Few acres can yield big timber profits

[ncboman]

Thinking about thinning my pines and found this informative piece on small acerage pine production.

http://msucares.com/news/print/fwnews/fw05/050331.html

:)

[Altjaeger]

Good reading, but I doubt many of us are really interested in intensive agriculture which is basically what this is. That is probably especially true with the longturn around time this crop takes. Most of us buying additional acreage are going to be interested in recreational opportunities.

[ncboman]

the recreational opportunities are there right along with the pines in my case.

At first, hunting was what was on my mind but as the pines grew and grew, I started considering the money potential. Now, looking at them as our primary old age health insurance, attaining the maximum value is becoming more and more important.

The pine straw market is interesting also. I don't know of anyone bailing pine straw. :confused:

[Altjaeger]

No, but I have seen baskets woven from pine needles. Perhaps you can put your wife to weaving during the week to sell them at a road side stand on Sundays while you are fishing!:D

[ncboman]

I'm not allowed to post a pic of her in shorts.

She could sell some pine straw. ;)

[Rock Chuck]

I read an article years ago about growing walnut trees. It said that if you plant 10 acres and occasionally prune and thin, in 20-25 years the lumber would be worth around $1mill. This figure was calculated to allow for projected inflation of prime hardwood prices. The trick is to get enough trees to make it profitable for a lumber company to bid on them. The pruning is to get as much clear wood as possible as that's what carries the highest price.

[Bushman]

I've got 3,000 mature norway pine trees on my property up north that dad planted back in the 60's as a buffer to screen the lake and filter out the dust from the then dirt road. Actually for a few hundred dollars per acre, I would rather have the buffer and the view instead of a stump filled field. What do they use pine straw for? I've never heard of it. It is sure some kind of a tinder box under those trees that would burn fast and hot.

The guys that are making the money from pine trees up here are the ones growing Christmas trees. Pruning is a lot of work, but the payback is only 5-6 years, not 30. Christmas trees would make for good cover for wildlife too. When our trees were little, they sheltered deer and rabbits. Now they are big and it is very sterile under those pines. For a buffer I wish that dad had planted spruce trees at least around the outside.

[ncboman]

I've got 3,000 mature norway pine trees on my property up north that dad planted back in the 60's as a buffer to screen the lake and filter out the dust from the then dirt road. Actually for a few hundred dollars per acre, I would rather have the buffer and the view instead of a stump filled field. What do they use pine straw for? I've never heard of it. It is sure some kind of a tinder box under those trees that would burn fast and hot.

The guys that are making the money from pine trees up here are the ones growing Christmas trees. Pruning is a lot of work, but the payback is only 5-6 years, not 30. Christmas trees would make for good cover for wildlife too. When our trees were little, they sheltered deer and rabbits. Now they are big and it is very sterile under those pines. For a buffer I wish that dad had planted spruce trees at least around the outside.

I doan know the value of a mature Norway pine but I'd sure check it out if I were you. People around here get filthy rich when they cut timber.