going to sell some trees. Need some input.

[fearofpavement]

Does a burl like this have any value?

View attachment 396529

It's on a tree in a swamp about 100 miles south of where I live. Getting it out would be a challenge. Maybe a good four wheeler would do the job but mine is a cheapo chinese one. It would be have to have a pretty good value to make it worth "harvesting" it.

 

[slowp]

Who owns the tree the burl is on?

 

[slowp]

A video about Highly Valuable Walnut. It pertains to other Highly Valuable Trees also.

 

[o8f150]

if it was me,,,, that small of a plot of trees I would thin it out myself and sell the firewood

 

[fearofpavement]

Who owns the tree the burl is on?

I do.

 

[fearofpavement]

To the OP, you want to make sure and understand the difference in wood values as many of them are "at the gate of the mill" vs stumpage which is what you have. There is a very large value disparity between the two. Not only that but often one price will be per ton and the other per 1000 board feet. (there's ways to convert that) Getting the trees down, cut to length, out of the woods, onto a truck and to the mill (however far that is away...) takes a big chunk of change. If you don't have the means to do that yourself, then all those processes are going to require you to pay someone to do that. Plus maybe a professional forester if you don't feel confident in tree cull selections.
That's why I mentioned "firewood". If you cut the trees into firewood, you can do the entire process yourself and any proceeds from sales will go directly into your pocket. It's a lot of work, takes a lot of time, but doesn't have to be done all at once and managing the mess is much easier since you'll be cutting up a lot of what would be left as slash in a logging operation. I guess get a couple quotes from some reputable companies and see what you could net. While the trees you have on your property may seem like a significant resource to you, in terms of logging, it's a molehill.

 

[slowp]

And remember, the mill is not your friend. They are a business.

 

[watsonr]

You could have a big GTG at your place and a bunch of members could come over and cut firewood all day... Practice falling trees, eat good food. Even ride the 4-wheelers around hauling wood... cool!

 

[marti384]

Like in Allegan County?

Yes . afraid so [/QUOTE]
I'm just a couple miles north of you.

 

[fearofpavement]

Although I live in middle Georgia now, I grew up and lived in the Grand Rapids area (Hudsonville) and lived in Wyoming, MI after I got married. I'm 900 miles south of there now. I still have some land up near Fife Lake though.

 

[dnash]

Cutting 50+ trees out of 2.5 acres? How much of a woodlot do you expect to have when you're done?

 

[Gypo Logger]

You have a few choices and a lot of time to think before you cut.
Without having seen the wood lot, I'd do a low grade cut, meaning just take out low grade trees of poor form without making any large voids in the canopy.
Ideally, crop trees should have 5' space between crowns.
If you do this, you will reap bigger rewards down the road.
Beware of doing a commercial cut at this point, sawmills and log buyers can smell an inexperienced logger a mile away.
If money is your main concern at this point, get at least 3 or 4 quotes and beware of signing some one sided contract.
A 20" hardwood is a good size, but 16" is too small for any kind of volume.
Depending on the stand a healthy hardwood can grow 1/4" or more in dia./yr.
If it was me, I'd just cut the low grade out and let the bigger trees grow.

 

[RYNOMAGNUM]

walnut trees are way to over rated you will only here about the good ones. veneer buyers are like lawyers they argue and are picky as f uck . we try to explain to land owners just because u have a walnut dosent mean it a veneer. im not saying your walnuts are not veneer . im actually saying as you speak the environment you described is the best place for a really nice walnut to grow . if you have time and can snap some close up i will let you know what kinda prices you may get .

There is BIG money in veneer walnut where I am at. New mill and lot dedicated to nothing BUT walnut.
You have to have the right trees.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Speaking of Walnut, I did business with a veneer buyer from Taiwan when I called her in to look at some walnut logs,
Anyway, she bought everything I had, but she noticed a pile of random length walnut short and rotten sapwood, crotches and all for a buck a foot. It wasn't even good firewood. How she scaled it I'll never know and I don't really care.
I hear the best walnut is in Iowa.

 

[RYNOMAGNUM]

Speaking of Walnut, I did business with a veneer buyer from Taiwan when I called her in to look at some walnut logs,
Anyway, she bought everything I had, but she noticed a pile of random length walnut short and rotten sapwood, crotches and all for a buck a foot. It wasn't even good firewood. How she scaled it I'll never know and I don't really care.
I hear the best walnut is in Iowa.

Tennessee grows some decent stuff...

 

[JC360]

Thanks for the observations.
I have no illusions to the significance or the size of the job. Its chump change to most forestry operations. This is all great info, exactly what I was hoping for!

 

[JC360]

Although I live in middle Georgia now, I grew up and lived in the Grand Rapids area (Hudsonville) and lived in Wyoming, MI after I got married. I'm 900 miles south of there now. I still have some land up near Fife Lake though.

Whoa, fife lake is a drive from here, let alone Ga.

 

[fearofpavement]

Whoa, fife lake is a drive from here, let alone Ga.

Well, when I lived in Wyoming, I used to camp up there every other weekend when the weather was suitable. Nowadays I only get up there every couple years. (It's leased out)

 

[JC360]

You could have a big GTG at your place and a bunch of members could come over and cut firewood all day... Practice falling trees, eat good food. Even ride the 4-wheelers around hauling wood... cool!

That would be some serious fun right there. Fall tree's, buck logs, cut firewood, burn burgers... Everyone takes home a load of firewood.
Now if someone could bring the skidder...

 

[Gypo Logger]

Tennessee grows some decent stuff...

Yes, I bet there is. The Walnut Trail seems to start around the Niagara District south to Penn state, thru Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and probably can be found in many other areas.
I once had a book called the Walnut Trail. It talked about how the pioneers followed the great stands of walnut.
John