Oak Logs

[Rod Yowell]

Hello everyone,
I am new to this Forum and I may be in the wrong spot for this question. Does anyone have any info on what I should expect to get from red oak, white oak and hickory logs from a lake site that I have cleared on my property in Missouri? I have about 20 log truck loads that have been topped out, cut down, stumps removed and in piles in the proposed lake bottom. The dam of course has not been started yet. I have just finished the clearing. (10 acres). I am having trouble getting loggers or sawmills to come and make me an offer. I am going to try again next week but would like to have an idea of what these are worth. Does anyone have any experience with selling logs or buying them? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you for your help.

[Bill Bukovec]

Welcome to the forum Rod. You may also want to post on Forestry forum.com. What kind of trees are they? Bill

[Mark Bolton]

Hello everyone,
I am new to this Forum and I may be in the wrong spot for this question. Does anyone have any info on what I should expect to get from red oak, white oak and hickory logs from a lake site that I have cleared on my property in Missouri? I have about 20 log truck loads that have been topped out, cut down, stumps removed and in piles in the proposed lake bottom. The dam of course has not been started yet. I have just finished the clearing. (10 acres). I am having trouble getting loggers or sawmills to come and make me an offer. I am going to try again next week but would like to have an idea of what these are worth. Does anyone have any experience with selling logs or buying them? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you for your help.


If you were in my area I would guess you'd be getting 200-250/mbf and paying your own trucking ( whatever you can negotiate for the best price. ). The problem is it seems to be easy to be taken advantage of with regards to culling based on poor cutting and so on when your not in the business. Don't know how it is there.

[Rod Yowell]

Thanks for the info Mark. I have been in construction and mass excavation, clearing etc. for 40 years. I dug around these trees one at a time and let the trees own weight pull them down. I then popped the remaining buried part of the root ball out of the ground with an excavator. I took great care not to damage them because I was planning on selling them. They are in great condition. the only culling needed is the small or curved stuff that I will be using for firewood. I am assuming you mean 200-250 dollars. I know the bf stands for board feet but what does the m stand for?

[Rod Yowell]

Thanks Bill for suggestion about the Forestry forum.com. I have tried for about an hour to register there but they just keep telling me there is an error in the answers I am submitting to them. There isn't. I guess I am just not their type. my trees are red and white oak.

[Mike Heidrick]

mbf = 1000bdft

~$35 a log. Check local forestry prices.

[Rod Yowell]

Thanks Mike. I will call Missouri's Forestry Service. I used to live and work in Bloomington, IL.

[Mike Heidrick]

That was just what my sawyer in IN was paying for them. Your prices will be local I guess. You could always pay a sawyer to come cut them and then a kiln to dry them. A lot of work and time but may pay off more for you?

Wish I had a local excavator friend - Great guys to know! Did you do excavation around here.

[Rod Yowell]

Mike I worked for Stark Excavating for about 2 years. I worked in the estimating dept. bidding work for them.

[Al Weber]

Try ArboristSite.com forums. They are easy to register and have good people always.

[Mike Heidrick]

Stark is huge around here. I really like Joe and Mike Necessary.

[Mark Bolton]

Thanks for the info Mark. I have been in construction and mass excavation, clearing etc. for 40 years. I dug around these trees one at a time and let the trees own weight pull them down. I then popped the remaining buried part of the root ball out of the ground with an excavator. I took great care not to damage them because I was planning on selling them. They are in great condition. the only culling needed is the small or curved stuff that I will be using for firewood. I am assuming you mean 200-250 dollars. I know the bf stands for board feet but what does the m stand for?

Rod,
Well, Im no expert, but there can be a bit of trickery in the lumber industry with regards to lengths, cull for color, grade, and so on. Its not uncommon, at least around here, to hear of property owners logging their property and being told "we pay XXX/mbf" and then after hauling them all the way to the yard the log grader (looks at the logs on the truck) starts taking off this amount for this, and that footage for that, and so on. Of course everyone who hauls logs in thinks they have prize logs but it seems that there winds up being some negotiation after that.

You may contact some brokers or as has been mentioned the local forester to come in and get you in touch with someone. As always you have the option of dealing with a middle man which may simplify things but he will get his cut. Or move them yourself, done know which will work out best.

Your "M" has been answered, so about all you can do is try to find out which log scale is used in your area and scale a few logs to see what you think you have for footage and do a rough tally. I would think calling a local log yard they could tell you what they are paying for the various grades and species brought in to their yard. But again, the scaling and grading can be a bit interpretive so to speak.

Good luck.

[Scott T Smith]

Rod,
Well, Im no expert, but there can be a bit of trickery in the lumber industry with regards to lengths, cull for color, grade, and so on. Its not uncommon, at least around here, to hear of property owners logging their property and being told "we pay XXX/mbf" and then after hauling them all the way to the yard the log grader (looks at the logs on the truck) starts taking off this amount for this, and that footage for that, and so on. Of course everyone who hauls logs in thinks they have prize logs but it seems that there winds up being some negotiation after that.

You may contact some brokers or as has been mentioned the local forester to come in and get you in touch with someone. As always you have the option of dealing with a middle man which may simplify things but he will get his cut. Or move them yourself, done know which will work out best.

Your "M" has been answered, so about all you can do is try to find out which log scale is used in your area and scale a few logs to see what you think you have for footage and do a rough tally. I would think calling a local log yard they could tell you what they are paying for the various grades and species brought in to their yard. But again, the scaling and grading can be a bit interpretive so to speak.

Good luck.

Rod, Mark has provided some good info. The value of your logs is dependent upon a number of factors, including size, length, quality and local market.


I second Bill's advice re the Forestry Forum. It is hands down the best forum for milling, logging and forestry related topics. Yesterday was their annual "Pig Roast", which brings members into Harrison Michigan from across the country. If you've had problems registering in the past few days, it's most likely because the owner/moderators were focused on the event. I know for a fact that there are a number of sawmills in MO that are members of the Forestry Forum, so I would encourage you to try again. Their owner does do a good job of keeping out trolls, etc, which is why the registration requirements are more stringent than normal.

[Rod Yowell]

Thanks Mark and Scott for your replies. I will try your suggestions.