Any kind of recourse for land getting logged behind me?

[MacLawn]

Some good advice here. Here's me take, short: a few years ago, neighbor right next to us (100' from our house) had his 4.4 acres logged. Knuckahaids made an absolute mess, plus, ran off and didn't even pay him for the timber!! Well, in just a few years, the place has become a bird, deer, crit sanctuary! Nature grows back in the southeast like where ye are in Virginia. Stand still around here long enough, and something will be trying to grow around ye laigs and choke ye to death.

Don't worry - be happy.

 

[dave1949]

Agreed. But at 90 years old, I think he is just looking at money NOW, cause he wont be around for the next harvest.

IF I owned woods, selective harvest would be the only thing I would do. Cause selectively harvesting is actually good for the woods.

Trees reach a certain age where their growth rate slows, and seedling rate slows. Thus not re-populating as much as younger trees.

These mature trees that are past their "prime" are the ones that need taken, to make room for younger trees to emerge instead of choking them out and sucking up the nutrients from the soil.

If done right, selective harvesting every 8-10 years provides nice income for as long as we need wood. And does the woods a favor too. If a woods is left to nature without harvesting, You end up with lots of nice massive trees, but once those die, you have a vary young woods that quickly gets overgrown with underbrush and will take decades to get back to a nice mature woods again.

Yes, at 90 years-old there is a good chance the neighbor, or at his heirs urging, is cashing out. Same for people who know they are selling a wood lot in the near future. They tend to take most of whatever value in lumber they can before selling.

In a totally natural state--which I grant you is darn hard to find--the trees do not all mature and die off at the same time. Over time, some die from disease or lightening strikes, some get blown over, some burn creating openings for new growth. Over population of deer as the result of removing predators also has a big impact. They eat a lot of the new seedlings contributing to a very bare forest floor under mature stands.

A lot of older maturing woodlots, due to past harvesting, have been forced into a more even-aged state than what is natural I think. We don't have many examples of woodlots that have remained undisturbed by people for several hundred years to look at and see what is truly natural. Those sites are very rare around here. I would expect to see a stand dominated by mature trees with full canopies limiting under story growth, but there would be new growth in openings created by natural disturbance and mortality.

In any case, a natural mature forest is not designed for lumber production.

 

[ttriff]

Apparently the landowner is 90ish years old. Its reported that he didnt want it logged, but these loggers convinced him otherwise (possible take advantage situation).

If the value of the logs is much more than the logger offered, it's 'possible' to bring the situation to the state authorities. In most states it's against the law to exploit the elderly, or other diminished capacity persons.

Depending on his level of cognitive function this approach might require the intervention of a state appointed advocate or members of his family.

This action probably wouldn't stop the logging but it could provide your neighbor with something close to fair market value for his trees

 

[JSanders10]

Just a note, that hardwoods are at an all-time high right now, and the old fellow is probably getting the best deal there is... and better than anything he might have gotten in the past.

As others have said, a conversation with him would help... bypass the "hearsay", you can ask for what you might like a 10-20' buffer. Don't be surprised at nothing, as has been said.

 

[dmccarty]

Dan I have to use Tubex tubes 5' to keep the deer from eating them to the ground. Bluex are ok but not as good as tubex.

This is what ticks me off! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

*** I *** plant the saplings and the deer eat the saplings.

Mother nature plants the saplings and the deer leave them alone! :confused3::shocked:

If I replant the area where the deer used my saplings as forage, I will have to use tubex. Last time I checked, NC was no longer selling saplings that had chemicals to maybe prevent the deer from browsing. It was unreal they ate those saplings. The woods were full of other food. It was like they were smelling my scent on the sapling and thinking, Ah HA! We will get him! Munch Munch Munch :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[JerryK]

This is what ticks me off! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

*** I *** plant the saplings and the deer eat the saplings.

Mother nature plants the saplings and the deer leave them alone! :confused3::shocked:

I
If I replant the area where the deer used my saplings as forage, I will have to use tubex. Last time I checked, NC was no longer selling saplings that had chemicals to maybe prevent the deer from browsing. It was unreal they ate those saplings. The woods were full of other food. It was like they were smelling my scent on the sapling and thinking, Ah HA! We will get him! Munch Munch Munch :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

feel for you..... I plant thousands of concolor fir and white pine seedlings and plugs each year. It's like the deer think you are planting them special just for them... when they get just the right height .... they don't have to bend over to chomp the tops out... Life is a beatch sometimes.....

 

[kevinwak]

I think the best option for the poster is to go to the landowner and offer, try, beg or plead to buy the land. He might have to pay him lots, but then he has total control of this portion of his view. The best way to control what happens on a parcel of land is to own it yourself.

 

[JerryK]

I think the best option for the poster is to go to the landowner and offer, try, beg or plead to buy the land. He might have to pay him lots, but then he has total control of this portion of his view. The best way to control what happens on a parcel of land is to own it yourself.

Agree, except he better own the mineral rights, too. If someone else does, they can come in and tear it up putting wells and access roads in.....

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Ours gets selective cut. Unless you are in the woods, you can't even tell there has been a cutting, not enough are taken to be visible. What you need to be concerned about is are your property lines marked well. One of our neighbors had timber cut once, and the cutters came way onto our property. We got some money, but not what we should have. The neighbor knew where the line was, but either didn't tell the cutter or the cutters were just stealing the timber on their own.

 

[TnAndy]

Nature grows back in the southeast like where ye are in Virginia. Stand still around here long enough, and something will be trying to grow around ye laigs and choke ye to death.

Don't worry - be happy.

Or as Smokey the Bear says after a few too many beers: "Only YOU can prevent a forest !"



You let any logged land sit a few years around the South, and it will be lush with green again. The tall stuff won't be there for generations, but you basically can't stop it from turning back to forest unless you REALLY work at it. As long as it doesn't cause a water or erosion problem on you, I wouldn't worry about it.