Fresh coppiced Chestnut - how to price for roadside collection

[Matchu]

Hi all, 

I am brand new to woodland management and would really appreciate some help and advice. Based in Kent, I have just coppiced some 12 / 15 yr old chestnut from my in-laws woodland that surrounds their farm, all cut to approx 10 ft lengths, nice and straight pieces, ranging from 5inches to 10 inches diameter. 

It's has been stacked by the roadside for easy loading. Its quite a big stack, maybe 100 - 120 lengths.

I am not sure how to price this up so I can sell it.

What is the best way to determine how much wood is in the stack, and is it better to calculate in weight or volume?

 

Thank you in advance

Matt

 

 

[JaySmith]

I saw some chestnut in Kent being advertised at £50 per tonne at roadside last year.

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, JaySmith said:

I saw some chestnut in Kent being advertised at £50 per tonne at roadside last year.

That's firewood price isn't it.

 

When we cut chestnut coppice the art was in selecting out the right pieces from the tree to maximise production of rails, if a 10 ft length for cleaving at least 4 rails couldn't be had it was 6ft or 5ft 6" for stakes, smaller diameter stiff was for assortments of tree stakes. Specialist stuff like hop poles  was dead in my area  and the walking stick trade was sown up by the best coppice within a couple of miles of the factory (the shoot had to reach over 4 ft in its first season).

 

So my thought is already randomly cut to length chestnut coppice is not the way to optimise value.

 

Actually fairly small diameter chestnut coppice after you have lost the butt sweep mills well with little chance of shake.

[JaySmith]

That's firewood price isn't it.
 
When we cut chestnut coppice the art was in selecting out the right pieces from the tree to maximise production of rails, if a 10 ft length for cleaving at least 4 rails couldn't be had it was 6ft or 5ft 6" for stakes, smaller diameter stiff was for assortments of tree stakes. Specialist stuff like hop poles  was dead in my area  and the walking stick trade was sown up by the best coppice within a couple of miles of the factory (the shoot had to reach over 4 ft in its first season).
 
So my thought is already randomly cut to length chestnut coppice is not the way to optimise value.
 
Actually fairly small diameter chestnut coppice after you have lost the butt sweep mills well with little chance of shake.

Probably used for the firewood, yes. Used to have a large chestnut supplier a couple of miles down the road but he closed down a few years ago as there just wasn’t the uptake for the products any more which was a shame as he had just spent a fortune updating his kit. I’ve no idea what a fencing supplier would pay for example.

[Stere]

Don't get why there is not more demand thoughout UK for chesnut fence posts as they last alot better and also more eco than  tanalized.

 

Seems very short term thinking to save, say £1 per post for a fence post that last only 1/4 as long?

 

Came across an outfit in N Wales who has planted chesnut, interesting as there no chesnut coppice in north UK I asume climate is wrong?

 

For Sale | broadleaf.wales

BROADLEAF.WALES

 

Funded by grants  but not much more than agri would get....

 

Moving from Livestock Grazing To Broadleaf Woodland - a sustainability opportunity? - Royal Forestry Society

RFS.ORG.UK

---

David Brown uses Bron Haul as a case study to explore whether land use change from livestock grazing to broadleaf...

 

[5thelement]

It certainly seems geographical in regards to Sweet chestnut use. In Kent/Sussex it is still a buoyant industry, loads of chestnut products still being produced, cleft post and rail, sheep and deer fencing, hurdles, shingles, pailings and even the glue-lam industry. There is a shortage of decent chestnut cutters who know the product, certainly not a shortage of buyers/producers.

[Jack.P]

My guess value about £400 as is 

[Johnpl315]

If it's strait I  would go through it and cut it in to fencing products and sell it on a per piece basis. 

 For chestnut firewood I only get £30 a ton and you probably won't even have enough to fill a lorry. 

[5thelement]

4 hours ago, Johnpl315 said:

If it's strait I  would go through it and cut it in to fencing products and sell it on a per piece basis. 

 For chestnut firewood I only get £30 a ton and you probably won't even have enough to fill a lorry. 

I think this is the biggest issue here, he hasn’t got a lorry load and has cut it into random lengths of 10’ which wastes far too much of the product.
Can’t get 2 x 5’6”, cut 6’ posts and you have 4 ‘ firewood, 6’6” cleft posts you are left with 3’6” firewood, you may get some rail blanks out of the 10” diameter stuff but how many and is it worth it and does he know how to make them and has he got someone to sell them to?

[Johnpl315]

Yeah maybe the best bet is to advertise on Facebook market place, rustic poles for pergolas etc. And sell them on an individual pole basis. 

 

Technically you need to be a registered professional operator with the plant health people as well