? for group - what do you do/where located

[Don Staples]

Larry Caldwell wrote:
> 
> In article <32EF90AC.6206 at cp.duluth.mn.us>,
> "Geary N. Searfoss" <gscpa at cp.duluth.mn.us> wrote:
> 
> > I'm a forester/CPA residing in Duluth, MN. I work with private landowners
> > helping them mitigate the impact of federal and state income taxes in
> > regard to their timber investments. I also own and operate two tree farms
> > - both in Wisconsin.
> 
> What kind of trees to you grow there in Wisconsin?  Do you stick with
> native hardwoods, or have you converted to softwood plantations?
> 
> I was out thinning and pruning today.  The weather here was about 55 degrees,
> and I spent the whole day in a T-shirt working up a pretty good sweat.
> Eat your heart out. :)
> 
> Anyway, I started wondering if I was making any money pruning.  I've
> heard that the only people who make money off of pruning are the mills,
> since they don't pay a premium for pruned logs.  I suppose I'll keep
> doing it, since I'm a few years yet from harvesting any logs.  Still,
> I could be sitting on my rear writing stuff to usenet instead of catching
> a record case of poison oak trying to improve my trees. :)
> 
> -- Larry

Kind of sounds like your in the southern timber belt.  If so, prunning 
will pay off in the long run, if your harvest is after limb scars have 
healed over and you have a smooth outer bark.  What your looking for is 
grade logs, and the deciding factor in grade of standing trees is the 
location and size of limbs, limb stubs, and limb scars.  The better the 
grade, the better the price.  If your working southern pines the healing 
period will be in accordance to how close you prune, generally it should 
be flush with, or slightly under, the stem bark.  Healing should take 
less than 5 years, which gives you the additional .75 to 1 inch radial 
growth.  

We are just now getting into prunning in east TExas, but the pay offs are 
there, if your costs dont eat you up ahead a time.  Using your own labor 
and using the work for "therapy" (I make little blocks out of big blocks 
of wood for my therapy) is  very satisfying time in the woods.