Diminishing value of wood products/labor

[Rick Alger]

I came across some old paperwork today and thought it might be of interest to DAP loggers.

In 1968 high quality spruce/fir logs were selling at $67.00 in Berlin, NH. Spruce/fir pulp was $21.25. Doesn’t sound like much, but when converted to 2010 dollars via the Real Dollar Value site on the net, $67 equals $419.82 in today’s dollars and $21.25 equals $133.15. Anyone getting that kind of money?

In the summer of that year I stump-cut (cut and piled trailside) a gnarly spruce patch for a local farmer for $9.00 a cord and $20.00 a thousand. Forgive me, but it was a clearcut. The total came out to 156 cords of pulp and 7.6 mbf logs. That figured to $1538.00 for 11 weeks work or roughly $139.82 per week. In today’s dollars that would be $876.10.

But prices today for the logger’s end are more like $38 a cord and $120 per mbf. Using today’s figures for my job changes totals to $6840 or 621.81 a week.

So I guess you could say that my labor is worth $254.29 less per week in 2010 than it was worth in 1968.

Anyway, something I decided to play with on a cold winter day.

[mitchmaine]

we must be having the same kind of a day. somewhere in the mid- seventies, ( can’t remember pulp prices) i was cutting and delivering two cord four foot fire wood for $60. per day when welders at bath iron works (highest paid blue collar job in the state) made $189. a week takehome pay. cutting wood, even without bennies, was a good way to make a living. and we both know whats happened since.

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