Which Seedling?

[firedog]

I am in the process of having 16 acres in SW Washington clear-cut. I am trying to decide which Douglas Fir Seedling I want to use to replant. Was leaning towards the Weyerhaeuser Genetically improved. Because of its fast growth rate. My concern is that it will also mature faster and then start to deteriorate. I don't intend to cut this property again or if it does happen it will be a 40 or more years away. I want a tree that will grow fast to get back into a nice stand of timber. What are some opinions on this seedling or ideas of a better one? I will be planting mostly Fir, some cedar and a few hundred redwoods (for looks).

 

[hornbeam]

Ask your nearest tree nurserymen. If they aren't familiar with the soil, slope and aspect you are planting on, call the State soil conservation offices. They can tell you more. The site is more important in determining the seedling species. The nursery will help you with the size and age of stock, and ask if they know any professional tree planters. It makes a difference for seedling survival. Why are you clearcutting? Any fungus or insect infestations?

 

[firedog]

Hornbeam, I have been in contact with a couple tree growers as well as Weyerhauser about seedlings. I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with Weyerhausers Genetically improved tree. Since I posted this I have gotten a lot of info about them and from the sounds of it they are a very fast growing tree that does well. So I am probably going to use them.

The reasons we are clearcutting are, we need as much value of of the timber as possible to help pay for the land. We are taking aprx. 270K board feet off including the Alder, Hemlock and Cedar. Another reason to clearcut is to get it cleaned up and replanted into a better stand of timber than it is now. It is a Mix of Fir, Alder and some Hemlock mixed in and a lot of brush. It will be replanted in mostly Fir with some Cedar mixed in. Alder will come naturally but will try and keep them to a minimum.

 

[Newfie]

I was reading somewhere(maybe here) that the fast growing "company" engineered trees make poor quality, low strength lumber and are really only good for pulp. Are you contemplating a future harvest? Might be something to consider.

 

[firedog]

I saw that post also and that is what raised my concerns over planting them. I was more concerned that as the tree aged it wouldn't hold up. But I have been reassured by the tree growers that I have talked to and also loggers that it is a good tree. I don't plan on harvesting them but if it does happen hopefully there is a market for them. Must be some value or Weyerhauser wouldn't be planting so many of them.

 

[P_woozel]

Youre looking at maybe 140,000.00 gross on that amount of wood if your cruise is accurate. what is the split with the logger?

 

[firedog]

The cruise actually had it valued at $147,000 last summer. If the numbers are accurate it should come in a bit higher since prices are up. That being said we aren't going to have quite the quantity of export logs that the cruise listed. So that will change things a bit, but with the domestic market high for fir it might balance it back out. Also Hemlock is a lot higher right now than it was last year.

The logger is getting $98 per thousand Board ft for cutting and loading etc. and the hauling is costing from $30-60 per thousand depending on which mill it is going to. Most of it is going to the close ones but a few loads are going farther. The closest mill is Kalama and it is about 16 miles, not much futher to longview either. The hardwoods are going up to Chehalis

 

[P_woozel]

I dont think prices are where they were last summer yet, and they may not get there. I would sit on some of that especially if you have any amount of export wood.

 

[firedog]

The prices we are geting from the Mills are higher than they were When my cruise was updated in Sept. Some just a little others up quite a bit.

We aren't going to end up with the amount of export that the cruise indicated, to much defect. The plus being that domestic prices are still real good so it shouldn't hurt us to much.

Here are a few pictures of the loggers falling one of the first trees on my place. They arent numbered correctly the sequence should be 4,22, 2

 

[Newfie]

So they started the day off w/ a hanger?

Keep those pics coming firedog.

 

[P_woozel]

The faller should always be keeping an eye on the top. The face is in stareing out the lay is not a good use of time at that point.

 

[firedog]

The pics are a bit decieving since they were taken off a video that I shot. I just looked at the video and The faller had actually looked down for just a second and then back to the top and the second guy was driving in wedges and looking at them. I watched these guys and shot video for awhile that morning and they were very good. I am not a tree faller so I don't know if they were doing things right or wrong but from what I saw they did a great job.

Here are a few more pictures a before and after picture looking in my gate. And then the shovel loading a truck today.