How much $ for standing ash

[Bushmans]

I think most of the guys are looking at this as just a firewood scrounge . If I understand you correctly you are trading labor and the few bucks you can afford for Hunting rights and any firewood you get is a bonus. If you were just to pay this guy for the right to hunt his property what would it be worth dollar wise ? Is it a great area ? Finding private property to hunt in my state is getting very difficult . I can get wood to cut alot easier than I can find a place to hunt . It seems like more work than the tops , maybe 1/2 or a little less than you paid for the tops . But if you feel you paid too much for the tops then it is time to renegotiate . To me it all comes down to how much the hunting rights are worth .

It is a great little spot to hunt because the freeway is right next to it and no one wants to be next to the noise. It covers your movement and most of the time your scent because it is on the east edge so the predominant west wind blows scent to the freeway. It also backs up against the city's veterans park which is a huge wooded tract with walking trails, also a small river. Great bow hunting, not so good gun after the opener. excellent bunny as well. Used to fish the two little ponds on the proeprty but with last years drought it is going to freeze right to the bottom this winter. Goodbye fish!
I havent even asked the guy about the ash yet. He never goes back there, probably dosn't know they are there. He might just tell me to take 'em out but I would like to offer something.

Around here wood is like gold. You do NOT get it for free anywhere! If you call the loggers and ask about tops they are pretty much all reserved/sold already or the landowner wants them.
I'm not driving into Lansing to Craigs List some guys juniper bush trimmimngs that he has listed as free firewood either.
My $100 investment was a steal especially since I took the first two pick up truck full of rounds and sold them to a guy for $50 each.
Just my fuel and equipment maintenence into it now.

 

[8433jeff]

Offer him the same deal. Standing wood will cord up faster than the tops did. Unless it was a hard maple, here its about the same as far as firewood. Lumber wise, they took the maple and left the ash, as would I.
Like what was said before, you get some time in the woods with the kids, its local, if you are fine with it, then who are we to say anything about it? Worst he can do is say no. And if he feels like you are taking advantage of him, its up to him to say so. Same goes for the other way around.
I would not get into selling much of it, unless you tell him about it, if he is selling firewood. He may see that as biting the hand that is giving you a gift. I don't see it that way, and to get your investment back, or fuel money, sure, but to go into business against him would be silly, IMHO.
Let him decide what trees to take out next to the freeway, as the DOT may come to him and suggest/access the property.

 

[avalancher]

I think its fine what your doing because you said you got 12 to 15 cords for a hundred. It would of cost you 1800 to 2250 for the wood you got already at the land owners price per cord. I say I would think you are way ahead of the game plus you get to hunt. If you can get at least half of that again I would offer him 100 bucks.

You are forgetting the fact that is what the landowners got for a finished cord of wood. A tree or parts there of dont become firewood until it is cut, split, stacked, and cured and anything before that really doesnt have a lot of value. So no, the OP did not get $1800-$2250 worth of firewood for $100. He got the raw material to build the stock with and had to invest more time, labor, fuel, exquipement use to attain the finished product.

Its thought processes like that that really get homeowners in a wad with tree service companies. They expect a tree guy to knock a tree down and haul it off and then deduct the value of the tree in firewood prices. More than once I have had to explain to a landowner that there is NOT $1500 worth of firewood in that tree, in fact there isnt a single stick of firewood to be found in a tree until I turn it into firewood with more time and money invested.

To the OP. I have no idea what the raw material is worth, to me its worthless. But in your case it may have some value. But instead of dishing out some bucks, maybe you could split the wood supply with him?Say maybe you will give him a cord of wood for every ten you haul out. That way no bucks leave your pocket, he gets something out the deal, and you feel like you paid something for it.

 

[KiwiBro]

To the OP. I have no idea what the raw material is worth, to me its worthless. But in your case it may have some value. But instead of dishing out some bucks, maybe you could split the wood supply with him?Say maybe you will give him a cord of wood for every ten you haul out. That way no bucks leave your pocket, he gets something out the deal, and you feel like you paid something for it.

Notwithstanding the fact the Bushmans relationship with the land owner is more than the usual 'you have trees I need firewood', your suggestion is how I'd approach it too.

 

[autoimage]

+1 get paid for that...way too much work

 

[Dalmatian90]

12"-14" trees.

Rule of thumb you're looking at 3 trees per cord.

http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource001044_Rep1200.pdf

$35/cord standing is on the high side in my area, so at most $10/tree and $5 is probably more reasonable.

At $20/tree you're talking $60 per cord, and here I can get a cord of logs delivered to my house for $100 without the danger, physical effort, or time and gas spent to drop 'em, hump 'em to a vehicle, and drive them home.

 

[zogger]

Don't get me wrong, this guy is a pretty cool chap but you gotta realize that everyone and his brother is asking this guy to, hunt his properties, cut his wood, fish his ponds and no one ever offers him anything.
I have been rabbit hunting and late season deer hunting this guys place for a few years now for free mainly because I needed a place to take the kids hunting.
I wanted exclusive rights and I told him I didn't have much money but I would work like a fool.
We got together one day and as fast as he could cut it, I would load and deliver it to his splitter site.
Sure it was alot of work but one day of hard work for hunting rights? C'mon.
As far as the tops? I cut about 12-14 cord (still cutting) for $100.

I don't want anything for free because it always comes with strings. I would much rather pay you or trade you my labor.
Now how about that ash?

I think you are doing fine. Stumpage around here is 10 to 20 a cord, thats for like oak and hickory. So a little less for dead ash seems fair. But..I think firewood where you are goes for more as well, but ash isnt first tier either and the landowner knows it will rot and be worth nothing soon.. so I would think ten a cord is fair.

One of those masdam rope pullers and maybe a strap on block pulley thing might be the ticket to direct the fall of those problem trees.

 

[mountainmandan]

Is there no public land to hunt and cut wood on? The most I have ever offered a landowner was to stack brush, but wood is cheap here.

Dan

 

[doug4k]

split the wood with him at a prearranged percentage. he can split,dry , sell it himself. no out of pocket and everyboby is happy

 

[cantoo]

Bushman, I buy tops and I have bought delivered logs in the past. The delivered logs were cheaper than the tops but I like working in the bush so I'm planning to buy more tops. Lots of trees around here but lots of firewood burners too. There is very little "free" wood and if it is you can bet it's a wethole and no lane access to it. I'm thinking your situation is close to mine, I pay an agreed upon amount for the tops but there is also a side benefit for me. The owner allows us to ride our 4 wheelers on his property, he has a gator so his kids wanted the trails too so it's a good deal. They hunt so our wood cutting/trail clearing makes easy access to move of his property. The loggers will have a better trail system and less junk to work around the next cutting. There are days when I think I paid a little too much for the tops but on the days we go riding there I think it is pretty cheap.
Last time I checked if the 2 parties in a deal are happy then no one got screwed. I'm pretty sure standing trees have a value, I know if I had 100 acres of trees I sure wouldn't be giving them away. How many of you guys that say standing trees are worth nothing actually own any standing trees and if you do how many do you give away for free? Oh yeah very little public hunting property here either.

 

[Bushmans]

Is there no public land to hunt and cut wood on? The most I have ever offered a landowner was to stack brush, but wood is cheap here.

Dan

There is one spot that is about 40 acres. It is overrun with hunters. Not sure about being able to cut wood on it. I'd have to contact the DNR.

 

[Bushmans]

12"-14" trees.

Rule of thumb you're looking at 3 trees per cord.

http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource001044_Rep1200.pdf

$35/cord standing is on the high side in my area, so at most $10/tree and $5 is probably more reasonable.

At $20/tree you're talking $60 per cord, and here I can get a cord of logs delivered to my house for $100 without the danger, physical effort, or time and gas spent to drop 'em, hump 'em to a vehicle, and drive them home.

Thanks for the figures. They need to be cheap due to the effort to get them out. I think I'll offer him another $100 for the 15 or so. The ones that are down now are going out with me this week.
I may let the 15 stand until next winter. I tried cutting one down today and of course it hung up. It was a small 10 " so there wasn't much weight to it. I had to keep cutting it in 4 foot lengths until I could direct the tree to an open spot.

 

[Bushmans]

Bushman, I buy tops and I have bought delivered logs in the past. The delivered logs were cheaper than the tops but I like working in the bush so I'm planning to buy more tops. Lots of trees around here but lots of firewood burners too. There is very little "free" wood and if it is you can bet it's a wethole and no lane access to it. I'm thinking your situation is close to mine, I pay an agreed upon amount for the tops but there is also a side benefit for me. The owner allows us to ride our 4 wheelers on his property, he has a gator so his kids wanted the trails too so it's a good deal. They hunt so our wood cutting/trail clearing makes easy access to move of his property. The loggers will have a better trail system and less junk to work around the next cutting. There are days when I think I paid a little too much for the tops but on the days we go riding there I think it is pretty cheap.
Last time I checked if the 2 parties in a deal are happy then no one got screwed. I'm pretty sure standing trees have a value, I know if I had 100 acres of trees I sure wouldn't be giving them away. How many of you guys that say standing trees are worth nothing actually own any standing trees and if you do how many do you give away for free? Oh yeah very little public hunting property here either.

I now have trails going through this woodlot as well. A Polaris sportsman with a trailer behind it and an ice fishing sled behind that.
here is what I used last year but my little red trailer has a bad wheel bearing that I discovered this morning hence the sled.
View attachment 271102

 

[Bushmans]

+1 get paid for that...way too much work

Not filling my propane tank is my paycheck. I save about $1500 a winter.
And it's not work, it's exercise and running some sweet chainsaws.

 

[rmihalek]

The $100 offer sounds fair. Also, you may want to mark the trees you plan to cut so he can go take a look. That way there will be no surprises when you get around to cutting them down.

That tree leaning towards the highway looks to be hung up pretty good. You may have to chunk it down in 4 foot sections. When you get five or six sections cut off, the remaining top may fall backwards, away from the highway.

 

[Bushmans]

You are forgetting the fact that is what the landowners got for a finished cord of wood. A tree or parts there of dont become firewood until it is cut, split, stacked, and cured and anything before that really doesnt have a lot of value. So no, the OP did not get $1800-$2250 worth of firewood for $100. He got the raw material to build the stock with and had to invest more time, labor, fuel, exquipement use to attain the finished product.

Its thought processes like that that really get homeowners in a wad with tree service companies. They expect a tree guy to knock a tree down and haul it off and then deduct the value of the tree in firewood prices. More than once I have had to explain to a landowner that there is NOT $1500 worth of firewood in that tree, in fact there isnt a single stick of firewood to be found in a tree until I turn it into firewood with more time and money invested.

To the OP. I have no idea what the raw material is worth, to me its worthless. But in your case it may have some value. But instead of dishing out some bucks, maybe you could split the wood supply with him?Say maybe you will give him a cord of wood for every ten you haul out. That way no bucks leave your pocket, he gets something out the deal, and you feel like you paid something for it.

That is precisley why I don't sell lots of firewood. Way too much work involved and gas and wear and tear.
I could trade wood for bucks but the guy already has a monster pile of wood to sell.
I get my money back by selling just enough to cover my initial expense like I did with the tops. Two pick up loads to a friend at work. All rounds not split. He likes to throw in his wood burner whole. $100.

If I buy the ash I I will sell enough to recoup the $100 or so and the rest goes to my home.
The fuel and time I spend turning it into firewood is all part of the game but in the end I get to hit the woods, run chainsaws and not call the propain company.

 

[howellhandmade]

That tree leaning towards the highway looks to be hung up pretty good. You may have to chunk it down in 4 foot sections. When you get five or six sections cut off, the remaining top may fall backwards, away from the highway.

Or right on top of you. If it can't be pulled down from a safe distance I'd leave it.

 

[tld400]

You are forgetting the fact that is what the landowners got for a finished cord of wood. A tree or parts there of dont become firewood until it is cut, split, stacked, and cured and anything before that really doesnt have a lot of value. So no, the OP did not get $1800-$2250 worth of firewood for $100. He got the raw material to build the stock with and had to invest more time, labor, fuel, exquipement use to attain the finished product.

Its thought processes like that that really get homeowners in a wad with tree service companies. They expect a tree guy to knock a tree down and haul it off and then deduct the value of the tree in firewood prices. More than once I have had to explain to a landowner that there is NOT $1500 worth of firewood in that tree, in fact there isnt a single stick of firewood to be found in a tree until I turn it into firewood with more time and money invested.

To the OP. I have no idea what the raw material is worth, to me its worthless. But in your case it may have some value. But instead of dishing out some bucks, maybe you could split the wood supply with him?Say maybe you will give him a cord of wood for every ten you haul out. That way no bucks leave your pocket, he gets something out the deal, and you feel like you paid something for it.

If he is getting around 2000 bucks worth of wood for 100 dollars how is it not worth it. Yeah wood just cut up in firewood length is not worth as much as split wood but in the long run once its proccesed it will be. Its like putting money in the bank and drawing interest. Except he is putting up a 100 and making 20 times that. Dam good return on his money. I just wouldnt wreck a relationship with a land owner for a 100 bucks. You never no some day that land owner might want to cut you in on the firewood sales when you help out. plus major bonus he gets to hunt on private land. sometimes that alone can be priceless