Walnut Prices and free estimate

[reelman65]

A neighbor who is a logger mentioned that walnut prices are really high and asked if i wanted to see about cutting what i have. I said I am 99.9% sure i didn't want to cut any in the near future if ever. (unless they need it for health etc). he said they were doing walk arounds on local farms that he knew the owners and said he would be happy to do it on my place and come back with a number that might "knock my socks off". I don't really have a question, just wanted to run it by y'all and see if any warning bells should be going off.

[nativewolf]

My opinion so worth what you just paid for it, or even less.  Walnut prices are in a bubble.  If you think you ever want to cut you'd probably be best to cut today.  Invest the proceeds in a mutual fund or setup a trust, etc.  Timber is a terrible return compared to the S&P for most folks.  But a walnut bubble is worth taking advantage of and I have only seen this once before in my 50 years. 

Some buyers are taking down to 8" tops they are taking everything.  Sell a bunch of poorly grown walnut and plant 10 acres of mixed walnut, white oak, poplar (keeps the other two honest and growing for the sky), you can prune out the poplar in 20 years (if we are so lucky).  That would be a better legacy.  In 20 years who knows if the Chinese are going to be going crazy for walnut (all this stuff is going overseas).

Absolutely let him give you a price and then get 2 more estimates.

[mike_belben]

Walnut is like $2bd/ft avg here.  Junky walnut pays better than white oak stave and veneer.  And all thats lefy of it is shrubs and yard trees.  Be nice if the last generation who harvested it all had planted some.

[nativewolf]

I agree Mike.  I'm thinking of ordering a few thousand just to offer a planting service to replace 4 or 5 for every one I cut.  I just cruised 60 walnuts and they were all fence row.   A few 30 inch ones   most in the 15-20inch range.  They are taking anything so ...I give prices on the small ones and the farmers have not said no yet.   I go talk to a neighbor tomorrow.  He actually has some walnut in his woods, 1 was left due to some iron but even above that (lose the bottom 10 ') it is going to be a decent log. 

[nativewolf]

should have added, they were 8k feet at a very conservative cruise but the buyer has just come back and said he'll take it all down to 8" so a lot more to add to that 8k, might bump it to 12k, small logs.  Here 2500/thousand.

[Autocar]

Reelman65  keep in mind trees are just like corn or soybeans when there mature they start going down hill. Dose it happen over night NO but will take years to get hollow and rot spots. My opinion if you sell them get bids from other loggers in your area and see where there bids compare. Good luck !

[reelman65]

Thanks for all of the replies, I appreciate. I will follow up and let everyone know when i hear.

[mike_belben]

Ask him for the locations of a few other plots he has cut and go see how happy they are.  Lotta hack and run loggers out there. 


If i had walnut id only cut and sell the poor quality specimens.  Id keep the primest (and release around them) to reseed for the next generation of high quality crop walnuts.   If your land is sensitive or steep id insist on summer cut.  Winter is constant rain with no freeze.  A skidder at the hands of a careless crew will strip all the top soil on the main trail in a day and give it to the neighbor downstream during rain season. 

[coxy]

can you tell me how to skid logs on a main trail with out moving/disturbing the dirt  :-\

[mike_belben]

Thats the loggers problem, not the landowners.

How does he get his dirt back after logger is gone?  Logger dont care, hes gone.

Its a major problem here where the clay has no bottom and doesnt freeze. 

Disturbing is natural and will grow back by next season.  Skidder churning in place 3 feet deep in brown soup.. But hey i got payments to make.. we'll just make a haul road out of 10 trucks worth of the landowners pulp logs... That doesnt grow back.  I look at it across the street every day.

When the weather says stop and the banker says go.

[Texas Ranger]

I think you started wrong.  Get a forester, state guys come cheap, and let him advise, he  may know grades and current prices and will not make a profit from it.

[reelman65]

I think you started wrong.  Get a forester, state guys come cheap, and let him advise, he  may know grades and current prices and will not make a profit from it.

Well, I didn't really start it. It started itself. like i said, i had no plans to sell anything. I will definitely get a state guy in, i will just have to do it sooner than i expected.

[nativewolf]

Getting a county forester is never a bad idea maybe they know some that are paying more.  Maybe you'd rather cut the walnut yourself and they can point you to the local mills.  Cutting walnut is pretty simple since they are taking anything.  Trees are not very big and often in fields so they are easy to get to.

[coxy]

When the weather says stop and the banker says go.

some times  but most times its the baby needs shoes diapers and food

[mike_belben]

Tell me about it. 

[PA_Walnut]

I'm finding it better to buy logs than standing walnut. Log owners (tree and timber workers) know what's good and what should be firewood, and paying a bit extra is worth it to me over dealing with landowners who think a walnut tree will put their kids through school. 

I'd rather pay-up for a GREAT log, than saw an OK one and hope I can recoup the cost in all of the handling labor.

[mike_belben]

Theres an abandoned 10 acres next to me, the meth heads that owned it burned the house down last year and scattered but they have kin across the road who started checking on it when i began cutting on mine to cull rubbish so my grandkids can have a sawlog one day.  They wanna be sure i dont steal any of those precious sweet gums that look like a twizzler, or them scarlet oaks with a 6" hollow up the heart.

Im learning you can pretty much ignore anyone who tells you about these timber jackpots a friend of a friends cousins neighbor landed.

[mike_belben]

I think you started wrong.  Get a forester, state guys come cheap, and let him advise, he  may know grades and current prices and will not make a profit from it.

You get what you pay for.  My free county forester came in winter and found me a walnut.. That bloomed into a hickory.  Nice guy, but hed never worked a timber sale and didnt know but one mill.. That everyone knows cuz you can see it from the highway.

[TKehl]

Well we all gotta start somewhere... :  :D

[mike_belben]

Nice fella, i wish him well.   I cant throw stones, im no better at bark only ID.

:D

[coxy]

i remember when i was 17-18 my dad sent me to look at a lot i came home told him you should see the size of the ash on there 2 days later he and i walked it again he said where all the ash i looked at him and said are you blind look at its all over he started laughing  and said thats pig nut hickory you jack     ill never forget that  :D 

[PA_Walnut]

I know a dude that lives in the woods as is somewhere between a hermit and cowboy. Has a small lot willed to him in a nearby town. Didn't use it, so he planted something in the order of 100 walnut trees 30 or 40 years ago there for his daughter's future. Apparently takes care of them, thins them, etc. and they're almost big enough to harvest.

She apparently, would not even let him borrow her car to get to a Dr. appointment...gratitude. I should make him an offer!  :D 8)