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Hi, am new to this and forestry management/firewood processing in general. I currently have circa 550-600 cubic of hardwood to be taken out of my woods in a thinning programme. I am trying to look into maximizing the timbers value and it seems to me selling standing timber is worth £50.00 a ton (worth more if you add in the fact it’s income tax free) but once processed a ton of wood may convert into 3 dumpy bags which could be sold at say £120 a bag of kiln dried. Is this an accurate estimate/conversion rate? if the above is relatively accurate then my 550-600 cubic metres could be worth, processed, between £130-£150k. We have some equipment already I.e tractor etc but would need to buy a processor, basic timber trailer and importantly a kiln. The idea I have for the kiln is to buy a shipping container and install a kiln drying unit into it. Clearly, 600 cubic metres would soon be processed so I need to try and make it continue to earn its keep afterwards. Would it be feasible to mount the kiln unit on a low loader trailer and in essence have a portable wood drying kiln which can be hired out on a weekly rate together with the processor? It seems to me there is no reason this can’t be done as it will run off electric which can be done by a generator or customers own supply. I estimate a 20 foot container could process circa 15 cubic metres of wood in a week. Does anyone think there would be a demand for this in light of the change in firewood regulations?

Thanks to everyone who contributed to my first ever post where I was putting feelers out into the firewood world without the desire to get burned. The replies I received were most helpful and made the transition into putting the plan into action. I have located a few local suppliers of wood and hauliers with trailer grabs. Looks like I'll be able to secure bulk soft and hardwood at good pricing to get me on my way. For processing I originally planned on starting with a tractor mounted hydraulic splitter but decided to go for a processor. I have plumped for a new Japa 700 that will be delivered in a couple of weeks time. Not that I think the Japa is the best machine out there from the research I've done but at 500kg it's the only one my old Ford tractor stands a chance of lifting. I know it struggles with a 500kg spinner load of fertilizer. I'll be storing and splitting logs this year in a barn which has 150m2 concreted area I've set aside for the storage and processing. The next main purchase will be a tipper trailer for deliveries. I'm looking at the Ifor Williams TT105 which has a massive 6m3 loading capacity with the mesh siding. I then plan to offer logs in 2, 4 or 6m3 deliveries. I wont decide finally on the trailer until ready to start markeing seasoned wood. One more basic question for those in the know. Is it best to season logs and then process cut to the size required for a specific customer order or process into 2 sizes, say 12 and 6 inch, and store the split wood? I can forsee great advantage in cutting to order as the processor can run straight off into the trailer ready for delivery and be cut to the size requested. The only possible downside is that seasoning logs will presumably take longer that seasoning of split wood. Does anyone have a relative time ratio guide for this?

Some interesting skills and tools used, and just the sheer size of what they were dealing with. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcEto_Q8MlY&feature=quicklist]YouTube - Redwood Lumber Industry, Northern California - 1947[/ame]