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Started by MyLabHunter, July 23, 2014, 06:19:14 PM

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MyLabHunter

Hello all! I was searching for some info and found your forum. I have a ton of questions but i see i need to do some reading. My grandfather passed a while back and bought 30+ acres in central WI in the 40s just to hunt and cut wood for our stoves. I was running a chainsaw as soon as i was old enough to carry one spending many weeks in those woods over the years. When he passed it all stopped and the land sat. I bought out my family so its mine now. I plan on leaving the wonderful safe southside of chicago and move the family up there.

I was in the army special forces until they finally got me after 12 tours of duty. Turns out i had a price on my head there and did not even know it haha. So with all this time on my hands and the military saying i cant go to war with metal inside my body in a number of places and 3 bullet holes i am going to become what my gramps always said i was. A woodsmen. My loving wife and all our kids are supporting me in my midlife crisis bored out of my mind.

So i am here because to build i need to tackle a job that is pretty big. The property i have is all woods and prime prime hardwoods. The 1st step is clearing a .2 mile road to where i am building. After that i will need to clear about 2.5-3 acres for the house, garage, building, and a place for my 2 bomb sniffing dogs to run that i retired from our team and i kept. After all that i will get into maybe selling some really nice logs and getting a small mill going to keep my hobby funded and the wife out of my hair.

With this in mind here are my 1st questions before i start to read.

Can i get away doing this with renting a dozer and a big dog excavator?

I would love to rent some logging equipment but i doubt i would ever find any for rent. Anyone ever rent before? If so what equipment would you suggest for this?

With the amount of wood i will be cutting should i look into buying a trailer and selling them to the mill? I was going to stack them and use them in my outside wood boiler that i plan to heat all my buildings with. THat might be a big stack. I have no idea how to envision how much wood that really is.

What is the best way to haul logs? Can i get away with a flatbed equipment trailer that is rated for 10k or 14k and strapping them down?

My last question is i need to really learn about types of trees and identifying them? My grandpa tried teaching me and i just didnt want to learn. Stupid stupid me. Can anyone point me in the right direction where the best info is?

Thanks in advance. I have a lot of reading to do. Great info here!

BradMarks

I'm no pro at what you are about to embark on, but the first advice - which you will see repeated by others - is hire a forester to evaluate your land/timber. You may have more/less value than you think.  The money spent on professional advice is like putting it in the bank. Reading your "bio" it is obvious you are a hands-on guy, but remember, you do not have to do everything by yourself. In fact there may be some things done better by others. And by the way, there will be lots of FF members envious of your position (I'm one), who can be more specific on your needs/desires and help you out.  Good luck!!

MyLabHunter

Thanks man. How do i find a forester? Living in the chicago area my whole life has not allowed me to network as i would if i was near the woods.

I dont want to get just some forester off google. I have no problem spending money to get the right advice. Do you know if foresters can do soil testing too?

I am going to do 99% of the work myself. I ran equipment in war zones where others refused to do it. I really think that was my calling in life. They couldnt get me out of the excavator on my time off. Im not as fast as the operators were but i held my ground. I am willing to spend the 1000s and 1000s on renting the right equipment but they have like 30 different #s for the excavators. Its hard to tell what size and model i need when they have 30 to choose. Same with dozer...D5 d6 d7 i have no idea what that means.

Thanks again.

BradMarks

There are lots of reputable foresters on this site who might help you directly or point you in the right direction. They'll come along, be patient.

MyLabHunter

I got nothing but time anymore.

beenthere

Welcome to the Forestry Forum.
You are going to like it here. Lots of help, and many interested in seeing you succeed at your plan.

The WI DNR is one place to start, as there are local District Foresters that will talk with you about options.
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/forestlandowners/dnrforesters.html

Another place is to contact the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Assoc. (WWOA) to find others doing much the same as you want to do, and who have many contacts.
http://www.wisconsinwoodlands.org/

General location in your bio will help to point out some of the variety of hardwood species you are likely to encounter on your property.

Enjoy the ride, and thanks for your special services.. albeit sorry to hear they were cut short. 
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Ianab

Nothing to say you can't hire the machinery and do the work, the forester suggestions are mostly to find out what you actually have, what it's worth, and how best to manage it. They can advise you what's valuable and should be harvested, what will be valuable in the future if left to grow, and what's a waste of space and should be your firewood supply.  Also working out a plan that suits YOUR goals with the properly. Aesthetics? Wildlife? Future Timber Production? Max cash return right now? All valid motivations, but things would be managed differently depending on your wants.

From the land clearing / road building side of things, go with a big excavator. It's the most versatile. Might not be the best machine for each task, but you can build roads, clear building sites, move logs, dig out stumps, load trucks and trailers etc with one machine, as long as it's big enough to handle the job. A heavy machine for the initial work, road, site clearing, logging etc. Then return that and get a smaller machine for work around the building site. Burying cables and pipes, landscaping etc, the more fiddly stuff that a 20 ton machine's not so good at.

Transporting logs? How many and how far? Sure you can load a couple of logs on a flatbed trailer and haul them a couple of miles down the road. But if it's larger loads and longer distances, stage up a truckload and arrange a real logging truck to haul them in one go. Couple of hours and it's done, rather than spending all week shuttling back and forwards.  Again the forester can give you an indication of how many commercially useful logs you are dealing with. There will be tons of firewood anyway from the smaller trees, tops and non-commercial species.

Tree ID? Get a good book on the local trees in your State. It will have pictures and diagrams of the leaves, bark patterns, flowers or cones and other identifying traits. You soon learn the difference between an Oak and a Maple, then you can scan the book and work out exactly what species you have from the 5 or 10 in your area. So you soon figure out the common species, and the oddball ones? You can post pictures in the Tree and Plant ID section here. Folks love those guessing games.  ;D

Buy your own hobby sawmill in the future? Great plan   ;D I don't think anyone on the forum is going to try talking you out of that.  ;)

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

pine

I agree, definitely get a professional foresters assistance to help determine what you have and help you create a Forest Management Plan (FMP).

I am not familiar with WI state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or if they have something similar.  We have both State and County foresters and they offer a lot of free help.  That is their job. Our taxes pay for them to help folks.
Nothing against paid foresters because they definitely have their place and purposes as well, and you may move to the point where they can become a requirement even if WI offers free state assistance.  If your state has/offers free help I would start their first, and then move on.

As a fellow former service member I want to thank you for your service and the VA rating that you obviously have or will get for your injuries is small compensation for what you carry in you.

samandothers

I just wanted to say thanks for your service!  I feel you will get answers to your questions here.  Then enjoy the fun!

Ianab

This is the sort of machine a lot of the local loggers use.



This job they where using it with a skidder as well. But they built skid trails around the steep hillside with the excavator, and used it on the landing to sort and stack the logs, then load the trucks, and push them out of the mud when they got stuck. Multi purpose.  If you don't need to move the logs very far, then just an excavator will do the job. Get one with a "Thumb" as it makes it much easier to grip logs.  :D

Some older pics at a friends building site. Recovering some logs from around the site.


Big excavator can move a lot of dirt.


Gratuitous scenery shot  ;)
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

goose63

I am a nan vet thank your for your service and welcome to this great Forum 8)
goose
if you find your self in a deep hole stop digging
saw logs all day what do you get lots of lumber and a day older
thank you to all the vets

Clark

I think you have a project on your hands and the ambition to do it. That said, let's ease you down to earth on what to expect...

Central WI doesn't say fantastic hardwood to me but then again, there can be some in places. Is this a sandy site like much of central WI or are you on better ground?

Hiring a forester and finding out what your trees are worth and what your options are with them is the most important step.

When it comes to cutting your own timber I would vote against that idea. There are people that do it for a living and they will pay you to do so on your land. There is more to logging then just operating the equipment. For one, a good logger can remove trees and you'll hardly notice it. How long would it take you to learn that and not skin up adjacent trees, create ruts or bust out the tops of other trees? That learning process and the mistakes made on your land will continue to live with you for years in how it affects the future growth and value of your trees. Not to mention that having a logger do the logging frees you from the financial burden of purchasing very expensive equipment.

There is still plenty of room for you to improve your land. Activities like pruning, pre-commercial thinning, timber stand improvement and planting trees are all very physical things that you could tackle on your own and add value to your trees.

Clark
SAF Certified Forester

WDH

Excellent advice, Clark. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

clww

Welcome to The Forestry Forum. :)
Thanks for your service. Prior to my joining the USN, I did six years in the Army, including the 3rd Ranger Battalion from 88-92. :)
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

MyLabHunter

I checked out the links and that is what i was looking for. I have some more reading to do but i am for sure getting a pro in there to get a now and future plan. Is their a way to calculate the amount of wood per acre?

Ok wait a second.....A company will pay me to work on my property? That changes my thought process. I did wonder if i could get a company to do it just for the wood and call it even. That is very tempting. But on the other hand i was really considering logging it myself as painful as it would be during the learning curve and use that money to invest into equipment to make my life easier out in the middle of nowhere. The wife would never let me spend 10k on a skid loader or a backhoe/tractor that i would really like to have. I am going to look into this for sure. I have access to over 100 acres within 10 miles of this property to do what i wish logging wise. I gotta start somewhere and better to learn on my land 1st.

The pictures put up are great! What size is that though? Should i be looking for a certain distance of reach of the arm? Size of motor? I would rather get something too big than something that struggles. The prices are about 1400-2200 a week for med to large size.

The closest mill is about 20 miles so transporting they will be a chore. I thought about the logging trucks and that probably is the best way to go cost depending. Otherwise i will try to get a hookup with a retired army truck and used trailer and do it the hard way. I looked it up and i would only get about 8 good sized logs on there before i hit the weight limit on my trailer. Thats alot of trips.

The property has 100s of white birch trees. Not too popular here but everywhere up north. Is this considered a good wood? Pine is going to be the main wood where i clear the road. The other main trees are walnut trees. I remember as a kid rolling my ankle so many times walking on those *DanG things hidden under leaves. I know a maple leaf and the basics but exactly what type of oak or maple i have no clue. I need to find a system so i can identify them exactly.

I need to get a soil test done by next month to determine where to put my house exactly. Is this something i should use a forester for? Well and septic system locations are still not decided.

Thanks for the welcome everyone and to the vets who set the bar high for us youngins. Your stories still linger.

Ianab

The 2 excavators pictured are both 20 ton units.  Reason I suggest that big for heavy work is they can handle whole trees with ease, and move a LOT of dirt in a short time. Yes it might cost a couple of thousand to hire one, but it gets all the heavy work done in that week.

Someone doing the logging and land clearing for the value of the logs? Maybe? Depends on the value of the logs. A clearing job is more work than a simple logging job, so there are more costs involved in the harvest. So if you have $10.000 of logs, and the harvest cost is $5,000, then the logger can pay you $5,000. But doing a clearing job might cost $10,000, in which case you get nothing. Or if could cost $10,000 to get $5,000 of logs. In that case, you need to pay the extra.

What makes me think that this is a practical DIY job is that you are clearing the land for a building site. So how tidy the job is isn't the issue. You are going to bare earth, and digging out the stumps. You have some experience with chainsaws and excavators, so you know you can handle that part.

So what is comes back to is what trees you have, and what the local market for them is. Then you can do the maths and work out if it's worth it to harvest, or stack up and burn. That's what a forester can advise you on.

As to working out how much wood. The usual way is to take some sample plots, measure how big the trees are, and how many you have in a small plot. Then extrapolate that out to the whole area. This is the sort of clever stuff that foresters do.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

MyLabHunter

Ian thanks buddy. This is some outstanding info. After i get the kids off to day camp i am going to see if i can get a machine that big.

To be honest i dont really care about the money as much as the experience.

Thanks!

thecfarm

MyLabHunter,welcome to the forum. Good advice you are getting. Get your ducks in a row and ask questions.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Deese

Welcome to the forestry forum, MyLabHunter  :)
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

MyLabHunter

After talking with 5 different foresters i found a guy i really liked. Thanks for all the info. I will be meeting my forester at the properties to walk through them and i hope learn a lot. Any tips on what i should be prepared with to meet him? What makes a foresters job easier?

May have a month or so of planning and getting some pros in there before i really start to go to town. Once the prep work is done i will take some pics and videos of my adventure and share with you all for a good laugh im sure. I learn the hard way most of the time by trial and error refusing to quit. Thanks again everyone.

WDH

Know your property lines. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

rasman57

When I retired from the state police, I too got a 40 acre piece of ground to enjoy and work towards a cabin and National Forest retreat.  It was a former woodlot with a mix of timber that was essentially clear cut 40 years ago and was filled with aspen, volunteer pines and scattered hardwoods high above a scenic river over in Northern Michigan.
    You will find out that what seems like a big piece of paradise will eventually shrink down to several different areas you will work on for different things.  A clearing perhaps, a cabin site, a two track or road, a stand of nice trees and maybe some edges you create for wildlife. 
Makes for plenty of planning and lots of seat time on equipment which is the best part.
     I quickly found it was cheaper to buy some older stuff for me to keep running and restore rather than hiring work done except for dozing in a road through a wet area and trucking in some rock etc.  Any timber harvest I would leave to the pros after good forestry consultation but brush clearing and firewood cleanup as well as foodplots and cabin site clearing are the best part!
    I have done a lot of work over the last 6 years with a 69 Backhoe, a 60 loader tractor with log forks, a 20 year old 4 wheel drive pickup and winch and a couple decent chainsaws and basic tools. Pay close attention to the locals and advice.  Remember you are not trying to conquer the woods but work in harmony with your vision of your place in them.

MyLabHunter

My gramps passed 15 years ago and our logging operation for our wood burners stopped when he passed. He was the one that organized and lead. I just found the property last night and got my 1st aerial view. The county web site lists it at 31.5 acres (i had no clue the exact size) and the private road to access it is still there. It is looooooaded with wood from end to end. Their is a house on the 5 acre property next to me that looks 5 years or newer. That tells me power is there!

We had a cottage 15 miles from property and i know the area fairly well and some locals.

I have cut down well over 1000 trees in my life. After i turned 14 i was given my 1st husqvarna (1970s model i still have and runs) chainsaw. Since then i have bought 4 more with my newest as of 2 months ago the 455 rancher. I really feel i have the exp to give this a solid shot. BUT you all are making me do something i never ever do....2nd guess myself. I always trust my gut and that kept me alive in a few situations i should have been shot dead and beheaded.

So with my stubbornness in mind and the fact i do have some experience (nothing compared to you pros) is this really a realistic task to complete in 1 month? I have no job and considered disabled by the gov. Being a solider is all i know and i planned to do it till i was retired. I am really thinking about starting a small logging operation and milling all my own lumber. Is this a dream that wont come true?

By the looks of the forest i have enough wood to last me a long long time. I even have an option to buy the 40 acre lot next to me as well for the future. The nice lady knew my gramps and told my uncle its mine if i want it. So now im at 71.5 acres of puuuure gold.

I cant ever work a 9-5 or behind a desk. I have been offered 4 jobs in the private sector of international security that i turned down. Money is not important to me as much as happiness and family is at this point. I was offered more money than i made in a year to go with a team to the world cup as armed security for people that have too much money. I refused that too. I need to keep busy or my mind will get the best of me. I dont need to make 100k a year. Id be happy with an honest 30k. My wife is teacher and always made more then me and will continue to. But i need to contribute even tho she said i could just fish and hunt all day with the boys. Im in a tough spot as a man. I need to work and enjoy it but this is the middle of nowhere so just finding a job to keep me busy will end me on a farm to run big equipment for fun.

One last question. How can i calculate how much a load of wood is per acre? I know its a mix of diff wood. From what my uncle told me it has at least 5 acres worth of walnut and was the reason my gramps bought it. Im sure thats a tough question but i need a ballpark idea on what im getting into.

You guys are great and your advice from everyone is being well thought out.


thecfarm

I have no idea about your log market or your lumber market.
My Father and me logged some of this land here. We hardly put a dent in the trees that needed to come out. We cut here for 3 years,but that was only during the summer months too. No more than 2-3 loads a month we got,that was only 5 mbf a truck load. We was lucky that we could sell to a mill that took everything too. Yes,we might not of got so much for a maple,but we did not have a truck load at one time either. In my area I think I would have a hard time selling lumber. There is a sawmill about 10 minutes from me that sells rough lumber too. We brought a 40hp tractor,really need a 60hp and a 3pt winch.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

enigmaT120

Here are some free publications to read up on forestry.  They're aimed at the non-professional:

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/results.php?cat=Forestry+%26+Wood+Processing

There's one on forest measurement in there. 

Do you guys have land grant colleges back there, that are required to have extension services?

Ed Miller
Falls City, Or

Ianab

QuoteI am really thinking about starting a small logging operation and milling all my own lumber. Is this a dream that wont come true?

I see no reason it can't as long as you are realistic about what to expect. You have time, you have some basic experience with cutting trees, I assume you have some income to live on while you do this etc. Because of this you aren't under the production pressure that a commercial logger is.

I'd suggest you start in small stages. Get an all weather road into your site as a first step. Just that for stage one. OK that's doable, right?

Then I'd look for a hobby size sawmill and some basic machinery that can move logs etc. A farm tractor might not be the best tool for the job, but they are easy to find, and are multi purpose. A tractor with a loader, and a logging arch and you can log. Not quickly, but it's a hobby right? Yes this will cost a little, but offset against the value of the house etc, it's just a necessary investment. You might hire in some gear for specific jobs like the track and building site earthworks, but the logging / milling / building side is a long term project. Get your own gear for that part.

Next operation is to clear a small site and get up a shed / cabin / workshop type building. Build this green with the rough sawn lumber off the mill. There are some things to consider when you are doing this, but nothing that makes it impossible. Nothing fancy, but some place with power, plumbing etc so you can stay while you are doing more work. It's not your final abode, but now you have a comfortable place to stay and work on site. Later it can become a workshop, or a guest house or whatever. So plan the site with that in mind.

Now you are set up to clear more land, mill more wood, and build a more substantial structure in your own time. You have the experience of building your cabin, so you now have an idea of what to expect. How long it's going to take to harvest logs, mill them, drying etc. A house can also be built in stages with some clever planning. Get the different sections closed in and finished as you go.

Working out what trees you have may influence the house design a bit, but there are very few trees you absolutely can't build from. Otherwise it's a matter of taking stock of the various woods and working out which are the best for different applications.  Strength, durability, appearance etc.

Good luck, and feel free to keep asking questions.  It doesn't really matter what exact operation you are planning, someone here will have tried it, and either found the pitfalls, or worked out ways around them. There is also seldom only one way of getting something done.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

terry f

    That's a lot of work to get done in a month, I don't see how a disabled person could do it by hand, without a lot of help, but I commend you for trying. Do you have someone to do the heavy lifting and cutting for you?

MyLabHunter

Ian your on my page brother. That is some great advice. I have been thinking hard on the equipment i need. Money wise we are ok for a while. I have about 10k i can put into equipment. Maybe more if i get a good price for the wood. I have been researching some used machines but i am having a hard to choosing that one machine to do a number of tasks.

For clearing to get building going in a timely fashion i was going to rent a 20 ton or bigger excavator like you said. Their is no way i can buy what i need to do that much clearing in a timely manner. And that hurts because i will be dumping 3k into rental and then another 10 into buying a smaller machine like a tractor with a bucket and a backhoe or a skid steer with tracks. Ultimately the excavator is the way to go but they come with a hefty price tag. I could justify that 2 years into living there but right off the bat thats a lot of cash. Any other recommendations machine wise? Is their a logging machine that i might be able to find to do multi tasking? Thanks again Ian.

Terry my job description was pretty long and physically demanding to say the least. At 38 years old they gave me an option to choose another job but that was not for me. My wife made that choice after my 4 months in the hospital and 3 surgeries later. I am far from 100% but im good enough. After cheating death as a father things change. I do have family and friends that are skilled and will help. I will hire some locals as well to make some friends and contribute as a new neighbor. I bet i could clear the .2 mile road and the area to build in 3 weeks with the rental machines and 1 other operator aka my cousin who only needs beer and fishing as payment. Cutting will never be a problem for me but heavy lifting will. The rental machines should assure i am not moving too much by hand. The dr said i need to get out of the house and move. So i guess this is by drs orders right? Kidding aside i know this will be brutal and i think it will be worth it. I dont know how to fail.

MyLabHunter

Quote from: enigmaT120 on July 25, 2014, 03:03:42 PM
Here are some free publications to read up on forestry.  They're aimed at the non-professional:

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/results.php?cat=Forestry+%26+Wood+Processing

There's one on forest measurement in there. 

Do you guys have land grant colleges back there, that are required to have extension services?

Thanks for this info. I am not too sure what an extension service is. By grants you mean tax credits then yes. Another member from WI messaged me advising me to ask my forester about that. The great info keeps coming.

That link is awesome. Thanks again Enigma.

GlennCz

I came into a similar situation 17 years ago, but I didn't have the heavy equip experience that you have.  It is absolutely worth your while to have a Forester do a professional estimate of your timber.  How many board feet of harvestable species and the approximate value of it.  It may be worth much or less than you think. 

If you cut and sell it yourself you are going to save money.  It is going to cost you 30-50% of the value of the timber if someone else does it for you.  And that is if you get don't taken advantage of in some fashion.  Placing value on timber is like an amateur placing value on a diamond stone.  It's a very specialized skill that takes extensive experience to master.  You can't possibly learn to value timber by reading a book or online articles.  When you sell the timber you will be trusting someone to place the true value on it, either someone you hire like a Forester who is looking out for your interests or a log buyer if you harvest and haul the timber out yourself.  If it is only you, the "dumb novice" between your timber and a log buyer, it is always possible that the amt you save in professional harvesting costs could be eaten up by receiving a lower price for your logs.

IMHO if you don't have enough timber where it is worth to buy your own machines, then I have to question whether it worth it to do it yourself.  Renting equip to sell your own timber doesn't seem right to me.

Harvesting trees is dangerous business.  I'm tempted to do it myself, but when I see those trees crashing down, hitting other tops and stuff flying around, I'm glad that I'm standing way back.  Every so often my logger tells me about a tree that got away from him and didn't fall like he thought it would.

Another problem is bucking or cutting the trees up right for market.  You would have to have at least a basic idea how turn a tree into logs ready for market. 

Another issue which is more of an art than science is what trees do you cut down to get the highest long term return on your trees.  Is that nice looking tree more valuable on the stump to grow in size and grade($/bdft), or is it rotting inside and actually loosing value left alive. 

beenthere

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

glassman_48

Mylabhunter,
I had a buddy of mine that purchased a new chain saw last year for his 18 year old son.  They were going to cut a bunch of trees and sell them to a sawmill themselves.  I got some good advice in this forum, which was dont cut anything down until you have a forester or buyer look at your trees.  I advised the young man not to cut down any trees until they had everyone and everything in place and lined up timewise to sell the logs.  The dad called a sawmill and they gave him a rough idea of what so many trees would be worth.  Most of the loggers that I know in the area were at least a month behind with other properties. They cut the trees down anyways the day after calling 1 sawmill.  They called me and I hauled the trees out for them and put them up in a line for the sawmill to come and pick them up.  The logs werent cut to get the maximum board feet, the sawmill wouldnt give them anywhere near what they first thought.  The other loggers were to busy to come and haul the logs to the mill so they sat and he probably turned them into firewood.  I think you need to feel comfortable with the forester and research which mills are the best to sell what species to etc.  Different times of year seems to have different species that sell for more or less depending on what the market is doing at the time.  You could also consider logging part of your acreage, cut your tops up for firewood.  If you cut the whole acreage it would be difficult to cut and store that much firewood before it starts going bad unless you can sell some.  I have a bunch of friends that logged off so much wood that they couldnt get all the tops cut up before they rotted.  Then there is the liability problem of having friends on your property cutting up your tops too.  I am betting that after talking to your forester you will have a better path to follow.  good luck, thanks for your service and keep us posted on your progress.

OneWithWood

Even with the experience you have with chainsaws, I would recommend you seek out a chainsaw course.  Usually your state forestry department can give you a lead on a course.  These are the same courses professional loggers attend to learn the latest and safest techniques for felling and bucking trees as well as dealing with dangerous situations such as heavy leaners and spring poles.  The courses are taught by trained professionals who may very well be able to give you some tips to help you avoid a lot of heavy lifting or tugging on a pinched bar to free it.
After completing the course you will be able to answer your feasibility question with a lot more data.
Good luck!
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

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