How it works
Say you have a tree on your property that falls in a windstorm or is standing dead in the front yard and needs to come down for safety reasons. You hate to see this beautiful tree go to waste or be thrown in the chipper or burn pile. That’s where we come in. We love saving trees and giving them a second life. We would love to talk to you about salvaging your logs and putting them to good use.
Does Ursa pay for trees?
While commercial mills will pay for “sawlogs” that are delivered to the mill on truck or trailer, scaled onsite and paid either by ton or by MBF (1000 Board Feet), they are usually harvested from a large timber tract with traditional logging techniques and loaded onto log trucks at a landing with a log loader (knuckleboom). Commercial mills also don’t accept “Yard Trees” or trees that could potentially have metal in them due to nails or wire from birdhouses, no trespassing signs, fence lines, forgotten relics the tree grew around, etc. We do.
We love saving and using these awesome hardwoods. It’s a passion. If we are recovering the logs ourselves, we’d be bringing our own log moving equipment (trucks, tractors, wheel loaders, mini excavator, etc), hauling them over road, insurance, fuel, and time recovering, securing and hauling back to our mill which would likely be more valuable in time than the log would be worth delivered to a commercial mill. We look at it as a fair swap and good karma for all.
But I would like to keep some of it.
We offer custom mobile on-site milling for those that would like to have their logs milled, “sticked” and stacked on the property. Every job is different with access, equipment available, log recovery, etc. Contact us for a free consultation.
Customers wanting some but not the majority of the log can purchase lumber either green once cut back at the mill or after they are dried at 10% off of the current retail price.
Logs delivered to the mill can be milled, sticked and stacked at an hourly rate and can be picked up “green” (stickers not included at time of pickup but can be included for a fee).
Kiln-drying can be arranged as well and is charged by the board foot. Currently, we are using an experienced kiln operator just up the road from our mill site. The kiln is an electric-powered Nyle dehumidification (DH) kiln. Fresh out of the kiln, we aim for 8-10% moisture content (m.c.)
Do you cut trees down?
We are not tree care professionals and are not licensed as such. If the tree in question is near a structure or power lines, we can’t recommend using a licensed tree-care professional more and we have a few we love working with. In fact, many times we can coordinate with the tree companies and load the logs onto the trailer the same day. If you’d like recommendations please ask.
If the tree is already on the ground, we can cut to length and move logs with our chainsaws and equipment no problem.
Do you also make furniture and woodcrafts?
Will does! Will has his own custom furniture company the Wm. Walker Co. (www.wmwalkerco.com) and is happy to talk to customers about their needs, but we also encourage other craftspeople to use our sustainable hardwood.
Glossary
We could write a book on wood, and we might one day, but for now, here are just a few key terms to get you speaking the language
Boardfoot (bdft): a volumetric unit based on one square foot of a board, one inch thick or 1”x12”x1′.
The formula for boardfeet is- [thickness(in) x width(in) x length (ft)] divided by 12
For example a board measuring 1-1/2”x 14” x 7′ would be
(1.5x14x7)/12= 12.25bdft
If it were Cherry at say $6/bdft that would be 12.25×6 = $73.50
Sawyer: A sawmill operator who determines the best way to process a log.
Kiln: A large temperature and airflow-controlled vessel used for drying wood to a low moisture content (MC%) to make lumber more suitable for furniture applications and sanitize any insects that may be hiding in the wood.
Green: a term used in the industry to note “fresh cut” with very high moisture content.
Sticker(sticked, stickered, stickering): small spacers made from hardwood placed in-between layers when stacking wood. “Stickering” promotes good airflow through the stack, even support along the length of the boards to reduce sagging, cupping, warping, twisting, etc., and keeps boards flat from the weight of the stack while drying.
Sawlog: a straight section of tree usually devoid of limbs, crotches, holes, and defects. The main portion of the tree just about the root flare to the first bifurcation. Commercial mills look for only “Sawlogs”. We like sawlogs too, but we also like the weird-shaped stuff too.
Yard Tree: Any tree that is not in a mature hardwood forest. It could be in a horse field and not near the yard but is still considered a “yard tree”. A sawyer is mindful of yard trees because there is a higher chance of encountering metal in the log.
Live-Edge: a piece of wood retaining the natural shape of the outside of the tree. Non-rectangular. “Natural edge” is also used. A board could be 2″ thick and 6′ long and the width will vary due to the live edge.
Dimensional Lumber: Boards made with straight edges. Consistent thickness and width over the length of the board, e.g. 1x4s, 2x6s, etc.
Slab: A common term for a piece of wood of consistent thickness while retaining at least one “live-edge”.
Slabwood: A common term for the “caps” or the tops and sides of a round log that come off while processing a log into lumber. Often bought for firewood. Not to be confused with “Slabs”. Referring to large live-edge boards as “slabs” is a relatively new trend but has taken hold so we like to make the distinction.
M.C. – Moisture content.
Quarter Scale: another quirky measurement in the timber industry is measuring the thickness of rough-sawn boards in quarters. Where 4/4 makes a solid 1”, 5/4 = 1.25”, 8/4= 2”, etc. When buying hardwood lumber you’ll often see and hear it listed in quarters.
Roughsawn: the surface of the board still has marks from the sawmill. It has not been planed or finished in anyway. Most fine furniture makers buy wood roughsawn to finish processing on their own machines.
Surfaced (S2S, S4S, S2SR1E): Once the wood has reached an acceptable moisture content, roughsawn boards can be processed further and surfaced either by machine (planer) or by handtools. A surfaced board will feel smooth to the touch and not have any mill marks from the sawmill, but has not been sanded to a fine finish yet. If a board has been surfaced on both sides to a final thickness that is noted as “S2S” or surfaced-two-sides but neither edge has been dressed.
“S2SR1E” stands for “Surfaced two sides, ripped one edge” or that the board will have two smooth faces and one edge will be straight.
“S4S” the board has two surfaced faces and two straight edges. The board is smooth on all four sides.