Logger walked off the job yesterday.

[EddieWalker]

When I first bought my land, I talked to at least a dozen loggers. Not one of them ever showed up at my place, yet every single one of them scheduled an appointment to do so. I hind site, I think that I got lucky. I learned how to take out the trees with my backhoe root and all. I also learned how much harder it is to just take out a stump, which I will never do again if I can avoid it. I had one guy come by who was building a log home who wanted as many pines as I would give him. I figured that would be less work for me if he took them then my burning them. I was wrong. He was all talk, and after showing up twice, never came back again. I ended up handling those trees twice, but I did learn that you don't save anything by giving it away. Everyone has their own agenda, and for me, doing it myself, how I want it, when I want it, is by far the fastest, easiest, cheapest way to get it done.

A good friend had his timber thinned last year. They cleared an area completely of trees to work in, and for him to create a large pasture of grass. then they went down every third row of his planted pines and took them all out. Everything was chipped on sight and hauled off by trucks that pretty much never stopped coming and going 7 days a week for months.

When it was all said and done, he made $28,000. This year he has hired an excavator and dozer to pull the stumps, burn all the debris left behind and grade the land for planting hay. He estimates that it will cost him twice what he made off of the timber to get the land ready for planting next year.

This was a well run outfit with new equipment and absolutely no surprises or problems. He knew what he was getting into, but was still shocked at what was left, and what it's going to take to get the land to where he wants it.

As a contractor, I've been told over and over again that the two biggest mistakes clients made when hiring somebody that didn't work out was that they felt they needed to get started right away, and that when things started going wrong, they just hoped they would get better and stuck with the contractor longer then they knew they should have.

This morning I got a call about a job from a previous client who wanted to know how long I was booked up. I told her that November would be the soonest I could get to her, but that I had half a dozen bids out there as of today and if any of them accept my bid, then I was probably booked up for the year. She wants me to come over as soon as possible so she doesn't have to wait until next year. In my opinion, it is always better to wait for the person you want to do the job then settle for the person who doesn't have a waiting list. There is always a reason why some are booked up and others don't a have any work.

 

[Old Guy in Tenn]

This is how we sold our timber:

• Interviewed some foresters. Two partners were playing games so we hired on with a guy we knew through family even though he was going to charge more and he lived much farther away from us. Figure I would rather pay more to him to get it down right than pay too little, but in the end pay too much, to someone who did not get the job done right. His being far from us was a worry but it was ok in the end.
• Forester cruised the timber and provided us with an inventory of the trees. We knew how many trees we had by species, size and MBF. This was used as part of the sale.
• Forester advertized the timber sale which was closed bid on the property, at dawn and run from my pickup tail gate. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:
• "Sold" said timber as described in the cruise inventory at dawn but we had later legal closing on the timber where the logger bought the timber and had up to two years to cut the trees. This was standard in our area and if they did NOT cut in two years, we kept the money AND the trees. They started logging within days of buying the deed.
• Forester watched over the operation. Not as much as I would have liked, he lived 3 hours away, but everything worked out ok. Quite a few large piles of slash were left behind but that is part of the process.
• We put BMP and other requirements into the timber deed that the logger did follow.
• We were PAID at the timber deed closing. No equipment was put on our land until they had PAID for the trees.

Later,
Dan

We had timber harvested from our NE Tennessee property 3 years back, and it was done exactly as dmmarcty described, except only 1 year for them to get the trees. No surprises. Used a forester who was recommended by a friend.

 

[TractorGuy]

I cannot claim patience as a virtue, but why did you not want to wait at least one year from the date of closing before selling your timber, and thus qualify for long-term capital gain taxation of the sale proceeds?

Steve

Actually you should be able to get a statement from the forester saying the value paid for the timber is pretty much what you sold it for. The difference, if any, is regular income if sold less than a year from purchase. Tax liability should be close to nill.

 

[teejk]

A friend of mine has about 25 acres of mature timber that is long over-due for thinning but has unfortunately been involved in an estate valuation game. Absent that mess they would have thinned it a few years ago. With that mess apparently resolved, they were ready to go. Their jobber told them that lumber prices are currently at rock bottom with no rebound in sight. You might be seeing that with this job...bid the job and then the market tanks.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

At this point I just want to get the trees that are down, removed. I'm probably going to hold off on anything else for a while. My future homesite was partner what I was going to have logged. Not even thinking that far right now.

 

[teejk]

At this point I just want to get the trees that are down, removed. I'm probably going to hold off on anything else for a while. My future homesite was partner what I was going to have logged. Not even thinking that far right now.

You have the tractor...drag them out to the road and put a "no trespassing" sign next to them...they'll be gone in a few days.:laughing:

 

[WoodChuckDad]

My son in law and impulses them Saturday and Sunday. Wrapped chain around the box blade and started pulling. I used the excavator. We got maybe a fifth of them. I'll be back at it this weekend. Thinking of renting a small dozer as well and having the wife in that or the tractor.

 

[farmer2009]

Sorry to hear about your problems. Wish you best of luck.

Cut up what you have down and pile them up. Hire someone to haul them for you. Your excavator can load them or if they have a knuckle boom they can self load. One of our local mills runs a tri-axle double bunk with a knuckle boom. They will come to your pile and load and haul for a percent or X cents per board foot.

If it's good trees don't waste them by dumping them yet.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Almost everything I have on the ground is spruce pine. Around here, that is pulp wood. I do have enough decent sized red oak and poplar on the ground to make up a truck load. I'm keeping those seperate and trying to make contact with someone who can get them.

 

[jacain]

Where in Chesterfield are you? I may have a couple contacts for you. I'm looking at thinning a 5+ acre pine stand on my property so the bigger trees can mature at a faster rate and will be getting a couple different crews out to give me an estimate.

If I had the time I would offer to come out there and help you for free. I love running a saw. If you don't mind, could you pm me the name of the guy you were using? I would hate to make the same mistake.