Cutting Pulpwood, is it worth it?

We sell pulp (firewood, pulp, biomass) and it pays but you have to sell a lot of volume, like million of units, before it is much. The big cost is felling, pulling and trucking. You as the log owner get little. Cabinetry logs and veneer is where we really make our money. The pulp pays for the work and a little.

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

Phil, if it's your parents tract, and you've got a chance of inheriting it, you could see the labor as an investment in your own future.

I'd say good luck getting any extra money from the fella that promised you more later... BTDT... unless you've eaten at their table and broke bread, it's going to probably be a wash. My experience anyway!

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

If you are near a tourist area you may be able to sell the seasoned pine for campfire wood. It sells for $3-$4 a small bundle here to the tourists.

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I talked to the loggers that are cutting logs next door to me. They can't sell pulp wood now even tho they have many loads cut and stacked. That is even through out the state. They don't want to go into another state because of the laws that regulate produces that cross state lines. they will wait and haul it to the mill when they want it.

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God must have loved stupid people because he made so many of them.

I'd vote for fence posts too. Neighbor on my way to work did that and it looks very nice. Nailed a metal cap on each one to help keep off the rain.

Some outfits that treat pine for posts will trade treated posts for raw material pines. I do not know the trade ratio but you could sell what treated post you get rather easily.

If you are cutting the trees to later convert the land to fields/pasture you may be ahead by wasting the wood. It is much easier to remove whole trees than it is stumps and you will save more from the equipment expense that you will make from selling pulp.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

RULES! RULES! Wood Cutters don't follow no stinkin Rules Back when I was cutting Load my Truck Double what my Plates were For Bad Tires and all.Heck even hauled awhile with No Brakes on a Truck.Only need Brakes to stop.

big rockpile

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Not a problem up here on the mountain but the people down in the valley may be concerned. There's a 90° corner down there. But don't worry. On the other side of the corner, straight ahead from your perspective, is a river. I'm sure that will catch your load.

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

You all think Big Rockpile is joking don't you. I've seen what some of these guy's around here haul on but then again this is coming from a guy who rutinally hangs from a 3/4 rope swinging from barn roofs 60' in the air.

Ha! Yeah I plan on getting the brakes working on mine. Right now all I have working is the parking brake. Might even try to get the lights to work Bought it for scrap price, found a set of ok free tires for it. I have two left to mount. The originals were so bad that I could rip out chunks of tire with my bare hands.

I tried getting hold of a forester up at the mill. Been thinking maybe I'd be better off letting the trees get a little larger and then take them into a saw mill. I do have other larger trees to cut that could be turned into lumber.

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http://www.xanga.com/shackman A blog about whatever

Ahhh, I fondly remember my first truck. After a few years, it go to where I could brake ONCE, real good, and then wait an hour, and brake again... in between, no brakes! If I knew there was a stop sign coming up, I used my coaster brakes. S'when you coast to a stop.

You can blow off a lot of rules, but when the mill ain't takin' logs, your pretty much SOL.

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

Let's see. Logs flat pricewise. Gas up,oil up, chains up, files up, pain meds up, this does not include the possibility of needing a truck tire.

You do the math.

I have loggers cutting a 68 acre property for me right now - all pulpwood
I think by the time they are done I will have been paid about $15k
I am saving most of that to be used to pay for dozer work to remove all the stumps as I want to make it paster land.

I haven't heard anything back so I assume they don't need anything from a small time logger like me. There are a few mills advertising they need logs for lumber. Might visit them and see what the going rate is these days.

Going to throw a water pump on the truck tomorrow. It was squealing really good and throwing coolant everywhere At least I got the dump to work on it now. Don't have money for hydraulic fluid. Seems that drain oil works just as well

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How much per ton?

Unless you've got a friend or family member with a dozer, or someone owes you a huge favor, 15K won't get you started. I daresay a dozer couldn't even cover every foot of 68 acres for 15K. A good dozer big enough to pile slash for burning will probably cost close to 800 a day, probably closer to a grand. Last time I needed a dozer, ten years ago, it was 80/hour. Trackhoe was 100/hr six years ago... back when diesel was 'round a buck/gallon.

But, hope I'm wrong and it all works out...

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

Phil-

Have you ever considered buying a portable sawmill? If you have that much forest in your area, could it be profitable for you? I'm not talking about for your parents little patch, but setting it up for a full time biz.

Kind of what i thought . Fifteen grand for 68 acres of wool think i would went in the firewood business . You ever pile brush in a stump field

A scrag mill for small wood might be worth a look

I am getting $5 per ton (my cut I think the logger is getting $30 per ton).

I plan on pulling the stumps on around 20 acres not the whole 68. No I do not have any family that owns equipment but there are alot of guys around here that have dozers and do not have any work to do. Where I live all construction has stopped.

I had my logging stopped when the price went down to 9$/ton. I had a hard time visualizing selling an entire tree for less than a buck, sometimes less than 50c.

Hungry folks will sometimes work cheaper... but still can't escape the cost of fuel, etc.

Around here you need to get an appointment for any kind of heavy equipment... you almost need to bribe them. Sometimes that doesn't even work... they're simply tied up working 7 days a week for months out. [oil field construction]

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming