The Rural Voice, 1996-10, Page 29the Zink to making at least some
farmers aware of the resources of
their woodlot. Fortunately, Roland
says, the expertise hasn't been' lost
because the the former MNR
employees are operating as private
consultants. "There's money to be
made in woodlots and many farmers
aren't utilizing it at all."
Eccles says a well-managed
woodlot will return $150 per acre
per year to a farm operation. The
problem is that with a lot of farmers,
the woodlot is that land at the back of
the farm they don't crop. "The first
person that walks in and says 'I'll
give you $10,000' — they think
they'vejound a gold mine." He
recalls marking. trees for one farmer
who admitted it was the first time in
25 years he'd been in the bush.
Hardwood prices have been
driven upwards, Eccles says,
by shortages in the U.S. where
two large Michigan mills cut
so many trees that they starved
themselves out of business and
closed within months of each other,
creating a demand that sent
hardwood lumber prices soaring. The
upward pressure was increased when
the U.S. Forest Service expanded its
forest reserve by 25-30 per cent to
protect the spotted owl from
extinction. Indications are prices
should remain fairly firm because the
European Economic Community is
instituting a policy under its green
plan saying it will only accept logs
from managed woodlots, and is
willing to pay more to get them.
"There will always be fluctuations up
and down," Eccles says, "but the
trend is up." Particularly in demand
is quality hard maple and Ontario is
one of the prime locations for that
wood.
Roland agrees that while woodlot
owners now have to pay for services
they got free from MNR before, it's
still a good bargain. Smith says the
cost of advice from an expert in
marking a bush is a mere fraction of
the added value the landowner can
get out of a bush.
Eccles says marketing, as well as
marking, is one of the services
consultants can offer. He gives the
case of one large bush with 150,000
board feet of timber in it that was put
up for bidding among eight buyers.
The difference between the top bid
j�a-41711
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519-529-3666
Jake Hovius 519-482-9762
Peter Parent 519-524-9682
1st Annual -
Grey Bruce
Fait WoocTTot Tour
Visit 6 Local Properties
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Forest Management Objectives
Pre -register with Georgian College,
5'19.372-3200
Sponsored by: Grey County Forest
Stewardship Network, Ministry of
Natural Resources, Georgian College
_ ) Ministry of
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FINE HARDWOOD PRODUCTS SINCE 1872
R.R. #1, Highway 23 North Listowel, Ontario,
Canada N4W 3G6
Five generations of
woodlot management
Member of Ontario
Forestry Association
1-800-367-3056
(519) 291-4890
Fax (519) 291-5641
OCTOBER 1996 25