-way clearing. I mean, 10+ load piles every thousand feet, mostly hardwood, red oak, white oak, the occasional cherry, and a few other species. Saw some swamp maple (hate that stuff) bust mostly quality timber. Alot of it I would haul out to be milled, and it's just sitting there, piled up by the ROW contractor. Miles of it.