White Oak Pricess

[dougie]

Guys & dolls. Question for those selling Oak.

I have heard that White Oak prices are at an all time high. This may be a regional thing to Kentucky, the reason I'm told prices are high is the Bourbon industry is driving prices up using up the timber for barrels.


I ask as the guy we are partnered with is pressuring (or was) to have the White Oak logged.

I don't think it is ready, most timber is ~14"-ish DBH.


What prices are y'all seeing per BF/grade for the White Oak?

dw

Sent from the fone small keys typos likely.....

 

[mdavlee]

Most stave companies won't take anything under 11". I think the logs are too young really.

 

[exSW]

Only way I would cut a 14" White Oak is if it were diseased.

 

[dougie]

Those are kinda my thoughts. This guy has been friends of my father's since the 70s, and about 5 years ago he said we'd have a great stand of White Oak in about 20 years.

My father passed in '14 and since then he has been wanting to get out of the property.

We had a huge influx of Pennsylvania Amish a few years back and they are buying land like crazy. Our friend has been talking to them they want to buy the property, log it etc.

I am just wondering if the market prices are really up on White Oaks.

Guess I'm trying to figure out what besides pure greed has made this guy think the timber matured 15 years faster than he said

I think he wants to sell, and just wants to milk it for every dime he can...

OR

I guess if I was a head shrink I'd get into how he is confused over the loss of my pop and doesn't know how to remain partners with the family.

dw

Sent from the fone small keys typos likely.....

 

[mdavlee]

Might be a way to get the land whole as yours if he wants out now while there's no money in timber on it. If he's in such a hurry he either needs money now or something like that.

 

[dougie]

Well last fall he said this year he planned to log it, and then sell it. We said we are not agreeing to logging.

He is asking top market value to buy his half out, and while I get that, i wonder who he thinks would buy 50% interest into a place and have to have our agreement to do anything?

I think his step son and grand son have taken an interest in the place and he may be changing his mind.

Honestly the pine needs to be logged, but there is no market around us for pine except pulp.

dw

Sent from the fone small keys typos likely.....

 

[mdavlee]

Pulp is money. Not a lot of money but $25-35 a ton. If it needs thinned then it will improve the stand. Not a lot of money now but may increase value in 10-20 years. Have you had a forester cruise it?

 

[hseII]

I'd have a forester cruse it, and if the forester says the pine is ready, have a reputable logger come in and harvest the pines, saving the rest.

Come to agreement, and have a contract drawn up before hand based on the forester's recommendations, with the profits going to the partner as partial payment on you buying his part out.

Have a plan to pay the remaining in the contract: don't paint yourself into a corner, but do what is doable.

 

[dougie]

No one has looked at it for a while.

The pines are ready. Some are 24" -ish DBH and many feet till the first limb.

We lost a lot to ice damage in '09. A guy came through offered to clean out the dead wood, and give us 10%. Not sure what he was gonna do with it. There are places now it takes you 20 minutes to go 50 yards for climbing over, crawling under downed pine. Imagine a game of pick up sticks with pines.

Our friend said 10% wasn't enough. So the trees lay rotting. I figured 10% of something was better than 100% of nothing, plus wed be able to use the land.

I do need to have it looked at, so I'll know for sure.

dw

Sent from the fone small keys typos likely.....

 

[jake wells]

oak is high in south central ky im about 15-20 miles north of bowling green btw.
most of what amish is cutting here is poplar demand for oak is low but poplar is high.

 

[hseII]

oak is high in south central ky im about 15-20 miles north of bowling green btw.
most of what amish is cutting here is poplar demand for oak is low but poplar is high.

I wish I could ship you some in for a profit!

What are the requirements?

 

[jake wells]

Not sure. I'm a little dim when it is talking about this.

 

[mdavlee]

It's probably peeler poplar. No more than 26" is what our log yard takes. 18'9 or something weird was minimum length. It can have knots and limbs coming off but they can't be more than a few in each log.

 

[dougie]

oak is high in south central ky im about 15-20 miles north of bowling green btw.
most of what amish is cutting here is poplar demand for oak is low but poplar is high.

Not to far from our place. It's about 5 min from Nolin, off 88 just outside Clarkson (near Upton).

After Pennsylvania kicked out a bunch of Amish the settles in Grayson. One of them set a saw mill up between Litchfield and Hardinsburg off 259 somewhere around Rough River.

dw

Sent from the fone small keys typos likely.....

 

[Guido Salvage]

Not every white oak is suitable for barrel staves. My best friend's father was in the timber and sawmill business and sold some white oak for staves. Years later you could see where they cut 3' billets and then split them to check the grain.