Backpain

Has anyone successfully sold their tree surgery/firewood/fencing (come what ever) business? If so how did you value it. Reading up on this it points towards 3-5 time profit + assets (to keep it simple) I've read a few threads and obviously if you're a sole trader, trading off you're reputation word of mouth etc. you have nothing to sell. But if you have a proper business who's income is generated by advertising and includes legitimate records of sales year on year. i.e. the phone rings for quotes because you have high prominance on Google etc. Is it worth anything or would you just close it down and move on. Where do you advertise it for sale?

What was the outcome? Did you manage to sell the business? Be interesting to know. The only critisism I would make is that you didn't state how you generated your leads. For example if you sell a product (lets say straws) and have a website which generates those sales you have a business which has a value. Its evidence of sales, not peoples phone numbers that really matter. Its like Amazon but smaller. You don't seem to state this, its like you're selling you word of mouth business or goodwill which is worthless to anyone else. Just wondering.

I'm wondering the same question. How much are circa 150 poplars at 2 tons per tree possible more worth for chip? So 300 tones. I'm starting to see farmers using wood chip for winter bedding. Makes sense when you consider straw is £110 p/t. So its not just biomass thats killing the firewood market. Also, I find it interesting that the same issues that are affecting other parts of the country are beginning to affect Scotland. I thought there was an abundance to timber up there.

I've often wondered what the likes of CPL and certainly wood are selling to people. My understanding of firewood and this comes from from growing up in Canada is that after the lumber is felled its left to rest from one season to the next. During this time the process of decomposition begins and fugi starts to breakdown the structure of the wood. It's not a process of drying in anyway what so every, in some ways its the oposite. Its about exposing the timber to the elements. When the time is right we begin the process of splitting and drying. This process isn't to be confused with seasonning, its about drying. This process varies for different types of timber as most artisan firewood producers will know. So my question is, how do the likes of CPL and Certainly wood produce their firewood. Are they kiln drying green wood? Are people actually burning kiln dryed green oak or birch. The reason I ask this is because I've bought some bags from Home Bargains and they look like kiln dryed green timber. Am I wrong in thinking that DFRA thinks we need MC below 20% because they've carried out a study using green wood. Do anyone have access to the source of information they've based their figures on?

Its mental because I used to pay £40 per ton no VAT and £200 to have it moved. At those rates we sold firewood at £70 a cubic meter and it made sense. Now I pay over £2k for a artic load and sell at £90 a cubic. There's no profit in it which every way you look at it, so that means no opportunity to invest in plant and expansion. I actually feel sorry for the loggers and forresters they do all the hard work and the hauliers end up with all the coin. And you are right, if you have all the kit to do tree work its very lucrative if you're willing to climb.

Once I see the first log burner shop close you'll know the end is coming. We know its already started but the customers haven't seen it yet. I'm going to stock pile every ounce of very wood I cut down because its going to be like gold dust eventually.

Is this sold?

Everyone I speak to wants minimum £70 a ton + vat roadside for processor ready. Its mental

To answer this question I typed "kiln dried logs" into Google and up popped my answer. Its obvious to see there's so many companies now offering nationwide delivery of imported kiln dried logs. However, not everybody wants to take a day off work to wait in for a kerbside delivery of extremely expensive wood that they've got to move from the street to their log store. This is one of our massive USP's. Many of my established customer drop me a text saying can you drop me some logs. I confirm delivery day, they leave the gate open, I deliver the logs and they pay me straight into the bank. I haven't even met some of my customers. When I put my price up to £90 a load (cubic meter approx) they didn't even sniff. I've actully sold more logs this year than ever.

Larch makes great firewood, I had loads in a few years back which were very well seasonned though. A few lengths came in last year which I milled up to clad the garage with. Its lovely stuff.

Its a worrying situation because like most log suppliers we're fairly small but it makes up nearly 50% of our income. So far this year we haven't managed to find any hardwood for sale. None of the local forestry businesses will sell because they have a logging business themselve. My only options are to buy imported logs or just find a regular job. Don't think I can climb tree's for much longer either, I keep injuring my knees. Another question on my mind is what happens when the cofired power station have to stop burning coal. Surely the situation can only get worse. At the least the suns shining hey.

Came across this on treebay. Just wondered if anyone else has dealings with them. There was a scam a couple of years ago which looked similar.ay uk.

Why has this not been on Panorama??? If you google Drax it's all positive PR and propagander in the Gardian and Telegraph. It's like effing Avatar. You could argue that I haven't got solar panels on my house but these guys are wholesale clearing Biodiverse woodlands across the US and presumably the UK to fuel this "inbetween" phasing out of Coal using pellets to boost the renewable figures. In the meantime hoovering all the stocks of hardwood for micro producer like me. It's effing mental, they don't give a shit the price of timber is because they're being subsidised to use it. Yes it all going to grow back but whats the cost to the ecosystems involved. Criky, it makes you want to be an activist.

Jesus, thats scandless! So essentially any timber felled around Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire is going to end up in their chute? Where does the shortfall come from, abroard I assume.

An ever increasing demand for hardwood will eventually turn it into a luxury product no doudt and to be honest I didn't that coming, but it's not sustainable at this level so I see it going the same way as coal. I'm competing with small forestry businesses so sometimes when I buy the price has haulage on it twice. At £2500 for 26tons I've no chance of competeing with other local supplies who still sell at £90 cubic meter. I like to say its a way of life but it isn't, its boring, hard work in the cold and the heat. The point about it imploding is close but I think people are going to have to burn more softwood which used to cost next to nothing. I sell lots of mixed loads and people like them but at £60 + delivered the margins are slim.

The saddest part will be letting down all my loyal customers. I've been delivering to them for year's and they greet me like an old friend. A lot of my customers do like a mixed load with some softwood mixed in which improves the profit and I sell arb arisings which adds to the profit, but there's just not enough in it to be worth the effort. I feel like someone is getting rich out of this and its not me!

After 8 years selling firewood it would appear the end is near. I've no shortage of customers, in fact we just get busier evry year. But for the past few years its become more and more difficult to find local hardwood. We've had to source from bigger wholesalers just to get hold of coredwood. The price has literally doubled and I see no way of increasing retail price to compensate. It's a hard job with many overheads and I don't see any profit int now or in the future. It seems the only way to do it is to buy it standing and extract it yourself. So consequently I'm looking for a part time job driving a van which in reality will make me more profit.

Probably going over the old ground but can't find too much info on the Yale LimeLite rope. Is it suitable for a ZZ. I'm looking for opinions on which rope maintain their shape under load. I'm not fussed about knotability or self tending for that matter. Its more about how it feels on the hand grip wise. I used Tachyon before which I thought was ok and felt like real quality rope but now I've researched it, Blue Tongue and Imori seem popular. Does anyone know how LimeLite differs from these. Its difficult to compare elongation, weight etc as not all sellers list all the details.....does Kernmantle work better than double braid? I just wish New England HiVee worked in a ZZ, I used to love that rope. Cheers

I guess your right on balance it is a very comfortable harness and the clips are never going to come out because they're looped in. If the little plastic clips break I imagine you can replace the whole buckle as it's got screws on it. Typlically french though, allowing the attention to detail to get lost somewhere while in the vinyard. I can probably live with its little foibles for now. Cheers Fellas

Hi Guys, just wondered what peoples opinions are of the new Petzl Sequioa Harness. I got mine and thought it was really cheap and flimsy looking! Bit upset and £220 out of pocket. Couple of little annpying things like the little tabs near the side loops that get in the way when your clipping your strop in. Also think the buckles are really cheap and plastic. Dead light and not not really what I expected for the price. Always used Skylotecs before. Also bought a Stein Acuda rope with a ziggzagg. Thats crap too. Use Tachyon previously but this stuff squashes into an oval when it goes through the zig. Anyone else sailing in the same boat or wants to buy my climbing kit? Cheers

I've also had this email and subsequent correspondence with Emilio and thought straight the way he sounds dodgy! His phone number doesn't tally with the contact details on their website. He doesn't currently supply to anyone in the UK and I was suprised he was in Spain as I though most imported kiln dried logs came from Northern European countries. The other thing to remember is that if it sounds too good to be true, it most probably is. 110 euros for a 2 cubic meter crate dropping to 80 euros at higher volumes. Thanks for the heads up guys and yes it looks more profitable to continue sourcing and processing local timber as we have been doing successfully for around 8 years now.

Had our garage broken into last night and everythings gone. MS260 T540xp Stihl 044 Sthil Blower Huquvarna Hedge Cutter Echo Hedge Cutter Kask Helmet Petzl Helemt Skylotec Kalibri Petzl zigzig & zillion & Tachyon orange Bashlin spikes Red canti tool box Have serial numbers Keep an eye for guys if you get offered cheap stuff Thanks guys. Can't work at moment owing to not having any tools......

In my experience most people are thick when it comes to tree's. Although there are a minority of very passionate and sometimes inspiring group who seem to see sense and don't mind cleaning up leaves. I've got to take down a huge twisted Hazel next week which has never been pruned, its been used as a bargaining tool by a neighbour to also a leaning Silver Birch on a joint boundary to be felling. I could fell it on his Porsche.

I'd rather be my own boss earning £1500 as week working my socks off than filling all those forms in. It's just like when the miner used to moan about closures. Be careful guys you might get replaced by some Romanian arborists......

When to see a beech last month which I deadwooded the previous year. It was if great health last time I saw it and this year its shedding braches and the leaves at dripping early. The ground its on is quite clay and gets water logged, but at this time is very dry. Its probably about 50 years old at least so its a good size. What do you guys think, is it just water stress from a dry summer or is there a fungi around this year? Thanks