Friday, December 30, 2011

Details about the logging operation


This crew moved pretty fast, but they still ended up spending the whole day here.  I told them I was sharing their activities on my blog, as well as letting people know whether I'm happy or unhappy with the price we get.  


The guy running the crew said to be sure their phone number was showing in a picture, so here you have it.  


Once a tree was down, the limbs had to be cut off.  


Cliff will be cutting up those big limbs to use as fuel in the wood stove in his shop next winter, after the wood is cured.  


That log the horses are inspecting was the biggest walnut tree on the place; it came off our original six acre plot, which had never been logged.  The other thirty-six or so acres was logged about twenty-six years ago, before we bought it.  For those who wonder if I'll have any walnuts to harvest, put it from your minds.  There are many, many younger trees that will be ready for somebody to log in another twenty-five years or so, and some of them are producing walnuts right now.  
I realize that some folks have concerns that we'll be ripped off.  Well, these guys have been logging on many local farms, and so far as I've heard, everybody is happy.  Monday a man will come and grade the walnut logs, and figure out how many board feet we have.  That's how the value of the wood is determined.  We get to watch the grading process.  Once the price is determined, the loggers get half the money and we get half.    


These twelve logs are on "the point", as we call it.  There are eleven more in other spots around our property.  I sent off our property taxes yesterday, and I'll be very disappointed if our proceeds from this endeavor don't more than make up for the amount removed from our checking account for county taxes.  
I asked the man what the lumber will be used for:  He said a lot of it goes to China, to be made into furniture.  Extremely wealthy people in China even use it for floors.  
I'll keep you posted on how this all turns out.  It probably wouldn't be wise to state the actual amount of money we get, but you will know whether or not there's a smile on my face, when it's all said and done.  

8 comments:

  1. I think it's great that you'll be getting something back for those logs and that there are young trees left behind to give you some walnuts too. Sometimes logging gets a bod name, but I have read that if done right it is a good thing. Cliff will also have plenty of fuel for his shop heat. I do hope you are left smiling about it all!

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  2. her if you log the trees on your property you have to pay property taxes on them.

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  3. Anonymous9:30 AM

    50 50 is good I got 60/40 of course not all of mine were walnut trees

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  4. Very interesting. Wish I had one walnut tree for the walnuts. I like them especially in Waldorf salad.

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  5. I had no idea people did that for walnut trees. We have at least 6 on our property right by the house. They make a huge mess in our driveway and very easily could turn an ankle. Black walnuts aren't really worth the trouble of picking the meats they are so small most of the time. We pick them up and put them in a big pile and the squirrels enjoy them all winter! But that sure doesn't stop them from attacking my bird feeders.

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  6. Walnut floors are very expensive! It's pretty wood though.

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  7. I do hope you will be smiling:0) Very interesting entry!

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  8. I'm guessing you'll have a big smile, no, a smirk when this is all done.
    The only reason I mentioned the money is that it seems in this area all of the scoundrels I know of log trees for a living. When they aren't incarcerated.
    We have friends who both worked, and someone came into their farmstead and took the dominate tree in the landscape, a huge black walnut tree in their front yard, while they were both at work.
    Paula mentioned Waldorf salad and now I have to go make some. Happy New Year.

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