Found a Black Cherry tree, what to do with it?

[jtpr]

I have this tree on my property that needs to come down as it doesn't appear to be too healthy and it is very big, so if branches start to fall a lot of damage will be done. Anyway, in having a tree guy look at it he told me it was a black cherry tree. I had no idea they got this big, at least 60'. He wanted $700 to take it down and remove it.

In thinking about it I'm wondering what my best option would be:

Take it down and have him remove the wood. Take it down, keep the wood, or at least the best part of it, try and find somebody to mill it, and use it. Does it have value? Could I find somebody to take it down for free in exchange for the wood?

I do need to make a bar/counter top for the kitchen and it would be cool if the wood came from an old tree on the property.

I have a 13" planer but only a small band saw with a 3.5" cut, so I would need to get the wood milled. I don't have a truck, so probably they would have to come on site, not sure how to find somebody like that. I'm in the Portsmouth, NH region.

Whatcha think?

-Jim

[Kenneth]

Hi Jim,

I live in Lee.

When we were preparing to build our home, we had to fell on the order of 50 trees. Many were oaks, some shagbark hickory, and some pines.

I wanted the wood, and once the trees were on the ground and moved to one area, hired a fellow with a portable mill.

Though I am certainly no expert on any of this, I would suggest that it is not likely that you could find someone to take it down in exchange for the wood, unless you happen to have a buddy who is into that sort of thing. If you had fifty of 'em it might be a different matter, but there are costs of time and money to getting to your property, and setting up to mill.

All that said, it is a real pleasure to make something from wood that grew on your property, and I would not dismiss that.

If you care to, email me, and I will respond with the name and number of the sawyer who worked for me. Though I doubt that he would be interested in doing one tree, he may well know folks who would do it for you.

All the best,

[Edwin Pawlowski]

If you can haul the tree out, it can be sold. Here is an idea of the value.