When is the best time to cut down trees for paper or lumber?

Question

We have 4.75 acres with 1 acre cleared for living. We are going to cut down another 2 or 3 for food production. When is the best time to cut down trees for pulp wood (Paper and Engineered wood products) and when is the best time to cut for lumber (hard and soft)? We live in SC. There are mostly pulp processors in our state but I can mill if I feel the price for pulp is poor. We have loblolly pines (mostly pulp), sweet gum (great for furniture and pulp) and red and white oak (some very good for lumber runs to 40'). Any help would be appreciated.

Thank You

Frank Pytel

Answer 1

i dont know how it is in your area, but we are able to contact lumber companies here in texas and they send out crews to do it and cut when it is nessary to cut

Answer 2

Cut when there is no moon. Or in other words, at the bottom of the lunar cycle. There will be less sap in the wood.

Answer 3

The winter is the best time to cut timber to be milled for the reasons mentioned above and also most of the loggers are farmers that cut timber during the winter months. Have your land logged off of everything that is big enough and a good enough quality for lumber because it will be worth a lot more than pulp wood. Then have them come in and clear cut the rest for pulp.

Answer 4

for lumber, The important thing is that you mill them soon after cutting.  Species is also important, the pine will turn blue if you let it lay long, which does not affect its strength for framing, but its up to you or the end user as to weather you like the look or not if it will be used for paneling, flooring or other visually uses. On the oak, if it's clear consider veneer, Clear veneer logs bring top  dollar sometimes over $1/bdft the next grade down usually around 1/2 to 3/4 that price, and are worth hauling, but they have to be nearly perfect. visit a mill and have there log grader show you how to cut them a log may be worth more if you cut 2 ft off of it if those 2 feet are full of defects (knots, limbs, or cat faces).

You might also consider some of the white oak (low grade logs) for fence post, or other outdoor uses as its heart is rot resistant.  red oak and sapwood of l  (the lighter colored wood just under the bark) all species however will rot quickly

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Answer 5

According to my logger neighbor who just took some trees down for us, the best time to cut down trees is in the winter.  The sap is down so the wood will cure faster for every purpose.  Including get less or none of the black fungus fresh milled wood gets up here in the spring and summer.