Marketing harwoods

[Dorset Treeman]

I have recently taken over the management of 23 ha dorset woodland of predominantly hazel coppice with oak and sweet chestnut standards which started as an assignment for a distance learning degree and has now become a project/hobby!

 

There are some biggish standards with 80-120 cm dbh but not particularly great quality (low-medium). I've had a cabinet maker in and he said he would be interested in the straighter, dead knot free stuff. A local rustic furniture maker suggested getting a mobile mill in to plank the lot and selling it on then. I don't have the experience to know what to do in this scenario, so would appreciate any advice that anybody could give on this or marketing timber in general.

 

If the logs are all felled and planked, what sizes should they be cut to and who should I aim to sell the lower grade planks to and how do I market them?

 

There is also 30 cubic metres of norway spruce from a small PAWS area coming out this winter (20-30cm diameter). Is bio-fuels the only way for this?

 

So many questions, these are only the tip of the iceberg......

 

Regards,

 

Alan