Hey, you Vermonters with 'current use' forests, question on monetizing junk wood

[Bullwinkle123]

I'm working at filing my next 10 year plan. I've got all this wood that isn't really good for anything that would need to be thinned for better trees. I'm just wondering if any of you have experience on extracting such wood firewood and selling it to others in Vermont. Is it worth the effort? Any pointers technically or business wise? I have no idea what the market is like for selling firewood. Frankly I'd only want to sell whole logs, but they'd be these 6 inch motley logs from the "good lumber" reject trees. (Cherry, Ash, Beech, Birch).

On the technical end of it, I have doubts about how much I'd really be able to do with my mx5400, with a winch rig or not. My terrain is trecherous, clogged with old fallen/felled trees, rocks, and what have you. I find it a bit tight getting into any place with the mx5400, though that's partly because I always have attachments on either end. I might consider buying another type of machine if it was worthwhile, but this isn't my day job, at least not until I retire. I have about 168 acres under management, though at least 20 acres of that is more or less unreachable because of steep terrain, even the pros don't go there.

So... fell it and try to sell it? Or waste of time, and just girdle the trees and leave 'em for the birds and other animals?

Tips appreciated.

 

[fruitcakesa]

I'm working at filing my next 10 year plan. I've got all this wood that isn't really good for anything that would need to be thinned for better trees. I'm just wondering if any of you have experience on extracting such wood firewood and selling it to others in Vermont. Is it worth the effort? Any pointers technically or business wise? I have no idea what the market is like for selling firewood. Frankly I'd only want to sell whole logs, but they'd be these 6 inch motley logs from the "good lumber" reject trees. (Cherry, Ash, Beech, Birch).

On the technical end of it, I have doubts about how much I'd really be able to do with my mx5400, with a winch rig or not. My terrain is trecherous, clogged with old fallen/felled trees, rocks, and what have you. I find it a bit tight getting into any place with the mx5400, though that's partly because I always have attachments on either end. I might consider buying another type of machine if it was worthwhile, but this isn't my day job, at least not until I retire. I have about 168 acres under management, though at least 20 acres of that is more or less unreachable because of steep terrain, even the pros don't go there.

So... fell it and try to sell it? Or waste of time, and just girdle the trees and leave 'em for the birds and other animals?

Tips appreciated.

I also have a lot of low grade timber mixed in with the better quality stuff.
During one seasons harvest I cut a lot of firewood and advertised it as log length for sale at a low price.
A local firewood seller bought some, cut it on site, loaded his one ton and hauled it away.
Have you looked into the hardwood pulp or chip market around you?
I have a lot of low grade pine that I have been selling to a local pellet mill. Not a lot of $$ but it gets it out of the woodlot.
I have girdled many trees over the years and it does the job albeit slowly although now any tree that meets pulp spec gets sold.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I also have a lot of low grade timber mixed in with the better quality stuff.
During one seasons harvest I cut a lot of firewood and advertised it as log length for sale at a low price.
A local firewood seller bought some, cut it on site, loaded his one ton and hauled it away.
Have you looked into the hardwood pulp or chip market around you?
I have a lot of low grade pine that I have been selling to a local pellet mill. Not a lot of $$ but it gets it out of the woodlot.
I have girdled many trees over the years and it does the job albeit slowly although now any tree that meets pulp spec gets sold.

There's Cersosimo in Brattleboro, who bought my last harvest of good stuff. I thought they had opened a biomass plant and wondered about that, but I haven't actually spoken with them and my new forester didn't think they had biomass. Anyway, worth a call to them.

Was the trouble worth whatever net profit was involved? What kind of rig did you use to pull the wood out of your forest?

 

[fruitcakesa]

It was worth it as I also harvested sawlogs at the same time and the removal of the junk trees was a bonus.
This was on a road accessible, relatively flat 8 acre lot with no skid longer than a few hundred yards.
I used my M6040 with a Norse 450 winch and front grapple forks and JD 450c dozer with a winch/arch.