Underwater logging

[Scott]

Regulations my be different in your state but a group in Montana just won a five year battle to do this. A local diver from here is part of that group. I'll PM you he's email address and you can find out what they went through.
IRRC, the battle was who owns the logs.

 

[porgyhunter]

Many thanks scott; Love to get in touch with someone who went thru the process.

 

[northpacific]

Once all the regulations are done, cut a 4-6 foot piece and float it or drag it up on your own and take it to a local mill and see what they say. At the turn of the century deciduous trees had very little value to loggers, still to this day. However at the turn of the century those would be old growth and have much sought attributes for specialized items like guitars, violins, pianos and string bass. A large old growth deciduous tree with these specific attributes could go for as high as $100,000 per tree, higher depending on how big the tree is.

Even a old growth conifer maybe worth money, not as much but depending on how big and/or old the tree is, it could be rewarding.

A cross cut saw doesn't cost much, limber up the shoulder and good luck!!!

 

[porgyhunter]

Hey N.P. Did just that. Found a medium cherry and cut off a 2ft section, cleaned it up,planed and sanded the rings. Beautiful example of dense forest growth, also very evident when the big spruces were removed for ship masts.

 

[northpacific]

That's awesome! Up here stumpage fee is still stumpage fee. The federal gov't gets their piece of the pie for ANY tree on federal land, including underwater. That goes from the small producer to the large mills, however some wood workers would pay good money for even small sections of wood. If you are going to section the tree, rather than a piece of stump you should cut a section by length. Find out where music companies get their wood from and send the wood to the company. It's a whole different type of treasure diving! Have fun!

 

[porgyhunter]

N.P. It really is treasure hunting. I find these trees in N.H. where they log spruce for the King of England {some have a kings brand] Find old bottles of schaaps, old lumberjack benchs wagons

 

[Ben Dugger]

We had a business here in Alabama salvaging logs from a large lake that was privately owned until people stoped building houses. We couldn't salvage them from the rivers because the state stopped all salvage. Demand dropped off so bad we could not continue. There is still a fortune down there if the econemy turns around. Until then we have a bunch of equipment for sale that we have developed.

 

[DCBC]

...we have a bunch of equipment for sale that we have developed.

That sounds interesting; can you describe what you've developed? I was an on-shore contractor in Vancouver in the 80's. Although most of our work was in the Port of Vancouver, we also worked in the Fraser River for a number of logging companies (mainly retreiving chokers and logs that went in the wrong direction). I'd be interested in hearing about your innovations.

 

[riverdiver]

I did the same thing seeing the shows on tv and them getting $5000.00 a log.Brought up some old growth logs, called all the mills and anyone I could find still no luck getting ride of them. No it is not a get rich thing.