Questionable activities

[cityevader]

As winter is closing in, and my required 6-cord-wood-supply isn't even half filled, I'm debating on questionable activities.

Maybe 2 months ago, the local main tree service company took a week to cut a bunch of trees along a main connecting road in the hills. (This road has steep side-hills and a six inch shoulder.) I thought they were making a firebreak from the recent fires, but the quantity/layout didn't add up...not even for powerline clearance reasons.

So now there are between 60-70 trunks from 1-3 foot diameter Oak and Fir splayed about on the steep slope.....just.....sitting there.

It really hurts to see private property trees along a Caltrans-owned road, purposely downed yet purposely left to rot. They chipped and hauled off every spec of branch, so no nutrients can time-reasonably return to the forest.

I've been daydreaming of harvesting this in a questionable fashion...but logistics leave it quite impossible.....

SSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

 

[Wet1]

If you want it that bad get permission to cut from the land owners, buck the logs into manageable pieces, and use a winch to bring the logs up.

 

[avalancher]

I cant tell you how many times I have gotten wood because of where it was at. Most folks just dont want to run up and down a hill for wood, and there it sits.
I have a portable winch in my trailer, it allows me to move it around anywhere I want in my trailer, and I just attach it to the rails of my trailer and pull stuff right on up to the road. My portable is only a 3700, but if you double the line with a pulley you can pull anything you want. I have found more than once that the winch will pull more than what the trailer will handle, I have had the trailer creep towards the edge of the road before the winch would give out with a double line.
Warn makes them, they run about 400 bucks and I couldnt do without mine.

 

[cityevader]

Can I turn this around from myself to you?

I see many many cords destined to rot away......so my new question might need some re-arranging of user names and what-not, but I'm curious of anomynous others who have pursued questionable harvesting methods.

Maybe create an illegitimate ID to pour out your souls for confession?

 

[wdchuck]

There are too many easy, legal ways to get free or cheap wood to bother with a method that can get you in deep trouble.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Go for it! What the worst that could happen? Just throw down a few brewski's and getter' done.

 

[secureland]

Sometimes it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission, is it in this case?

 

[danrclem]

I'd go to the property owner and ask him for the trees. The worst thing that he can do is say no. If you don't get them there will be others.

There's a construction site near my house that pushed down some trees. There is locust, cherry, oak, elm and ash in the pile. I asked for permission to cut them up and was told that one of the equipment operators wanted the oak and ash but I could have the rest. OK by me. I'll take the locust, elm and the one cherry tree.

 

[woodbooga]

I'd go to the property owner and ask him for the trees. The worst thing that he can do is say no. If you don't get them there will be others.

There's a construction site near my house that pushed down some trees. There is locust, cherry, oak, elm and ash in the pile. I asked for permission to cut them up and was told that one of the equipment operators wanted the oak and ash but I could have the rest. OK by me. I'll take the locust, elm and the one cherry tree.

I make a point to ask permission. If the answer is no, then I have as much wood as I started out with. If the answer is yes, then I don't need to worry my conscience with ill gotten gains or worry about the possibility of an irate land owner or the cops showing up.

I get "no" fairly often. But the wood I lose from "no" is more than made up for by one thing leading to another.

Case in point, I was cruising past a guy's house one day and saw a trailer filled with brush. I pulled in and offered to take the larger pieces. He was happy to oblige since it meant a smaller disposal fee. He mentioned that a few trees had recently fallen on the property and he wanted them gone. In addition, I was invited to take away anything dead and down, which included the better part of a p/u load of well-seasoned red oak

 

[Coldfront]

I got a lot of wood like that 2 years ago, the township was cutting back the road right of way and a lot of oak and maple was laying there for the taking, Technically the property owner does not own the right of way, but they are legally the owners of the wood if they want it, most don't want it. Sometimes finding who the owner of the land is not easy unless you go to the court house and look it up. If you don't take it someone else will. The only draw back was hitting some barb wire and such grown deep inside the wood.

 

[Billy_Bob]

...Case in point, I was cruising past a guy's house one day and saw a trailer filled with brush. I pulled in and offered to take the larger pieces. He was happy to oblige since it meant a smaller disposal fee. He mentioned that a few trees had recently fallen on the property and he wanted them gone...

This frequently happens to me. I'll be working in someone's yard, then a neighbor will come up to me and offer me work, wood, etc.

 

[johnha]

First, ask for it straight out. If that doesn't work, offer a portion of your harvest to the landowner. Betcha that might work.

 

[Moddoo]

I pulled a questionable one last year.

I came across a smaller developement in a wooded area.
There was a new road with about 6 lots cleared.

A massive oak had dropped a 24"+ limb right across one plot.

The market was slow, and noone was working on any of the properties.

So, I went home and got the saw.
got myself about 3 really full truckloads.
I hauled all the brush back into the woods.

I figured, this is land owned by some investor, who would need the mess cleaned up somehow anyways.

So, I did him a favor.

There still isn't 1 house on that road yet.

There are many other hardwoods down along those roads there that noone has touched.
I may call the realtor on the signs to see about getting permission.

What do you guys think about that one?

 

[mga]

I may call the realtor on the signs to see about getting permission.

Waht do you guys think about that one?

go for it. he'll give you the land owners name and number, or he'll ask for you.

the problem is liability. people are afraid of getting sued. what i always do is before i start any cutting, i tell the land owner that i won't hold him responsible for any damage to me or my equipment, and he doesn't hold me responsible for any damage to the property.

not once have i been asked to put that in writing, even tho i offer, and we just shake on it.