Standing trees for firewood

[woodacre]

Hi. Just wondering what people are paying for standing trees. I've come across a 20 year old plantation of beech and ash which needs thinning out. Access is easy and wood is perfect for the processor...usually buy it in but thinking it would be a better option to go find it myself due to the outrageous cost of hardwood these days. Any good advise would be much appreciated. Thanks

[Mark2]

I ‘m out of touch, but would like to contribute a few useful points !

Firstly you will need a felling license or copy of.

secoundly I’d advice coming at it from the opposite direction! Work out ‘all’ of your costs and overheads work out what realistic profit you should be ‘entitled ‘ to. Hold ya head high and don’t budge an inch. It’s real tough out there! Gen speaking farmers /land agents won’t have your interest at heart, unless you have built up a good long term relationship.

so- the answer to the question should come from your personal situation.

Hope this helps and keep in touch with us !

photo’s ?

plus it’s the how long is a piece of string thing! Access travel distance, detailed contract what you will or not be doing re clear up ect.

Good luck !!

[gdh]

1 hour ago, woodacre said:

 

Hi. Just wondering what people are paying for standing trees. I've come across a 20 year old plantation of beech and ash which needs thinning out. Access is easy and wood is perfect for the processor...usually buy it in but thinking it would be a better option to go find it myself due to the outrageous cost of hardwood these days. Any good advise would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

I would pay up to £20 a ton depending on access and ease of felling.

 

I look at current prices as £20 standing, £35 extraction and £15 haulage. Hopefully saving on some areas but that's a rough division. 

[slack ma girdle]

1 hour ago, woodacre said:

 

Hi. Just wondering what people are paying for standing trees. I've come across a 20 year old plantation of beech and ash which needs thinning out. Access is easy and wood is perfect for the processor...usually buy it in but thinking it would be a better option to go find it myself due to the outrageous cost of hardwood these days. Any good advise would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

I wouldn't discribe the price of timber roadside as outrageous, it is finally reflecting its true cost particularly for smaller amounts moter/manual extraction

[woodacre]

Yeah outrageous may be abit of a strong word as I understand the running cost etc but its getting harder to make a decent profit with logs. Wouldnt give up the day job thats for certain.

[the village idiot]

I charge £10/ton standing but it is not generally 20 year old thinnings.

 

Also the contractor is a friend who always goes the extra mile to do the jobs to spec.

 

£20/ton doesn't sound outrageous given your description of the stand.

[spuddog0507]

3 hours ago, woodacre said:

Yeah outrageous may be abit of a strong word as I understand the running cost etc but its getting harder to make a decent profit with logs. Wouldnt give up the day job thats for certain.

outrageous you may think but when you look in to how much effort goes in to felling and extracting some small parcelles of timber along with the machinery needed to do the job and as you said its getting harder for you to make a decent profit with logs, but you will of had it good for a long time, its only this last couple of years when us as a small scale forestry co have started to make a little bit more money than we have for years and its now got to a stage where i can pick my jobs, last friday was a perfect example roughly 70-80 tonne of beech ash oak and birch on a rocky crag at the rear of a stately house land agent wanted us to extract uphill and pay him £25 a tonne,, this rocky crag is between 40 & 70 degrees , he wont let us extract downhill which would be a shed load easier and faster for us, when i asked him why not downhill,there are sheep in the field, so i just turned round and said your not making it easy and left him with something to think about and that was, if we have to extract uphill we take the timber and you pay us £25 a tonne as well and if we extract downhill i will give you £15 a tonne,went and met him again today and we walked up the crag about 10-15 meters going uphill he slipped flat on his face, i just said your only carrying a clipboard and your on your arse, get a saw in your hand a couple of wedges and a 10lb sledge hammer and then see how hard it is, when we got to the top he was puffing and panting and i just said come on only 49 more times up and down and then you can go home, he didnt take me up on that and he just said its harder than i thought is that, it may be best to go down hill, all he wants now is £25 a tonne of me but i am sticking to my guns on this one at £15, if i had to pay his £25 i would not even make a wage out of it given the terain we would be working on,

[Big J]

11 hours ago, woodacre said:

 

Hi. Just wondering what people are paying for standing trees. I've come across a 20 year old plantation of beech and ash which needs thinning out. Access is easy and wood is perfect for the processor...usually buy it in but thinking it would be a better option to go find it myself due to the outrageous cost of hardwood these days. Any good advise would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

20 year old trees are going to be small and fiddly. Not much of a tonnage per tree. I'd offer £10/t, but on the basis that the extraction and terrain aren't silly, and that a high specification was left.

[difflock]

Is that another way of saying the purchaser will only leave the very very best trees, that is, taking as many of the acceptably good trees as they can get away with, simply to line their own pockets?

Because as a woodland owner, that is how I would understand such wording.

My woodland is worthless conifer,

but I still know there has to be a clear dichotomy between those who own woodland, and those who earn a living from felling trees and selling timber.

Especially if the tree felling party if offering tree felling/tree retention  advice to the woodland owner.

Regards,

Marcus

[woodacre]

Is that another way of saying the purchaser will only leave the very very best trees, that is, taking as many of the acceptably good trees as they can get away with, simply to line their own pockets?
Because as a woodland owner, that is how I would understand such wording.
My woodland is worthless conifer,
but I still know there has to be a clear dichotomy between those who own woodland, and those who earn a living from felling trees and selling timber.
Especially if the tree felling party if offering tree felling/tree retention  advice to the woodland owner.
Regards,
Marcus

Nice mix of beech ash and oak, It's a retired chap who use to run a fish farm and hoilday let, all he wants in return is a constant supply of logs for his own use which is only 1 woodburner just for the winter months but hes given me 3 options 1- I take half and he keeps half road side 2- I buy it off him or 3- I supply him with logs which sounds more appealing to me but haven't discussed how long for yet but he only lives down the road.? At a guess I would say 150+ ton of easy timber to be had and alot more if I want to work hard for it. As I've said I usually buy it in so a timber trailer would be needed so can't decide whether to invest in one or not. Cheers