Forestry services: compare quotes and prices

Distinguish harvesting from woodland care

Harvesting may include felling, delimbing, cutting to lengths, extraction and stacking at the forest road. Subsequent lorry transport and timber sale are not automatically commissioned. Define where the service ends.

Young woodland care instead focuses on developing the stand. Planting and woodland edge care also need their own scope. State the area, existing plan and reason for work. For an individual garden tree, a tree felling request is often more appropriate.

Involve the local forestry service early

Coordinate the proposal with the responsible local forestry service. It clarifies site requirements, tree marking and permissions. Owning the woodland does not replace this check. You can state that coordination is still underway when requesting quotes.

Timber harvesting and deforestation are not the same. Under Swiss forest law, deforestation concerns changing the use of forest land, not every timber cut. A proposed change of land use requires separate legal and planning clarification.

Terrain and access determine the method

A surfaced road at the edge does not make every tree accessible to machinery. Slope, extraction routes, distance to the stacking area and ground bearing capacity affect the operation. The contractor should assess them before final planning.

Soil protection concerns both routes and timing. Unsuitable ground conditions may call for another date or method. Agree how remaining trees, paths and sensitive areas will be protected.

• Boundaries. Identify the parcel and work area; confirm boundaries later on a plan or on site.
• Handover points. Agree access, timber stacking and responsibility for onward transport.
• Surroundings. Mention roads, footpaths, overhead lines, buildings and watercourses early.

How much do forestry services cost?

Depending on the job, quotes may be time-based, per agreed quantity or fixed-price. An hourly rate says little without a defined crew and equipment. Quantity prices need the same measurement method and unit: solid wood volume differs from stacked or loose volume.

Compare costs and revenue separately. Possible timber sales do not automatically cover the work; species, quality, assortments, quantity and transport influence the outcome. Explicitly agree the accounting, transfer of ownership and any marketing service.

Damaged timber needs a specific plan

Windthrown, broken or tangled trees are not ordinary felling work. Describe known damage and affected paths. Do not enter hazardous areas to obtain additional measurements or photographs for the request.

The contractor needs suitable training, equipment and an agreed safety plan. Where people or transport routes are immediately threatened, contact the responsible service directly. A routine matching request does not replace urgent safeguarding.

Set out the work and handover in writing

Before starting, define scope, pricing basis, timing, responsibilities and how unexpected work will be handled. For planting, plants, protection and later care also matter when comparing quotes; they are not automatically included.

Completion should include understandable quantity or work records and checks of the agreed areas and stacking sites. Removing every branch is not the right objective for every woodland job. Agree with specialists which material should remain for management, protection and ecological reasons.