First time dealing with a forestry company..

[lapeer20m]

I live in lower Michigan and I have about 3,000 red pines and I want to thin the forest by harvesting about 1/3 of them.

I'd estimate they are about 80 feet tall. The biggest ones I can barely reach my arms around while the smallest are about the diameter of a telephone pole.

I had a logger come look at the trees recently . He's going to get me a price in the next couple days.

What are the things I need to watch out for? What kind of protections should I include in the contract?

Do I accept an offer for the entire project or do I request to be paid by the trailer load? He mentioned that they do it both ways.

Or do I buy a used forwarder and spend all winter hauling them to the mill with my 5 ton military truck?

 

[madhatte]

Call a forester. They won't have an investment in profit so their assessment will be less biased. There should be somebody in your county government; I'd start there.