red pine stumpage value in WI

[SwampDonkey]

Let's not take it out of context of a true selection and turn it into a high grade. A lot of mills don't want much low grade, so the dilemma becomes, do I work for nothing or cut something to get paid for. A lot of mills won't buy limby, flat-topped, suppressed, wood. Hard to debark and many times rotten in the centre.

[DirtForester]

Let's not take it out of context of a true selection and turn it into a high grade. A lot of mills don't want much low grade, so the dilemma becomes, do I work for nothing or cut something to get paid for. A lot of mills won't buy limby, flat-topped, suppressed, wood. Hard to debark and many times rotten in the centre.

I agree with you, but around here we can sell that rotten stuff for pulpwood or whole tree chips.  Little money in that but it does pay for getting rid of it.  These first cuts are generally not good money making ventures anyway.

[SwampDonkey]

You are lucky to be able to sell rotten chips, they won't buy it here unless for biomass and that market is not well developed yet, still growing. I always assumed if the mill can't chip it for the quality they are after, neither can I. However, as you point out the first thinning is not very profitable but a necessary part of nurturing the stand.

[DirtForester]

We are fortunate to have several woodchip fired power plants in the state.  I have two within ten miles and after a long cold winter (about 2 decades) of our power utility trying to close them down, the tide has turned and we are looking at several new facilities both small (generating heat and light for schools) to large, i.e. 50 MW.  Most of the current plants are in the high teens.