Logging/Timber Sales

As we mentioned in the Removal House, occasionally we can recover part of the cost of tree removal with either foreign ("export") or domestic log sales. Timber logs can be divided into four main markets or product categories:

•  lumber products
•  pulp
•  "peelers" (plywood laminate and veneers)
•  poles

Lumber products further divide by species into "softwood" and "hardwood.” Depending on their species and quality, lumber logs will go either to foreign markets as "export" logs or to domestic mills. High quality Douglas-fir - straight, few branch knots, average length 32' - 40' usually goes to Asian buyers. High quality hemlock and sometimes western red cedar or even large bigleaf maple logs will often wind up in Japan or Korea. Recently, western red cedar has brought high prices in the domestic market (local mills).

Species native to the Pacific Northwest, low quality hemlock, cottonwood, alder, and maple provide the lion's share of pulp and paper material to local mills.

"Peeler" logs (or "peeler poles") can come from any species. Very straight cottonwood with little or no branching often nets higher returns sold as a peeler log instead of going to the pulp mill.
Pole logs go to the utilities and consist mainly of hemlock and cedar.