Market for white birch veneer?

[donbickley]

Hi all. I have a large healthy birch leaning over my garage which needs to come down. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if there's a market for white birch veneer here in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I forget the standard on how to to measure a tree, but 4 feet up from the ground it measures about 56" around. I figure I can get three 8'8" straight logs from this tree, with no branches or limbs. It is my understanding that I'll get more from a tree if I cut it myself, rather than selling it on the stump... is this correct? I'm not a logger. Think I may have a marketable item here?
Don
     UPLive! The Upper Peninsula's Official Search Engine

[Ron Scott]

Don,
Have a local logger or consulting forester look at it. If you aren't a trained tree faller I sure wouldn't fool with it. From the size of it and its lean over your garage roof it may even need a professional tree trimmer to handle it.

There probably isn't much value for the one tree in the position its in, but have someone look at it first. You might call Terry at UP Resources nearby.

[Tom]

Don,
i'm Talking out of school again but down here mills won't buy from individuals. All of the logs must go through a broker.  The logic is that it was to help keep mills from buying stolen logs.  What it did was create a middle man.  Nobody at the mills has ever made an effort to create an organization or procedure that could service home owners or land owners with small forests.  That would certainly get them some choice logs if they would do that.

The big mills are afraid of the tramp metal in trees located close to homes and urban areas.  For good reason too, these trees may have had a cloths line, fence, security lamp or sign attached to them that could bring the entire sawing line to a halt.

[timberbeast]

Bought a metal detector for that years back..........it was going off on every log!  Slap to my head!!!!!  I'm 20 feet from my mill....duh!!!!.
Don,  if you want to make some lumber out of that and can truck it to McFarland,  about 4 miles down the gravel road from town,  I'll cut it up for you.  Bring me fifty bucks and a six-pack.  We'll split it after we're done.  (the six pack).  zap@netwurx.net