Thread: Removing large ironbark

I was in the same situation a few months ago, and just to let you know before you going ringing around sawmills most dont want to touch it because it "MIGHT" have something in it that would reck there blades. However there may be a sawmill that deals with splitting the logs into fence posts that might be interested in them if there arnt to any branches coming of the main trunk and depending on their size. Hope this has been of some assistance.

It would want to be an easy straight drop and a very very good log, and have someone desperate for a log. I make a living removing trees and this would be hard to do if other people paid for the privlege to remove your tree.
I was given a choice once when I was removing a large Sequoiadendron giganteum ~120' with a 5' diameter trunk; you can be paid or keep the wood. They kept a shed full of good timber and I have a potable mill.

Thanks jimdave and glenn for your input. It would be a pretty straight drop, but it has a few large branches too from the main trunk.

I certainly don't wanna do anyone out of a living, we have some good tree loppers in our area that I've used before. I just wasn't sure if anyone could do anything else with it other than firewood. I'd love to make a dining table, but I couldn't wait the couple of years for seasoning it! Would have to buy timber reaady to work instead.

Originally Posted by lizardman

Hi all, am going to build new home in Sth Sydney and will have to remove a large ironbark on the building site.

I don't want to waste it as firewood or such. Would timber mills or anyone buy this and remove it? Or does it have to be a freebie to be attractive? It'd have a lot of floorboards in it.<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

A friend had the same issue last year with five very straight 150ft tall messmates with breast height diameter over a metre in a paddock where his new house was to go; its now half built.The site has clear, level grass to fell the trees onto and easy access.

All the local sawmillers declined them. The problem being that it was not worth their effort to move a log-loader 20 kms to load five trees. Eventually the trees were cut up for fire-wood and the cut rings are currently drying.

At the time, no-one thought of a person with a portable mill who could mill onsite. This might be your answer. And this Forum has a small mills sub-forum.

Good Luck

Graeme

Lizardman, I am one of those 'persons with a portable sawmill' from the milling sub forum. I don't often poke my head out of the milling forum

From a portable sawmilling perspective; buying the tree, then the required expense/effort/time in removing it or getting it removed and then doing the normal amount of work/effort expense associated with mailing the timber... may not be a situation you will find many millers. In my situation if I had only my time/effort to expend and was rewarded with the tree at the end of it, Id be inclined to drop the tree for you, trim up head into small pieces, mill the log/s where they sat and block up the milling waste into firewood pieces for your use, then take the timber away. I'd pay my own time/expenses encountered in doing it and get 'paid' with the timber.

You may be lucky to find someone who will buy the log/tree but more likely you will be left with the tree.

Thanks Sigidi,

Never having done this other than getting a lopper in to remove a tree completely, it's good to know my options and the way it'll probably be done. Gotta get some approvals done yet (which shouldn't be a prob) so it'll be a little while, but thanks for the pointers. L.