Unanswered Honey Locust marketing questions

[Farmer Mike]

Hi guys,
Glad to find this site!

Tree abatement is an ongoing task here on our Missouri farm. We have the usual assortment of "commercial" trees but my focus is on Honey Locust.

We have a bunch, from saplings to 36"er's. Many would definitely make saw logs. I can cut them up well enough and handle them with the saws and tractors/loaders on hand, but I have yet to find an actual markets in this area.

Small loads and short hauls might be okay with our pickup / gooseneck combo, but I would like to send quite a bit "down the road".

Land improvement is the primary goal hear, but I would sure like it to pay for itself. Obviously mucho firewood will be the byproduct. It doesn't bring much in this rural area, and I don't have the time or desire drive to the city and peddle a pickup load at a time.

Helpful suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks, Mike

 

[olyman]

since your around farmers--ask if anyone needs some boards for their trailers--as that is premo wood---just need to get someone with a BANDMILL to cut it---a circular would waste too much--wish you were closer to me--as id take a few----

 

[kkottemann]

down here there is plenty of honey locust in the swamp, however it is pretty much worthless except in a very specilized market. We have a hardwood OSB plant which obviously manufactures hardwood osb. Now the actual borard is not 100% hardwood, it is a mix of softwood and hardwood. there is a proper mix of softwood and hardwood which makes most desirable product. Now the hardwood species are broken up into two catogories. one being LOW DENSITY (Gum, Sycamore, Elm, Cypress, Tupelo) species, and the other being HIGH DENSITY (Red Oak, White oak, Ash, Hickory, Pecan and of course Honey locust) species. Also in the mix of osb is pine. Depending on the time of the year the percentage of each species varies in the mix, but it generally tends to be 33% pine, 33% low density pulpwood and 33% high density pulpwood. so do some research and find out if some pulp mills or chip yards need high density wood and sit on it untill they really need it, and bamm!! you sell your honey locust at a desirable price.

Another market you might want to check into is boyers. these are people who make custome laminate or solid wood bows. I know that locust is one of the many wood they like for laminate bows. I had a bow made for me out of hickory and picked up a little cash supplying the bowyer with that particlar type of hickory because he liked it so much. Just a thought.