harvesting pine trees for pulp

[McC]

My Dad's farm has about 10,000 pines, mostly red, then white, and spruce. We planted them around 1975 so they are about 26 - 27 years old. Most people have the stand thinned by hiring a harvester. Is it feasable to do this on our own with saws, or would that be a waste of time and effort. In central Wisconsin, when are these trees considered ready for thinning or harvesting?
Thanks for any input.
Scott

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

It used to be feasable for an individual to make some money cutting pulp. My uncle up in Price county supported his farm doing it for years.

The increased efficiancy in chip mills has made it impossible for an individual to compete, whatever the end use of the resourse.

Your best bet for max revenue would be to have a forester set up the timber sale for you.

A forester can help you decern wich are good for timber, which for chip and which to leave for natural seed stock. Like lobster fishing, we want to leave some of the best old trees to keep making little ones. Dr Shigo has shown that regular high grade harvest will degrade the genetic stock of a forest.

I have an aquantace through mutual freind I have talked to at conventions who works out of Hancock, WI as a forester.

forever green forsetry
Paul Ahlen
715-249-5602
[email protected]