Value of walnut tree

[Dale Fitzgerald]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this so feel free to move it if necessary.

My brother has a walnut tree that he wants to cut down for fire wood. I am trying to convince him that he should sell it to someone who will cut it into lumber. The tree is about 30" in diameter at the base and is very straight with no limbs for at least the first 20 feet. Could someone give me an estimate of what this tree might be worth? He lives in the Nashville TN area if that helps.

Thanks for the help.

[Chuck Wintle]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this so feel free to move it if necessary.

My brother has a walnut tree that he wants to cut down for fire wood. I am trying to convince him that he should sell it to someone who will cut it into lumber. The tree is about 30" in diameter at the base and is very straight with no limbs for at least the first 20 feet. Could someone give me an estimate of what this tree might be worth? He lives in the Nashville TN area if that helps.

Thanks for the help.

it would be worth a lot more as lumber.

[Andrew Hughes]

Good luck trying to get someone to pay you to take out your tree.The reality is http://youtu.be/iTgQHWQoatg

[Jamie Buxton]

Convert the main trunk to lumber. There will still be lots of firewood from the upper trunk and the branches.

[Jebediah Eckert]

I assume your a woodworker being on this post? Maybe you could find a portable mill guy to come over and split the yield with you? If it's an easy drop maybe find a mill guy that can also drop it and you and your brother can provide the labor for limbing it etc. Split on the yield, if it's a nice tree, would be appealing to the mill guy maybe.

I did a basement clean out fo a family that the father had passed away. There was a nice, maybe 24"-30", walnut tree. Straight and nice. The father took care of it since planted and said in the 80's he was offered $1,000 for it standing. He refused and intended on using it for furniture himself.

They wanted me to pay at least $1,000 for it, fully cleaned up, and the stump ground. Not a chance. I said the best I could do would be to drop it, clean up, and I would make them something on the larger side, or some boxes for each of them kids (4), or something along those lines out of the lumber when it was ready. One of the kids was tough to deal with and he angrily refused when he was told of the offer. He knew everything and said it was worth about $2,0000 at least.

The moral of the story was the house was sold with the tree still standing. The kids remember their whole life the father taking care of the tree and the only thing they have of it is the memories. I was later told the best they could do, after shopping it around, was one tree guy would drop it, chip it into the yard, and leave the stump. He would keep the wood and would only charge them $250 for the job instead of the usual $500 he would price it at.

The daughters regret not taking my offer.

[Matt Day]

Is it a yard tree? If so, you'll likely find a lot of metal in it that will tear up sawmill blades. Some guys won't touch it and sole will but charge you for each ruined blade.

[Tom M King]

I don't think there would be too much trouble finding someone who would want that butt log. Post the location in the sawmill forum.

[Wade Lippman]

I have seen standing walnut trees on CL for sale. I doubted they would sell, so just for fun I posted that I had a 4' diameter tree and wanted offers. Two people offered me $500. If that was the best I could get, I doubt a 30" tree would be saleable.

But if he does try to sell it, it is prudent to make sure the buyer has proper insurance.

[Dave Zellers]

The daughters regret not taking my offer.

As well they should. You were being very generous AND trying to accommodate the sentimentality of the situation. I bet even the son now regrets not having a piece made from his fathers tree.

Such a shame when people get in their own way.

[Andrew Joiner]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this so feel free to move it if necessary.

My brother has a walnut tree that he wants to cut down for fire wood. I am trying to convince him that he should sell it to someone who will cut it into lumber. The tree is about 30" in diameter at the base and is very straight with no limbs for at least the first 20 feet. Could someone give me an estimate of what this tree might be worth? He lives in the Nashville TN area if that helps.

Thanks for the help.

My neighbor had a walnut exactly that size. He asked my opinion of what it was worth. I told him probably not much as it's a yard tree with barely any access for a loader. I suggested he get some bids. To my surprise a well known walnut dealer in Portland paid him $1,200 for it! The other bidders wanted him to pay $800 to $1500 to cut it into firewood and haul it away.

It always pays to look at all your options.

[Jebediah Eckert]

Wow, that's a score getting $1,200. You figure you may get somewhere around 600 bd foot out of the two 8' logs? Nowhere near that will anything but common grade boards unless your lucky. If I remember correctly walnut sap wood knocks it down to "common" unless it's steamed to blend the color better. With a mill, kiln, steam, and waiting customers I guess, but $1,200 doesn't leave much "meat on the bone". A few high dollar slabs would help but still.....

I bet based on the family saying he bragged about the value of the tree there are several more dozen people now that think their walnut yard tree is worth the same. These stories all seem to be walnut? My lumber yard has Cherry prices on par with Walnut, but those high priced tree buyers only seem to buy Walnut.

Around here on CL you will often see an ad for a dying Walnut tree, growing over a house, "now accepting offers".......I can't imagine any of them go for anything other then maybe a discount on the tree service fees.

Now if they are an easy drop, with easy access, it would definitely be worth having a portable mill come in and sell the boards as it comes off the mill.

[Tom M King]

Worth a look, and maybe a few phone calls: http://woodmizer.com/us/Services/Find-a-Local-Sawyer

[Dale Fitzgerald]

Thanks for all the opinions. The tree is in a field with many other trees so there is no risk of property damage and I doubt if there are any nails in it. I'll suggest the Woodmizer site and see if he can work something out.

[Danny Hamsley]

I estimated the volume at 400 BF on the international 1/4" log scale. At $2.00 per board foot international scale, I would pay you about $800 for the log if it was felled and trimmed to length.

[Cody Colston]

[QUOTE=Andrew Joiner;2529450] The other bidders wanted him to pay $800 to $1500 to cut it into firewood and haul it away.

QUOTE]

This is the more probable worth...you pay someone to remove the tree.