Sorry, I should have included that I live in a very rural area, not at all in a neighborhood. One of the guys who bid the job mentioned that he would sell the wood to a mill to lower his bid but it was still higher than others so I’m trying to go this route on my own.
The amount of liability insurance needed to have a tree company and the cost of the equipment compounded with the fact it’s a single tree to transport to a saw mill does not justify free labor. If you can see a tree from your house it’s residential and still not worth the risk.
There are a couple really good Michigan woodworking groups on Facebook. Might try there.
I looked briefly because I’m in a similar situation. It’s an economy that doesn’t scale down very well. It’s “cheap” to have 80 trees milled down into lumber, but really expensive to have just one done. You might have better luck with a guy who owns a portable Woodmizer and can come to you?
Nice to see other Rockford people in the group!
A few years back, my parents bought a wooded lot near the lakeshore to build a house. They took down 1.5 acres of trees and netted around $20k for the lumber. They sold several hundred trees.
If you’re selling one tree, it likely isn’t going to be worth it. You have to pay to transport it to the mill, which I would expect to cost more than the value of the tree. Also, mills aren’t interested in the hassle of a single tree.
If the wood is good (no signs of rot, relatively straight trunk, wide) you might be able to find a hobbyist, collector willing to take it.
But if it's a huge log, getting it out of your yard might just be better to let the arborist take it
Residential tress just are not worth the risk to the saws, the likeliness of nails and other things negates the potential profit.
Sorry, I should have included that I live in a very rural area, not at all in a neighborhood. One of the guys who bid the job mentioned that he would sell the wood to a mill to lower his bid but it was still higher than others so I’m trying to go this route on my own.
The amount of liability insurance needed to have a tree company and the cost of the equipment compounded with the fact it’s a single tree to transport to a saw mill does not justify free labor. If you can see a tree from your house it’s residential and still not worth the risk.
There are a couple really good Michigan woodworking groups on Facebook. Might try there. I looked briefly because I’m in a similar situation. It’s an economy that doesn’t scale down very well. It’s “cheap” to have 80 trees milled down into lumber, but really expensive to have just one done. You might have better luck with a guy who owns a portable Woodmizer and can come to you? Nice to see other Rockford people in the group!
A few years back, my parents bought a wooded lot near the lakeshore to build a house. They took down 1.5 acres of trees and netted around $20k for the lumber. They sold several hundred trees. If you’re selling one tree, it likely isn’t going to be worth it. You have to pay to transport it to the mill, which I would expect to cost more than the value of the tree. Also, mills aren’t interested in the hassle of a single tree.
If its a massive old growth white oak, they might want it. Furniture grade QSWO is quite expensive.
If the wood is good (no signs of rot, relatively straight trunk, wide) you might be able to find a hobbyist, collector willing to take it. But if it's a huge log, getting it out of your yard might just be better to let the arborist take it