Sawmilling Crotch Wood
While the American timber industry routinely wastes the most beautiful wood in a tree - a Timber Grower should be smarter.
I always cut off a crotch well above the saddle, and sawmill the crotch wood as part of a longer log. Having this character wood dried in long boards helps keep the wood flat.
After the lumber is kiln dried, there are many options to earn high values from this beautiful wood. We choose to earn $10 - $50 per board foot for this wood that a logger leaves laying in the field for someone to clean up.