Scots pine again

[Johnpl315]

Hi guys, 

 I started a thread on pine before but now I can't find it. 

 I have been asked to take on a job thinning a block of pine. Struggling to find a market for the timber though, no one has been interested in taking logs and the haulier suggested cutting the lot for chip at £30 a ton. 

 I only operate small scale machinery and the land owner would expect some form of payment. 

Keep hearing how standing timber prices are do high, am I missing something? 

[drinksloe]

Dunno where u are but last year mibbee even year before, i was on a skyline job, real shiitty scots, no idea how it paid but seemingly mill was desperate for it for shaver bars and wood chip for animal bedding.

They seemed to think scots was better for those jobs than other timber, or atleast that was the impression i got

 

Is 30 quid a T not a bit cheap for chip at roadside? 

I thought it was making 50-60 quid at roadside, althou i'm just a grunt on the saw never get overly involved in prices etc

[Johnpl315]

Thanks for your reply. 

 I have heard of it going for horse bedding but the companies I have spoken to just told me they import it from Russia 😂

 As for the price of chip, I think it depends where in the country you are. I used to work in Scotland and the chip was fetching £55 a ton. But now in southeast England I haven't heard of it going for anything like that unfortunately. 

[Elmsdown Forestry]

where abouts in southeast are you cutting?

 

theres a strong market for Scot’s chip in the south. Would it not make saw log 50cm max butt down to 18cm under bark? Again strong market. 
 

haulier probably has a chip market for it and making a chunk on top for himself. 
 

if cutting by hand would imagine making anything from it will be hard if only going for chip. 

[Paul in the woods]

On 15/12/2021 at 10:03, Johnpl315 said:

 I started a thread on pine before but now I can't find it. 

 

 

[Johnpl315]

1 hour ago, Elmsdown Forestry said:

where abouts in southeast are you cutting?

 

theres a strong market for Scot’s chip in the south. Would it not make saw log 50cm max butt down to 18cm under bark? Again strong market. 
 

haulier probably has a chip market for it and making a chunk on top for himself. 
 

if cutting by hand would imagine making anything from it will be hard if only going for chip. 

Thanks for the reply. The job is near midhurst in west Sussex. There would be some sawlogs, if anyone can suggest a mill who would be interested in logs or chip I would be extremely grateful? 

 As you say, hand cutting the lot for £30 a ton will be a push to make it pay. 

Thanks, 

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, Johnpl315 said:

Thanks for the reply. The job is near midhurst in west Sussex. There would be some sawlogs, if anyone can suggest a mill who would be interested in logs or chip I would be extremely grateful? 

 As you say, hand cutting the lot for £30 a ton will be a push to make it pay. 

Thanks, 

We sent pine sawlogs to Giddings at Southampton, now part of BSW, and Ellis Sawmill, Helvingham Norfolk but a one off would probably best be sold through Euroforest (spit). East bros took larger sizes if they are still in business.

[Squaredy]

On 15/12/2021 at 10:03, Johnpl315 said:

Hi guys, 

 I started a thread on pine before but now I can't find it. 

 I have been asked to take on a job thinning a block of pine. Struggling to find a market for the timber though, no one has been interested in taking logs and the haulier suggested cutting the lot for chip at £30 a ton. 

 I only operate small scale machinery and the land owner would expect some form of payment. 

Keep hearing how standing timber prices are do high, am I missing something? 

If you don't mind my suggesting, maybe push this problem back to the landowner?  Their land and their logs, so if they feel they are worth good money maybe they should find the buyer?  

 

That way you can just focus on your bit - ie felling and extracting.

[Johnpl315]

15 hours ago, openspaceman said:

We sent pine sawlogs to Giddings at Southampton, now part of BSW, and Ellis Sawmill, Helvingham Norfolk but a one off would probably best be sold through Euroforest (spit). East bros took larger sizes if they are still in business.

Thank you very much, that gives me a few good leads

[Johnpl315]

13 minutes ago, Squaredy said:

If you don't mind my suggesting, maybe push this problem back to the landowner?  Their land and their logs, so if they feel they are worth good money maybe they should find the buyer?  

 

That way you can just focus on your bit - ie felling and extracting.

That is a valid point, however in this instance the land owner is a not for profit organisation with even less knowledge of the timber market than myself. They have no interest in making money from the timber but they want the wood thinned to allow more light to the forest floor. 

 I am cutting chestnut on their land and because I am already here with cutters and a small tractor it makes sense for me to do the work, especially as theirs only about 100 tons to come out

Thanks