Tree cutting issue

[shawnv]

I have decided after some prodding by family member to probably keep the 30 acres I had for sale while I let my home farm improve. Anyways, I would like to cut or have someone cut out a few acres but here is the issue. The are some 60-80ft white pines mixed in with a lot of scrub oak that is 15-20ft high and 2-3.5 inches in diameter that isn't really producing and no longer provider cover near the ground.

With that said, what are the odds a logger would be interested in this and if you did this yourself what you be your approach, hinge the oak and leave the massive whites alone????

 

[dipper]

Take out the massive white pine, when the market is up. Firewood on the oaks you thin? Hinge the oaks to release the trees you want to keep? A combination of the two? Lots of options, but those mature pine aren't giving you anything beside turkey roosts.

 

[MA VT Flatlander]

How many white pines you talking about? I bet you could find a logger to take them out. I cut some white pines on my property. skidded them out with my old ford tractor then hired a guy with a portable sawmill to cut them in to lumber. If just a few trees you could girdle them.

 

[ELH]

What diameter and how many trees do you have of the White Pine? Should be able to get something for them if you have more than a few. Woods Run Forest Products out of Colfax is usually buying. I would not take all the Pine out. Leaving some super canopy trees in the mix adds to the diversity and beauty of the woods in my opinion.

 

[j-bird]

Marketing timber of any type is all about providing enough value to offset or surpass the cost to harvest it. Ask around and see what you can get for those large pines - I agree with Dipper in that they are more than likely not doing much for your ground dwelling critters. I hate cutting any oak, but that's because I don't have as many as I would like. I see every oak as a potential food source. If you have what you need to feed your critters then hinging those that have little or no future food or timber value will increase ground level cover. Oaks like thold their leaves inthe winter so that makes them real nice for hinging as it creates some screening as well once the leaves drop. Increasing ground level cover is all about light in my experiance. Get the light on the ground and mother nature tends to do the rest (unless te deer eat it all - then you need tobe shooting some deer).