Age of sitka spruce for clearfell

cat320

At what age does sitka spruce mature enough for clearfelling? Mine are growing for 30ish years now,some are being uprooted due to winds/storms, got advice from a couple of sources and one said they should be left for another 10 years for maximum profit, the saw mill said it can be cut now..What are..

1, your views on this?

2, Would you wait on?

3, What kind of price should I be getting for the timber?

4, If we were to harvest, when and what could we replant there?

Many thanks, JOHN.

greenfingers89

cat320 wrote: »

1, your views on this?

2, Would you wait on?

3, What kind of price should I be getting for the timber?

4, If we were to harvest, when and what could we replant there?
.

1.....are we talking a sitka forest or another row of trees like the douglas fir? how many acres? (roughly)

2.....have they been thinned?

3.....have they been thinned?

4.....you could replant immediately after the lop and top are heaped up somewhat tidy and drainage is done (if required) depending on the quality of the site you may have many or very few options on what species to replant. what type of soil is it? is it deep? is it an exposed site? is it high above sea level? are there deer in the area?

cat320

greenfingers89 wrote: »

1.....are we talking a sitka forest or another row of trees like the douglas fir? how many acres? (roughly)

2.....have they been thinned?

3.....have they been thinned?

4.....you could replant immediately after the lop and top are heaped up somewhat tidy and drainage is done (if required) depending on the quality of the site you may have many or very few options on what species to replant. what type of soil is it? is it deep? is it an exposed site? is it high above sea level? are there deer in the area?

It is a forest, about 5 acres,

Yes they have been thinned,

It is a clayish boggy nature, It is deep not really exposed, about 400 feet over sea level..

No deer in the area only green ones with yellow wheels:D

Wild Bill

If they are starting to blow, it might be best to cut them now. What is the average tree size?

$kilkenny

best to cut it all down now, the reccomended age for sitka or the majority of softwoods is 30 years to clearfell.
the reason the sawmill said go now is due to the fact that they cannot or dont even want large timber as they cant proccess it.
if its starting to fall over its due to being to high so yes it would be best to go ASAP.

doesnt make a difference if its thinned or not, if its starting to fall then it has to go. even if it wasnt thinned there wouldnt be any use in thinning it now as the reason for thinning at 15-18 years is to allow the canopy to close over again, first thinning a stand over around 20-22 years will result in the whole stand on timber falling over due to the roots not bedding into the soil.

Reindeer

Ask the mill what size logs they can take and what they want, then measure your trees. Falling can be due to a lot of reasons, do you have photos, have you checked the roots and tops and boles of the fallen trees for signs of pathogens etc? What quality is the soil? Are they mixed with other conifers? Usually 41-80 years is good for a mill in the states, but you need to find out what your local mill will do and want. Even in the states there are only a few mills left that can handle 80 year trees of DBH 32"+.

This may be because I am a timber cruiser, but I suggest you have someone out there in person that knows a bit more about this.