Mid-Tennessee Timber (walnut) buyers?

[JRobyn]

Hi folks,

Any of you around middle TN know of a reputable timber buyer that might be interested in some walnut (and other hardwoods)? I'm having about 1600 ft of powerline run and the EMC cutting crew took down several large walnuts at the bottom of the hollow. Although I hate the thought of the mess of having them skidded out, their value may convince me otherwise. Seems a shame to leave them lay and rot.

 

[dmccarty]

Contact your State Extension office and see if they have a list of buyers. The NC Extension has a pretty good website and this information is available online. Hopefully they have this in TN. If its not online then the county office should have a list. They might also have a list of recent prices for hard and softwood.

You can also just try the yellow pages. Find the local mill and give them a call.

Beware though. People think that hardwoods are worth money off the stump. They are not unless they are really good veneer quality. I just happened to run across the latest prices in my area of NC at the NC Extension website this week. Pine saw wood averaged $400 per thousand board feet. Hardwood saw wood averaged $200. Your market is verly likely different but at least that is a number.

Later,
Dan

 

[scott_vt]

Afternoon JRobyn,
Just to add to the info Dan allready gave you. Kiln dried walnut at the mill is around $4.50/$5.50 per bd ft, in the NE. Obviously there is a lot of work to get the lumber to that state ! But if the quality is good quality it can be potentialy worth quite a bit !

 

[ToadHill]

You can cut the trees yourself and skid them to a landing and call timber buyers to come and bid on them. If you do this remember, the longer the log, the better the price if it is veneer quality. To save yourself from unexpected problems, always cut the log 12" longer than the required length ( a 10 ft log should be 11 ft long) to avoid split damage as the log drys out.

If you have any veneer quality logs remember that veneer buyers only consider the butt log so make it as long as you can.

You can find timber buyers in the y

 

[ToadHill]

You can cut the trees yourself and skid them to a landing and call timber buyers to come and bid on them. If you do this remember, the longer the log, the better the price if it is veneer quality. To save yourself from unexpected problems, always cut the log 12" longer than the required length ( a 10 ft log should be 11 ft long) to avoid split damage as the log drys out.

If you have any veneer quality logs remember that veneer buyers only consider the butt log so make it as long as you can.

You can find timber buyers in the yellow pages or from your county extension office.

 

[JRobyn]

You can cut the trees yourself and skid them to a landing ....

Hi Toad,

That's part of my problem! The hollow they're in is over 200' deep and about 400' lateral, so it'll take a serious skidder that I don't have access to. They're already cut (by the EMC crews). We've though about trying to follow the bottom up from the river/road, but that's about 3/4 mile of really rugged, virgin terrain.

Jay

 

[SPIKER]

rob: one thing you would want to do right away is to seal the ends of the logs where cut, use some good grade sealer which can be had a most lumber stores velvet seal, is a brand If i remeber right. this will prevent quick checking.

also from the sounds of it it YOU may end up not getting a lot if anything for them as they are near imposable to get to for a small log user/mill owner. big outfits are usually not interested in 1~2 trees they want truck loads of them to make worth while.

I suggest posting in the forestry forum here

http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?board=3.0

that way some of the local people may be able to help you out...

markM

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

JRobyn:

Please post the final outcome of this project. I am in Middle Tennessee as well and have some large walnut trees on my place. I would be curious as to how you fare financially.

 

[AlanB]

Hi Toad,

That's part of my problem! The hollow they're in is over 200' deep and about 400' lateral, so it'll take a serious skidder that I don't have access to. They're already cut (by the EMC crews). We've though about trying to follow the bottom up from the river/road, but that's about 3/4 mile of really rugged, virgin terrain.

Jay

Not sure I quite have the picture right in my mind, but it sounds to me like you need a big winch at the top, and just pull the logs to the top of the hollow with a winch. Not sure exactly where you are at, but my buddy that owns Cumberland tree, hoists them up out of his hollows regularly when we see one we want to use for something. I think we are only pulling about 100' but it would not be that big a deal I would not think to just pull another length.

I would go to the closest local sawmill, and ask them who they would reccomend.

 

[ToadHill]

If you want to try to winch them out of the hollow, I know someone makes a cap-stand type winch that is portable and powered by a small 2 cycle motor. I've seen one in operation, you put a bullet shaped cover over the end of the log,( to keep the log from getting hung up during the pull) chain the winch to a tree, start pulling. The only thing that limits the pull is the length of the rope.