How do I buy a woodlot?

[johnnylabguy]

Hello to all,
First post... This is a great site! I just re-entered the world of burning wood for heat and have enjoyed all the great info I have gleaned from these forums. So now I am going to get some opinions/help for myself, too! I'm kicking around the Idea of investing in some local wooded land to hunt, cut firewood, ride ATVs , and teach my children about the outdoors like I was lucky enough to have in my fathers woods as a child. I guess my question is How do you go about getting some financing for such a purpose(As I do NOT plan to build on the property), what type property taxes am I looking at, and what size is too small to be sustainable for firewood use. I am currently talking with someone about too different properties. One is 5 acres and the other is 14. I'm curious if 5 acres is too small to sustain. Any thoughts or words of wisdom? I'm just starting to research this and haven't talked to the bank yet, but I will be for financing info. Thanks for all your help!

 

[max2cam]

I'd say 5 acres is too small. I have 30 (probably 25 wooded, the rest open water and brush). That makes a pretty nice sized playground with enough cull trees for firewood and some lumber. A "40" is best IMHO.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

My 7 acres is 680'x451' feet. I get board on it really fast with my four wheeler. And it would be too small a area to keep up with your wood needs if you brun all winter. Another consideration is what types of trees are on it hard or soft woods, poplar or oak and maple. The hight and dia of the trees.

Billy

 

[doubletodd]

I have 14 now not bad but not much room to roam.I'm thinking about looking for a 20+ to build on. If your prop taxes are like ours it's an expensive proposition

 

[doubletodd]

the trees do make a big difference, size and species.pretty small for hunting,I would say 20+

 

[Cowboy Billy]

You will also want to find out what the taxes will be after you buy the property. My Dad and brother bought another 80 acers two years ago with no acess to the property the taxes were $480 a year. Now they are a little over $2000. Even though there is nothing on it its now called residential.

Billy

 

[johnnylabguy]

Thanks for the input! I realize the sizes are not real big but I'm trying to stay fairly close to home and unfortunately I live in a really flat, fertile area where its mostly farmland acreage. If its tillable,then it's been clearcut except for some smaller patches with wetlands mixed in. And it sure doesn't go cheap either...approx. $6000/acre. Keep any thoughts and opinions coming!

 

[max2cam]

$6000 an acre is pretty steep...

Here's another notion: What is the surrounding land like? Are there other adjoining woods, ravines, or other property that you can use either by stealth or by making friends with the neighbors or possibly public land nearby? You might not be able to cut on it, but possibly you might be able to walk on it, perhaps hunt on it.

For a reliable source of firewood, I'd say 15-20 acres of woods is sustainable. Less than that is iffy. Also consider that deer might be wiping all the small trees (seedlings, etc.) so you might not get much new young regeneration growth if any. That's the story here. Big trees, but the understory is wiped out by deer.

What is growing on that 14 acre parcel?

 

[sawinredneck]

At 6k an acre I think I'd look a little more into driving a bit, WOW!!!!! It's 90 miles to my dads land, 80 acres, but well worth it!! No neighbors, lots of woods, three ponds, and what he takes from having it farmed pays the taxes.

I can respect wanting to stay close, but look for some options a bit further out. If it's populated at all, I don't think I would feel that comfortable trying to hunt on five acres in this day and age. Five acres is a nice lay for building on, easy to maintain, enough room to get comfortable space from the neighbors and the kids can ride motorcycles and go-karts etc. on it. Build a big berm and make a shooting range, maybe a small pond and a decent sized building.
For what you seem to want, I don't think I would consider less than 20 acres, but at $6k an acre, I think I would start making friends with the local farmers!!

 

[aandabooks]

I just bought 16 acres last week here in Central Illinois. Just a hair under $4000 per acre. It is 9 tillable and 7.5 wooded. Just out stomping around the place and I would say that there are plenty of trees to keep me in wood for at least the next 7-10 years before I even have to consider cutting anything live standing.

I'll be cash renting the tillable to a local farmer. The taxes are $98 per. To secure financing on the land you will need between 20-30% down. Depending on the bank and the rates. I took out a recreational usage mortgage and it can be converted into a construction mortgage whenever I decide to build on it. Several years down the road.

For now, I'll be cutting wood, hunting, primitive camping and bringing up my kids to appreciate the outdoors. My 7 year old is chomping at the bit to hunt deer. He's been out the last two years with me on an afternoon hunt and really loves it. The season he's 12 will be when we get a hunter's safety course and he gets his 20-gauge pump with a deer barrel. I plan to get him started on squirrel with a .410 at about 9. We'll be putting in a 100 yard shooting range this summer.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

I live on 18 acres, 16 of which is wooded and it has plenty of wood to sustain my OWB for quite a while. I also have almost all oak, maple, beech, and yellow birch, which are all fantastic for burning. My friend has 14 acres in a lower area and it has tons of cottonwood and aspen, not great at all for burning.

Be sure to look at any land in the spring (like right now thru May) so you dont get stuck with a bunch of swamp until July. Dont forget with land you need a tractor, ATV, go carts, another tractor, lol

I would say get 10 acres minimum if you plan on burning more than 5 cords a year

 

[Husky137]

With proper management techniques on an average wooded lot, you should be able to sustain a cord a year per acre.

 

[johnnylabguy]

For now I'm following Sawinredneck's advice of making friends with the farmer...

A neighbor from down the road saw my woodpile and thought I might be interested in a new farm his uncle bought. 100+ acres with fencerows of trees all over that need to all be removed(!) He even rode with me to show me where the farm is at! There are plenty of nice midsized oaks and a couple monsters! The trick will be to get in there to cut after the ground has dried out some, but not so much so the farmers can't get in there and plow everything up where there's no access. Man, I hope it dries out before the weekend! It would be nice too score some quality free wood other than the silver maple i've been burning through like paper!

 

[Freakingstang]

North central Ohio? Where abouts? That is pretty vague terms. Property can go for as little as 1K an acre to 20K.....

I'm in wayne county and just south of me you can buy lots of land fairly reasonable.....but you are now getting away from civilization a little.

 

[Marc]

I don't know much about the fertility of land in Ohio, perhaps only that it is generally less fertile than the average parcel in New England... but around here, we figure you can sustainably cut 1 cord/acre/year off land that's mostly hardwood.

 

[steelhead kid]

Ohio may be bit different than out west, Just a thought. A peice of land that borders A national forest or a timber company may be what you are looking for. hard to hunt on 5 acres but if it borders a few thousand. A lot more affordable and you just buy your woodcutting, hunting permits each year. Depends on what you can do on the land, But for guys like me who dont have huge paychecks its an option.

get an alsakan, mill some logs, build a cabin.sounds like fun.

 

[hanniedog]

Most farmers usually let you cut on fence rows. Sometimes it can be allot of work for small amount of wood though. Dont think it will dry up by this weekend, here in Seneca Cty.(Ohio), the ground is pretty much saturated.

 

[Marc]

Most farmers usually let you cut on fence rows. Sometimes it can be allot of work for small amount of wood though. Dont think it will dry up by this weekend, here in Seneca Cty.(Ohio), the ground is pretty much saturated.

It all depends. I've had some pretty good experiences cutting fence lines, but you can't be a big wood snob. From my memory, it was mostly leaners going in the right direction (toward the field) with easy access and good footing. If you don't mind cutting a lot of heavy leaners, it's actually a good deal.

 

[sawinredneck]

Fence rows is where I get all of my personal Hedge from. You have to watch out for the old fence and crap in the trees, but usually you can pull right up to it, so it's not a misserable experiance.
Whats really nice is to get paid for clearing them, that's what I work for:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Marc]

Fence rows is where I get all of my personal Hedge from. You have to watch out for the old fence and crap in the trees, but usually you can pull right up to it, so it's not a misserable experiance.
Whats really nice is to get paid for clearing them, that's what I work for:hmm3grin2orange:

That's a very good point. Can be bits of old barb wire and such buried in years of growth. Need to be careful of that or you stand to dull a lot of chains.