Utilization of Urban Trees

■ Kyle Eastwood ■ Mike Mittman ■ Jeff Wallace ■

Overview

• Client• Urban Trees• Issues• Product Chain• Methods• Results• Conclusions

Client

• Perficut Tree Service– Urban tree care service based out of Des Moines

• Primary Contact:– Ralph Conner- ISA Board Certified Master Arborist

Secondary Client

• ISU Forestry Extension– Jesse Randall– Urban tree utilization publication– Request for additional funding

Can Urban Trees Be Utilized?

• 3-4 billion board feet wasted each year (Bratkovich, 2001)

• Markets exist but there are complexities: – Unpredictable supply

– Constantly shifting markets

– Capital investment vs. third-party contracting

– Access to raw material

– Highly variable log qualityDes Moines, IA

General Issues

• Unpredictable availability of quality trees

• Market trends– Constantly in change– Shrinking domestic

furniture industry

• Costs involved– Start up costs– Operational costs

• Access to logs

Issues

Log quality concerns– Metal in trees– Potentially high amounts of

tension/juvenile wood– Short trunks/low branches– Level of uncertainty in any

given log

The Product ChainRaw Materials

Urban Trees:Street treesCity parksPrivate Residences

Transportation

Sub-contract

Log Trucks

On-Site Log Yard: ~1 acres Area to store logs

Milled on site

Milled off siteby contractor

Kiln drying:Contracted out

Air drying: shelter

Processing Site Milling of Lumber

Wood Drying Finished Product

Dry lumber ready to sell

Markets

Custom local markets

By-products

Saw DustChips

Raw Materials: Urban Tree Supply

• Supply– Storms – Pest/ pathogens – Hazard trees

• Most valued (Cassens, 2002)– Cherry– Sugar maple– Walnut

• Moderately valued– Ash– Basswood– Silver and red maple

http://www.collierarbor.com/probTreeHazards.php

Log Hauling

• Options– Trailer~$3,500+– Contract out

• Other– Peavey ~$90– Log carrier~$120

www.americanbandsawcompany.com/online_store.htm

The Log Yard

• Log Yard– 1-3 acre log yard to house operation

• Standard Equipment– Chainsaws– Spare blades– Stickers– Drying area

The Mill

• What are the options when looking at portable sawmills?

Mill TypeMax

Diameter/ Length

Horse Power

Catalog Price

H360 Hud-Son 36”/20’ 23 HP $17,500

LT40 HDG28

Wood-Mizer36”/21’ 28 HP $24,598

Grizzly 30 Automatic

30”/20’ 24HP $24,900

Drying

Pros Cons

Air •Cheap•End product is more desirable

•Very lengthy process

Kiln •Quick and effective•Possible to contract out locally (Logs to Lumber)

•Most expensive option•Makes end product uniform in color

Solar •Affordable, simple design

•Variable results because of climate dependence

Logs to Lumber

Marshalltown, IA

• Prices per Bd. Ft.– 25 cents to kiln dry– 25 cents to saw– 20 cents to plane– 10 cents to join (edge)

Markets

• Highly variable prices• Wide range of buyers

– Newspaper classifieds– Internet

• Classifieds (www.agriseek.com)

• Auction sites (e-bay)

– Lumber with unique features can have niches in some markets

“Window bench” made by a DSM Woodworking Association

member

Case Study: Can Urban Tree Utilization be

Economically Feasible in Central Iowa?

Case Study Details

• Seven trees from Des Moines’ West Side

– Single property

• Bucked into 17 logs of varying sizes

– Logs ranged from 4-10 feet

• Processed through a portable saw mill

– Four “days” of sawing

– Approximately 10.5 hours spent sawing and stacking

• Three Forestry students on a mission

Methods: Harvest/Collection• Trees were cut into logs (approx = 50% of whole tree)

– Longer logs are preferred

• Logs loaded onto trailers by hand

• Transported to Randall property for milling

Methods: Milling

• Measurements taken for small end diameter and log length

• Log is squared and flitch cut

Methods: Milling

Turner Mill

Hydraulic portable saw mill• Trailer model

Track Length 20 ft.

Blades 12 ft. X 1.25 in.

Engine 24HP

Log Capacity 30 in. X 16 ft.

≈ $15,000

Methods: Milling

• Individual boards are measured for heartwood width, length and thickness

• Boards given a grade from 0-3

1

2

3

1

2

3

GradingNational Hardwood Lumber

Association– Width– Length– Clear timber

  FASNO. 1

CommonNO. 2A & B Common

Minimum Board Size

6" x 8' 3"x6' 3"x4'

Clear Board on 1 face (%)

86% 66% 50%

Methods: Stacking

• Boards must be properly stacked to prevent warping

• Keys to a good stack– Uniform stickers and sticker

spacing– Heavy top load to counter

drying tension (~40 lbs./ft2) (Prestemon, 1999)

Results

• 7 Trees/ 17 Logs of varying size– 1313 bd/ft– 151 individual boards

• 10 grade 0• 67 grade 1• 50 grade 2• 40 grade 3

Distribution of Yield

Grade 228%

Grade 325%

Grade 06%

Grade141%

Results

• Production– Our crew varied

from 3-5– There was little

variance in hourly yield

– Maximum output occurred with the group of three

Board Feet per Hour

123.5133.8

126.2

0.0

25.0

50.0

75.0

100.0

125.0

150.0

1 2 3

Day

Results: Operating Costs

• A total of 1313 Bd. Ft. cut– Three saw blades ($17 per)– Eight gallons gas ($3.42 per)– 10 ½ hours to mill and stack (~$15/hr)

Total milling costs approximated at: $551

• Add $591 to plane & kiln dry through “Logs to Lumber”

• Total costs to produce 1,313 Bd. Ft. surfaced kiln dried lumber: $1,142

Conclusions

• Market conditions make quantifying potential profits difficult

• Jobs like the one south of Ingersoll are ideal and could make this a worth while venture

• Owning a sawmill could give you a competitive advantage

• Profits will not be realized in the short-run

Works Cited• Bratkovich, Stephen M. 2001. Utilizing Municipal Trees: Ideas From Across the

Country. USDA Forest Service.• Cassens, Daniel; Rita Mckenzie. 2002. Use of Urban and Development Site Trees

for Lumber. Purdue University Extension Publication.• Prestemon, Dean R. 1999. Forestry Extension Notes: Air and Solar Drying of

Hardwood Lumber. Iowa State University Extension.• http://www.collierarbor.com/probTreeHazards.php• http://www.woodmizer.com/us/sawmills/hydraulic/LT40H/lt40hPromo.aspx• http://turnermills.com/FeaturesSpecs.html• http://www.bandmill.com• http://www.iowalogstolumber.com/