Questions from a landowner

[fourwinds]

I own 160 ac in central Oklahoma and am curious if mature pecan or cedar have any logging value? I would guess I have nearly 200 mature pecan trees. Do these have any lumber value that would make them worth havesting or are they simply firewood?
I have cedar trees from fence post size to porch post size.

If either of these have value how do I go about finding a reputable person/company to harvest them at a fair value. What sort of damage can I expect from equipment etc.

Thanks
Michelle

 

[Jacob J.]

Hello-

It's doubtful that your small cedar is going to be worth much, other than for fencing stock. Cedar isn't lucrative enough in most markets to be worth harvesting at a diameter average of 14" or under on the stump.

Your pecan trees may be worth harvesting if there's enough furniture grade logs ( these would be a fairly straight log at 10 foot or longer and 16" on the small end ) and there's mills in your area that are interested in processing material for that market. One way to find out is contact cabinet shops and find out where they get their material from, they may be able to point you in the direction of a reputable mill. Mills usually have forester types that would be willing to come out to your property and see what you have and if it worth doing anything with. You might also contact tree service companies in your area and see if they sell wood from tree service jobs to any local mills.

If you do find a mill that's interested in your wood, they probably have logger types that they would have you get in contact with to arrange to have any logging and/or land clearing done, and you'd have to work out an agreeable price with the logger as far as profit sharing for all the material that comes off your property.