Aspen Pulpwood

[KeyStep]

I plan on doing an Aspen/Red Pine cut next month on my property. It is a required Managed Forest Law cut and will include 20 acres of Aspen and approximately 5 acres of Red Pine. I plan to do all the logging myself given the size and the fact that it will be clear cut except for the Red Pine. I do not have a logging truck to haul so I have started to get quotes from the local logging companies to truck it 35 miles to the mill. The quotes so far are all by the cord to me on the landing and are being converted back to cords once they are weighed at the mill. The question I have is if anyone knows a reaasonable trucking fee for 200 plus cords to the mill 70 miles (roundtrip) for the upper Midwest? Second, what is a common conversion for Aspen to cords as the quotes so far vary quite a bit? Is it possibel to deal with just the actual tonnage and pay a trucking fee. In that way no conversion and no doubt? So far the first two quotes are all based on the price per cord to me. Neither would take the Red Pine at this time but I may cut most of them for lumber with the sawmill anyway. I would like to wait to do the cutting but under the MFL I am already behind my required cut. If anyone has any idea on what would be a good price for Aspen Pulp for the upper Midwest that would be helpful as well.

 

[Meadow Beaver]

Around here we used to use poplar for pallets but the demand for pallets has significantly declined with the blue stone industry slowing down.

 

[KeyStep]

I was able to find a publication for Michigan that mentioned a weight of 2.3 tons per cord for green aspen. I also made a mistake in calculating the amount of cords that I can get from these 20 acres of Aspen. This is a good mature stand and based on the state's publications they estimate on a mature stand it could range from 20-30 cords per acre. Does this seem about right? So if I do get 25 cords per acre that would be 500 cords which will certainly keep me busy for a few weeks.

 

[Meadow Beaver]

What size diameter are they?

 

[KeyStep]

It is a mature stand in the range of 50-70 years or so and the size of most of them are averaging in the 15 inch range with some being even larger but overall definitely a mature stand. Last couple of years have seen a fair number fall from natural aging. This section was left uncut when a general clear cutting was done on the back 60 acres or so 15 years ago so time to harvest is a little overdue. I did receive an extension under the MFL three years ago but now it needs to get done. I may try cutting a few of the better logs on the portable sawmill but everything for the most part will end up at the pulp mill.