Why and what insurance should a logger on my property have?

[Coyote machine]

Hello and good afternoon,

I am considering hiring a logger to cut maybe 300-400 Pine trees on my property in Texas, near Houston.

It is a small acreage property, about 12 acres with about 300-400 mature Pine trees to cut. I thought there were more the first time I posted, but

I would have liked to wait longer, and maybe bid out the job and hire a forester, but it seems that the tract is not that big and the saw mills are not that close by.

Of course, if they had patience, then I would wait months or a year or two to find a forest consultant.

To add to that, my spouse and in laws are keen to cut the trees, don't ask me why, and do not pay attention to credentials, qualifications, equipment, insurance etc.

So, we have a logger who is ready to begin, and he has shown me evidence of a small amount of Commercial general liability, but no evidence of:

1) Auto liability
2) Workers Comp - This is NOT a mandatory requirement in Texas, i.e. the contractor does not have to have it by default.

Is this sufficient? Is there a need for higher Commercial general liability, and what is the need for auto liability or workers comp?

I do not want to complicate things if not needed, especially as the relatives are ready to begin and don't care about insurance etc.

What do you all feel, kind friends?

Thank you
TG

Don't do ANYTHING, until you and your property are covered by adequate insurance, INCLUDING, but not limited to a Certificate of Insurance naming you and ALL the companies/entities who will work on your job, making sure the dates on the certificate spell out your name and complete worksite address and cover the entire dates of operation on your land. Don't let anyone set foot on your property without it, painters loggers, general contractors. If they don't carry and PROVE their carrying adequate insurance, DON'T hire them. You can check with your state's Insurance and banking commission for names of insurers and what the laws are that you may be required to follow regarding insuring people on your land. Also, as stated, permits you may be required to have to protect against erosion, wetlands, air and soil quality, and possible revisions to Obamacare; just kidding on the last one!

Tell the spouse and anyone else pushing you to back off and do what you need to to cover your azz.
If you don't, you may wish for evermore you had.

I used to work for the largest tree surgeon and crane company in northern N. J. years ago, and believe me you want tons of insurance whenever a chainsaw is involved.

You should also have an umbrella policy wrapping around your own homeowner's insurance policy. It will cover things your homeowner's policy doesn't.
I currently carry 5 million of umbrella coverage, and have for probably 20 years.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

I'm a Texas contractor and carry workman's comp. It's expensive but I need to protect my customers if sub gets hurt. Logging is dangerous. If someone that guy uses as an employee or sub gets hurt, they can sue the landowner. I don't know of any protections for logging in Texas like Equine activities are protected from litigation.

I've hired contractors to work on my roof and have no idea if they are insured. it was a mistake and I don't want to make that mistake again. I know quite a few contractors and I don't know any that carry workman's comp. It's expensive like I said but in the back of my mind I know that it's a necessary part of doing business and someone can't claim "fully insured" if they aren't covered for bodily injury. General liability just doesn't cover much.
The story above about the dog biting someone is a perfect example of why your property needs to be protected.
You probably won't find a small logger with workman's comp HOWEVER, I believe you can get a "ranch or farm" policy that protects you if someone gets hurt on your land. I'd look into that and exclusions at the very least.

 

[CobyRupert]

No matter what coverage you have, you will ALWAYS find someone who says you need MORE insurance.

"What if.....?"

 

[RickB]

No matter what coverage you have, you will ALWAYS find someone who says you need MORE insurance.

"What if.....?"

That does NOT mean that no coverage is a good idea.

 

[kthompson]

We just had about that same acreage logged in South Carolina. It was near a year from our signing contractor with forestry consultant to the logging. We paid him 10% of the total sales and it was worth it. There were three of us as owners in the beginning and one sold his land and therefore not part of the final sale. Problem popped up with the new owner as they were not made aware of the logging contract when they entered buyers contract and it was very good to have basically neutral third party between the new buyer and us, the old land owners.

We have used a small logger before with no problems and would use them again but in that case also there was an experienced timber buyer who was responsible for all items such as insurance.

FYI two of us on that first logging are insurance agents and we hired professional Forester to be sure all necessary insurance and such was in place, hope that helps you understand we took it serious. All may go good but I would suggest taking your time and it not allowed be smart and back out.

 

[boggen]

make sure everything is in writing.

here in Illinois, tree cutting one of the few things, that are required by the state to have a licenses through state, and some other requirements for insurance.

Illinois, there some wording, when estimates/bids are over x amount of dollars, this and that, and when over xx amount of dollars, this over here, and that over there are needed, etc...

if you think it is a low ball bid. toss it. and get a bid from someone else.

if a tree is x diameter in size. you may need a professional that is licensed or some sort.

clear cutting (removal of a bunch of tree or even 1 tree) may need a permit, and possibly some sort of plan, to deal with erosion.

township, county, state, federal. and if you are in a city/ town then additional laws might be there.