Tree Measurement and Felling:

[Simon Jones]

 All,

 I have a residential property with around  6 acres of woodland that has generally has been untouched for over 40+  years.

 I have a felling licence in place for five years and I am  looking  for possibly a site measurement service, company or person to work out exactly the amount of timber on site.

I have also had 2 companies around  to view and look at the wood standing. They have suggested to me that and taking in to consideration their costs, for  felling,  removal, site clearance are offering me between £8- £12 per  ton.  Would anyone on this site consider this fair and reasonable. 

As it seems to me that the price of hardwood especially seems much higher from my initial research the price seems low. I do appreciate our site has some complications for the  extraction of of the wood that is difficult.  The location is in North West Cumbria.

Regards

[spuddog0507]

Hi a lot will depend on ground condition weather its flat,on a slope or uphill and down dale this will reflect on price offered for timber, you will not get a exact figure on timber tonnage it would be + or - 20 tonne or so, timber prices are quite good at the moment but you have to take in to consideration that they can soon drop as well, prices of £8 - £12 may be a little low but i have not seen the site, you say your in north west cumbria if your not right at the top i would be happy to come and take a look at it for you, and give you a better idea of what the job would entail, if you wanted to chat further about this you could PM me on here,

P,S i am only just south of Lancaster.

Edited December 10, 2018 by spuddog0507
spelling

[Squaredy]

9 hours ago, Simon Jones said:

 

 All,

 I have a residential property with around  6 acres of woodland that has generally has been untouched for over 40+  years.

 

 I have a felling licence in place for five years and I am  looking  for possibly a site measurement service, company or person to work out exactly the amount of timber on site.

I have also had 2 companies around  to view and look at the wood standing. They have suggested to me that and taking in to consideration their costs, for  felling,  removal, site clearance are offering me between £8- £12 per  ton.  Would anyone on this site consider this fair and reasonable. 

As it seems to me that the price of hardwood especially seems much higher from my initial research the price seems low. I do appreciate our site has some complications for the  extraction of of the wood that is difficult.  The location is in North West Cumbria.

Regards

 

You haven't mentioned what the access is like, ground conditions and of course species and quality of timber.  Many sites you would have to pay someone to fell the timber as it will be too time consuming for it ever to be profitable.  This is why so much woodland is neglected - far from being a cash-cow it is a financial liability.

 

So maybe the price you have been offered is a really good price.  Are the trees just firewood or are they milling stems?  If you are unsure of some of these facts some photos and details of species and sizes might help.

[Khriss]

Sounds a good price for the size ( 6 acres ain't a big site ) and as long as contractor is competent and leaves remaining stock in good health and safe condition, can't see how yr losing out. K

[openspaceman]

44 minutes ago, Khriss said:

Sounds a good price for the size ( 6 acres ain't a big site ) and as long as contractor is competent and leaves remaining stock in good health and safe condition, can't see how yr losing out. K

It's too difficult to be specific  and being 300 miles south  I've no idea of the sort of woodland but yes in general I agree, though out of date with prices.

 

The OP asked for someone to measure and value standing timber, is it something Newton Rigg students may do as an exercise? Measuring volumes is reasonably straightforward. It's something anyone could do with reference to FC booklet 39, also Jo Ellis's  FC booklet is a good start

 

https://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/so-you-own-a-woodland.pdf/$FILE/so-you-own-a-woodland.pdf

 

There are some caveats though, I was recently milling in a gill woodland of about the same size where there had been windthrow in 87. Nearly every remaining tree had bark damage from being used as turning posts  at the top of the banks and rot has set in over the last 30 years, the owners simply had no idea that this was malpractice and hadn't considered the damage or long term cost.

 

Another  Institutional owner with some extensive PAWS wanted to maximise their return on heavy crown thinning and glade creation and set up a contract with  a high price per tonne of timber removed. I got to do the clearing up after the chosen contractor felled the softwoods and creamed off the sawlogs to 8" top diameter and left everything else, so as not to have to pay for the poorer grades.

 

 

[Khriss]

Is best point OpenS,  not been touched for 40yrs ? Could be full of old crap then. A funding for amenity use might bump up yr return on the site, but as to actual wood value roadside, I wouldn't dare to guess. K

[openspaceman]

52 minutes ago, Khriss said:

Is best point OpenS, 

Que?

52 minutes ago, Khriss said:

 

 

 

not been touched for 40yrs ? Could be full of old crap then. A funding for amenity use might bump up yr return on the site, but as to actual wood value roadside, I wouldn't dare to guess. K

Yes and if it was planted with oak in tubes at 3m spacing and abandoned it may be too crappy.

 

OTOH I had the job of razing to the ground an abandoned agricultural field in Essex that had been dug over after a mortar bomb killed a child playing. The place was shut up from the public most days for 60 years and had a quality stand of ash with birch over 20m tall.

[Simon Jones]

20 hours ago, Squaredy said:

You haven't mentioned what the access is like, ground conditions and of course species and quality of timber.  Many sites you would have to pay someone to fell the timber as it will be too time consuming for it ever to be profitable.  This is why so much woodland is neglected - far from being a cash-cow it is a financial liability.

 

So maybe the price you have been offered is a really good price.  Are the trees just firewood or are they milling stems?  If you are unsure of some of these facts some photos and details of species and sizes might help.

Thanks fir the information. Mixed hardwood and softwood. Ash, beach, lime and a few good oaks. Access is only difficult for larger machines. Road storage is on my land and easy to collect. 

[devon TWiG]

If you consider the offer low then why not pay  a  contractor  to fell and extract the wood  and sell it  yourself ? 

 

[peckerwood2016]

Sent you a message simon