Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I purchased 10 acres near Lake Hawkins, which is about 90 miles east of Dallas, Texas. I got the land for a good price because Timber Pirates had cut down most of the trees before the Sheriff caught them. I now have stacks of trees sitting on the ground. The stacks are about 6 feet high and about 10-15 feet wide. The trees about 20-30 feet in length. What can I do with these downed trees???
The stacks have been on the ground about 3 years now. I am a city boy, just starting on the 'county life'. Does anyone know any of any sawmills or the like in the area? If they are not good enough to save, what else can I do? I will be doing most of the work myself, and money is definitely an issue. I am not living on the land yet. I live about 7 hours away. But I've got to start somewhere.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
I purchased 10 acres near Lake Hawkins, which is about 90 miles east of Dallas, Texas. I got the land for a good price because Timber Pirates had cut down most of the trees before the Sheriff caught them. I now have stacks of trees sitting on the ground. The stacks are about 6 feet high and about 10-15 feet wide. The trees about 20-30 feet in length. What can I do with these downed trees???
The stacks have been on the ground about 3 years now. I am a city boy, just starting on the 'county life'. Does anyone know any of any sawmills or the like in the area? If they are not good enough to save, what else can I do? I will be doing most of the work myself, and money is definitely an issue. I am not living on the land yet. I live about 7 hours away. But I've got to start somewhere.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
You can cut and split them for fuel. You can also rent a HUGE chipper shredder and use the smaller branches, etc., for mulch which, hopefully you will need around your garden and orchard.
You can build a cord-wood building with them, but if they have been on the ground very long, then chances are they are bug infested and probably deteriorating so that may not be a very good idea.
You can also chop it and split it and sell it to city folk who are camping near by and want to have a campfire or cook over an open fire. If any of it is mesquite or hickory, you can cut it into chips and sell it for smokers and barbequing.
You can make very rustic furniture for your porch using downed wood if it is sound. Since you have a lot of it, you might be able to make some to sell to other people. Depending on the type of tree, you can sometimes sell it to companies who make OSB board or other wood-byproducts. There are companies out there who buy odds and ends for sawdust and then make particle board, cat litter, etc., from the sawdust.
You could advertise for someone to come and cut their own firewood (careful about liability issues though!) You could barter it for some other service or item that you want.
Sorry, I don't have any info on a specific mill in the Dallas area...the above are good suggestions.
One other thing, is that if you do find a local mill, see if they'll send someone out to see if there is any salvageable wood--if it's been dry enough there ought to be a good bit of it still good. (They worked for quite awhile salvaging timber downed by the St. Helens eruption.) If there is they may make an offer. Some hardwood goes for a decent price depending upon size and condition. Sounds like you have mostly smaller stuff, so pulp may be the best option.
Actually the above suggestions probably won't work. Pine doesn't make good firewood and that is what the timber pirates in that area go after. I would find some local timber guys who sell to pulp mills. The wood is too old to be used for construction/floor wood. Check witht hese guys here: Texas Forest Service
I would find some local timber guys who sell to pulp mills. The wood is too old to be used for construction/floor wood. Check witht hese guys here: Texas Forest Service
I agree with Poltracker. Given the weather over the past two to three months, I'd bet you've got a fair bit of rotting and infested wood.
Just do be careful around the stacks. If they've been around for some time, all sorts of critters are going to be living in there - some perfectly harmless, others potentially less so!
I doubt there is much you can do. Here in Maine we can get 2 years out of downed trees and even then wood borers will be through the wood. The wood is still salvagable though for framing and boards of outbuildings and stuff. But after 2 years the wood starts to get punky and is unusable.
Now this is in Maine where 6 months out of the year it is VERY dry (that id frozen). I would think in your case in Texas the decay would occur much faster since the humid, above freezing temps would be significantly longer.
It is too bad though...I go to great lengths to harvest my blow downs (trees toppled by the wind) because I hate wasted wood.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
