The Rural Voice, 2000-11, Page 41Andrew Grindlay
the proper way to sell logs when the
time comes to do that.
Say you have a woodlot that has
been silently producing value year
after year with little or no attention
from you. You could turn over a few
acres of it to the child right now and
help him or her to begin the learning
process. Start by clearly defining the
boundaries, not by nailing signs on
the trees — that's hard on trees —
but by spraying a ring of bright red
paint around a few trees on each
boundary.
Next, you and the child should
take an inventory of the trees in the
woodlot, recording the number of
each species and their sizes. It
doesn't have to be perfect — an
approximation will do. Then the
management process can begin.
There might be some trees that are
ready for harvest right now, allowing
you to demonstrate how to sell trees
with maximum return and minimum
damage to the environment. The next
step is to identify, perhaps with a spot
of blue paint, about 100 crop trees per
acre that you and the child will
monitor over the years to ensure they
have plenty of room to grow and, by
pruning, ensuring that the trees grow
limb -free to a height of at least 17
feet. And no tapping. Tapping
practically eliminates the possibility
of ever getting a veneer log out of a
tree and veneer logs currently fetch
about five times as much as sawlogs.
Is it all worth while? You bet it is.
Not only is there a tremendous
learning opportunity for the child,
there is a very good possibility that
he or she could earn some serious
coin for the effort. For example, Paul
De Cloet of Tillsonburg bought a
woodlot in 1979 as a hobby. He now
owns 13 of them, comprising 900
acres and harvests them on a regular
basis. Recently he sold 200 high-
quality trees, many of which
contained a veneer -quality log. For •
the 200 trees, he was paid $90,000,
meaning that the trees averaged $450
each. The best tree fetched $2000.
These amounts are not typical, of
BERNIE McGLYNN
LUMBER LTD.
BUYER OF HARDWOOD BUSHLOTS
Wholesaler - Hardwood Lumber
Box 385. R.R. 2.
Wingham, Ont. NOG 2W0
BERNIE McGLYNN
Ph/Fax (519) 357-1430
SAWMILL -
Ph/Fax (519) 357.3777
(519) 367-5789
WINGHAM
FORESTRY SERVICE
R.R. #1. Wingham
Ontario NOG 2W0
TREE MARKING FOR TIMBER
SALES OR FUEL WOOD
CALL (519) 335-6768
MURRAY HALL -
FORESTRY TECHNICIAN
�PP�\14L."4 Z
Ilt)COLA 5."
er
Marvin L. Smith
B.Sc.F. (Forestry), R.P.F.
Farm Woodland Specialist
570 Riverview Dr.
Listowel, Ontario N4W 3T7
Telephone: (519) 291-2236
Providing advice and assistance with:
• impartial advice/assistance in selling timber,
including selection of trees and marking
• reforestation of erodible or idle land
• follow-up tending of young plantations
• windbreak planning and establishment
• woodlot management planning
• diagnosis of insect and disease problems
• conducting educational programs in woodlot
management
• any other woodland or tree concerns
tVe NeW
P
3,:K -';-
Maitland
Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority
Financial and
technical
support.
Assistance with
the development
of planting plans
and maintenance
guidelines.
Call us at 519
335-3557 for
information and
application
forms.
TREE PLANTING
SERVICES
Reforestation Assistance Service
(Seedlings)
This service provides assistance to
landowners who are reforesting
marginal lands or planting field
windbreaks. Our experienced staff
will assist you in choosing species
and creating a planting plan. Plant
your own seedlings or have us do the
planting for you. Call us for
information and application forms.
..fr,Nf
Maitland Valley Conservation Authority
�j Jam` Boos 127, Wroxeter, Ont. NOG 2x0
519.335.3557 Fax 519.335.3516
Celebrating 50 years of conservation!
NOVEMBER 2000 37