Logger ripped off my neighbors

[Redlands Okie]

I would second (third?) the advice to see about a license. I would also file a complaint with your State Attorney General. It might not help your neighbor from getting their money back, but it will help the next guy if they check up on the contractor. Also file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Again won't help your neighbor but serves as a warning.

As for helping your neighbor if the contractor is licensed also find out from the licensing people if they are bonded. If so find out how to collect on that bond. I.E. do you need to sue in small claims and get a judgment?

Good luck!

The odds of a small contractor being bonded is probably slim in a lot of areas. If the contractor has had to be be bonded for a larger job then its more likely. Some occupations or areas require bonding for license or permits. This is a good thing to check to see if they have bonds. Most times bonds are required its several types of bonds. Surety, performance, etc. etc.
I will say this, if the contractor is bonded and you go after his bonding (insurance in normal terms) you might be surprised at the reaction you get. In general the ability to be bonded is hard to get and keep at a reasonable price. Having claims on them is a major issue that many contractors do NOT want to have to deal with.

 

[JamesHW]

Getting back to the facts of this case I wonder if using the logger's heavy equipment to move the slash would tear up the ground and make even more of a mess.

On our property the forester used large feller/bunchers to cut the tree off close to the ground and grapple it over to the road where the skidders and delimbers could process the tree and move it to the landing (now our ag field). The result is around the stump small saplings and even ferns were barely even mussed. Very little slash was dropped on areas around where tree were felled. Also, sacrificial "bumper trees", cut at about six feet from the ground, were strategically left at intersections to protect trees from scraping by dragged logs. I will harvest these in a few years for firewood. So very little disturbance to the ground can be observed and where they did chew up the trails they went back in and cleaned up some with dozers. We didn't make much money off the selective harvest of saw timber, but it paid for clearing, de-stumping and grading our 6 acre ag field that had 40-50 years of growth on it and the road to the field they put in for access.

 

[ultrarunner]

I had two full loads of Ponderosa Pine taken out in Tahoe... super strict.

The Pine went straight to the mill and I PAID $3,000 to the logger.

In addition to TARP inspection/approval and power line relocation the job required a very large crain... and the clean up was with a 18" Bandit Chipper.

Everything was exactly spelled out in the contract.

The crew were like artists... amazing to see and the new guy was 6 years with this crew.

I had a guy unlicensed guy said he would do the job for $1000 and wanted it upfront... went with the guy the State Uses for technical jobs and the Casinos...

The logger I used said payment when the job is done to my satisfaction... expensive but several of the trees could have done tremendous damage had something gone wrong... he also had the private number of the head field guy for the Power Company... drop was taken down at 7am and back at 5 pm the same day at no charge to me.

Never logged my land in Washington... I do have 17 acres with a good stand of Fir and Ceder... the crew I use is excellent... all loggers with the owner on each job and well vetted by me.

 

[Pilot]

If that last pic is truly representative of the "before" stand I'd say they were lucky to get 4 loads off that site. Frankly there isn't much volume there and much of what there is won't produce more than a stud or two. Think about how much goes in to logging scattered small trees, cutting them, getting them onto the truck, hauling them for "X" distance, milling them, marketing the lumber, etc. and then clearing up the site (if they actually do that). As a retired forester, I'd say their problem is with the slash removal. Show me another pic or two & I might change my mind.