Prices-- what is it about hardwood pulpwood?

[eamassey]

Our local pulpwood dealer has raised prices to $45/ton effective Monday morning.  That price is delivered to his yard.  Meanwhile, the local pine (mostly) sawmill is also paying $45 for pine sawlogs delivered to their mill. 

I can remember selling 3,000 tons of hardwood pulpwood some years ago at $4/ton as stumpage-- while selling about that much low grade pine logs for $32/ton stumpage. And even at $4/ton they would not take hickory.

What is driving hardwood pulpwood prices?         My location is SouthWest Arkansas.

eam

[jeremiahdixon]

Their demand for paper has gone up so high. I cut pulpwood timber only right now and am hauling it to kentucky. I have looked into cutting pulp for some of you loggers in Arkansas but arent sure I could get enough money to travel down there or not while the market is good. I did talk to a guy the other day from Arkansas who is selling his wood in Ashland Tx for 55 a ton.

[ihookem]

How much is that a cord? In Wisconsin I think they go by the cord. I think it's 35 a cord up here.

[WDH]

The big driver is weather.  This has been a record winter in the South for rain.  Many places are double the normal rainfall.  This has made logging hardwood pulpwood in many areas almost impossible.  Therefore, the prices have soared due to good demand and poor availability.

The price will plummet just as much once it dries back out to more normal conditions, so take advantage of the opportunity if you can. 

[trim4u2nv]

celulosa arauco one of the largest pulp suppliers in the world was  affected by the earthquake in chile this prior saturday

[Phorester]

Do you know if they supply hardwood or pine pulp, and about what's their annual production?

[trim4u2nv]

I believe it is plantation (radiata pine.)  698, 725, 750 thousand tons, 2q08 1q09 2q09

http://www.pandct.com/media/shownews.asp?ID=18295

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100302-715373.html?mod=WSJ_World_MIDDLEHeadlinesEurope

[lumberjack48]

 Hardwood runs 4 ton to a cord, thats $180.00 a cord thats dam good money

[beenthere]

Hardwood runs 4 ton to a cord, thats $180.00 a cord thats "DanG" good money

Is that the conversion for weight scaling they use in MN?

[Gary_C]

Is that the conversion for weight scaling they use in MN?

No. Maple is 4800 lbs per cord and not sure about oak.

[Jamie_C]

Hardwood runs 4 ton to a cord, thats $180.00 a cord thats dam good money

4 ton/cord ?? 4000 lb - 5000lb /cd maybe which would be 2 - 2.5 ton and $90 - $112.50/cd

[gunman63]

In northern  minnesota a ton is 2000 pounds, no matter if its feathers or wood

[SwampDonkey]

There's no $180/cord for hardwood pulp anywhere in NA. Never was that even during the high flying times. Seems 8 foot wood is running around 5000 lb/cord (2.5 ton/2.27 tonne) in my area. Just going off the market bulletins. They show price in tonnage and cords.

[WDH]

In the South, there is about 2.8 tons/cord for hard hardwood.  Never heard of 4 tons/cord.

[SwampDonkey]

WDH is that short wood? We always used that for stove wood sized pieces. What I see in the bulletins for 8' and tree length I can't get that figure. Basically, the stove wood guys delivering to me used that conversion to because it was going to be stove wood from 8' wood. 32-24 tonne loads gave nearly12-1/2 cords when bucked. I always stacked my wood to dry further as I bucked it.

[eamassey]

I sure can't address the "cords-to-tons" conversion.  Everything here (SouthWest Arkansas) is by weight and has been for a number of years.  I am not a timber worker-but retiree/farmer with a good bit of land and timber.  At $45/ton it is worth me cutting/hauling some loads where I want the timber removed anyway.  I am only cutting what I consider "weed" trees --- hickory, gum, elm, sycamore, post oak.  I haul about 5.6 ton on a gooseneck trailer, to gross $250.  It takes me 5 to 8 hours (total, including haul), depending on how much really small stuff I cut.  The stated rules are "2" top, 26" max. butt measurement, min. 12 feet long, no limit on length (but I can only haul up to about 25 feet).  The first three loads paid for a new Stihl 362.
eam

[SwampDonkey]

$45/ton isn't too bad, as we were getting that a metric tonne or as much as 55/M-tonne, which is 200 lbs heavier, 3 years ago. Mostly at around $45/M-tonne though. Not gonna get rich, but better than $32/ton. Stumpage was $5-9/tonne here, probably $5-6 now.

[lumberjack48]

 I don't know but when i was hauling, i could haul 10 cords of Aspen legal , 5600 lbs. per cord.
 
 When i hauled Oak, Maple, Birch, only 7.5 to 8 cords or i was over weight,  about 7600 lbs. per cord

 When the Co. truck hauled, he would only haul 8 cords of hardwood.

 Hardwood runs about the same as Balsum pulp for weight.
 When i new my wood was light , i had it stick scaled,  weight is a honest way to steal wood.

[SwampDonkey]

Wow, I'm glad I ain't hauling to those mills. That's way high on weight per cord. A cord ain't solid wood. Balsam poplar the same weight as hardwood?  I'd be swinging the truck for home.

[Jamie_C]

Wow, I'm glad I ain't hauling to those mills. That's way high on weight per cord. A cord ain't solid wood. Balsam poplar the same weight as hardwood?  I'd be swinging the truck for home.

Agreed swamp ... that has got to be the heaviest weights i have ever heard for hardwood pulp. Try to use those weight conversions around here and you are very likely to be shot on site.