Hi, Well I'll try to answer your questions. I'm a forester, employed by the federal government in AZ. My specialty is timber management. Even still, I cannot give you a price, because that is locally determined and fluctuates. I will give you a couple of pointers: 1) talk with a forester (consultant or State Forestry) before doing anything. A forester can help you to manage your forest to achieve your objectives and insure that best forestry practices are considered. He will also steer you straight to avoid being taken advantage of by log buyers. 2) do not sell logs from a road deck, sell them on the stump and then negotiate the "logging price" for doing the falling, bucking and skidding yourself. 3) logging prices for "tractor systems" (flat ground or less than 40% slope) typically average $100-125 / thousand board feet, so you could theoretically earn $100-125 minus costs for your efforts. 4) a loaded log truck typically runs about 5000 board feet (pine). 5) logging is one of the most dangerous professions in the US. Many loggers are killed each year. Do not attempt unless you know exactly what you are doing. 6) If you do decide to do this, make sure that you understand local market requirements for log lengths, trim allowances, etc.. otherwise you could degrade or ruin the value of your timber. 7) Repeat of #1 -Consult with a professional forester (not a timber buyer) before doing anything. This may sound arrogant, but foresters have spent their entire careers studying timber management and logging economics.
Excellent advice! I went the route of a timber buyer/sawmill without the benefit of an independent forester about a year ago. They did a pretty good job and I made out OK, but... If I'm around for the next harvest, I will make sure to engage a forester. My biggest disappointment was the slash and tops left that will take years to decompose. Still, it's better than it was with some thinning and giving the more valuable species a better chance to mature.
Barry
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