Replies

1. 
   danmart | Feb 27, 2009 01:59am | #1

   where are you? no profile info. depends a bit on where  you are. the trees I have harvested and sold to my sawyer were oak. he would not work with me under 2000 feet of lumber.

   If you want wood for yourself, hunt down a woodmizer sawyer in your area.

2. 
   terrylee86 | Feb 27, 2009 02:05am | #2

   A lot of the value depends on the true species of what you are calling poplar. Yellow poplar (l. tulipifera) would be much more desirable then a true poplar or cottonwood tree. Yellow poplar is really a member of the magnolia family and grows to be the tallest North American hardwood. Cottonwoods are not worth much in the lumber industry where yellow poplar is very useful and a tree that size would yield some very nice boards.

3. 
   mapleman | Feb 27, 2009 03:53am | #3

   What you have is not very valuable to a sawmill - even when the market is good. Right now the lumber market stinks. Mills all over the US are closing or down to 1/3 output because they are sitting on way too much lumber.

   I'll give you an example - the cabinet shop where I work was quoted $1.05/bf for #1 common cherry 90% red 1 face. Other species were ridiculously low as well.

   You may as well be trying to sell a house.

   Good luck,

   Lee

1. 
   AZMO | Feb 28, 2009 03:36am | #7

   $1.05 BF Cherry in Mississippi? Or is that the material cost without shipping? How many BF minimum, train car load?  Now that is cheap indeed.

   Morgan                  <!----><!----><!---->

   -----------_o

   ---------_'-,>

   -------(*)/ (*)   http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com

1. 
   mapleman | Feb 28, 2009 03:50am | #8

   Morgan,

   That price is, strangely enough, from a mill that has locations in Penn, North Carolina, and another state. My boss is looking at bringing in a half-tractor trailer load (10,000-12,000 bf) of assorted woods. When he does that he gets 1000 bf prices on bundles even if he doesn't buy a full 1000 bf - as long as we get a half or full trailer load at a time. He may get a little cherry and at that price I may get 4 or 500 bf myself.

   The guy at the mill said the #1 common looks better than the selects and better because they sort it for color (90% or better red 1 face). The s&b is not sorted for color. Last shipment we got had some beautiful poplar and soft maple in the #1 common bundles that looked great to me. The #1 common red oak looked like, well, #1 common. So it's a crap shoot, but the price is right.

   P.S. The freight adds about $.10- $.15 per bf to the price.

   Lee

1. 
   AZMO | Feb 28, 2009 06:49am | #9

   Lee, You can cut up a lot of material for waste and still be ahead with that. So now I know the real cost of the Cherry Shorts that we buy for $6 here. Time to find some frenz and order 1000 ft or so. Is this material kiln dried or air dried. Ours here is kiln dry and you know,  it just does chisel or plane the same as the air dry material I have found.

   Morgan                  <!----><!----><!---->

   -----------_o

   ---------_'-,>

   -------(*)/ (*)   http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com

1. 
   mapleman | Feb 28, 2009 11:09am | #10

   Morgan,

   I'm sure it's kiln dried. I'm trying to find out if it has been steamed or not before he places the order. We actually have all of our local lumber sales guys scrambling to meet or match those prices.

   Lee

2. 
   AZMO | Feb 28, 2009 05:43pm | #11

   I can imagine they are more than scambling... I think panic might be a better word. As the inventory piles up at the lumber wholesale yards or at mills, it puts pressure on the distribution system. Not long ago, the question was, which supplier could actually get you lumber to work with. Now it's which mill/yard can get to the customer direct to get the sale and turn over some dollars, let alone if it makes a profit. This puts pressure on the local yards and suppliers. Ours are offering deeper price cuts, and I am never afraid to ask for more, even with a 200 bd ft order.

   We will be seeing more of this in the future, at many levels.

   Morgan                  <!----><!----><!---->

   -----------_o

   ---------_'-,>

   -------(*)/ (*)   http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com

4. 
   RickL | Feb 27, 2009 05:50pm | #4

   If it's in your yard it tends to have nails and junk embedded in it so it's value is considerably lower. They much prefer trees in the woods away from people, less chance of metal in the tree.

5. 
   heartwould | Feb 28, 2009 01:31am | #5

   The suggestion to find a Woodmizer sawyer was a good one--if you are wanting the wood for yourself.  A friend who works for a veneer company was just informed of a lay off and the wood industry is generally slow.  If you have use for the Poplar and a place to air dry it, it would certainly add to the story of whatever you may build from the lumber.

6. 
   joinerswork | Feb 28, 2009 02:06am | #6

   Quyick,

   A call to your local state dept of forestry office will put you in touch with a state forester or forestry technician who will be able to give you some good advice.

   Ray