trees for future logging

[Betho]

OK so I'd read on here someone recommended planting black walnuts close together and then selling them for veneer in 10 years. If I wanted to plant some trees for logging in the future, what sort of trees would bring in the most $$? Depending, of course, on what grows well in our zone but I'm wondering what else would be out there? I'd like to just figure out what grows well and is the highest dollar value. We might also do rotating, so one acre of trees planted per year and then after 10 years and 10 acres, start logging/replanting in cycles so we'd have timber income every year. We'll have a minimum of 20 acres to work with, fwiw.

So, in terms of lumber, which sort of trees will have the highest value? We will also most likely have our own sawmill so that might be a factor.

[agmantoo]

With the scale and timeframe you mentioned Christmas trees would be ideal.

[MELOC]

i don't think ten years would be nearly long enough to grow verneer walnut.

[Junkmanme]

I understand that you are moving to Washington State from Colorado. In Washington/Oregon there is much timber that you will be competing with. No sense "battling the Big Boys".

So, In my opinion, with no more than 20 acres..I'd say plant Cottonwood or a relative of it. It grows fast, and no good for firewood--to stringy and stinks when burned! BUT, you can saw it yourself after you dry it and use it for small construction projects on your own homestead. That makes the good sense to me , given your location and size of available ground.

Otherwise, just use the area for FRUIT TREES and ENJOY the produce and perhaps SELL the produce...You'll do better than growing some kind of timber.

just my 2 pesos worth,
Bruce (who lived in Colorado 21 years)

[hillsidedigger]

I worked for 2 years in the 1970's on a 'black walnut progeny study' and was exposed to all known info on black walnut trees and was involved in the establishment in 1973 and care for the first 2 years of a 12 acre river bottom site of black walnut trees about 8 miles from where I live now. They are fairly big now, 34 years later but not big enough.

Start with good corn land, space at about 16' X 16' and maybe in 50 years veneer quality black walnut of immense value will result.

[FrankTheTank]

I'd go with fruit trees. Instant fruit (some times) and the wood is good for firewood when you decide to cut.

[Betho]

oh how interesting... I must have misread the 10 year scale. Would be a good thing to plant for future generations though.

We're definitely going to do fruit trees - the whole property is 120 acres but we will have 20 of it, but more available if we want it. We might also see how sugar maples grow but that will be more for fun than anything else. The acreage is already about half timber and half pasture so I don't think I'd need to plant unless I was wanting to do logging.

But the Christmas tree idea definitely is note-worthy - where would I find more information about doing them? I imagine there's tons of Christmas tree growers in WA, would there be a market?

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

Pretty tough for you to compete in eastern Wa with the big Christmas tree farms on the western slopes of Wa and Oregon. You have to find water - they have all they want.

Plant Bull (pondrosa) pines for your own lumber, and establish a good wood lot of some sort of hardwood.

[rambler]

Black walnut is kinda fussy to grow, and takes maybe 40 years to get a good log. Ten years and you maybe just can't quite jump over it any more......

High-value trees don't grow easy or quick. Rethink your thought process here. If you want something to harvest in 10 years, it will need to be quick growing, which makes it a cheap species. If you want an investment for your kids, plant the high-dollar stuff.

--->Paul

[MELOC]

research growing paulownia trees.

http://www.paulowniatrees.org/about.htm

[chas]

Wait to see what you have there on the property and never mind about the BIG boys with lots of timber!I only have 10 or 12 acres in woods but have letters arriving all the time in the mail from people wanting to buy my timber.
I let a couple young guys harvest timber for me about 7 years ago.
They had people coming out to bid on the logs.The veneer logs (cherry) went to a ship and processing at sea on the way to Japan!
They promised not to cut anything under two foot in diameter and would not break the canopy,which makes the timber sprout branches on the sides ruining veneer type logs.
They gauranteed this style of harvesting could be done every ten years.
I cut undesirable trees and wind damaged for firewood so as to give the good trees a better chance to develope.
The funny thing was the year after they cut out the timber a couple guys said they had flown over and took pictures and wanted to cut my timber for me!They couldn't tell it had been cut from the air because the canopy was unbroken.
I was offered anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000 for my timber and these young guys got me $8,000 for the veneer logs alone.
Get a forester to give you advice for your area,it's worth it!
Oh and a couple brothers planted black walnut for their retirement investment about ten years ago and now they are about 15-20 ft. and about 5-6" in diameter.They do seem to grow faster each year as they age.
Chas

[zukgod]

I live in Washington and there are a bunch of Christmas tree farms but they all seem to sell trees like crazy. I am personally thinking of going in that direction and think you would do sell also. But we now live in the west side of the mountains but are heading east in 2 years and will start overthere. But we will also do fruit trees.

[Betho]

Yeah I'm definitely wanting to think long-term in terms of the timber. Water shouldn't be a problem since we've got 2 artesian springs on the property (we're not in the hot/dry/flat part, it's gonna be up in the Colville area - nice green mountains & pasture). I was thinking more of planting for our future and retirement - DH and I are 27 yrs old, it would be nice to have something to bring in more $$ in 10-20 years but what's most important as far as this is concerned is planting trees that can be logged when we are in our 60's and 70's to bring in more $$. We've got other plans in the works for short-term ways to make the property pay for itself but I want to look longterm as well as short term. There is already timber on the property that can be selectively logged though I'm not certain if we'll be doing that just yet.

[Liese]

Here in NC many christmas tree farms are growing on land too steep to cultivate or graze, however I have been told that the amount of pesticides and herbicides they use is polluting the ground water and now wells are contaminated. I believe VA Tech has some info on-line. I was pretty surprised that the trees were sprayed so much but guess you can't have a blemish! A farm in our county sells cut your own for $15-20.

[Ralph in N.E.Oh]

Great answer by MELOC ... walnut grow very slow..they are also toxic for many other plants, hence the way they grow in groups

[bumpus]

.
Talk to the professionals in trees and logging.

Go to any place that buys log at a log yard and talk to them and look at the different logs that they have and count the rings you see where they have been cut off.

Ask some loggers in your are and they can tell you.

Each ring counts for a year.

Talk to people in the forestry department and they can tell which trees grow best in your part of the country.

Some trees grow better in some states than others.
It also depends on weather every year. Some years they grow faster than others.


bumpus
.

[Old Vet]

You can have the most expencive trees and if their is no market then you canot sell them. Look around and see what is grown in your area and plaint them. If you must createt your own market the trees will not bring a good price. If the market is far away you can not get a good price.

[PACrofter]

When I was looking to sell a 34' long oak tree earlier this year, I found that the most valuable tree in the mid-Atlantic region was cherry. The information I saw didn't specify what kind of cherry but you could check with folks in your area to see what grows well there.

I'd probably plant a mix of cherry, black walnut, chestnut, and maybe paulownia.