Ok folks, I'm relatively clueless as to Walnut prices, but this seems to border on stupid as to the value of a fairly small tree, or am I just out of touch? Black Walnut Tree for Timber
Stupid ....... my neighbor took down four trees... he gave me all the tops. He was gonna to sell the bottoms to the lumber yard north of us. To make some money on them. Guess what....... they are still sitting there... I’m waiting for them to magically appear in my driveway....... I’m gonna guess they be a hassle to deal with....
My cutting buddy had a few that he was finally able to sell to a guy with a portable mill. If I'm not speaking out of my azz, iirc he got $1 a board ft. Better than nothing, but not what he was expecting.
What I know - yard tree- not worth anything to mills, Maybe to a local bandsaw guy a couple bucks- that you would have to pay him to pick it up. In tree form on ground not worth anything until you buck and split - then a bit for firewood ( medium at best). there is no value until it is in boards and dried, rough cut not much, surfaced 2 sides perhaps you might breakeven. if it has exceptional figure might make a couple bucks. veneer logs there is a minimum dia. for clean straight logs but again if a yard tree no mill will touch it. Your local sawer will charge x amount/ board ft to plank it, if he hits something & ruins the blade you buy the blade $50-over $100 ( length width and type of steel come into play here). so there you have it about the highly valuable walnut tree or pretty much any other type as well. right now pulp logs are worth more. I had 4 full log cords of Hickory a bunch of years back off the back forty of a farm so not " yard trees" most were in the 20" dia. at chest hight, Mills would not even look at it because it was not a full log truck load. Made great fire wood though and odds and ends I sold as grilling material, which brought in more cash than the fire wood at the time.
Walnut prices all over the place I have slabs 10' long x40" wide sitting drying need a year more drying before they go to kiln maybe be $5.00 bd ft when air dried in my area people will pay more for wood " saved from the landfill " but sawing yard trees is always risky I use a metal dectector from MDI but its still a chance as for what he is asking for that tree I think he has smoked too much hemp but there is always someone to pay if they want it bad enough that tree has @520 bd ft if the size he says is correct the current price in PA is 2.20 MBF for #1 3 CF and a yard tree would be lucky to get #2 at 2CF which is .80 MBF the price for #1 is 114.40 and #2 is 41.60 Good luck JB
