# Tree removal - keeping some of the wood



## cjones (Dec 2, 2013)

I have 3 good sized (30'+ tall) sweet gum trees and one 40'+ tall pine that I need to get cut out of my back yard.

Before I start calling around to get quotes, is it 'assumed' that the tree removal guys keep the wood?  Do they sell/use the wood for something as part of their business or are they scrapping it somewhere and charging me for the 'disposal' fee?

I wouldn't mind keeping some of the smaller stuff to burn in our fireplace every once in a while and a few of the bigger trunk sections to tinker with making some furniture-ish stuff for the back porch.

Will me wanting to keep some of the wood affect the price either way?


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## dwhee87 (Dec 2, 2013)

I'd guess for only three trees, they'd likely just haul it to the dump, so if you are keeping some, they should not charge any more, and depending on how much you keep, may charge a little less. 

I'm getting ready to start a project and need 8 acres cleared, and can't get anyone interested in it even if I throw in the timber. Apparently, the market is saturated.


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## The Longhunter (Dec 2, 2013)

cjones said:


> I have 3 good sized (30'+ tall) sweet gum trees and one 40'+ tall pine that I need to get cut out of my back yard.
> 
> Before I start calling around to get quotes, is it 'assumed' that the tree removal guys keep the wood?  Do they sell/use the wood for something as part of their business or are they scrapping it somewhere and charging me for the 'disposal' fee?
> 
> ...


>>>>>>


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## mattech (Dec 2, 2013)

I had a guy come in this spring mainly to take down a huge sweet gum that leaned over the house. I told him just to drop it and Iwould do the rest. He told me he charges a minimum of one hour ($200). It took him ten minutes to fig it up with his bobcat and he just started clearing more stuff until he got to an hour. He put it all in one big pile for me to burn. He aaccidentally bumped my downspout and knocked off 50 bucks. He never seemed like he wanted any of the wood at all.


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## Walker44 (Dec 2, 2013)

Had a huge hickory and Oak cut off my property in OCT , They just cut it down and then cut off  the leafy parts and chipped them on my property  The downed trees were Cut " fire length " and left on the ground, They really had no interest in the wood and even said if they hauled it away they would have to charge more


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## cjones (Dec 2, 2013)

The Longhunter said:


> In your case, everyone needs the life experience of splitting a load of gum. You will be a better person.



Yeah.... No thanks.  We didn't have gas heat until I was up in high school.  We had a homemade splitter that we ran off of the hydraulics on a MF 265.  Even that would take a few runs to get all the way through a good log.


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## southernman13 (Dec 2, 2013)

*Sweet gum*

Gum wood burns good but it pops quite a bit. Don't know if I'd burn it inside the house unless you have a screen on your fireplace. That's  been my experience anyway.


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## biggdogg (Dec 2, 2013)

southernman13 said:


> Gum wood burns good but it pops quite a bit. Don't know if I'd burn it inside the house unless you have a screen on your fireplace. That's  been my experience anyway.



^^^this^^^

And you definitely don't want to burn pine in the fireplace.


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## 7Mag Hunter (Dec 2, 2013)

Sweet gum is hard to split.....
You are gonna need a sledge hammer and good wedge....


and Beer..............................................


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## cjones (Dec 2, 2013)

We have burned some gum in the fireplace from the smaller trees that I took down on my own earlier this year.  Unfortunately, the remaining ones are closer to the house and my wife doesn't trust my skills. 

I won't try to split any of the big pieces.  I'll take a saw to them and try to make a bench or table or something with them.

Sounds like I might be able to have someone come in and take them down, grind the stumps, and leave the cleanup to me.  I'm ok with that.  Sweat equity and all that stuff...

Thanks for the info.


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## Georgia Hard Hunter (Dec 2, 2013)

wood services mostly have backstocks of wood right now,we've had several winters in a row of very little cold weather


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## shakey gizzard (Dec 2, 2013)

cjones said:


> We have burned some gum in the fireplace from the smaller trees that I took down on my own earlier this year.  Unfortunately, the remaining ones are closer to the house and my wife doesn't trust my skills.
> 
> I won't try to split any of the big pieces.  I'll take a saw to them and try to make a bench or table or something with them.
> 
> ...



Mature sweetgums seem to the most prone for lightning strikes also. get rid of em!


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## EAGLE EYE 444 (Dec 2, 2013)

7Mag Hunter said:


> Sweet gum is hard to split.....
> You are gonna need three BIG sledge hammers and 6 good wedges and 16 world class lumberjacks and lots of BEER !!!!!!!




There, I fixed it for you !!!   I remember when  I was about 12-18 years old and I did my share of splitting a few sweet gums but thankfully mostly regular hardwood.


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## buckmanmike (Dec 3, 2013)

We had some sweetgums cut a few years ago. Had them cut to fireplace length. Then hauled them to deer camp and used them as a rear "wall" of firepit. They burnt slow but reflected fire heat toward us. Have a couple more to get rid of soon, will do the same.
  I've heard they use sweetgum trees to make chop sticks, so maybe you can sell them to some oriental friends.


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## ribber (Dec 3, 2013)

i had 2 very large oaks taken down 3 years ago and they did not want the wood, and it would have cost me extra for them to haul it all off. Guy said that he sold very little firewood and basically didn't want it. He took the huge trunks and the small limbs, and cut the rest into @20" pieces for firewood. I gave a lot of it to friends, took tons of it to hunting club, and burned a lot at home, and I've still got some. So to answer your question, it will cost you more for them to haul.


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## Walker44 (Dec 3, 2013)

7Mag Hunter said:


> Sweet gum is hard to split.....
> You are gonna need a sledge hammer and good wedge....
> 
> 
> and Beer..............................................


   About the wedge  about  6 years ago I picked up a great wedge called a  " hand Garnade "   it is about 10 inches long and Diamond shaped   about a 3 inch top tapering to a point . when it splits it does like 5 facets   It was a Slundge hammer and a good stump   that thing will split anything after 5 - 6 blows      You might find it on ebay now I never saw them again in Home Depot     +++++++ Since posting found it on Ebay   Called a diamond Maul  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Diamond-Fir...1?pt=US_Fuel_and_Firewood&hash=item3387bdc42d


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## Anvil Head (Dec 4, 2013)

Sweetgum has a tendency to spit wedges back at you, even the "grenade". Has a very low effort to BTU ratio, but is great exercise.


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## Atlanta Dawg (Dec 4, 2013)

sweet gum and pine are not good at all for a fire place.  Yes-they charge more to haul it off.  If you don't live in a subdivision as an example and the tree's can be dragged off somewhere out of the way to rot up or be burnt that is a good solution.  However-I had to have an Oak Tree cut down as it was leaning over the house and the tree company cut up the whole thing in fire wood lengths-and chipped the small limbs on site.  It was easier for them and great for me as I took the entire tree to our hunting camp over time and we split it into stove wood .  Pine leaves resin in the chimney and will become a fire hazard eventually if a lot of it is burned-as was said before-sweet gum is hard to split and pops and spits embers-


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