Pricing coppicing work

[rob39]

Hi all

Bit of a shot in the dark here but an neighbour/private land owner has asked me how much would it cost to cut 3 acres of coppice per year. The wood is 21 acres in total split over his land and split into 7 coups of mixed broad leaf trees. Ash, Hazel, Rowan, Alder, Goat willow, Birch, Beech with good standards of Oak, Chestnut, Ash. Some of the wood has been coppiced before some 15 years ago and the rest never been touched and appears around 20 years old. Standards will be 50+ years and will not be touched.

So roughly how long would it take 1 man to coppice an acre of forest split and stack the lengths and what is the going rate if any or what is reasonable to charge.

[THE88MAN]

£150 a day,an acre will take you a week alone (which you shouldn't be doing)

[TheHungrySquirrel]

£150 a day,an acre will take you a week alone (which you shouldn't be doing)

 

 

This sounds about right, although depending on what you mean split and stack?

 

If just cutting to length for fencing then a week of hard work should do it. If your talking of processing the posts then allow a little longer. Where's all this wood based?

[Richard]

If its 20 year old broad leaf with lots of scrub etc. 1 man will take about 2 1/2 weeks. No man cuts a chain a day and if he did it would still take 2 weeks. 10 chains to an acre amazing how large a chain is when you measure it out.

 

I'm working as a two man team with a telehandler with a log beak to burn all the brash in 22 yr old nut at the moment and takes about 6 days but this is with no hand burning. Timber is extracted every other day so were not tripping up over timber stacks.

 

I've worked on a rate of £1500 an acre before and worked out at £75 a day and had to take all standard trees and edge trees in 35yr old coppice.

 

A good by the ton rate would be £23 a ton still would work out at about £1600 an acre if its a 70 ton block.

 

Try going on a day rate but you will have to work hard to please the land owner as you will have the odd slow day where not a lot happens.

 

If your paid £150 a day you need to at least be cutting 10 ton a day and be a cutting god to be worth that on your own.

 

In the end road side ash is only worth £40 a ton roadside after buying, cutting and forwarding.

 

Hope this helps.

[Invicta Woods]

I second what Richard said

[Jackalope]

If its 20 year old broad leaf with lots of scrub etc. 1 man will take about 2 1/2 weeks. No man cuts a chain a day and if he did it would still take 2 weeks. 10 chains to an acre amazing how large a chain is when you measure it out.

 

I'm working as a two man team with a telehandler with a log beak to burn all the brash in 22 yr old nut at the moment and takes about 6 days but this is with no hand burning. Timber is extracted every other day so were not tripping up over timber stacks.

 

I've worked on a rate of £1500 an acre before and worked out at £75 a day and had to take all standard trees and edge trees in 35yr old coppice.

 

A good by the ton rate would be £23 a ton still would work out at about £1600 an acre if its a 70 ton block.

 

Try going on a day rate but you will have to work hard to please the land owner as you will have the odd slow day where not a lot happens.

 

If your paid £150 a day you need to at least be cutting 10 ton a day and be a cutting god to be worth that on your own.

 

In the end road side ash is only worth £40 a ton roadside after buying, cutting and forwarding.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Very good post

[rob39]

This sounds about right, although depending on what you mean split and stack?

 

If just cutting to length for fencing then a week of hard work should do it. If your talking of processing the posts then allow a little longer. Where's all this wood based?

 

All being used for firewood, cut to length (couple of metres) split the larger lengths then stack in racks for seasoning. Then return in a year or so to cut to firewood lengths

 

The owner has sections of forest in various sizes from a couple of acres to 10 acres all over S/W Scotland

[rob39]

If its 20 year old broad leaf with lots of scrub etc. 1 man will take about 2 1/2 weeks. No man cuts a chain a day and if he did it would still take 2 weeks. 10 chains to an acre amazing how large a chain is when you measure it out.

 

I'm working as a two man team with a telehandler with a log beak to burn all the brash in 22 yr old nut at the moment and takes about 6 days but this is with no hand burning. Timber is extracted every other day so were not tripping up over timber stacks.

 

I've worked on a rate of £1500 an acre before and worked out at £75 a day and had to take all standard trees and edge trees in 35yr old coppice.

 

A good by the ton rate would be £23 a ton still would work out at about £1600 an acre if its a 70 ton block.

 

Try going on a day rate but you will have to work hard to please the land owner as you will have the odd slow day where not a lot happens.

 

If your paid £150 a day you need to at least be cutting 10 ton a day and be a cutting god to be worth that on your own.

 

In the end road side ash is only worth £40 a ton roadside after buying, cutting and forwarding.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Great advice and very helpful

I was thinking around 3 1/2 weeks an acre with splitting the larger lengths and stacking in racks + I've been out of forest work sometime so need to find my feet.

At least it will keep me busy this winter