help needed

[94TahoeLT]

I have been ask by a family friend to clear some land, about an acre with variuos hardwoods about 60 trees 16"+ dia 100' tall.

I thought maybe I could sell some of the tree's but I have not had any luck with the local mills. they seem to have a 10 acre minium, before they'll talk to you.

How would one go about estimating such a large job?
Would I charge by the tree?

Any help would be useful.

A little about my back ground, I grew up cutting firewood for home heating.
The past 26 years about 18 ricks a year.
For the past 2 years I have been trying to learn climbing.

 

[treeseer]

What will your friend do with the land next?

 

[94TahoeLT]

What will your friend do with the land next?

There going to install a front lawn and sell the home next year.

 

[Adkpk]

What are planning to do with the stumps?

 

[94TahoeLT]

What are planning to do with the stumps?

Were going to cut them low, and leave most of them. about a dozen will be ground down or pulled with the back hoe.

 

[jmack]

I have been ask by a family friend to clear some land, about an acre with variuos hardwoods about 60 trees 16"+ dia 100' tall.

I thought maybe I could sell some of the tree's but I have not had any luck with the local mills. they seem to have a 10 acre minium, before they'll talk to you.

How would one go about estimating such a large job?
Would I charge by the tree?

Any help would be useful.

A little about my back ground, I grew up cutting firewood for home heating.
The past 26 years about 18 ricks a year.
For the past 2 years I have been trying to learn climbing.

call a tree company they'll know how to do it

 

[CaseyForrest]

Tahoe, If you are having trouble figuring on a set bid price, just go T&M. If its a family friend, and you arent in the business of doing tree work for money, theres no need to get all fancy with bid sheets and quotes. I prefer to go T&M whenever the customer agrees to it.

However, after you cut the trees down, what are you going to do with them? Buck them up into firewood length? are you going to chip the branches or burn them? More info.

As for the mills, 16" trees wont bring you much there. However, there are a few of us here in Southern Lower MI that would probably be willing to lend you a hand if you need it.

 

[94TahoeLT]

Trees raise the value of your friends real estate.

It doesn't seem real wise to pay someone to do work that reduces the value of a property. A new owner can alway have the trees cut down and install lawn if that is what they want but if the new owner wants trees they are not even going to look at your friends real estate listing.

Your friend needs some good advice on his trees and I don't mean from firewood cutters.

Actully I would'nt want the house with a large front yard I like the trees.
I think it prefect just how it is.
I tried to convince them to do a much smaller area, for there front yard.
There taking advise from there brain washing real estate agent, who knows everything.

 

[94TahoeLT]

Tahoe, If you are having trouble figuring on a set bid price, just go T&M. If its a family friend, and you arent in the business of doing tree work for money, theres no need to get all fancy with bid sheets and quotes. I prefer to go T&M whenever the customer agrees to it.

However, after you cut the trees down, what are you going to do with them? Buck them up into firewood length? are you going to chip the branches or burn them? More info.

As for the mills, 16" trees wont bring you much there. However, there are a few of us here in Southern Lower MI that would probably be willing to lend you a hand if you need it.

If it comes down to it, we'll cut it into firewood.
chipping the branchs is the way I will go.

I would be very interested in help. as this really is a bigger job then I would like to do on my own.
When it's done they have a few other jobs that double the size of this one.

 

[b1rdman]

Trees raise the value of your friends real estate.

That's not always true. A tree ( or trees) can decrease the market value of a parcel just as easily as it can add value to a parcel. It all depends on the situation.

 

[moss]

They're taking advise from there brain washing real estate agent, who knows everything.

My pet peeve! Realtors who tell homeowners to "do things" to make their property more attractive to sell. What's the benefit to the homeowner if they have to spend money to make money? It's a classic scam model, capitalizes on stimulating greed. You give me some money and I'll give you back more. The only difference is the realtor doesn't pocket the "improvement money" on the spot, they take it later with a higher commission. My stock answer is: ask the realtor to pay for it since they will benefit and watch them turn from being your best friend to showing an aggravated scowl (they won't be able to control their face for 3 seconds). Make the realtor do their job, no free rides!

In other words keep the trees whether anyone thinks they add value or not, it's not your friend's problem. You could always recommend cutting a small number of strategic trees. I'd think a couple cords of split and stacked hardwood would be very attractive to a potential buyer. Considering the cost of heating oil it would clearly illustrate an economic benefit of keeping the trees as a managed bit of forest.
-moss

 

[CaseyForrest]

If it comes down to it, we'll cut it into firewood.
chipping the branchs is the way I will go.

I would be very interested in help. as this really is a bigger job then I would like to do on my own.
When it's done they have a few other jobs that double the size of this one.

Whereabouts in MI are ya?

 

[94TahoeLT]

Whereabouts in MI are ya?

I live in Westland, The Jobs in Belleville 48111

 

[arboralliance]

Biology...

Science man, look at the science of it, those trees gone means less or no transpiration, means wet ground in wet season, means burning sun in summer...

And thats just for starters, how do they go about replacing those trees amenity value?

Ask to see the real estate agents similar projects or results of recomendations to remove a mass of trees or his credentials or qualifications in horticulture or town planning or, or...(people buy houses/property based on the apeal of landscape and in allot of cases trees and or one or more significant trees)

Wind, noise, habitat, privacy, ecology, the list is endless...

Send them an email linking them to this thread...

 

[Ekka]

There going to install a front lawn and sell the home next year.

Wow, cut down 60 trees and install an acre of lawn, that's wierd.

I'm sure they could come up with something better than that and have a real swanky look'n yard.

I did the rounds with a real estate proprietor on two suburban house blocks last week that they manage.

The two houses were like a few streets apart but this is how it went. The first request at the first house in the backyard ... lop off 1/3 all round on that poinciana, easy enough, just stick your polesaw up and walk around it whacking everything. (Oh, it had been whacked repeatedly like this before) ... I kept my mouth shut and then we went off to the next house.

Next house had a not bad looking poinciana in the frontyard, made the house, was a feature. Straight off the bat, whack that one all round but about half. But this one only had a partial whacking before and was restorable.

So, I started talking, pointing, explaining, showing, etc ... the real estate agent proprietor was bamboozled coz no-one else complains about whacking and they just do it, and if it was that bad why is it OK and everyone does it?

Because the industry is unregulated, full of toppers, hackers, loppers, BS'ers and lets face ... buy a saw from the hardware store and you're in business.

Historically, smooth talking conmen with no idea have done well here, they do well in the tree business to, probably never climbed a tree let alone understand how one grows yet they're out there prescribing dosages of prunings and removals. Based on what?

Based on BS and their own pockets.

Hopefully you can talk to the owner direct and add a little more than woodchip and firewood value to that place, some landscaping would be nice.

 

[DeanBrown3D]

I see it all the time now with the new houses in NJ. Huge big mac mansions, in 1/2 acre, all trees in sight gone, nothing but grass and driveway. They bake in the sun all summer, no-one is sitting outside in the shade of a tree (like me) drinking beer in the 100 degree heat. Plus their A/C is on 24/7 since its so damn hot.

I cannot understand it.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I cannot understand it.

A house is more of a status symbol than trees are. People are idiots.

Give me a trailer or a 1,000 sq ft house in the middle of 5, 50 or 500 wooded acres any day.

 

[94TahoeLT]

A house is more of a status symbol than trees are. People are idiots.

Give me a trailer or a 1,000 sq ft house in the middle of 5, 50 or 500 wooded acres any day.

I don't know about the trailer, but a House or Log cabin would be great.

 

[CaseyForrest]

FHC, I agree with you there. Its a shame. We had a Silver Maple taken out this past winter. It sat on the west side of our house. Gave us afternoon shade. We noticed it this year, thats for sure. But it had to come out. Our lot is 60'x80', this thing was 5' DBH and split about 10' up. One of the 3' diameter stems was rotten all the way down to the ground from where a third stem was removed before we got here, and leaning over the neighbors house.

We have another on on the other side of the back yard, bigger yet!

Hey Tahoe, drop me a note if youd like some help. I may be able to round up one more body and a couple saws.