question for wood scroungers

[audible fart]

My name is John, and i'm obsessed with having a large woodpile. Recently, i've been getting mixed firewood from the woodpile at the local landfill, taking it home, and doing the cutting and hand splitting. Today I found out if I fill out a form that says I won't sue the county if I cut my leg off, I can take my saw in to get the larger pieces of wood on my trailer. My question for the wood scroungers is can I show up to the landfill for firewood TOO often? I have zero intention of selling what I get. I just want to get enough for my buddy and me to have enormous woodpiles like some of the fantastic piles i've seen on this site. Anyone else scrounge from their landfill and get lip from the slack jawed lazy eyed landfill employees? I'd go every other day to load up if I thought they wouldn't suspect I was selling it. Which i'm not. Some people just don't understand the obsession.

 

[johnha]

I've been scrounging at a county woodlot for ten years. There are several guys who are there all the time who are selling wood. With all of the bandwagon jumper-onners over the past few years, it gets harder every year to get good stuff. Some of the county employees at the lot now burn so of course they hide the best stuff for themselves.

In my opinion, you can't show up too much. The more you take, the less work they have to do.

 

[thejdman04]

Around here they wont let you go into the landfill to get wood. Who cares what the employees thing, none of their business what you do with it.

 

[rock4200]

what landfill do you go to in Baltimore ?

 

[audible fart]

what landfill do you go to in Baltimore ?

Eastern sanitary RT. 40 md.

 

[husky455rancher]

they wont let you take wood from my dump either

 

[outdoorlivin247]

Our local dump has a sign...FREE FIREWOOD, HELP YOURSELF...I cut a couple loads out of there a year, mostly just to test and tune saws...

 

[Spotted Owl]

My question for the wood scroungers is can I show up to the landfill for firewood TOO often?

Call the dump superintendant get the scoop from the top. Ask them. Say nothing about selling anything. Bad economy don't give them ideas that will be used and squandered under misuse. Get the paper from the boss and ask them the rules at the same time, so they know you will not be a violater.
Who cares what the workers think. I get the stink eye all the time when I'm getting wood. Then in the winter I see the same people burning scrap lumber and dripping wet fresh green wood. If your willing to work for it, it's not already processed or any of that, you are working for you spoils. Paid or free makes no difference you are not walking around with a tin cup in your hand and a sandwich board. Wood can be and is damned hard work and your paid in winter comfort.



Owl

 

[KsWoodsMan]

Can you show up to much ?
No, at least not till there is still none left from the last time you were there 5 minutes ago.

At our local wood pit the deal is , he won't tell you not to gather wood but can't give permission. I've had my saw running and he has stopped by to see what I was running.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

I work for a small city in KY and water and sewer projects very often require that trees be removed. During the summer months when construction is at it's peak there is usually a burning ban and the wood has to be cut up and hauled away. Most of the contractors have far more wood than they can deal with themselves.....and there is always free wood available.

You might try hooking up with a local construction company and see if they can call you when they have wood available. Most of the time they will knock it down with a dozer and push it to a place where you can cut it up, and they will take care of the brush and stumps. Any work you do to get the wood out of there is work that they won't have to do themselves.

 

[PaulinNY]

Great thread

I dont know how many landfills are on Long Island NY but there is only one that i am aware of. The Brookhaven landfill. It is bigger than many towns ive driven through. There is a section for dumping trees and let me say that you could challenge the Great wall of China with that wood. Needless to say you are not allowed to remove any. I havent been there in 2 or 3 years but i suppose the rules havent changed. What a waste! I have a close friend in tree business so i get it dumped at my house but it should be made available to someone. Homeowners, sellers, whoever. Maybe the town should start splitting and selling firewood. But the history of Brookhaven Town is a dark, shady one so i wont bother getting into that. US Gov could build a border fence with all that timber!

 

[crashagn]

If your given permission by the upper mangement then who cares who frowns at you. Take what you can get!! Now if there are other regulars around doing the same then i would sapposed proper Etiquette (<--big word for me) would come into play for other wood burners and scavengers

 

[crowbuster]

My nearest city says no chainsaws but if you can load it you can have it, city employees can not take any so there is no whining about he got this of that but they cut stuff big enough to move to there yard ans few can be loaded buy hand, a real waste.

C.B.

 

[woodbooga]

Can you show up to much ?
No, at least not till there is still none left from the last time you were there 5 minutes ago.

At our local wood pit the deal is , he won't tell you not to gather wood but can't give permission. I've had my saw running and he has stopped by to see what I was running.

Our dump, err transfer station, only has a brush pile. Nothing over 6" is supposed to get dumped there. But I burn in an old cook stove and anything not too "branchy/brushy" is good fuel.

No saw running. If it's too long to fit in the truck, it stays. But most of what gets dumped there is brought via pickup, so that's kinda moot.

I always have with me some "pretext wood" from home. Stuff too punky even for me, or some too-small-to-burn limbs. Gives me an excuse to head down to the brush pile. And if I can withdraw some good wood while depositing some unwanted stuff, well hey, all the better.

Between the scrap pile and the brush pile, it's a sad Sunday if I come home from the dump empty handed.

 

[avalancher]

Our local county is pretty relaxed about cutting at the local dump site.I frequent the site often, and in the summer months when they are burning on a daily basis a cold six pack goes with me in the cooler. The guy running the loader will frequently take the six pack and disappear for an hour at a time, leaving me to fill the trailer.More than once he has loaded me as well,but that is frowned upon by his boss.Needless to say, I accept his offer to load me BEFORE he has had the six pack.

Believe it or not, It appears that I am the only one around here that takes wood from there, the loader guy told me he has never had anyone ask for wood, and somtimes there is so much oak laying around it takes me two or three loads with a 16 ft trailer to haul it home in one day.

 

[Tree Pig]

Yeah they are off limits here too for liability reasons. But it pays to know someone. I actually have a key to get in to one whenever I want. They have more wood in there then anyone could ever need. The amazing thing is I never go there. I have few other sources that are closer. Im saving the land fill for when I am running low.