Our largest trees on our 5 acres have barnacles, we were told by a conservation officer that we should sell them for lumber before they begin to die. How would a person go about selling these large trees and how do you know what they are worth?Thank you

Greetings Susan:

Sounds like you are describing trees that are under stress. Stress induced by environmental conditions (drought & flooding) and intense competition for growing space causes certain trees to produce numerous small branches from dormant buds beneath the bark on the main stem of the tree -- called epicormic branching. Trees covered in epicormic branches do not produce fine, clear lumber. However, these trees can have some merchantable value as low grade lumber and pallet stock.

My suggestion to you is to contact a local professional consulting forester for an on-site assessment and evaluation of the problem. A professional consulting forester has a degree in forestry from an accredited university. The consulting forester will be able to determine if your trees have any significant timber value.

List of Professional Consulting Foresters:

http://dnr.state.il.us/conservation/forestry/

Best of luck!