Website that shows market prices for logs?

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my3suns

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I own a woodlot that I harvest off firewood and sawlogs that I have milled up by sawyers that come in with Woodmizer units. A couple times in the last 25 years I have also sold logs to an area mill.

Looking to do some pretty extensive logging with the intent of selling to a mill. Is there a website that lists updated market prices for logs?

I'm located in Upstate NY. Woodlot has Cherry, Maple, Hickory, Basswood, White Pine, Butternut
 
I own a woodlot that I harvest off firewood and sawlogs that I have milled up by sawyers that come in with Woodmizer units. A couple times in the last 25 years I have also sold logs to an area mill.

Looking to do some pretty extensive logging with the intent of selling to a mill. Is there a website that lists updated market prices for logs?

I'm located in Upstate NY. Woodlot has Cherry, Maple, Hickory, Basswood, White Pine, Butternut
different state extensions sometimes have log prices that are kinda accurate

Best thing to do is call your local mills and see what they are paying, and if you have enough, invite them to bid on the timber, sometimes you can get a better price if you have decent timber, but they may want to send in their loggers, or have a minimum/maximum loads quota's, all depends on local markets and local methods
 
note, many of the mills have finally entered the digital age... and post their respective prices on their web sites

what ever you do, shop around for the best mill, it may not be the best posted prices or even the closest, sometimes the mill paying a little less will grade your logs better and get you more money at the end of the day, though sometimes they just pay less and grade less too... seller beware

local loggers should be able to recomend which mills you may want to deal with.
 
thanks for the answers. Fortunately in the past years I've dealt with two mills in the area. Unfortunately they do not list the prices they pay on their websites.
 
thanks for the answers. Fortunately in the past years I've dealt with two mills in the area. Unfortunately they do not list the prices they pay on their websites.

guess you'll have to like... call em?

prices are subject to change, sometimes daily so gettin someone that as a rule hates computers to update a website, is asking a lot
 
[QUOTE="prices are subject to change, sometimes daily so gettin someone that as a rule hates computers to update a website, is asking a lot[/QUOTE]

A few weeks ago this guy I know started calling me to come look at his log deck for the purpose of buying his wood. Periodically I have checked on his progress with his log pile or deck. There is this service called Google Sattelite View which makes it easy to look at things from the sky. He takes me to his cull pile which has about 200 cords of Pine White Fir and some misc. Cedar. I tell him OK I will give you $10 a cord for Pine. His dissapointment showed. I would guess he has about 2,000,000 to 20,000,000 BF which is just sitting there. I call the mill which is about 250 miles away and they tell me a load delivered to the mill is about a $1000. So a load of logs will take about $1200 with driver and fuel not to mention the truck expenses. I get hard wood loaded on my truck with in 200 miles for free and some times closer for free. So although soft wood makes great bundle packages I am leaning towards forgetting the soft wood and going for the high dollar market in hard wood. Thanks
 
I own a woodlot that I harvest off firewood and sawlogs that I have milled up by sawyers that come in with Woodmizer units. A couple times in the last 25 years I have also sold logs to an area mill.

Looking to do some pretty extensive logging with the intent of selling to a mill. Is there a website that lists updated market prices for logs?

I'm located in Upstate NY. Woodlot has Cherry, Maple, Hickory, Basswood, White Pine, Butternut

Google New York log prices and see what pops up. Some university extension offices will publish summaries of the previous year but prices change weekly. Mom sold 20 acres of old pine in MS a few years ago, first bid was $14,000 but then got a forester to put it out for bids and she got $30,000 less his 10%. Seller beware! Current local prices seem to run from about $.29 bf delivered for pallet wood up to maybe $4 for veneer walnut, red oak is completely in the toilet. Standing timber might be 35% of that given quality, size and access.
 
Or, he do what I told him to do and subscribe to the LogStreet journal. He’ll likely make back the subscription price on one log. But I guess that just makes too much sense for you fellas.
 
Or, he do what I told him to do and subscribe to the LogStreet journal. He’ll likely make back the subscription price on one log. But I guess that just makes too much sense for you fellas.


If it is printed material I would suspect it is out of date info when it gets published. I worked in printing, that stuff don't happen overnight
 
If it is printed material I would suspect it is out of date info when it gets published. I worked in printing, that stuff don't happen overnight

You should do actual research rather than “ suspect” anything. Of course that would take some effort.
 
You should do actual research rather than “ suspect” anything. Of course that would take some effort.

Well, I expended some effort one day walking into the local sawmill office one day when they told he the price of hard maple had dropped from $.70 to $.50 that week. Apparently you consider trying to sell something to be the only legitimate effort.
 
Or you could have prices from fifty different mills in the eastern third of the U.S. and Canada for the price difference in one #2 red oak log. That’s the difference between being in business and dubbing around.
 
From a business standpoint... Having prices from all over is fine and all, but trucking is expensive and those trailers or self loaders only haul so many board feet. At some distance it’s not worthwhile going any farther, and it’s usually not far. The mills know it, and regardless of what mills are paying in Ohio the mill that’s economical to haul to in New York is not going to change prices for something 400 miles away. They’re actually pretty likely to laugh.
 
I guess you haven’t looked at the publication either. The OP is from NY. The publication is based in New England. The mills listed are all Northeast and Canada. Most of the mills publish prices and payment on the landing and provide the trailers. They’re usually taking logs on a back haul. The exception may be Canadian mills with dedicated trucking. They may or may not be on a back haul from lumber delivery. Loading the trailer is on the logger. Those without a loader usually combine a triaxle sale of pulp or firewood with the loading for convenience.
The fact is there is no internet site that lists prices. No mill puts its prices up for the world to see. They list in the logstreet because it’s a business publication. Some list themselves as POR. but that means you can call or email and get a spec sheet and price list. The days of asking the truck driver who’s paying the most are long gone.
 
Times change, new inventions, things like the Telephone, and Internet... but some folks don't like change and insist on doing things the same old ways...

several things to consider, most have probably been mentioned already.

price paid
scale method
scale quality
trucking distances
mill demands
truck access

I know guys that haul logs and overnight, then haul a load back, its rare, and only profitable for really special wood (really I can't figure out how the loggers are making it pay...)
What the mills advertise is generally top rate for premium logs, what they actually pay depends on their scalers, which should be 3rd party, but I understand that is a PNW thing
one scalers 10"s might not be the same as the next guys 10"s, so if you have more then a couple loads but have several mills to choose from, send loads to each, and see the differences... it can be shocking
truck distances are crucial to making money, I can get $4 a board foot for black walnut, but its rare out here, and the only mill buying it is in Oregon 250 miles one way, so the 1-2 logs I get wouldn't even cover fuel half way...
what the mill wants, the mill better get, they control the purse strings, not us loggers, it sucks and isn't fair, but its how its done

you've logged before, so you should know what the trucks need to get in and out, the other problem is getting enough trucks to show up, folks with valid CDL's are getting scarce, log trucks are getting scarcer
 
From a business standpoint... Having prices from all over is fine and all, but trucking is expensive and those trailers or self loaders only haul so many board feet. At some distance it’s not worthwhile going any farther, and it’s usually not far. The mills know it, and regardless of what mills are paying in Ohio the mill that’s economical to haul to in New York is not going to change prices for something 400 miles away. They’re actually pretty likely to laugh.

Having just acquired a self loader... fuel is expensive... and with prices out here, if it takes more then 10 hours to haul it round trip... I just kept all you're mill money, and probably will be looking for more.
 

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