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nicole007_gw

Wht should I do?

nicole007
11 years ago

Sadly, my large oak tree is going to have to be cut down. I told the tree men I wanted all the wood and they think I'm crazy to want the trunk too. How hard would it be to sell the trunk ... or are there people who want it whole for furniture? I've never had a tree cut before ... is wood too hard to sell at this time of year? Should I just let most of it go or ... please, any suggestions! It's goign to be all over my driveway tomorrow.

Comments (5)

  • live_wire_oak
    11 years ago

    You can look online for "portable sawmill services", but they will charge you to create boards from the trees, and you are unlikely to be able to sell those boards for what it costs to make have them milled. There are ads all over craigslist from people trying to give away firewood if someone will just come and take down the tree. Most of them have zero takers. And it's not just due to the liability either. Properly split and dried firewood commands a price. Properly millsawn and kiln dried lumber does as well. The trouble is that you don't have either. You might be extremely lucky and find someone who would take the wood for free, but we're talking oak here, not black walnut or cherry. Even if it were, you wouldn't get anything but a nominal amount for wood in it's most raw state.

  • lazypup
    11 years ago

    I have a cousin who owns one of the largest hardwood sawmills on the east coast and he tells me that most commercial sawmills will not buy logs from trees in a residential area. They only want trees from old growth woodlots & forests because when the trees are in the residential environment there is a very high likelihood that the logs may have metal from old hangers, nails, bullets or concealed concrete where ppl filled holes in the tree then it grew over and those things would damage the saw teeth.

    Basically, wood from trees in the residential environment may be sold as firewood, but in my area, with the severe weather we have had the last two years we are already overstocked with firewood and you would be lucky to give it away unless you cut & split it first.

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  • homebound
    11 years ago

    Tell your tree guys you want it gone before they decide to let you have it after all.

    Around me, the tree guys often leave the wood on the curb for a few days before they send another truck to haul it away. That way, folks who want it, grab it, leaving less load to remove later.

  • sdello
    11 years ago

    I agree with homebound. Unless you're willing to go out and cut and split this wood for transport yourself, you'll be stuck looking at it for a long time. I had a large tree taken down years ago and my cousin came and took the wood. The tree cutter left it in 4 ft lengths and anything greater than ~ 4in. diameter. Luckily my cousin had a 36 in. chain saw so we could cut up the big pieces. It took us svereal full days over successive weekends to get it all. I don't know where you are, I'm near Boston, I think you might ahve difficulty finding anyone that wants to cut it and remove it from your yard for free and your drive way will be useless until it's gone.

    Don't make my mistake....TELL THE TREE GUYS TO TAKE IT.

    my 0.02

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