What can you expect?
Preparing the bid
While our company is interested in high quality hardwoods, we also know that you have your own goals for your timber. Some owners want a very selective harvest while others need to have the highest value we can get for your timber. Once we have a clear understanding of your needs, we will walk your woods, selecting all the trees that match both our needs. We clearly mark every tree that interests us; we measure the tree; and we input the species, size, and grade of each log we believe we can obtain from that tree into a handheld computer. Because we have clearly marked the trees in which we have interest, after we leave you will be able to walk your woodlot and see exactly which trees we will remove if our bid is accepted. No surprises. In fact, you should be very wary of anyone offering a bid on your woodlot without marking the trees that will be cut. You may make a deal only to find out that many more trees than you anticipated have been taken from your property.
Once we have assessed your entire woodlot, we will discuss our findings with the owner of the company, who will help us determine a bid based not only on the extensive data we have collected, but also on our overall assessment of the quality of your timber. We will contact you with our bid. We ask that you respond to our bid no matter what your decision may be. We understand that you may change your mind about selling, you may (rarely) get a better bid, or you just may have personal reasons for delaying a decision. They are your trees. We want you to be comfortable with your decision. We simply ask that you communicate with us after the hard work we have done to assess your woodlot and prepare a bid.
Getting Paid – Show me the money!
You can sell with confidence. First, we will ask you to sign a simple, understandable one-page contract. You will then be paid in full, in advance, before a single tree is harvested. You will never have to worry about your timber vanishing without payment. We don’t ask you to wait because we don’t resell your timber. We buy only for Devereaux Saw Mill, a trusted, well-established company. We don’t ask you to “see how the timber cuts.” We are professionals who know how to measure the standing timber; we are confident our bid is fair, based on current market values, and worth every cent of the check we write for your timber.
What happens during the logging?
For efficiency, we try to consolidate jobs, so our cutters are working on several jobs in a particular area. Within the time frame spelled out on your contract, our dispatcher will contact you to discuss the next steps. With his assistance, you will want to determine the best landing area, where each of the logs are “bucked up” in preparation for loading onto the semi. Then the cutters will arrive and you’ll see a lot of activity as the trees are felled, dragged to the landing area, and loaded for transport to the mill in Pewamo, Michigan. After three generations in this family-owned business, the owners of Devereaux Saw Mill thrive on repeat business. That means that we want our customers to be fully satisfied. When your timber is cut, you will, of course, notice it. We leave the tree tops (firewood!), which die down more quickly than you would think. But we make every effort to leave your woods in good shape, with all the skid trails cleared and back-bladed. See the testimonial by K Bar T LLC on this website – we make every effort to cause the least disruption possible and to clear up our tracks before we leave!
We are committed to representing Devereaux Saw Mill very well. Therefore, if at any time during this process you have questions or concerns, please contact us! Although we are your buyers, we are also your personal representatives with Devereaux Saw Mill. As such, we make it our practice to resolve the few issues that may arise in the process of selling your timber.
