Woodland Coppice Values

[Billy Goat Gruff]

Can any one give some advice?

I have been approached by a farmer, who want's his wood thinning.

I said that generally we do the work and take the timber.

It works both ways he gets his wood thinned, and we get the timber to sell.

He want's also to be paid for the timber.

It is all about 6" diameter, so will be very labour intensive per tonnage.

I said that it won't be economically viable to pay him due to the high cost of processing, labour etc.

Any thoughts, do you pay for your timber?

What is the general going rate per ton, or cubic meter.

It is local to me so don't have too far to haul it.

[Mesterh]

Any thoughts, do you pay for your timber?

 

I dont think I will ever cut a tree down and pay for the privilege of keeping the timber tbh.

 

Times are hard but there not that hard:laugh1:

[Chris Sheppard]

I agree, even with firewood at the prices it is now, at 6" diameter you're going to be working hard enough to get enough down and out each day to make it worth doing, even without paying anything for it. If he's stubborn, tell him you'll work for £X a day to fell and extract it for him and then your prepared to buy it at roadside @ £X a tonne. Might make him realise

 

around us, processor sized hardwood thinnings are making anything between £5-£10 per tonne standing but this is only a fairly recent thing - most I'd ever paid previously (18 months or so ago) was a token £1 a tonne standing just so the Estate had something to go through the books.

 

Around us, if you can get it, firewood is typically £25-£35 a tonne depending on the quality. Getting to the point where you can't be picky now either!

[Andy Collins]

Sounds like the farmer is a little greedy. If you remove a hedge, you charge the client for the job, you dont pay them for the privilege of removing the waste. Felled timber in cord in the woods is around a tenner a c/m, extracted to ride-side approx 28 per c/m. Dont sell yourself cheap BGG:wink:

[Husqvarna King]

be careful, i was also approached by a farmer in Essex for the same thing, although he didnt want paying for the wood i found out that he got a grant for the coppicing to be done...i didnt think that was fair if he wasnt doing it himself or paying for it, and as you say the labour would be very time consuming

[Marko]

I agree with Chris - Charge a day rate and let him sell the timber (to you or anyone else). You get fair pay for the work and he gets a fair price for the wood. Everyone happy

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

I dont think I will ever cut a tree down and pay for the privilege of keeping the timber tbh.

 

Times are hard but there not that hard:laugh1:

 

 

I'd be charging to cut the timber, charging to extract and passing him a percentage of wood sold at best - greedy fella. I certainly wouldn't pay him a penny for the wood up front; you're doing him a favour taking it off him and being a salesman for it...