Random Ramblings, Cutting Logs

[Gologit]

They definitely get the quality they pay for. I sure notice. Just before the bust, one guy's crew had petered out so he could only get/afford a couple of crack boys in the rigging. They were fast, but they did not care about scarring up trees. I was down with them a lot. More than I should have been.

By the way, I find myself thinking about having a part time lawnmowing, brush piling after others take down trees, for second home owners business. I may have a name for it, La Gringa. :monkey:

Good idea!! We'll start sending people north so you'll have plenty of employees to choose from. How many bus loads do you need? I'll mail you a Hmong/English dictionary...you already know enough 'Espanol. :greenchainsaw:

 

[coastalfaller]

If you eliminated every man with a criminal history or a tendency to blaze up on the weekends you might not have too many left to make up your crew.

Most of our new hires, and there aren't many, are someone that somebody in the crew knows. I take them as they are. If they have a drug problem that affects their work I don't keep them. People that will do this kind of work day after day might have a few little rough spots on them but if they do what they're supposed to I tend not to judge them.

Me too

 

[hammerlogging]

If you eliminated every man with a criminal history or a tendency to blaze up on the weekends you might not have too many left to make up your crew.

Most of our new hires, and there aren't many, are someone that somebody in the crew knows. I take them as they are. If they have a drug problem that affects their work I don't keep them. People that will do this kind of work day after day might have a few little rough spots on them but if they do what they're supposed to I tend not to judge them.

My boss was musing the other day we might drop logging altogether, just buy it standing, do all the layout, fall the timber, process, and market, leave all the logging to the whirlybird dudes. Turn key. And go fishing the other 6 months of the year.

Good labor is a real challenge for us. I must emphasize the GOOD part of that statement.

 

[joesawer]

It's called the price of wood has dropped

The price of wood did not drop until just recently, and then not much.
Stumpage went up, retail lumber went up, BUT mandated expense went through the roof in the past 30 years. Every thing went up but the pay.

 

[Burvol]

The price of wood did not drop until just recently, and then not much.
Stumpage went up, retail lumber went up, BUT mandated expense went through the roof in the past 30 years. Every thing went up but the pay.

I beg to differ.

 

[RPM]

The price of wood did not drop until just recently, and then not much.
Stumpage went up, retail lumber went up, BUT mandated expense went through the roof in the past 30 years. Every thing went up but the pay.

Log prices died up here almost 2 years ago, along the price of lumber. The descison was made this past Decmber to buy from logs fromthe open market and not log any of our woodthis year b/c it is cheaper to do so. Our best product (like Burvol's) is Doug-fir, which we cut for speciality market/export - Europe/Japan/Aus). Our operation can't make money on white wood (SPF) becasue our mill is not geared so much for small log and fast line speed. What it cost us to make a 2x4 is more than what we are geting - thats the problem. Wages have probably gone up every year as it hard to reatin experience and reliable workers. At least up here no english no work!

This past week the RL SPF prices went up but DF is still inthe toilet. I don't see it getting better yet.

 

[oregoncutter]

Dropped fast in my market

The price of wood did not drop until just recently, and then not much.
Stumpage went up, retail lumber went up, BUT mandated expense went through the roof in the past 30 years. Every thing went up but the pay.

I agree with Burvol when it dropped it dropped, and dropped fast, in late 08 early 09 export logs were nearly going for what standard doug fir was in 06-07, and pulp or utility wood damn near is matched up with whitewood rates. And yes expenses have gone up for everyone.

 

[joesawer]

I am talking longer term. The post was about wages being static for 30 years.
People working in the woods where making about as much in the 80s as they where before the crash.
Yes log prices dropped to nothing and virtually stopped moving by 2008, But the price of lumber has not dropped by much.
I think the spotted owl and shrinking demand for skilled people kept people working for the same money while inflation was going into effect on almost everything else.

Don't even get me started on Canadian 2X4s in the US! Your cheap subsidized lumber is one of the things that hurt our industry bad.