Remnard

Thats unfortunate. Many loggers come in an area and cherry pick the best trees, and don't bother with the smaller stuff. This has the unfortunate effect of still keeping the sunlight out and the timber they have left is typically useless for anything other than firewood. . (more on this in a moment)

Slash (treetops) have 2 purposes or faults. If you have a large deer herd, it is often beneficial as the tree tops are a cheap fence if you will, to keep the deer from gnawing on the new seedlings and rootstock that typically sprout after a cut.

If that is not an issue and you want to move around the property, it is usually put in the contract to make sure all tree tops are limbed so they are laying flat on the ground. You can also use them or sell them to someone that wants to sell them or use them for firewood. This is another way to make money towards your leagl fees, especially with the price of wood and fuel these days! This by the way makes great winter deer food if timed right. The deer will come in there if they are hungry and start eating the browse on the treetops. My cousin used to call his chansaw a deer call, because as soon as he started it up, the deer would be right behind him eatimg the treetops.

As far as cherry picking, (and I don't know the age of your stand, or the types of trees etc., So I am shooting kinda blind here) when a forest stand is clearcut all the trees come back in a succession. Birches, cedars, pines, come back first, and they vie for sunlight, nutrients etc. As the stand matures, some trees get more nutrients and light and do better. However they are all the same age. So now you have a 50 year old tree that is 30-40 inches in diameter, and it is straight and tall and has few lower branches. This tree is worth much more than the smaller 15" barely saw timber stuff around it, growing in its shade. These trees will never be worthanywhere nearwhat the 30" veneer grade logs were that the logger took from the property and probably paid you pennies on the dollar.

This is why it is so important to have the property inventoried and a site survey done by a licensed forester. Inventories don't cost, they pay!!

Let me tell you something that happend to a friend of mine. He wanted to open up some property for habitat enhancement. We looked over the property and decided to have several companies come in and give us a price on what they wanted. We wanted a 2 acre clearcut, and a select cut on the remainder of the property. The site index was marginal, thin soils etc, but there were a number of decent oaks on the property and some cherry and other hardwoods and pine. The first guy gave a price of $7000.00 after cruising. The second guy was a real mooch, and said he wouldn't give us a price, he would just pay him as he harvested! The third guy told us he would give him $14000.00. At that point, before the next guy came in we pulled several of the biggest red oaks and all the white oak and cherryout of the inventory. The next company who cruised the property, inventoried what he wanted and gave him a bid of 20,000.00! In the contract was a slash clause so nothing could be left of a treetop unless it was cut to the ground. All the roads were planted and the forward areas were planted also.

He later sold the cherry for an aditional $3500.00, bringing the total, before the firewood he sold, (and he took a lot home) $23,500.00.

There's not much that can be done about the people that have already done this, but I hope a few people read this and avoid the situation before it happens. Check with your ag centers and the state for reputable foresters. Then hire them to do an inventory. In most cases the same guy that does your inventory should NOT be the guy that does the logging.

Anyone with questions can pm me if they like. I don't do this for a living and I am not selling anything, just trying to help.