I'm harvesting a few trees from my property for my own use as saw logs and firewood. A friend saw some of my logs and a some of my trees and suggested they might be worth a premium to high-end wood suppliers.

The tree growing out of the hillside and the one with the huge crotch 30' up are chestnut oak, just over 24" at shoulder height. The other cut crotch is a white oak (3' x 5').

Obviously I'm an amateur hobbyist and I'm really just trolling for information. If some of my logs or timber are worth cutting and selling I'd like to get more information on how a hobbyist like me goes about putting his goods on the market.

Any advice welcome.

Thanks.
Mark

View higher quality, full size image (3648 X 2736)

View higher quality, full size image (3648 X 2736)

View higher quality, full size image (3648 X 2736)

I use wood like that all the time. It has no value, and I never pay for it. The crotch in the bottom picture has major bark inclusion - you will have a limited amount of feather figure in that piece. The stresses in the piece that is growing sideways would require someone who knows what they are doing to saw it and dry it and still end up with a decent piece of wood. Hate to see it all burn, but one has to stay warm, that's for sure.

Mark,
One variable you'll need to consider, that you didn't mention, is how many acres of timber do you wish to sell? As ESL mentioned, the two trees in the photos you posted have serious issues, however, it's difficult to get an assessment of the entire stand from just a few photos. Most loggers will want a minimum of 20 acres or so (some more than that), due to their fixed costs in moving to and from your property. If you have that much timber you want to sell, then you may consider contacting a consulting forester, who can 'cruise' your timber, and give you an estimate of what it's worth (your local county forestry office can give you a list of consultants in your area). Prepare yourself, though, if you harvest, as the logger will leave all of the tree tops (the laps), and your property will look nothing like it does now.
If you don't have that much timber to sell, your best bet is to continue doing what you're doing- cutting a few trees at a time for personal use. You may consider cutting your stumps low to the ground, as they typically resprout, and you want the new sprouts to be as close to the ground as you can get.
Finally, if you haven't thought of it already, you may want to think 'safety'. Using a chainsaw can be very dangerous. It is highly recommended to use chainsaw chaps, hard hat, eye protection, just to name a few. Cutting trees that lean heavy and that are on steep slopes are more difficult to cut, and warrant extra precautions.
Best of luck,
Tommy

Check with your state forestry department.
Here they will come out and give you a free
assessment. Then for a small fee. They will mark suggested trees to cut and give you a list of preferred/known loggers and sample contracts.

Any of those (except the stem of the tall one) would have no value for lumber in the commercial sense. On the other hand, the one leaning up hill would make a great arched sign... if you can find someone who wants it. That tree will be especially tricky to cut down and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone without considerable experience. Tommy has good advice on safety.