any advice !

[smallwoodlander]

Hello every one

 

MY first post here,

 

Im a small woodland owner mainly Sika plantation, im surounded by other large plantations of the same timber, my area is about 6 acres with a track to the B road, the above forests are being clear felled, i was unaware that my holding had been included in the licence to clear fell till the contractor approached me on friday, nice chap offered me £20. a ton, a deposit and the wieght ticket for each lorry load, now im very new to the commercial side of timber production/extraction my question is is this a good offer? the trees i would guess on average would be 2ft dia at 2-3ft up. larger on the out side edge. i would also have then the responcability of replanting and all the paper work that envolves which really for such a small acreage seems a little over the top,

 

one thing that did come to light is the contractor is not connected with the forest managers ( he outbid there own contractors for the standing timber) so i dont think theres any love lost between these two!

 

im unaware as yet to the felling time frame, replanting time frame as they must of put down what was going to be replanted this may not coincide with how i would like my area to be replanted, im not sure how flexible the FC would be in a case like this, ie the permission was granted to clear fell my area but i may want to replant under a different plan,

 

im coming up with more problems than solutions the more i think about this, hence my joining here to run this past you guys any thoughts surgestions would be greatfully received Thank you in advance:001_smile:

[easy-lift guy]

My only advice from timber farms here in the states is make sure you count every truck leaving your site, also the harvesting company should be able to meet your requirements for replanting. Also get references from this firm and contact his clients. Be an informed seller of your commodity. All the best.

easy-lift guy

[Graham]

I would assume the felling licence is only applicable to the areas occupied by the holder of the licence and not any pockets under separate ownership. ie yours.

 

Also what is the total volume of timber the licence applies to?

[muldonach]

Hello every one

 

MY first post here,

 

Im a small woodland owner mainly Sika plantation, im surounded by other large plantations of the same timber, my area is about 6 acres with a track to the B road, the above forests are being clear felled, i was unaware that my holding had been included in the licence to clear fell till the contractor approached me on friday, nice chap offered me £20. a ton, a deposit and the wieght ticket for each lorry load, now im very new to the commercial side of timber production/extraction my question is is this a good offer? the trees i would guess on average would be 2ft dia at 2-3ft up. larger on the out side edge. i would also have then the responcability of replanting and all the paper work that envolves which really for such a small acreage seems a little over the top,

 

one thing that did come to light is the contractor is not connected with the forest managers ( he outbid there own contractors for the standing timber) so i dont think theres any love lost between these two!

 

im unaware as yet to the felling time frame, replanting time frame as they must of put down what was going to be replanted this may not coincide with how i would like my area to be replanted, im not sure how flexible the FC would be in a case like this, ie the permission was granted to clear fell my area but i may want to replant under a different plan,

 

im coming up with more problems than solutions the more i think about this, hence my joining here to run this past you guys any thoughts surgestions would be greatfully received Thank you in advance:001_smile:

 

First thing to do is get a sight of the felling licence to make sure your little plot is included, this licence will also have a definitive date by which planting must be completed. There should be no hassle in getting this document and if there is your local FC office should be able to help, the FC will have issued the licence and it is on the public record.

 

Next get a hold of some of the major harvesters and get an outturn price form them - on the face of it £20 per tonne is not a bad price but if he takes the sawlogs and leaves everything else it takes the shine off a bit.

 

At least phone some of the other harvesters or local mills and see what they will offer.

 

You have several practical problems to consider:-

 

a 6 acre plot surrounded by other trees is unlikely to be windfirm once those trees are removed - you can expect a windblow in short order

 

How does he propose to differentiate between your timber and the other owners when it comes to forwarding and final despatch. Again on this you are likely to be left with part loads unless you come to an agreement whereby you accept the weigh scale on the wagon.

 

If his initial offer is £20 per tonne there will be a little slack there - try and talk it up a little but don't expect too much - unless you have or can rapidly identify a viable alternative you are between a rock and a hard place.

 

When it cones to replanting I am not sure what paperwork you are talking about - the species mix and planting density will be in the felling licence conditions along with the timescale.

 

Try to cut a deal to get your ground preparation and drainage done by the same contractors who will be working around you for the other owner(s).

 

Buy some plants and plant them or again get it done by the other guys contractors, there is no paperwork involved other than written agreements for ground prep and planting.

 

For a 6 acre plot surrounded by a clearfell site I think I would be buying the other owner a pint and asking ifI could back to back on his contracts. I.e. get your woodland subjected to the same treatments at the same time and on the same conditions as his.

 

You could think about getting an agent but for 600t of timber it will hardly be worthwhile - cut the best deal you can, get everything in writing, signed by both parties, with independent witnesses and then keep a good but friendly eye on things

 

Cheers

mac

Edited October 31, 2011 by muldonach

[muldonach]

Another thing to clarify is whether or not any grant assistance is being paid or is available for this operation. It certainly is in Scotland as long as you are happy to jump through the hoops.

 

If someone has processed a felling licence on your ground without bothering to tell you it is not inconceivable that they have forgotten to tell you about other things.

 

Cheers

mac

[muldonach]

Hello every one

 

MY first post here,................

 

im unaware as yet to the felling time frame, replanting time frame as they must of put down what was going to be replanted this may not coincide with how i would like my area to be replanted, im not sure how flexible the FC would be in a case like this, ie the permission was granted to clear fell my area but i may want to replant under a different plan,

 

 

 

It is your ground and whoever has processed the licence has had no mandate to speak for you.

 

You are basically a free agent to vary the licence and the FC should have no problem with this as long as your proposals comply with UK Forestry Standards.

 

Get a hold of your local FC office and find the person who processed the licence. explain the situation and if you want to vary the licence they will probably just need your proposals in writing together with a map to show what you want to plant where.

 

Cheers

mac

[smallwoodlander]

morning people

 

thanks very much for all your helpful answers !

 

the first thing i need to do is get a copy of the felling agreement, funny thing is i searched the FC reg and there was no sign of it, although woods that are having work done in the area are there.

 

there was a problem with title some 3 years ago i caught ( what turned out to be ) the other large forest owners managers on my patch this led to a lot of tooing and throwing between solicitors they could not prove tittle and i have the land reg in my name with the land reg and a plot number for my holding at this time it would seem they had a licence to fell but did nothing, then this august they started to fell, i have seen the cutting plan which excluded my bit, but that would be different from the felling licence.

 

i agree wind blown will be a problem some of the edge trees have already fallen and or are leaning so yes in that respect i am between a rock and a hard place and i did forget to mention last night is a writen contract the way to go, thank you Mac for pointing this out.

 

i will now contact the contractor and see if he has a copy of the felling licence if not a trip to my local FC office will be the way to go, il update you all when theres any thing happened, i do thank you all you have shown me the way forward,

 

Regards B