Well,

You are going to have some clear cut areas, unless you want your fields to be used for the loading areas, and I do not recommend using existing fields for loading areas.

So, you will need to pick out area(s) for loading sites. Also figure where you want all the limbs, and unusable wood to be laid and placed. If you do any burning, these areas do not need to be close to existing timber unless you want to possibly kill some standing timber with the heat produced by the burn.

Many other things come into play.

Selecting the loggers is the biggest factor in providing the finished cut and your satisfaction in the end.

Ask what the logger needs to get per loads/day to make a go for his operation.
Normally, a logger with a high load volume per day isn't going to provide the best thinning job, but would be better for clear cut operations. So a logger that specializes in thinning is what you are looking for in your situation.

A 3 wheel cutter (narrower and easier to maneuver) will do a better job in tight situations than most 4 wheel cutters with wider widths and tires. If the operator of the 3 wheel cutter is good, he is able to do less damage to the surrounding trees, particularly with row spacing and how it is cut. It's difficult to find a 3 wheel cutter though, so this may not be an option.

A logger/sorter that does a quality job of sorting the timber and sizing is also a necessity for what money you're going to make.


Just a few of my thoughts which I don't think have been mentioned.
I'm by no means an expert or know it all, and could be wrong in my thoughts, so take it for what it is, an opinion.

God Bless,
David B.

https://youtu.be/JU2JF3GaGeY
This is a good sized field here IMO. Just right