Originally Posted by CNC
Originally Posted by T-hatchie
Originally Posted by CNC
I got a couple of questions for the group……

Are we talking about just letting it go at whatever density reseeds in or is there a plan for thinning them out to a reasonable density when they’re still young?....What means are you going to use to thin them?

If you just let it reseed and it grows so thick that none of the pines are ever merchantable……How much money did you lose over that amount of time by not replanting?......In other words if the volunteer method brings you $0 per acre in future timber sales because it was too thick or it brings you very little value because its trash…….then how much did you lose by not spending the $400 upfront and cutting $2200 of good pine later??......or whatever the total value may be for the life of that pine stand……Is that a consideration??

Financially, I can find no market factors that show pine timber values coming back to a point where it would impact management decisions (like it did in the 90’s and early 2000’s). I back fired 40 acres of 5 year old re-seeded and severely overstocked cutover and the remaining loblolly are growing well. I would go the cheaper route here.

So where would the line in the sand be for you on what IS worth replanting??

Lots of reasons to plant trees and I kick a dibble bar every year. But for pure ROI projections from fiber value given multiple highest and best use scenarios…I’m not sure there even is a line in the sand for a small to medium size private landowner.