long or short of it

[Potters3]

I was introduced to the maple bug when I was a little boy. My mom used to help her uncle. In High school we had a bush at school and I worked for a local farmer gathering buckets with a team of horses. I spent the last 16 years working with my neighbor. Traded a lot of labor for firewood for my house and syrup to sell.
September 2011 my wife and I bought 54 acres of wood lot. We have worked our backside into the ground
Cleared for driveway, installed driveway, cleared for sugarhouse and shed, built both, cleared for tubing install, still installing tubing.
Hope to be taping 800 this spring to boil in ourselves. Last year we did tap 200 and sold the sap. Once the woods arre cleared out I think we can be at 3000 or so. Side note since last Dec I have had 3 loggers say they wanted to do my woods and no one has cut a tree but use so far, that has been our slow up.We had hope to be at 1500 this spring.
HUGE thanks to my wife for letting me do a childhood dream, and of course working beside me every step of the way. My daughter is also a big help works with use when she can, or at least keeps the house chores done so we can work in the woods.

[maple flats]

Don't be afraid to get a logger in your woods, but be sure to get a forester to mark the sale with 2 objectives, maple and timber. Then have that forester manage the sale. He will solicit bids from good loggers, will aid in the contract and will keep the logger in line with your objectives. There will be a fee for the forester but in reality he will make you money and he will prevent the logger from high grading. Depending on your woods it might make you a little or a lot, but most importantly he will get the woods thinned for the maximizing the potential of your maple resource if that is your objective. He may also steer you in other directions in addition to maple. When you are working with him if he never tells you that you are wrong you have the wrong forester. Just make sure he has experience managing a maple bush, get references and talk to the references, then ask those for other references he worked with and talk to them too. After you have gone 2 levels or better yet 3 levels doing this you have the truth about that forester. The 1st ref's seldom give the whole picture, because the forester will never give any names of those less than 100% satisfied with his work. Do your leg work, it will pay off.
Not the only but a very important reason to get the forester and to mark the trees is to get the woods opened up, to create larger crowns but doing it on your own very likely will cause you to make very expensive mistakes. Good luck.

[Flat47]

There are some older dicussions about loggers in the "Sugarbush" forum on here, so I'll keep my comments about loggers over there. Most importantly, though - congrats! Sounds like you've found happiness and are on your way to making your maple dream a reality.

[jmayerl]

Sounds like you have the potential for a awsome set up. Sa flats said you MUST get a forester and tell him your objective. If you let a logger loose they will take the high grade and your woods will be screwed until your daughter is a grandma.