Pricing Chesnut Coppice

Hi I was wondering if anyone had an idea as to how much is the going rate to fell, cut to post length and stack ready for extraction an acre of 20-25 year Sweet Chesnut Coppice in the South East (Kent). Thanks.

Hi I was wondering if anyone had an idea as to how much is the going rate to fell, cut to post length and stack ready for extraction an acre of 20-25 year Sweet Chesnut Coppice in the South East (Kent). Thanks.

Hi I'm guessing you haven't much dealing with chestnut coppice before? Get a local forester ( who knows his chestnut as local lads will and offer it to them.

Where abouts in Kent are you?

Charge what you would normally charge, if they don't take it then its not worth doing.

Yeah, it's not normally as simple as cutting it into 'posts'. There will be a range of specs, normally 9'6" rail wood, 6'6" posts, stakes blanks (normally 5'6" or 6", depending on who's having them), and '2m' (about 7' or 7'6") chipwood or firewood of the bent stuff. If you have no experience of cutting these specs (particulrly rail wood) you can mess it up and waste the wood. Some chestnut grows so badly it's pretty much all bent and only good for firewood/chip. Is this a job for the landowner or what?

I have cut for the customer before so know his specs for the cutting but I did it as his employee previously whereas this would be me contracting to fell the wood for him. Just am not really sure about the rates for felling by the acre.

Burning up by hand or leaving it for the forwarder? I haven't cut any wood for a price per acre in maybe ten years but maybe I could give you a rough idea

Burning up by hand or leaving it for the forwarder? I haven't cut any wood for a price per acre in maybe ten years but maybe I could give you a rough idea

We will have to burn all the brash by hand as part of the job, no forwarder involved at all. The extraction of post and fire wood will be by hand and tractor trailer, though posts likely aided by telehandler.

Thanks mate that would be really helpfull.

Ok I like to think I could get that done in three weeks. not having seen it of course. If I were you I'd go in with a rate based on that. Good luck!

Thanks gives me a basis to work on, I had rough ideas on how long it should take but wasn't sure as when doing it before also spent time dealing with sheep and other farm stuff while we were doing it.