Price for standing larch

[Malus]

Hi 

 

I've been in brief discussion with the farm next door to my grandad's about buying some standing larch they have. I've only seen it from a distance as I've not had time to go and take a proper look/take measurements. My thoughts were to initially buy approx 5-10t and see how things go. I would be taking it to my grandad's farm next door to mill into dimensional timber and cladding for use on the farm. It might be that it's all too small and no good for me but I won't know until I've been to have a proper look.

 

One concern I have is that a lot of the stand is dead, I assume it's phytophtora. I know there are regs to follow but seeing as the logs will be moved about 300m I'm not too bothered. But are the logs going to be worth felling and milling? Has anyone milled any standing dead larch? 

 

What would be a fair price to offer for the standing wood? 

 

Thanks for the help

 

Sam

 

[Whoppa Choppa]

23 minutes ago, Malus said:

Hi 

 

I've been in brief discussion with the farm next door to my grandad's about buying some standing larch they have. I've only seen it from a distance as I've not had time to go and take a proper look/take measurements. My thoughts were to initially buy approx 5-10t and see how things go. I would be taking it to my grandad's farm next door to mill into dimensional timber and cladding for use on the farm. It might be that it's all too small and no good for me but I won't know until I've been to have a proper look.

 

One concern I have is that a lot of the stand is dead, I assume it's phytophtora. I know there are regs to follow but seeing as the logs will be moved about 300m I'm not too bothered. But are the logs going to be worth felling and milling? Has anyone milled any standing dead larch? 

 

What would be a fair price to offer for the standing wood? 

 

Thanks for the help

 

Sam

 

Harvesting costs plus standing price should be equal to or less than the RS value. Given the very small volume you're talking about a normal mechanised number crunch doesn't apply. Is it driveable ground or are you into winching as well? 

[Squaredy]

52 minutes ago, Malus said:

Hi 

 

I've been in brief discussion with the farm next door to my grandad's about buying some standing larch they have. I've only seen it from a distance as I've not had time to go and take a proper look/take measurements. My thoughts were to initially buy approx 5-10t and see how things go. I would be taking it to my grandad's farm next door to mill into dimensional timber and cladding for use on the farm. It might be that it's all too small and no good for me but I won't know until I've been to have a proper look.

 

One concern I have is that a lot of the stand is dead, I assume it's phytophtora. I know there are regs to follow but seeing as the logs will be moved about 300m I'm not too bothered. But are the logs going to be worth felling and milling? Has anyone milled any standing dead larch? 

 

What would be a fair price to offer for the standing wood? 

 

Thanks for the help

 

Sam

 

Maybe this should be flipped on its head. 

 

Perhaps you should be paid to fell and extract.  The value of decent milling larch is around £75 per ton roadside.  Infected larch that may be too small and bendy for milling I would say will only have a value for chip.  Given the location this will be very low as transport costs to Kent or Yorkshire would be high.

 

This may not help you much, but the actual value of what you describe may be next to nothing even when felled and taken to roadside.  

 

It is also worth asking if NRW have served a notice on the landowner to fell.

[Malus]

@Whoppa Choppa it's on a reasonably steep bank below the farm. I assume there's a track down there but again I've not been to have a good look. Not too worried about winching, I've got a little tractor with a winch. But tbh with a small volume I was hoping to cherry pick some decent trees that are easy to get down and out. By RS do you mean resale? If so it's not really relevant, so long as I get the logs at a price that is a fair bit lower than the cost of having an 8 wheeler load delivered to the farm. 

 

@Squaredy I like your thinking but I doubt I'll get any money out of the neighbours!! I doubt NRW have issued a notice but I guess they would if they came to have a look at it, I'd rather not open that can of worms because I don't think the neighbours actually have any plans for the woods and wouldn't appreciate it.

 

So at £75/ton for larch sawlogs roadside would £50 a ton standing sound reasonable for something worth milling? I don't have much experience of buying timber tbh but last year I bought some windblown Douglas and spruce for £40/ton and was able to pick the trees/sections I wanted, some nice logs. 

 

Out of interest what's the minimum dia larch log you would consider worth milling for cladding? Ideally I'm after 8x1 or 6x1.

[Squaredy]

20 minutes ago, Malus said:

@Whoppa Choppa it's on a reasonably steep bank below the farm. I assume there's a track down there but again I've not been to have a good look. Not too worried about winching, I've got a little tractor with a winch. But tbh with a small volume I was hoping to cherry pick some decent trees that are easy to get down and out. By RS do you mean resale? If so it's not really relevant, so long as I get the logs at a price that is a fair bit lower than the cost of having an 8 wheeler load delivered to the farm. 

 

@Squaredy I like your thinking but I doubt I'll get any money out of the neighbours!! I doubt NRW have issued a notice but I guess they would if they came to have a look at it, I'd rather not open that can of worms because I don't think the neighbours actually have any plans for the woods and wouldn't appreciate it.

 

So at £75/ton for larch sawlogs roadside would £50 a ton standing sound reasonable for something worth milling? I don't have much experience of buying timber tbh but last year I bought some windblown Douglas and spruce for £40/ton and was able to pick the trees/sections I wanted, some nice logs. 

 

Out of interest what's the minimum dia larch log you would consider worth milling for cladding? Ideally I'm after 8x1 or 6x1.

I regard milling logs in larch or DF or WRC to be maybe 12" diameter up to about 21".  

 

As for value of standing larch £50 per ton sounds very generous.  It all depends on how you value your time in felling and extracting of course, but unless you are using a harvester and a forwarder (which clearly you are not) then £25 per ton for felling, tidying up and extraction sounds way too low.

 

If you enjoy doing the work, and won't cost out your time then go ahead.  If you want to look at the hours it takes and feel it is justified financially then just buy a load from elsewhere once all the hard work is done.

[Muddy42]

Standing dead and diseased larch is often a headache and liability for a landowner.  In time it will start falling and damaging fences and roads.  Offer the farmer some loads of firewood as payment?

[david lawrence]

The above was exactly what I thought 👍

[openspaceman]

3 hours ago, Squaredy said:

As for value of standing larch £50 per ton sounds very generous.  It all depends on how you value your time in felling and extracting of course, but unless you are using a harvester and a forwarder (which clearly you are not) then £25 per ton for felling, tidying up and extraction sounds way too low.

That's right but I would value standing living larch down to 8" top diameter under bark for sawlogs. Nowadays, motor manual felling I cannot see the costs approaching that low on a small site before you allow for winch extraction. I would be looking at £10/m3 on out turn max. for the live stuff, nought for dead even if I decided to take it.

[topchippyles]

Tell him there is a lot of work involved offer him £200 

[topchippyles]

Just now, topchippyles said:

Tell him there is a lot of work involved offer him £200 

You will be doing him a favour if its diseased.