You own timber?

[WVwoodsman]

Since I don't own any land, I get my wood from scrounging and placing wanted ads on Craigs List. A few miles from my house the WV DOH dumps quite a bit of cut up trees that are removed and then dumped. There used to be a log yard that was also a few miles away, but since the timber industry was hit hard by the bad economy, they went out of business. I used to get all my wood from there for free!

 

[myzamboni]

I'm on a 6000 sq ft lot in the 'burbs where houses have ~10 feet of separation. Scrounge ALL my wood from CL (mostly city pine)

 

[slowp]

There are so many landowners cutting trees down to harvest grain on their land that there is little reason to own timber. That's what happens when you pump corn prices up to $8/bushel and 40% of the corn crop goes into ethanol production. :msp_razz:

Because corn doesn't grow well here. Nor does wheat, soybeans, barley...we grow trees quite well.

I only have a few acres. It is the only spot on an aerial photo that shows a lot of trees. I do a little bit of thinning, and had a couple of dead maples to cut up. If a tree dies, it goes into the wood stove, unless it is cottonwood. And maybe cottonwood will even be burned.

I cut more on private ground that belongs to friends. They have a big chunk of ground and I'll be cleaning up behind a logging operation soon. That's good wood to have.

 

[SS396driver]

I used to cut on uncles property 25 acres in Armonk NY he bought it in 68 for 50k a lot of money then. He died a few years ago the kids sold the property for over 6 million last year. would have been over 10 prior to 06 . Now I just get it from friends and just ask people if I see some down wood. The snow storm in Oct got me a but load of maple and oak. Also my neighbor works for the highway dept and just drops off rounds at my house after storms

 

[MNfarmer]

I'm spoiled, about 150 acres of my farm is wooded and there is no way I could ever burn all the firewood that's here. I have a few family members that cut here too though, always fun to get together and cut wood!!

 

[Dogsout]

No timber of my own but do have some land owners all with in 5 miles that allow me to cut down and dead on their property. I posted before Christmas that I purchased a gift card for all of them to show our appreciation for allowing us to do so and boy has that paid big dividends. All by word of mouth I now have been contacted by four more farmers that have offered to let us in to cut the down and dead in their grooves or timber if we wanted to. I have been cutting off and on due to the mild winter and am fairly certain that I have as much wood if not more today then when I fired off the ODW in the fall. I must be sick because when I throw a stick in the burner I feel the need to go out and cut TWO sticks to replace it.

 

[rmount]

About 80 acres of our place is wooded so I don't have to worry about travel time or finding wood. This year I have been re-opening an old tractor trail that hasn't be used in ages. From the look of some of the old stumps it has probably been fifty years or more since anyone cut wood out of that area. We keep warm and help out some friends and family with their supply too.

 

[Arbonaut]

I raid bulldoze piles. In a really tight spot, I'll get out the top handle, it's just like being in a tree top.

Got enough massive 120 year-old Oak on tree removal jobs to burn through April 2013. Gettin' paid to take premium firewood home; that's a win-win, but it costs a little on insurance. Sometimes when a tree becomes a hazard, the insurance company foots the bill though.

I got enough for verneer logs off residential removals over the years to pay for every one of my saws.

 

[spike60]

Most of my wood comes from a logger/buddy that lets me come in and take as much of the tops and drops as I want. (Actually more than I want.) It's a bit of a win/win because he doesn't want to mess with anything that doesn't go on the log truck, so in his mind I'm helping him. He's also a bit of a Jonsered collector and I keep his older saws in good running shape for free. He's been working within 5 miles of my house this year and truthfully, I've never had it this good.

I've always kept my eyes open for wood scores. A load here, and load there. Doesn't always have to be a full load either; it all adds up. I've gotten quite a few loads from the property behind my store. If things ever got really tight, I'd supplement my wood supply with pallets and tractor crates from the store, which is where I get all of my kindling wood.

My own property is 3.5 acres, all wooded except the 1/2 acre that was cleared for the house. That wood lasted the first 2 or 3 years. Before I got burried with wood from Todd, I would cut about a cord or more a year from my own property to supplement the scrounging. There's one nice oak tree that Irene blew over waiting for me. It's mostly up off the ground, so there's no hurry considering the amount of wood I have laying around. (probably 3 years worth.) It will be one of those "I'm in the mood for a project" deals.

I've been in the house and burning wood 20 years this month, and I've never bought a stick of wood.

 

[SPDRMNKY]

scrounge

after growing up in the PNW (77 acres at the end of a box canyon), I'm trying to get used to driving to cut firewood

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

I got enough for verneer logs off residential removals over the years to pay for every one of my saws.

Most all mills around here won't touch a log that came from residential. Do they scan them before buying?

 

[logbutcher]

Perhaps I should have been more specific about my "area." I wasn't referring to the entire state of Maine, nor was I speaking of the area of Northern Massachusetts that you all call the Portland area.
The ocean and industries surrounding it is 3 hours away. The closest hospital, college, respectable sized grocery store...Dare I say...Wal Mart is over an hour away. Lowes, Home Depot? 1.5 hours away. I list them this way to give perspective, not to suggest I could scrounge wood at these establishments...
So, tourism and the businesses that support it and logging ARE the two industries in my area of Maine.
I suppose I could drive out of the area to scrounge, but any money saved scrounging that way would be spent in fuel and wear & tear on my equipment.

Start by looking around you Jim. I've spent time in every part of the state, Bethel, and especially The County and The Northwoods. There's nowhere that there is not timber for the taking IF you're willing to get out and look and ask.

Here's a few ideas:
Any logging has tops for the taking.
Wood manufacturers--furniture, toothpicks, handles, pallets,etc....all have some waste that they need to get rid of.
Everywhere someone is developing, building or clearing for sale. Ask.
Arborists, line crews, highway departments...get there following storm cleanups. Asplungh line cuts for Bangor Hydro for example; they DON't take the logs.

That's just the tip of the timber iceberg. No long drives, no logging roads to get stuck on, just a year-round pick up with or without a pickup. You don't "scrounge" at HD or Wallyworld. Even in St Agatha there's wood for the taking. Where are you that's more remote ?

 

[cheeves]

No timber of my own but do have some land owners all with in 5 miles that allow me to cut down and dead on their property. I posted before Christmas that I purchased a gift card for all of them to show our appreciation for allowing us to do so and boy has that paid big dividends. All by word of mouth I now have been contacted by four more farmers that have offered to let us in to cut the down and dead in their grooves or timber if we wanted to. I have been cutting off and on due to the mild winter and am fairly certain that I have as much wood if not more today then when I fired off the ODW in the fall. I must be sick because when I throw a stick in the burner I feel the need to go out and cut TWO sticks to replace it.

Feel the same this winter. Know I have more wood than when I started. Finally kinda crashed. Had been cutting wood almost everyday. Back finally revolted.

 

[Arbonaut]

Most all mills around here won't touch a log that came from residential. Do they scan them before buying?

Yeah, Kevin I know exactly what you mean. Logs in town can have bird feeders and clotheslines grown in I've even seen bricks in the roots. They are doubly picky on veneer logs because the blade on the machine is so expensive. If the log has blue in the wood, yer sunk. But if not and there is room to drop it without splitting, some of the guys I deal with on the logging end will have a look.

One Walnut log sitting outside an old candy factory in 1992 fetched me enough on my half to buy my first 066 Magnum with cash.

 

[Acornhill]

my screen name says it all, Acornhill is my current residence (3+ acres) of many Oak trees etc. I also have a 34 acre farm on the Eastern shore but no need to gather wood off of it yet. I also have access to hundreds of acres around my house along the river. i only cut dead standing or blow downs though.

 

[poloman]

All off my place. 65 acres with 35 in timber. Plenty here...

 

[hydro2]

I have 337 acres so on my own place.

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