clinchscavalry
ArboristSite Operative
I just finished marking about 140 acres of mostly pulpwood sized trees for a second thinning. One area had larger timber with a good bit of chip-n-saw and some older sawtimber. My management strategy for several years now has been to avoid selling higher product class pine timber due to extremely low stumpage prices. Pulpwood prices are "almost" back to what they were ten years ago, but the larger wood is down to less than one half (or lower) compared to the nineties:bang:. In theory, stumpage prices will rebound at some point, but it's also possible we'll look back and say "man, we had some good prices back in '11":msp_confused:
However, on this particular job, the landowner needed a little extra income so I lightly marked through areas with sawtimber, trying to take out just the trees with cankers, sweep, or those that had fading tops. The loggers were right behind me, which is both good and bad from my standpoint. It's bad to have the feller buncher so close that you can feel the wind from the falling trees, but it's good to be out there to mark skinned or otherwise damaged trees and to make sure a full truckload goes out towards the end of the job.
Here is what really sticks in my craw. I was watching a load of nice pine sawtimber go out yesterday and mentally figured what it was worth to the landowner. A normal load will yield from $700-$800 now. Yet, in the late nineties that same load would be worth $1700-$1800:msp_thumbdn: Small sawtimber is even more disappointing, dropping from $1200/load a decade ago to about $450 now.
I have several client/landowners with twice thinned pine stands waiting for the stumpage prices to (drastically) improve. At some point, the trees will have to be cut regardless, but it's a sad state of affairs when a timberland owner cannot even justify planting pines anymore based on current prices.
Are the rest of you seeing this type of difference in timber prices, or is it just us?
Oh, I almost forgot, due to drought conditions and triple digit temps all summer, the beetles are wide open in this region. I hear the loggers right across the road from my house cutting beetle trees and the green ones that will be infested soon enough, all at less than half the price it was in "the good old days".
However, on this particular job, the landowner needed a little extra income so I lightly marked through areas with sawtimber, trying to take out just the trees with cankers, sweep, or those that had fading tops. The loggers were right behind me, which is both good and bad from my standpoint. It's bad to have the feller buncher so close that you can feel the wind from the falling trees, but it's good to be out there to mark skinned or otherwise damaged trees and to make sure a full truckload goes out towards the end of the job.
Here is what really sticks in my craw. I was watching a load of nice pine sawtimber go out yesterday and mentally figured what it was worth to the landowner. A normal load will yield from $700-$800 now. Yet, in the late nineties that same load would be worth $1700-$1800:msp_thumbdn: Small sawtimber is even more disappointing, dropping from $1200/load a decade ago to about $450 now.
I have several client/landowners with twice thinned pine stands waiting for the stumpage prices to (drastically) improve. At some point, the trees will have to be cut regardless, but it's a sad state of affairs when a timberland owner cannot even justify planting pines anymore based on current prices.
Are the rest of you seeing this type of difference in timber prices, or is it just us?
Oh, I almost forgot, due to drought conditions and triple digit temps all summer, the beetles are wide open in this region. I hear the loggers right across the road from my house cutting beetle trees and the green ones that will be infested soon enough, all at less than half the price it was in "the good old days".