New powerline tree harvesting questions

[Timster2]

The power company is coming on my property to put in a new power line and access road. They will be cutting a path 50' wide by 1500' long. In their path there are several cherry and other hardwoods. How does one go about harvesting and selling the logs once they are cut. I was told the power company will come in with a feller buncher and place the trees along the right of way if I want to harvest the logs. My questions start with how does one go about securing a mill to take the logs and is it more profitable to deliver the logs to the mill or have them come in and take them from a landing area.

I have two compact tractors that could be used to skid the logs to a landing area if that works. I also have a car trailer that I could haul 5K lbs of logs at a time to the mill. I am sure that the tops and branches will keep me in firewood for several years.

Is this something that I should consider hiring someone to do? What are the potential up sides and down sides? I still don't have all the details from the power company's tree people as this job is scheduled for a year or more from now. I would just like a lot of time to work out the details and not just trash all the trees for no reason.

 

[sgreanbeans]

Going to move this to the logging guys, different world, same blood, guts and dirt tho . They will be able to answer this I'm am sure, may even find ya the guy to do this for ya.

 

[KYLogger]

I log for a living and also incidentally recently took a job felling trouble trees for a ROW crew working on existing lines. My advice would be to contact some of the local mills and tell them what you have got. Species, DBH, etc...... ask the mill what length they want the logs bucked, sometimes it matters on diameter. Around here they want our hardwood sawlogs 8's to 16's in even number increments. I generally leave min. of 4" of trim, unless it's a veneer quality log then it is 6" min. If you happen to have alot of veneer quality trees, that is a whole 'nother ball of wax...I would recommend a bid sale. If you KNOW they are cutting that ROW, and you know EXACTLY where it's going to be then why not either log it yourself, or offer the timber for sale (provided there are enough quality marketable trees)? Trust me in the 4 weeks I have been with this ROW outfit, proper handling of the timber is not a priority! Their job is to get the stuff on the ground and either mulch it up or windrow it for the landowners. I have cut down and blocked up alot of really nice timber, and it KILLS me! Alot of money could be lost due to improper bucking, splitting, or bad scarification.

Just my two cents.

Others mileage may vary,

Tom

 

[hammerlogging]

Thats almost 2 acres. You would have to describe the stand, avg. diamerter, height, and then consider quality, how clear do the logs look (defect). Since you can log it yourself, then hopefully you're looking at atleast $2000 net, could be $1000, could be firewood, if you're lucky, more like $9000, depends on species and grade.

I'd be thinking about decking it yourself and hiring a self loader to deliver to a mill. Call a mill or two and ask if they know someone with a self loader, pay the driver by the load. Maybe the buyer could give you a price before its delivered, but at that volume, its probably not worht the trip out there.

You'd have to make it convenient for all involved, if you do, then they might consider. In terms of scale, that whole job is about 30 minutes of logs for a mill...max.

 

[Boleclimber]

As KY logger stated, if I were in your shoes I would get in there first to cut the saw logs myself. I have seen clearing jobs for power lines and all wood was treated like pulp. A lot of value was lost in short cut logs, split ends, and heavy skidding damage.

 

[bustedup]

Ifn ya not sure on the timber quality etc a poss idea could be to get in touch with a country forester or your local extension group they should be able to point you in right direction etc ......It hard from descriptions and pics to give ya a 100% answer.


As the other guys have said ....ifn it good timber do it yourself or get a logger to do it as the power guys will just blitz it as they not interested in the timber juss clearing the space

 

[Timster2]

Thanks for the replies. I figured the power companies tree people are not concerned with selling the timber only clearing the ROW. There is one problem I have with doing it myself or hiring someone else, other than the power company, to do the job. The property I own is only fifty feet wide for a distance of thirteen hundred feet. Seems that someone way back when planned to put a road or subdivide and when I bought the property I ended up with this long narrow strip as part of the plot. I thought it was basically useless to me for anything other than hiking. When the power company approached me and asked about putting in an access road it seemed like a reasonable request because there is not much else you can do with a long narrow strip anyway.

My problem, or anyone else cutting, is that when the trees are cut there is only this narrow strip to work in. One of the neighbors is hostile to the project and not likely to be accommodating if one of his trees is damaged in the process. And just the problem of accurately marking the fifty foot wide strip is another challenge. I have had some people from the power company surveying the property looking for wetlands, turtles, frogs or whatever is endangered. When they were here they had an accurate GPS mapping device that showed down to a foot or less exactly where the lines were. They were walking down the center of the strip and helped me set a few tapes to mark the project, however, the tapes are in the middle of the ROW and not sufficiently accurate to start cutting. Close enough for planning and inventorying potential timber at least for now.

I am sure that they will be back and stake the ground for the clearing crew but until that time I don't think its a good Idea to start cutting anything. I did walk with the crew and mark as much as I could without interfering with their job so I have a good idea where they will be cutting but there is little margin for error.

How do you spot a veneer quality tree or is it something that can only be determined when its on the ground and bucked? Is it possible to work with the clearing crew to keep the trees in good enough shape to sell or is it something that would require them to work too far out of the norm to accommodate me?

The access road is part of a new power line installation so I am sure that there are a lot of landowners that will be involved in logging. The power line is several miles long. Is it normal to have a logging company working with landowners involved in the project to harvest the timber? I don't know what to expect and just want to be educated enough to protect my interests if someone shows up at my front door with a proposal or looking to do some logging ahead of the power company.

 

[bustedup]

Thanks for the replies. I figured the power companies tree people are not concerned with selling the timber only clearing the ROW. There is one problem I have with doing it myself or hiring someone else, other than the power company, to do the job. The property I own is only fifty feet wide for a distance of thirteen hundred feet. Seems that someone way back when planned to put a road or subdivide and when I bought the property I ended up with this long narrow strip as part of the plot. I thought it was basically useless to me for anything other than hiking. When the power company approached me and asked about putting in an access road it seemed like a reasonable request because there is not much else you can do with a long narrow strip anyway.

My problem, or anyone else cutting, is that when the trees are cut there is only this narrow strip to work in. One of the neighbors is hostile to the project and not likely to be accommodating if one of his trees is damaged in the process. And just the problem of accurately marking the fifty foot wide strip is another challenge. I have had some people from the power company surveying the property looking for wetlands, turtles, frogs or whatever is endangered. When they were here they had an accurate GPS mapping device that showed down to a foot or less exactly where the lines were. They were walking down the center of the strip and helped me set a few tapes to mark the project, however, the tapes are in the middle of the ROW and not sufficiently accurate to start cutting. Close enough for planning and inventorying potential timber at least for now.

I am sure that they will be back and stake the ground for the clearing crew but until that time I don't think its a good Idea to start cutting anything. I did walk with the crew and mark as much as I could without interfering with their job so I have a good idea where they will be cutting but there is little margin for error.

How do you spot a veneer quality tree or is it something that can only be determined when its on the ground and bucked? Is it possible to work with the clearing crew to keep the trees in good enough shape to sell or is it something that would require them to work too far out of the norm to accommodate me?

The access road is part of a new power line installation so I am sure that there are a lot of landowners that will be involved in logging. The power line is several miles long. Is it normal to have a logging company working with landowners involved in the project to harvest the timber? I don't know what to expect and just want to be educated enough to protect my interests if someone shows up at my front door with a proposal or looking to do some logging ahead of the power company.

speak to a county forester bro they will keep ya right on the timber etc ......the powercrew cutting hmmmm not sure ifn they would like ya working with em .....they juss there to clear basically...............a good faller should be able to cope with the sticks all things being equal......the rest well all I'd advise is get ya boundary marked.


sorry the other guys maybe able to help more

 

[OlympicYJ]

Be thankful they are putting in a new line as you "probably" can sell the timber harvested. If that were an established ROW and they were clearing danger trees the timber cut inside it by the company crew can leave it for you but you cannot sell it; it can only be used for personal consumption. I'm sure that you can sell yours no problems.

As many have said get ahold of your County extension forester or your state Natural Resources agency extension forester. They can direct you toward mills and tell you what you have and give you some ideas of how to get the project done.

My question is and this can be answered by any of the suggested foresters to contact. What do you have? That's the question you need to know. That's the question the mills ask when they are appraising a timber sale to make a bid and that dictates whether you hire a logger or not. If you have lots of high grade hardwood then yes hiring your own logger is the way to go. If you have lots of low value timber let the power company do most of the hard work for you for free and get what you can out of it. what gets left after the log manufacturing cut/sell for firewood. It all depends on how they move it from where the buncher bunches it to the sides of the ROW.

You've probably signed the contract already but I would have stipulated the ROW logger bring the wood tree length to a landing where you could work it up into logs.

In case you haven't signed yet here is some more food for thought. You ask what you could do with you're little strip of land. Well you could have kept that as forest for timber, wildlife, and general enjoyment. This is all worth something especially the future timber. Being a forester I think long term about these things and would have charged them for a future harvest as well; since the standing timber is being left for you to market.

Another way to take care of the marketing headache if you haven't signed yet is; get an appraisal of your standing timber and make them pay the market value and leave the disposal of the wood up to them. If I were not capable of doing my own logging and marketing without having to go through the whole learning curve this is the approach I would have taken. But the problem with this is do they have an alternative route that is just as easy? As I understand it they draw where they want to go on a map and then try and get those easements through purchase or if no other viable routes are available eminent domain in the case of an unwilling seller. Eminent domain isn't a bad way to go either if they are low balling you; when you go to court the judge gets the plaintiff and defendants appraisals. He takes the highest one and adds x% on top of that. I wanna say it's 10% but cant remember. So if your appraisal is on the high side then gets 10% tacked on, you're not sitting too bad at all. Plus then the disposal of the timber is their problem.

Just some ideas for you to consider. Let us know how things turn out.

 

[bustedup]

Be thankful they are putting in a new line as you "probably" can sell the timber harvested. If that were an established ROW and they were clearing danger trees the timber cut inside it by the company crew can leave it for you but you cannot sell it; it can only be used for personal consumption. I'm sure that you can sell yours no problems.

As many have said get ahold of your County extension forester or your state Natural Resources agency extension forester. They can direct you toward mills and tell you what you have and give you some ideas of how to get the project done.

My question is and this can be answered by any of the suggested foresters to contact. What do you have? That's the question you need to know. That's the question the mills ask when they are appraising a timber sale to make a bid and that dictates whether you hire a logger or not. If you have lots of high grade hardwood then yes hiring your own logger is the way to go. If you have lots of low value timber let the power company do most of the hard work for you for free and get what you can out of it. what gets left after the log manufacturing cut/sell for firewood. It all depends on how they move it from where the buncher bunches it to the sides of the ROW.

You've probably signed the contract already but I would have stipulated the ROW logger bring the wood tree length to a landing where you could work it up into logs.

In case you haven't signed yet here is some more food for thought. You ask what you could do with you're little strip of land. Well you could have kept that as forest for timber, wildlife, and general enjoyment. This is all worth something especially the future timber. Being a forester I think long term about these things and would have charged them for a future harvest as well; since the standing timber is being left for you to market.

Another way to take care of the marketing headache if you haven't signed yet is; get an appraisal of your standing timber and make them pay the market value and leave the disposal of the wood up to them. If I were not capable of doing my own logging and marketing without having to go through the whole learning curve this is the approach I would have taken. But the problem with this is do they have an alternative route that is just as easy? As I understand it they draw where they want to go on a map and then try and get those easements through purchase or if no other viable routes are available eminent domain in the case of an unwilling seller. Eminent domain isn't a bad way to go either if they are low balling you; when you go to court the judge gets the plaintiff and defendants appraisals. He takes the highest one and adds x% on top of that. I wanna say it's 10% but cant remember. So if your appraisal is on the high side then gets 10% tacked on, you're not sitting too bad at all. Plus then the disposal of the timber is their problem.

Just some ideas for you to consider. Let us know how things turn out.

Good info

 

[Timster2]

Took a short ride where the power company will be cutting and found a few dead trees that I could use this year for heat. I have conceded defeat as far as falling them myself. My neck is frozen and I cant look up so falling is out of the question for me. I can handle the tree once its on the ground, albeit slow very slow. Takes me two to three days to buck and split a forty foot stick.

My question is what would I expect to pay for someone to come and drop the trees for me. They are far away from anything and all I want is to drop them. Whats a fair wage for they day, hour, half day. Is that something that would interest someone or just a pain in the butt.

 

[bustedup]

Took a short ride where the power company will be cutting and found a few dead trees that I could use this year for heat. I have conceded defeat as far as falling them myself. My neck is frozen and I cant look up so falling is out of the question for me. I can handle the tree once its on the ground, albeit slow very slow. Takes me two to three days to buck and split a forty foot stick.

My question is what would I expect to pay for someone to come and drop the trees for me. They are far away from anything and all I want is to drop them. Whats a fair wage for they day, hour, half day. Is that something that would interest someone or just a pain in the butt.

Maybe contact the forester again ask him ifn he knows of any good fallers in your area ........you might wanna tell em tho that it snags ya wanting falled