You own timber?

[Preston]

Reading some of the latest post of folks "scrounging" wood got me to wondering, who cuts their own wood and who has to hunt it down. I guess I'm just naive but I just figured most men cut off their own place. Now after reading here I don't think that's the case. I understand cutting for other folks and in a case such as around here, tornado damage. Thousands of trees were toppled last year from a tornado that came through our town. All the fire wood I've cut is off my place That is other than helping out in that storm damage.

 

[carlseawolf]

I scrounge all my wood , never bought a log.

 

[Steve NW WI]

About 3/4 of my wood comes off my land. This year I did buy a 5 cord permit from the county, as there was a storm this summer that laid over thousands of acres of prime oak north of me, I viewed it as an opportunity.

Normally, the other 25% of my wood comes from friends and family who want trees removed.

I've learned since being here that I've got it real good. Some guys out west travel literally hours to get firewood.

 

[LFEngineering]

Scrounge. 1/2 of my scrounged wood comes from side of the road piles. Hard to pass up 16-18" pre-cut piles. The rest is from friends & family, still recovering form last years tornado & snow storms. I have hauled, sized & split 5 cords so far & not once have I dropped a standing tree. Looks like it's 2-3 3 years worth of clean-up too.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

As a youngin' in the 70's helping Dad we were scroungers. We had no land of our own and would do tree take downs and dead stuff in the neighbors woods. She didn't want trails so we carted it out with a lawn mower and trailer.

From there we got with a farmer and cleared a large fencerow for him. He was so impressed that we ACTUALLY worked and did what he wanted he kept us in all the wood we could want. dad got a farm that has 45 acres of woods now and we can't find enough storage for just what dies and blows down. (Over 180 cord under roof now)

I was talking with a local excavator and he was telling me he can't get people to cut wood anymore. They only want logs and pick and choose stuff leaving a mess. He wanted us to start getting his stuff after he saw what we did on a joint project. Our land butted up and he cleared the stumps and such once we got the fence and wood out.

There is all kind of wood out there for those willing to work and PROVE yourself. Once you get going, THEY will call you. Been there, done that.

 

[Marc]

The farm hadn't seen a chainsaw in 20 years so there's a lot of fence line work and standing dead and the like to keep me supplied for several lifetimes.

Despite that I often help friends and neighbors with tree issues and get wood in return.



Let me rephrase that... I get to keep the firewood in return for the help. Often firewood I don't need, but that's ok. I still like helping folks.

 

[jrider]

I don't own much property to get my wood from but I am lucky enough that my family knows pretty much all of the farmers in our area and they are always looking to clear trees from here and there and usually call me. Last 3 years, I have cut and split close to 250 cords - some of it easier than others but never have to haul it out by hand or anything like that.
If I do see wood along the road though, I don't hesitate to stop and get it since this is basically like free money.

 

[wood4heat]

Most of my wood comes from scrounging although couple years ago I did cut all I could on my own land. I've only got two acres but had a few standing dead Doug Fir I thought I would take before the bugs got them. Otherwise I cut anywhere from 10 miutes to and hour and a half from home. Occasionally I will score a tree that has fallen on frinds property.

 

[darkbyrd]

I get most of my wood in my hollar, mine or my neigbor's land. My side was clearcut except for a few seed trees and steep hills about 8 years ago. Still some cleaning up to do, but not a whole lot of firewood.

I don't pass a roadside pile more than twice.

Get a few trees helping other neighbors and a church.

 

[J1m]

There are only two industries in my area:

1. Tourism
2. Logging

Subsequently free/scrounged wood is a lot like free money. It's just not happenin'. So I have to buy wood c/s/d at about $250 a cord green or buy logs by the truck load. I opt for logs @ $110 a cord, 8 cord minimum.

Lots of land go for about $30,000-$75,000 per acre (see #1 above), so we don't own enough land to harvest our own wood.

 

[bobt]

My dad owns a forty that I cut most of his firewood from, but there is no premier hardwood on it, as it was all cut by our ancestors about 100 years ago. We still have to buy a load of firewood logs every few years to supplement.

Owning your own property for firewood alone is a losing prospect, as anything that you save in wood, is offset by the property taxes.

My son is extremely fond of his Grandpa and the feeling is mutual, so Gramps wants to hang onto the land for him in the future. My son has a dream of building a small cabin there using logs cut from the property. I hope he realizes his dream. I will save all the best trees with that goal in mind.

Bob

 

[m37]

Out here I try to scourge wood I usually by permits for idaho, I will drive at least 45 miles to get wood so I make the trip worth it.

 

[Preston]

Wow, some of you really have a time gettin wood. I just never thought about land with no trees. And that deal with the land prices in Maine is unreal. In Georgia we just have so many red and white oak. Hickory, pecan, you name it.

 

[sam-tip]

90% of my wood is from a small tree service. They dump the wood off in the back and then I sort it. Smalls, need split, and need cut then split. I like the big giant rounds. So it is a win win. Some of it is little junky but I will burn it anyway. The stuff with knots burns for along time. Wife like it because I don't have to fell any trees. The other 10% comes from friends and my own yard.

 

[Bushmans]

I only have an acre that my house sits on but I just purchased some tops from a recent logging operation. They took 22-24 trees and I pd $125 for all the tops. I figure about 10 cord just in tops plus he said I could have any of the dead trees in the woodlot. Couple big ash and cherry.
I immediately sold two loads and got my money back on the tops. I have cut only 4 tops so far and last weekend started in on a big fallen cherry. Two loads and still have more on that one tree to get.

I also have wood on brother in laws place that was downed by huge storm last summer, maple, cherry, ash and 2 oak. That is on my low priority because it can sit for awhile.

I also have a friend who had his woods logged and he cuts that and lets me have all the ash from his other woods that the bug has got to.

Once those sites are exhausted I will check with the city dump yard. they dump all of their tree cuttings there and there is always piles of logs laying around. I could probably get those as well.

 

[TonyK]

I only cut on our family's land.

 

[sunfish]

I've cut on our land for the last 22 years. 400 acres, 300 in timber.

 

[REJ2]

I cut on my FIL's farm, about a twenty minute drive across the county. Easy pickens along field edges for the most part. Mostly Hackberry with some Elm.

 

[time warp]

I don't own any woods but I stay supplied by word of mouth.OWB so I take anything,pine willow,whatever is free. I work in peoples homes every day doing flooring so I get alot of contacts.

 

[howard270]

My dad is a farmer/rancher and we run about 2400 acres. He hates to cut wood and if a tree is down or in the way he will just push it over and pile it up with a bulldozer. SO I get to cut up anything down IF I get to it before he burns the pile. We had a bad ice storm here that played hob on our bois d'arc (hedge) trees planted by my great grandpa in the 19-teens, from which we cut fence posts and poles as needed, and I am cleaning that up for the cows to winter in.

This cleanup will last my life-time because when I make good progress we are met by another ice storm. I also cut up native pecans we have growing when they get damaged as well, and about any elm tree that is not native.

I love to cut and do it to relax and heat my house as well. If I want mesquite, my dad's uncle has 200 acres infested with that I have free range of as well.