Could you make a living?

[Sharpy92]

I manage 40 acres of woodland some of it SSSI but it is not enough to make a living. No where near enough if you have to buy machinery aswell and the out goings keeping it all running.

[john k]

Give some thought to the amount that you could take out each year, and work out what it might be worth. In forestry the amount of growth that trees put on is referred to as the Yield Class which gives a figure in cubic metres per hectare. This varies between species and from site to site, but for the sake of some back of an envelope calculations you could assume something like YC10 for your conifers and YC5 for your hardwood. Your 40 acres is approximately 16 hectares, so

 

6ha conifer at yield class 10 ~ 60 cubic metres per year

10ha broadleaf at yield class 5 ~ 50 cubic metres per year

 

So you've got ongoing potential for an average of around 100 tonnes a year - that's only five artic loads. Is there an approved management plan in place, or standalone felling licences? Depending on whether you are thinning, or clearfelling stands the actual amount each year is likely to vary enormously, as will its value. Clearfelling should generate short term income, but you'll need to allow for restocking costs and that area won't be productive again for decades. Thinning a stand of oak could give you some relatively high value saw logs for instance, but you're unlikely to be doing that very often, whereas you may thin conifers more frequently but at lower value.

 

If you wanted to get into it in a bigger way then 40 acres would give you a good core of work to start a small scale contracting business, working your own woodlands but maximising the return on any machinery investment by working on other woods too. You could look at ways of adding value too by producing firewood, charcoal and other forest products, or by milling, but don't underestimate the amount of effort that goes into producing these products, and just as importantly marketing them.

[renewablejohn]

If you have grid connection it would certainly work for a small CHP plant with the income inflation proof and guaranteed for 20 years.

[sjs5060]

john k, it was more the adding value stuff I was thinking about, but which is best?

There is an approved management plan in place yeah.

And your right about doing a bit of contracting, groundsworks contracting is my day job so I in the mindset that anything I buy for my own woods will be able to earn its keep elsewhere.

 

Renewable that sounds like it mite be of interest, but I know nothing about it, where's my best source of info?

 

Thanks, Ste

[sjs5060]

Been told I can rent a further 160acres of woodland if I want it so that should help. Would still welcome people's opinions on adding value to timber.

 

Also any experience people have with chp plants.

 

Thanks, Ste

[Woodworks]

Would still welcome people's opinions on adding value to timber.

 

 

 

Thanks, Ste

 

Logs!

 

100 tonnes a year makes 200 m3 of logs. If you can dry them well and in a favourable area should be able to get £100 per cube for the hardwood and maybe £80 for the soft.

[sjs5060]

Thanks for all your replies.

 

I've had a good think about this and think I've come up with a plan.

My reckoning is that if I've 200acres in total I can cut 600 ton a year sustainably.

I'm in the fortunate position that my other business is doing quite well at the minute so should have enough money to set this one up well enough.

im thinking of a 5 ton digger with shear, grab and cone splitter. Compact tractor and small timber trailer and winch to get stuff road side. Also a larger tractor and trailer for moving stuff to the yard for processing.

I don't really want just one source of income so as well as logs I'm deffo gonna have a go at milling stuff and also get a charcoal kiln.

I'd like to install a drying kiln as well, this is were I'm struggling a bit, I like the idea of a chp unit as renewablejohn suggested, but I'm struggling for any decent information. A biomass boiler without the electric would be alright if that's not do-able but even them trying to get in touch with the right folk that know about this stuff but don't want to take your pants down is proving hard. My mate has had a price off a well known firm to put a ready built container system in but they're talking £38000 for a 250kw system, which seems a bit dear to me?

 

The only other thing is, is anyone harvesting and processing this much on they're own or will I definitely need staff?

 

Thanks, Ste