Our Services
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| What are my trees worth? |
| Mashell River Timberworks Tree Service And Logging CLICK HERE NOW FOR A FREE CONSULTATION!! 888-425-TREE (8733) Pierce 253-310-5895 King/Sno. 425-985-5680 Licensed - Bonded - Insured |
| For crane information click here |
| For residential removal there are only two common species that generally have enough value to warrant what we call "residential logging", and those are Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar. Alder and Western Hemlock can have some value in larger quantities or if the trees themselves are very large (20" and up in diameter), but usually not enough to make them cost effective in a residential setting. However if you have acreage and the trees can be conventionally logged the scenario changes considerably. Click here to find out more about logging your property. Species such as Maple and Cottonwood generally have relatively little or no value unless the are exceptionally large and free of defect. The value of the tree is based on the price per "board foot" of sound wood. A board foot measures 12"X12" by 1 inch thick or a 1/12th of a cubic foot. The logs are measured (or "scaled") to determine their board footage based on the diameter of the log at the "small end" (or the top end if the log were standing vertical the way it grew). A mathematical formula is used to calculate the total board footage. In the Pacific Northwest in general and in the Puget Sound in particular, the formula used is called the Scribner Scale. As an example a log that is 12" at the small end and is 40 feet long would contain 210 board feet of lumber. Assuming and average price of $500/per thousand board feet(which is how timber is priced) the log would be worth $105. Crane work runs at about $130 and hour and is charged for travel and on the job time so in this example the value of the log clearly is not worth it. |
| The basic question. One of the first things people wonder before deciding to remove or trim their trees is "are my trees worth money?". In industry language what you are asking is are the trees "merchantable" or "marketable". Most trees are worth something if harvested properly and transported to a mill. But this is in theory only. The basic Answer If you have 1 tree that is worth say $300, but bringing in the proper equipment to safely extract the longer lengths necessary to be marketable and transport them to a sawmill adds $500 in expenses, obviously it is cheaper to do a conventional removal, which is to say bring the tree down in small pieces that can be given away as firewood. Two considerations So the two important questions are: One, is the wood marketable (of a marketable species) and is it cost effective to recover the tree in logs and transport the logs to a mill? |
| On the other hand..... Limiting what we consider in a residential logging environment as marketable timber to Douglas Fir and Cedar is a general rule and like all general rules there are exceptions. There are several of these. One is "figured Maple" which is a general term for "fiddleback"(like the name implies, it's used in making string instruments) and "quilting"(used in veneers) and "spalting"(used in instruments and veneers). The first two are special(and rare) grain patterns in a large chunk of Maple and the last is a combination of grain pattern and believe it or not, rot. This type of Maple can be worth as much as $5000 per thousand board feet or 10 times what average Douglas Fir is worth and 50 times what regular Maple is usually worth. Another specialty is Cottonwood and Alder "peelers". Like the name implies, these logs are not cut into timber but peeled like unrolling a roll of paper towels. The Alder must be large and can be worth as much as $1000 or more per thousand board feet. Also, referring back to the previous example about cost-effectiveness, other issues come into play. First, the crane may add expense, but it also saves time so the addition of $130/hr really is offset somewhat by saving the time and effort of "chunking" (cutting the trunk into small, firewood size pieces) the tree down. Also, while the number of trees is important when determining whether logging is cost-effective, size matters more. In our example, the 12"X40' log yielded 210 board feet of timber. If that same log were 24" at the small end, the yield would be 1010 board feet, almost 5 times more! |
| So ultimately what are your trees worth? It really depends on when and who you ask. Timber is a commodity like gold or steel or cattle. As such the global markets fluctuate and the local markets roughly follow suit. Different Saw Mills have different contracts to supply different buyers and they are all of course in competition with each other. Douglas Fir prices tend to be the most stable since it is the material of choice for construction. Western Hemlock and Cedar would be next, while Alder and Maple prices tend to swing wildly. We have many mills we have done business with and depending on where you live and the species and amount of timber you have, we can find you the best possible price. We started this business logging or actually what is known as "salvage logging" on contract with Weyerhaeuser. We were left with what remained after large tracts of land were logged and in order to survive had to learn how to get every last penny out of every log and it is that same knowledge we will use to get the most money possible out of all of your logs. The best way to know what you have is to schedule a free consultation. Please feel free to call me directly at 425-985-5680 or our horticulturist Chris Hall at 253-310-5895 or Toll Free at 888-425-TREE(8733). Thanks for checking us out! Sincerely, -Brian J. Hoffman, Owner |
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We are a professional tree service offering tree trimming, tree removal, consultation, land clearing and logging for residential, commercial and governement clients.Our
Service are includes Alderwood, Bothell, Mill Creek, Woodinville, Duvall Redmond, Edmonds, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Arlington Everett, Seattle, Bellevue, Black
Diamond, Kirkland, Edmonds, Mercer Island, Issaquah, Sammamish, Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline, Woodway, Clinton, Arlington, Langley, Granite Falls, Tulalip, Camano
Island, Whidby Island, Stanwood, Burien, Federal Way, Renton, Sea Tac, Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, Lakewood, Puyallup, Gig Harbor, Pacific, Kent, Snohomish,
Monroe, Mukilteo, Lake Forest Park, Brier, Kenmore, Auburn, Sumner, Parkland, Tukwila.
Service are includes Alderwood, Bothell, Mill Creek, Woodinville, Duvall Redmond, Edmonds, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Arlington Everett, Seattle, Bellevue, Black
Diamond, Kirkland, Edmonds, Mercer Island, Issaquah, Sammamish, Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline, Woodway, Clinton, Arlington, Langley, Granite Falls, Tulalip, Camano
Island, Whidby Island, Stanwood, Burien, Federal Way, Renton, Sea Tac, Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, Lakewood, Puyallup, Gig Harbor, Pacific, Kent, Snohomish,
Monroe, Mukilteo, Lake Forest Park, Brier, Kenmore, Auburn, Sumner, Parkland, Tukwila.