Fire wood value?

[48rob]

Hi,

I have a couple piles of logs ready to be cut up into rounds, and split.
Some of the rounds are in the 4-6" range and don't need to be split.
90% of the wood is Cherry, the rest is Ash and there is a little soft Maple.

Roughly calculating, there are maybe 6+ cords in these two piles of logs,

Pile #1

And pile #2

This is part of an experiment to see it is worth the effort to "save" the wood I'm clearing from a housing development.
The trees I'm cutting range from 5-35 years old, so nothing huge, with a lot being in the "just the right size with no splitting, or minimal splitting".

The wood shown above came from about an acre of land, and was the "choice" wood.
There was plenty more that went straight to the burn pile, simply because it is a lot faster (=cheaper) to pluck a whole tree and toss it on the burn pile than it is to clean and stack it.
I have several acres to clear, so I'll have a heck of a lot of wood!

Sold outright is it worth it?
I'm using a backhoe to uproot the trees, and then having a man limb them, and cut the tops and stumps before stacking.
Probably not many people would want to pay much for something they have to cut into rounds and split??

Another thought is a "shared" deal.
Would you be interested if you saw an ad that said "50/50 deal" you come cut and split all in return for half the wood?

If that doesn't interest you, what would get your attention, be fair/a good deal to you, and be fair to me?

Rob

 

[smokinj]

Thats some crooked wood to be the best...lol but around 200.00 a cord. Sure does not look like a six cords there but hard to tell in the pic's.

 

[48rob]

Jay,

Thanks.

The ground I'm cleaing was developed (utilities, roads, etc) 35 years ago, then abandoned.
Everything I'm cutting is just "scrub brush".

I may be off on the estimated volume of the two piles, but with 5+ acres to clear, there is enough wood to at least consider something other than tossing it on a burn pile?

Rob

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Rob, I think you must be talking about a face cord and not a full cord of wood because that surely does not look like no six cord to me.

Around these parts this year wood is selling really cheap but that is more because of the emerald ash borer so folks have an excess of ash firewood for sale. One kid not too far from us has been selling his fresh cut ash for $40 per face cord and he is doing well. Yet, a year ago I know of many who tried to sell for that price and sold none.

Before the glut of ash, wood was selling around $50-$60 per face cord here. But it varies a lot from one place to another. I'd expect it to be a bit higher in your area.

 

[48rob]

Dennis,

You may be right.
I'm pretty new at this...

I used an online calculator to get an idea of the volume.

20' wide, by 3' tall, by 12' deep came to just under 6 cords.
Those numbers were for the larger pile in the first two pictures...

Anyway, volume aside, I have no interest in cutting and splitting the wood in order to sell it, but am interested in opinions regarding a 50/50 deal, or what you guys think would be fair and draw someone in to take advantage of the opportunity so we both feel like we got a good deal?

Thanks!

Rob

 

[Wood Duck]

Around here people pay for wood they have to cut to length and split. It seems to be among the more common wasys to buy firewood. i am not sure about current prices here in central PA.

 

[maverick06]

eastern pa, cut, split, green wood, $175/ cord (fair cord too)

I know a few people get logs delivered to their houses and they cut and split them.... not sure what they cost is there though, probably pretty cheap. I have had very good luck with the scrub trees, they split so easy. And are easy sized to manage.

 

[SolarAndWood]

The guys here give it away to save on disposal costs. I bet if you cut it into rounds and delivered it you would get upwards of $120/cord for it.

 

[Battenkiller]

I'm paying a tree service $195 for a 25 yard container of mixed hardwood and softwood logs delivered to my door. They said they will pile it as high as they safely can. I'm figuring a good 5 cord after it's bucked and split, so that's about $40/cord. Some of it is big locust logs, oak, and maple. There will be some popple in there (I saw the piles at the yard), and some beautiful pine logs (I want these for carvings). For the mostly cherry and ash you have, I would gladly pay $50-60/cord for logs like those. I'd have to pay about $175-200/cord to have it c/s/d, so I'd save at least $750 by processing 6 cord myself.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Dennis,

You may be right.
I'm pretty new at this...

I used an online calculator to get an idea of the volume.

20' wide, by 3' tall, by 12' deep came to just under 6 cords.
Those numbers were for the larger pile in the first two pictures...

Anyway, volume aside, I have no interest in cutting and splitting the wood in order to sell it, but am interested in opinions regarding a 50/50 deal, or what you guys think would be fair and draw someone in to take advantage of the opportunity so we both feel like we got a good deal?

Thanks!

Rob

It really depends where you are. Right now I'm hooked up with a guy that is clearing a few lots. Not large enough to hassle with selling the timber. His friend has a dozer they're going to pile the trees and burn them in about a year. Anything I can get cut before then is mine. I can cut a full 28" hickory and leave the top laying, just cut the log up if I wanted to. All that for nothing at all. No "deals", just drive up, cut to my hearts content, and drive away.


IMHO, unless you're in the right area (high demand for places to cut wood) you're not going to get many people that are willing to work out any deals. The only way you'll get any benefit out of it is if you at least buck it yourself. You said most of the wood was small and didn't require splitting. That is almost perfect; just buck the wood up and sell it cheap.

 

[48rob]

IMHO, unless you’re in the right area (high demand for places to cut wood) you’re not going to get many people that are willing to work out any deals. The only way you’ll get any benefit out of it is if you at least buck it yourself. You said most of the wood was small and didn’t require splitting. That is almost perfect; just buck the wood up and sell it cheap.

Thanks all,

That's the general opinion I was after.

I've weighed the cost to "become" a firewood seller, cut/split/stack/load/deliver, and it just doesn't pay well at all, at least while you already have a good job.
I can make more by simply staying longer at my current job than by doing firewood on the side.
That said, I sure don't want to throw away so much good wood...

I am using as much as I can for personal use, but thought it would be cool to find someone to do a 50/50 deal so I could stockpile some for future years.

A cord around here goes for $250-$300, though most sellers offer just a face cord for $75-$90.

I think I'll try an ad on Craigslist.
I get people asking now and again if they can cut wood...

Thanks for the opinions!

Rob

 

[smokinj]

Jay,

Thanks.

The ground I'm cleaing was developed (utilities, roads, etc) 35 years ago, then abandoned.
Everything I'm cutting is just "scrub brush".

I may be off on the estimated volume of the two piles, but with 5+ acres to clear, there is enough wood to at least consider something other than tossing it on a burn pile?

Rob

Yes there is value there for sure.

 

[gerry100]

Price around here for log lenght is around $65 for hardwood.

If that's 6 cord, that's about $400.

 

[firefighterjake]

Rob, I think you must be talking about a face cord and not a full cord of wood because that surely does not look like no six cord to me.Around these parts this year wood is selling really cheap but that is more because of the emerald ash borer so folks have an excess of ash firewood for sale. One kid not too far from us has been selling his fresh cut ash for $40 per face cord and he is doing well. Yet, a year ago I know of many who tried to sell for that price and sold none.

Before the glut of ash, wood was selling around $50-$60 per face cord here. But it varies a lot from one place to another. I'd expect it to be a bit higher in your area.

I concur . . . doesn't look like 6 cord of wood to me either.

 

[48rob]

I concur . . . doesn’t look like 6 cord of wood to me either.

How much do you guys think it is?

The logs are 20' long and the big round I'm using for splitting is about 12-14" in diameter, and about 24-30" tall, the cut/split pieces on the ground are 16" long, if that helps with scale.

Rob

 

[smokinj]

I concur . . . doesn’t look like 6 cord of wood to me either.

How much do you guys think it is?

The logs are 20' long and the big round I'm using for splitting is about 12-14" in diameter, and about 24-30" tall, the cut/split pieces on the ground are 16" long, if that helps with scale.

Rob

Just a guess but 3-4 cords stacked.

 

[firefighterjake]

I concur . . . doesn’t look like 6 cord of wood to me either.

How much do you guys think it is?

The logs are 20' long and the big round I'm using for splitting is about 12-14" in diameter, and about 24-30" tall, the cut/split pieces on the ground are 16" long, if that helps with scale.

Rob

Just a guess but 3-4 cords stacked.

Sounds about right.

 

[48rob]

Just a guess but 3-4 cords stacked.

Thanks guys!

I'll revise my calculating methods.

Rob

 

[project240]

I wish you were closer...

I'd love to have an option for good hardwood log length lumber and would gladly pay $100/cord delivered.

Around here, it's all softwoods and $500+ for a cord of birch (split and seasoned)...

 

[Got Wood]

Anyway, volume aside, I have no interest in cutting and splitting the wood in order to sell it, but am interested in opinions regarding a 50/50 deal

Rob

If I was close enough I would certainly entertain the idea as I enjoy the work. Wouldnt be too hard to reach an agreement workable for both of us. I would post a craigslist add and see what hits you get. Of course, there is always the liability issues to consider...which I hate bringing up but....