Harvesting for Pulp

[John Faller]

I have 2 stands of scotch pines that I've been looking to have removed to makes space for deciduous plantings.  The only possibilities that ive been able to come up with is to have someone come in and pulp them.  Is this a feasible option for someone with only maybe 10-20 acres to be done?  If you know a better solution or know someone who does pulping on a smaller scale please let me know.

[Peter Smallidge]

Hi John:

 

Great question.  These are perhaps old and forgotten Christmas tree plantations, windbreaks, or general conifer plantings.  Common in many areas.  The economics of harvesting for low grade wood, like pulp, often necessitate that the harvest have sufficient volume to offset the costs of moving and setting up equipment.  Unless there is some unusual value in your trees or unusual circumstance for a local logger, I doubt you will be able to sell or give away the trees as pulp or other low-grade.

 

Here are some options to consider, some or all may apply:

1. Check with NRCS in your county to see what if any EQIP cost-share funds are available to offset the costs of site preparation for tree planting.
2. Consider retaining some of the conifers as "nurse" trees to shelter and encourage good form on your deciduous trees.  The number of conifers you leave per acre would depend on tree height and the deciduous species you will plant.
3. Consider leaving some or all of the conifers lying on the ground as a barrier for deer that might otherwise browse your hardwoods.  If you go this route, perhaps you can plant first, then fell the conifers, otherwise you will thrash around in conifer tops while planting.  The logistics of this would be potentially a challenge and the aesthetics would be unusual, but the ecological and financial advantage may offset the costs.
4. If the trees are of sawable size, perhaps a neighbor would do some cutting and skidding to have the logs for a portable bandsaw. Any of your neighbors planning to build a barn?
5. Be alert in the years after the cutting for invasive species.  Many undesirable shrubs have seeds in soils and will respond promptly to newly available sunlight.
6. Depending on the circumstances and your perspective, some herbicides as a stem injection or frill might be easier than felling the trees if you have to do the work.  This will leave behind standing dead snags, nice for woodpeckers and such, but a hazard for anyone in the area for the next 10 to 15 years.
7. Contact your local office of your state forestry agency and see if a "public service forester" (AKA private lands forester) is available to walk the areas and brainstorm some strategies.  The forester might also have some ideas on who if anyone would do the work.

 

Good luck....hopefully you can report back on your strategy.  Feel free to include a picture of the stand so others can see what you are working with.  I believe you can upload a picture within the forum question response window.

 

Sincerely,

Peter

 

[Richard D. Mayko]

John and Peter: In my area of the US ( SD, MN, NE, IA) trees are being chipped and sent to mills where they are used for making various wood products and/or for fuel for the mill to use to operate. I also know they are being used for animal/livestock bedding or for the conversion to ethanol or for use in power plants to generate electricity. I think those would be some of the avenues I would look into for use of the Scotch pine resource.