I own sixty acres of timber, but none of it close enough that I cut on it regularly....
You own timber?
- Thread starter Preston
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Oh, don't get me wrong we're surrounded by forest in Maine - but that's why it's so hard to get your hands on the free stuff. Paper companies own the vast majority of forest land in this state. Those individuals that own land privately already lease it out to loggers or harvest and sell the wood to mills and homeowners themselves. It's still a boatload cheaper than oil but it rarely comes free.
We're lucky enough to have a 3.5 acre lot but I have no intention of cutting on it. I'd be out of wood in a year or two and then I'd just have a big field with stumps in it.
branchbuzzer
Undiagnosed
I get mine from a variety of sources.
Most of it comes to me via word-of-mouth and referrals. You have to earn that by doing a good job, cleaning up after yourself, minimizing your impact on the landowners property, etc. I've never bought logs, don't have the equipment or market to really make it pay nor the desire to be that serious.
Currently I'm doing clearing for a nearby livestock farmer creating extra grazing. Basically clearing the side of a small mountain, should be around 75-100 cords total and I only need to haul a few tenths of a mile.
- Straightforward removals
- Clearing for grazing, fencelines
- Scrounges, Craigslist, etc.
- Unwanted wood from other contractors, tree services, loggers
- occasional NF permits for personal use
- Dead off my own land, just 3 ac.
Most of it comes to me via word-of-mouth and referrals. You have to earn that by doing a good job, cleaning up after yourself, minimizing your impact on the landowners property, etc. I've never bought logs, don't have the equipment or market to really make it pay nor the desire to be that serious.
Currently I'm doing clearing for a nearby livestock farmer creating extra grazing. Basically clearing the side of a small mountain, should be around 75-100 cords total and I only need to haul a few tenths of a mile.
My family owns a little ground but it's mostly soft wood, fir, pine and cedar. I'll cut there if I can't find anything better but mostly we just log it.
I usually get my firewood when I'm working on somebody else's ground. If we're cutting for new landings or roads there's always oak and madrone that otherwise would just get piled up and burned. If I talk nice (and maybe bring them some beverages) the skidders will roadside some for me and I'll cut it after work and haul it home.
The only wood I'll travel for is almond and since most of the orchard removals are being chipped it's getting hard to find for firewood.
I usually get my firewood when I'm working on somebody else's ground. If we're cutting for new landings or roads there's always oak and madrone that otherwise would just get piled up and burned. If I talk nice (and maybe bring them some beverages) the skidders will roadside some for me and I'll cut it after work and haul it home.
The only wood I'll travel for is almond and since most of the orchard removals are being chipped it's getting hard to find for firewood.
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Been actively burning (OWB) for about 6 years. The first three years worth of wood came from clearing our land to build the house, the last three years have been from leftover pine logs from milling our timber frame, slab wood and scrounged wood from other construction sites. This past fall was the first time since 2004 that I have cut more than one or two trees on the property. I only have 3 acres but much of it is what I consider junk trees (silver maple, dead ash and some broken black locusts) so they are being culled. I'm trying to give my sugar maples and the healthy black locusts room to grow.
My father has 27 acres of woods next door, and I also have a 9 acre woodlot about six miles up the road, so I have no need to ever buy wood. My dad only cuts standing dead or damaged trees, I'm not sure he's taken more than a dozen live, healthy trees in my lifetime. He harvests about six cords a year for heat, and I need about nine cords for heat and hot water year-round. We're also looking at jointly buying another adjacent 10-acre woodlot that's landlocked and steep, but has easy trail access from his property. So I'll have plenty of wood forever.
My father has 27 acres of woods next door, and I also have a 9 acre woodlot about six miles up the road, so I have no need to ever buy wood. My dad only cuts standing dead or damaged trees, I'm not sure he's taken more than a dozen live, healthy trees in my lifetime. He harvests about six cords a year for heat, and I need about nine cords for heat and hot water year-round. We're also looking at jointly buying another adjacent 10-acre woodlot that's landlocked and steep, but has easy trail access from his property. So I'll have plenty of wood forever.
discounthunter
Addicted to ArboristSite
carefull. some of georgia is covered in hardwood. southern part is a lot of low land and pines.lots of trash trees. i cut some of mine oaks down when i moved in ,but waiting for the others to mature ,well ,that takes a while. i scrounge if you want to call it that.i go to the logging landing site talk to guys get permission after they leave to cut what i want. most is within 40 miles round trip. right now im 2 miles from the house.
plus theres always someone taking down a good oak or pecan,even cherry. word of mouth locally usually gets me first dibs on alot if i want it.
mallardman
ArboristSite Operative
In PA I cut on my cousin's 400 acres that were logged a few years ago. I just clean up the tops.
In CA I have a couple hundred acres of almonds and cut up the wind damaged trees. Still have a few cords of walnut from an orchard a bought 3 years ago. It was all old walnut which I had cleared. Most of the firewood from that was sold with the black walnut stumps sold for veneer.
In CA I have a couple hundred acres of almonds and cut up the wind damaged trees. Still have a few cords of walnut from an orchard a bought 3 years ago. It was all old walnut which I had cleared. Most of the firewood from that was sold with the black walnut stumps sold for veneer.
Why Own Timber on Farmland?
There are so many landowners cutting trees down to harvest grain on their land that there is little reason to own timber. That's what happens when you pump corn prices up to $8/bushel and 40% of the corn crop goes into ethanol production. :msp_razz:
There are so many landowners cutting trees down to harvest grain on their land that there is little reason to own timber. That's what happens when you pump corn prices up to $8/bushel and 40% of the corn crop goes into ethanol production. :msp_razz:
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logbutcher
Addicted to ArboristSite
Not quite the case Jim. #1 is down, and #2 is reflecting the poor economy. "$30K-$75K are for building lots, not woodlands in acerages over 20a.
BUT: look around, there's plenty of work out here. Lobstering has had the best season in decades; the guys have new trucks, bigger boats, stern crews.
Developers, in spite of the housing market, are building Downeast and in S.Maine ( aka "Massachusetts") for the higher end of the market. The high quality builders are working. Many retirees from industry, professions, military, academia move here and build. There's one big market for skilled trades ( e.g. plumbers, electricians, HVAC, medical, etc.....) for these retirees who don't want to fuss around the house and can afford to hire. Boat building in our area is actually expanding: Morris and Hinckley Yachts are advertising for skills.
As far as woodlots, look around carefully. Go inland and north for reasonable woodlands up for sale. Many many high end furniture makers ( Google "Tom Moser" for example ) and cabinetmakers are selling hard and successfully. Firewood is never a hard deal IF you want it free; it only takes some calling, talking, looking, a$$ busting....year-round. Try SWOAM (website ) for ideas and contacts. Ask at town halls where the permits have been pulled for building. Scrounging is no big deal Jim.
JMNSHEO
I wouldn't have figured that you need much firewood in Georgia or California. Pretty warm places to live compared to upper Michigan or Ontario. We have some of the harshest Winters around in Canada (although lately some milder Winters).
People in cold winter season climates know that wood burning can start at the end of October and go through March here. So it's about 4 or 5 months of colder temps and that can add up to lots of wood needed for heat. If bought, we pay about $250/cord for hardwood. Delivery is usually extra 25-50 per cord delivered to about 50 miles away tops.
Some wood burners I know here in Southern Ontario go through ten to twelve cords a heating season for a modest or average sized 1200-1600sq ft. home.
My seasonal burn pile is considerably less then that (around three or four cords a year), but only because I also burn wood pellets most of the year on the main floor of my house. They add up to about 100 bags a heating season at $5 a 40lb bag.
I have bought wood and picked it from storm damage, hydro and utility cuttings and asking people to do maintenance on their trees to cut dangerous or unsafe branches off.
I only hope I can cut until I'm older. I kinda enjoy it.
People in cold winter season climates know that wood burning can start at the end of October and go through March here. So it's about 4 or 5 months of colder temps and that can add up to lots of wood needed for heat. If bought, we pay about $250/cord for hardwood. Delivery is usually extra 25-50 per cord delivered to about 50 miles away tops.
Some wood burners I know here in Southern Ontario go through ten to twelve cords a heating season for a modest or average sized 1200-1600sq ft. home.
My seasonal burn pile is considerably less then that (around three or four cords a year), but only because I also burn wood pellets most of the year on the main floor of my house. They add up to about 100 bags a heating season at $5 a 40lb bag.
I have bought wood and picked it from storm damage, hydro and utility cuttings and asking people to do maintenance on their trees to cut dangerous or unsafe branches off.
I only hope I can cut until I'm older. I kinda enjoy it.
darkbyrd
Forest Hugger
We're soft down here. I've had a fire nonstop since November. I have opened the doors on the crazy-warm afternoons though. I've used a lot less wood doing it this year.
I don't know about Georgia. But California? My part? Think "Donner Party". :smile2:
branchbuzzer
Undiagnosed
Marc
Addicted to ArboristSite
Eh, I don't know that this is necessarily true in all cases. My father built his house on an 8 acre lot, and has cleared probably 3 for house, lawn and gardens. He's been cutting a yearly supply of firewood off that land since 1976 and I'd say there's more hardwood up on the hill than when he bought the property. He burns about 4 cord a year.
I know he doesn't pay a lot in taxes. He had the land surveyed and perc tested and there's only one or two other developable lots. Steep land, really no frontage or right of ways. He burns about 100 gallons of heating oil a year vs. probably what... 500 - 600 if he didn't heat with wood? So figure his savings around $1700 a year. I think his taxes are around $2500 a year and most of it is on the value of the house and he's got a pool and detached garage.
Marc
Addicted to ArboristSite
Hey, hey, hey. Not so long ago, ALL of Maine was Massachusetts I believe. We only let it go because you guys talk funny and started acting like the Quebecois
My place sits in 8-9 acres of timber (lots more timber around it, but not mine), it was logged just before I moved in about 18 years ago. Still, there's enough wood I don't believe I could "run short" for another 20 years. It does take a bit of planning, or management. I burn the "less than optimum" standing-dead and blow-downs during the warmer parts of the winter (like this whole winter) and save the less plentiful oaks and such for when it's really needed. I try not to damage certain trees when felling... trees I know will provide good firewood some years down the road. I "thin" rather than "clear-cut" and remove non-desirable junk (such as Box Elder, Silver Maple and Basswood) that are reducing growth of more desirable trees. You need to be thinking 15-20 years in the future, not 2-3 years. For example, I have a dozen or so Black Walnut along the north edge of my yard that weren't very big when I moved in, and Walnut is hell on yards... but I waited now 18 years and most are 12-16 diameter, I'm thinking I'll start taking them down in the next few months. If I would have removed them 15 years ago they wouldn't have provided much firewood. The south end of the woodlot has a bunch of ash, most were small(ish) when I moved in, but now some are pretty good sized and I can start taking some of the bigger which will allow the smaller to grow faster. I've got Black Cherry all over the woodlot, and many are approaching 2 ft diameter, I can start taking a few. I try to leave any "live" elm trees... hoping some are developing an immunity to DED, some are old and huge, really huge, and it sickens me when one of those gets "sick". In the spring I even move desirable seedlings I find along the river and in the woodlot to "better" locations on my property, and have a good 80% success rate doing that.
addendum: Oh, and we try not to waste any heat provided by those trees. We don't heat the house to 80[sup]o[/sup], rather we keep it around 70[sup]o[/sup]. If you're heating to the point ya' need to open windows you're wasting heat and firewood... increasing your consumption, harvesting more and depleting your source faster.
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Preston
Addicted to ArboristSite
True, we don't have the cold weather you have in Canada, but to me 20 degrees with a windchill of 7 is still cold. No dog sleds and snow fights, but it's still cold. Even though we're not in the cold weather band, when I'm cold I build a fire to warm my old bones.
Perhaps I should have been more specific about my "area." I wasn't referring to the entire state of Maine, nor was I speaking of the area of Northern Massachusetts that you all call the Portland area.
The ocean and industries surrounding it is 3 hours away. The closest hospital, college, respectable sized grocery store...Dare I say...Wal Mart is over an hour away. Lowes, Home Depot? 1.5 hours away. I list them this way to give perspective, not to suggest I could scrounge wood at these establishments...
So, tourism and the businesses that support it and logging ARE the two industries in my area of Maine.
I suppose I could drive out of the area to scrounge, but any money saved scrounging that way would be spent in fuel and wear & tear on my equipment.
