What do you do with the wood?
- Thread starter rb_in_va
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
Kneejerk Bombas
ArboristSite King
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2001
- Messages
- 36,971
- Reaction score
- 9,983
If it's a straight log 8 feet or longer, it gets stock piled in the yard until there's a semi full or more, then a saywer come and picks it up, leaving a check for a couple thousand dollars.
Other hardwood gets loaded in logs at the jobsite, delivered to our yard, and spread out on woodchips where its easy to cut into firewood. It then gets processed and sold, this year for $290 per cord. We sold out.
The softwood gets cut into pieces that fit into a tub grinder and piled until it takes up too much space, then the guy with the tub grinder comes out and turns it into mulch. He also regrinds our chips. This stuff sells for around $17/yd.
What I'm trying to say is everything gets processed and sold.
Other hardwood gets loaded in logs at the jobsite, delivered to our yard, and spread out on woodchips where its easy to cut into firewood. It then gets processed and sold, this year for $290 per cord. We sold out.
The softwood gets cut into pieces that fit into a tub grinder and piled until it takes up too much space, then the guy with the tub grinder comes out and turns it into mulch. He also regrinds our chips. This stuff sells for around $17/yd.
What I'm trying to say is everything gets processed and sold.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
Mike, is that American or Barkriver, or a combination of the two? Barkriver does have an advantage with the economy of scale over the average micro-company.
I know a couple of guys who do the firewood thing, most burn their own and sell the excess. With NatGas prices going nowhere but up, this is paying now.
Most people I work with will chip as much as possible, then arange for the wood to go somewhere else, or to be left in situ.
Most city wood will vanish overnight, even willow.
I know a couple of guys who do the firewood thing, most burn their own and sell the excess. With NatGas prices going nowhere but up, this is paying now.
Most people I work with will chip as much as possible, then arange for the wood to go somewhere else, or to be left in situ.
Most city wood will vanish overnight, even willow.
wiley_p
ArboristSite Guru
That sucks, we cant give firewood away here, and thats bucked into 16-18". Space is at too much of a premium to afford a yard largr enough for a 100 cord or so and thats the space one would need. The few firewood guys around here wont come pick up wood. Its one of the biggest pains in my toe.
Kneejerk Bombas
ArboristSite King
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2001
- Messages
- 36,971
- Reaction score
- 9,983
Wiley, how are the lumber and mulch markets?
wiley_p
ArboristSite Guru
The lumber market is well its not bad if your in the woods, but in town, and the suburbs youy cant really skid, and most of the time a crane is cost prohibitive, although I belive in using the crane not as a way to make more money butreduce exposure. An example, 130' Doug fir next to house, 25' from base to pin on crane (if it was there) 30" dbh. Brush said tree out pop top on block, lower. Set up 23ton crane have 3-4 logs on ground in side of 2 hrs. But no, lets rig the top and cut all this wood into 16-18" rounds, and stack the wood somewhere stupid for the very wealthy homeowner so it can rot out because splitting it and burning it would require physical lkabor. As far as the mulch market I,m not sure too busy running the crews to deal with that and the owners dont think its an issue, thought about hog fuel too. I really need to take a trip out east somehow I think things are a little different in wood recovery, somehow it just sounds that way. You guys would s%$# when you saw the lumber that goes to waste with removals here.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
Talk to RB up in Seattle. He does better then anyone I know with a micro-buisness.
wiley_p
ArboristSite Guru
Roger does do well, When I have those types of jobs its the same program, I work mostly High end residential, and unfortunately that doesnt mean high dollar. The yards are 1.5-2 acre avg. and of course they are covered in a putting green type of lawn. so moving logs is pretty much out. unless its alrady a failure like on the house or something just cant get it across. Justy to put it in perspective for you, I mix a 5 gal jug of saw gas twice aweek, dump the 16yd box 10-15 times aweek, grind around 10' of stumps or so per week. I,ve got a volume problem fellas and there is very few out here who are forced to do what my crew does, I think we should back off to 3-4 days a week and try harder to recover product but sice I cant ciome up with a viable business plan for the owners no sell. So jusat keep humping.
treeman82
Addicted to ArboristSite
The job I was working at today, we burried a LOT of good ash timber. Just bury it, or buck it up into firewood. The guy has a way to load it onto his truck in timber lengths, and has a place to stash it. But isn't interested. What a waste 
NickfromWI
Addicted to ArboristSite
What do you mean by campwood? Wood that people use for camping fires?
If so, I think that's a great idea. I specifically look for silver maple and the like as firewood when getting ready for a camping trip.
It can be a pain to start a fire outside in less than ideal conditions when you have one match, some birch bark, and some solid oak!
love
nick
If so, I think that's a great idea. I specifically look for silver maple and the like as firewood when getting ready for a camping trip.
It can be a pain to start a fire outside in less than ideal conditions when you have one match, some birch bark, and some solid oak!
love
nick
NickfromWI
Addicted to ArboristSite
Pine is a pleasure to start.
Lumberjack
Banned
Anything that is 16'6" goes with my log man if he can get to it. I dont do fire wood right now, I might start this year tho, but it doesnt get too cold here. Anything the log guy cant get goes to my dumping grounds.
Some exotic/special wood (like 2 large cherries i did last week) goes to my teacher, as he likes to do wood working.
Some exotic/special wood (like 2 large cherries i did last week) goes to my teacher, as he likes to do wood working.
TreeJunkie
ArboristSite Guru
Anything of sizw 6'6'' or longer, is saved and we mill it ourselves. Any hardwood 10" dia and up we usually keep and try to sell a little bit of firewood. Firewood only went as high as 225 a cord here this year and 180 was about average, there are too many hacks from middle missouri who will haul in w/ semis and sell in for 150..
And oh yeah, chips go to the dump as well as any undesireable softwood and the like..
And oh yeah, chips go to the dump as well as any undesireable softwood and the like..
TreeJunkie
ArboristSite Guru
Lj,
I hope those guys your'e giving that wood to are paying you well, and why is it your log guy needs 16'6" thats awful long, 6-8 should be just fine....
I hope those guys your'e giving that wood to are paying you well, and why is it your log guy needs 16'6" thats awful long, 6-8 should be just fine....
Lumberjack
Banned
He doenst mill it, he just hauls it. I havent ever asked for money, and he has never turned me down for picking up anything, even if it was just one tree.
The mills around here want 16'6" i guess.
I might just start sayin that I want a dollar a foot for what he picks up, is that reasonable? I dont want to get all complicated, and I figure that that would be a reasonable average.
TreeJunkie
ArboristSite Guru
Lj, that totally depends, but i know to the right person nice logs are worth alot more than that,,, Cherry is great, Walnut as well and even oak, you should get top dollar if you have long straight logs, If i were you i might call around.. See if anyone in the area does any milling..
MidwestTree
ArboristSite Lurker
Firewood sells around here are a wash. Finally made it to $120.00 per cord and people are complaining about it. I Have the room to do it but it really is not a big money maker. No mills close so that's not an option. Most gets dumped and burnt. No dumping fees plus I have a burn pile at my place.
Dana
Dana
Lumberjack
Banned
I know, but I was thinking about a number that would make it all come out in the wash. I figure that at a dollar a foot I can make a few hundred off some jobs, and he can still make money all around. His primary wood is pine, but he takes anything. I figure that that is a fair price, I dont want to push it too far, as I still want him to pick up the one tree on the far side of town, while still make me some money on those 100 ft straight as an arrow, 4'dbh pines thats canopy starts at 60'. I still want it favored towards him, but I want some extra money.
Carl
Similar threads
