Wood Acquisition Rescue Programs (WARP) work when people to engage in the program. This refers to both people who will be cutting down trees and those who will be reclaiming them.
Once the local woodworking club contacts have been informed about trees in their area that are available for WARP, it will be up to the local club to then implement their own processes for recovery of this wood by mobilizing their workers and resources.
The first thing that should happen is at least one of the Leaders should go to the location of the tree(s) to ensure it is available, it is recoverable, and that it is significantly useful in the program.
If the tree is down, the end grains should be sealed as soon as possible, preferably the same day. If the tree needs to be moved immediately by the group that is falling the tree, we recommend to tell them to cut the tree into ten foot lengths if possible, shorter as needed. The reason we suggest ten foot lengths is these are often easier for sawmills to process. If a log is too short it can be more difficult for some mills to cut these, and there can be more waste.
You may need to "Take Possession" of the tree right then and there. Often fallen trees are hauled away in the night or bucked up by others for firewood. Taking possession of the trees can be a simple as spray painting the tree with "Property of ABC Wood Club", or affix signs that point out who owns the tree and that it is "Hands Off". This will help ensure it doesn't disappear in the night (it's amazing how well this works).
Once the tree has been sized to suitable lengths, it will need to be hauled away. This is where the Leader(s) will have established a place ahead of time where the tree(s) will go. They may go to a holding yard, or directly to a mill.
Once the trees have been milled, they may be sold green, or they may need to be shipped to a kiln for drying. This will depend on the facilities in your locale.
The final step is to add up the cost of recovering and processing the wood and marking it into salable size lots. We suggest that all the lumber be marked as to the quantity of board feet it contains with a suitable marker (don't use something that will stain or mar the wood).
After you tally the amount of board feet, and the cost of recovery you will determine the cost per board feet which will determine the selling price.
Don't forget to add a bit for inevitable waste, and for any donations for local schools or colleges.
