While I don't have a 'highly valuable black walnut tree' in my yard I do have a pretty husky red oak. My son sez its black oak but I understand no one cares once it's down. The think has about 16 feet before the first limb and is around 5' in diameter. Likely good for a veneer log? I'd sooner get this down before it rots from the inside. I may call the county ag extension office to see if they can help me figure this out. Your ideas?
Not sure anyone would buy a yard tree as a veneer log. Too much metal embedded inside. Red oak is one of the least expensive woods, at least in my area. I just bought a black walnut that the guy couldn't sell. After weeks of trying the best offer he could get was $1 bd/ft. Many people believe black walnut is the only yard tree worth milling. I guess it depends on the Sawyers time and intended purpose. I'll buy just about any yard tree as my time is free and I enjoy milling. I'd love to hear the outcome of this red oak if you do find a buyer. Jeremiah Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
I'm not a logger, but I know from my brother's woodlot and his log sales that the loggers have a lot of concern about Red Oaks that get bigger than 24"-I think I remember them talking about pin holes from worms. That just may be a Northeastern thing.
Maybe you could get someone to come to your house and mill it for you and you could sell the wood yourself. Just plan on spending $30 per blade for ever blade ruined if he hits metal in the tree!
Went through this last season taking down trees for the satellite dish, arborist was clear: there was no mill wood value, as it was a yard tree - no mill would want it, due to potential metal inside. (Was a little disappointed to hear that, but it made sense.)
Red oaks around here that big often have stump rot which makes it's way up the trunk, the heartwood eventually becoming soft enough to become a very valuable piece of carpenter ant real estate.
Don't sawmills have metal detectors now? That aside...how far are you from a mill (how much will it cost to transport)? Is the tree solid inside? What is the current price per BF for red oak in your area? Rough estimates say that there is about 3000 board feet in a 60" diameter, 16' log (Doyle scale).
The large mills do - that was my 2nd question. We've lived here 24 years, trees were at least 80 years old.. That's a lot of time for someone prior to have nailed up a sign (or three) / for the metal to get embedded -> in the heart wood of the tree. Red oak is common enough in our area: the mills don't want to touch a 'yard tree', when there is plenty of virgin standing timber for the taking: that made sense too. I still have some ash that's on the ground left to cut to rounds - should be a couple of cords worth, for our wood burning neighbors to enjoy.
Even the best metal detectors miss non metallic F.O.D. like ceramic insulators for electric fence, rocks, etc. Single trees rarely have enough "economies of scale" to have value to commercial mills. As above, you could try hiring a portable saw miller, but honestly red oak is a pretty abundant commodity so it might be a challenge to sell the lumber. On the other hand, if you have a personal use for the lumber and the tree is solid and not full of metal, by all means, have it milled. We had two red oaks from our woods sawn, dried, milled into T&G flooring that we installed in our house. That was very fun and rewarding.
If you do get it milled, please post some pics of it throughout the different stages. Good Luck with it!
Sounds like you'll get almost 2 years of heat out of that red oak. Thats got a lot of value. I know thats not what you wanted to hear, but...
Why take it down? Is it leaning towards the house or laying on a fence? Is it mushrooming the front sidewalk? Are you about to build on the very spot where this tree has presidence? There is history and pride in a stately oak and unless damaged by a lightning strike or one of the above I say LEAVE IT GROW! If we removed everything that had a potential of one day .....what? dropping a branch or housing an insect or two we'd look like the deforestation in South America---think of the good qualities provided like shade and jumping in those raked up leaves with the family in the fall and all that fresh oxygen....DON'T CUT THE TREE!
A few years back had some oak dropped off- 6ft Dia. - core rot - so about 1.5 ft deep from the outside in was good the rest I just used for mulch as I just shoveled it out. Red oak last summer 30+ " dia same problem not as far along I did rip a few boards out of that though 6-8" wide
Still mad about your neighbor cutting down the oak, huh scavenger ??? Let it go, replacements are growing every day....
