Tree picking from sides of roads

[Itsme7]

Ever have problems with taking blowdown from the sides of the road? Past couple days I've been taking blowdown off of the side of the road, on state land, not cutting down healthy trees. Anyone else do that? Ever run into issues? Yesterday was cutting up some blowdown and had a cop pass me 6-7 times in the time I was cutting up a load on the side of the road, but he was making a u-turn 50 ft up the road to go back to his speed trap. :hmm3grin2orange: He didn't even slow down, think they don't mind.

 

[740jsmayle]

Around here the state has been clearing the right of ways and piling it up for whoever stops to get it. I saw a guy with a trailer following them up the road.

 

[avalancher]

Ever have problems with taking blowdown from the sides of the road? Past couple days I've been taking blowdown off of the side of the road, on state land, not cutting down healthy trees. Anyone else do that? Ever run into issues? Yesterday was cutting up some blowdown and had a cop pass me 6-7 times in the time I was cutting up a load on the side of the road, but he was making a u-turn 50 ft up the road to go back to his speed trap. :hmm3grin2orange: He didn't even slow down, think they don't mind.

It aint the cops you gotta worry about, its the landowners, the state or county road department, and any ass hat that just feels like causing you trouble and starts dialing away on the old cell phone till he reaches someone who doesnt have anything else to do but ride out and see what you are up to.

Varies from state to state, but most take a dim view cutting anything on state land unless you have permits, inspections, a dog named Clyde, and a bushel of corned beef hash in the glove box. Without it you are up the proverbial creek if the right guy stops by to check you out. Aint no firewood valuable enough for the fines they can whack you with if they feel like it.

 

[Stlshrk]

In the state forest here they actually bid out sections to individuals who can cut trees already down and standing trees that are marked.

For trees cut from right of ways we would still want to get permission from a land owner. Just because there is a power line going through doesn't mean that the land owner doesn't still own it. You can't just ride your 4wheeler down pipelines or powerlines and such w/o tresspassing.

I guess, in short, it is never a good idea to just drive up and start taking/cutting wood that is sitting there.

 

[tld400]

Where I live in NJ there is a ton of state property that has nice dirt roads with hundreds of trees down everywhere. And I would say 70% is hardwood. But the rangers patrol it all the time and if they catch you cutting they will fine you. It is B.S. I guess they would rather let the wood rot than let people try to heat their house with the wood.

 

[stihly dan]

I've seen some primo wood, good access, and safe. But it's state land and the answer is always no.

 

[dave_dj1]

It depends on what you are calling state land. Is it just a right of way or a state forest? If a ROW then I think you are fine. Around here we have town, county and state roads, anything in the ROW is fair game, they own 50' from centerline of road. Now if it's a state rd and the tree is in someones front yard then I would check with them (HO).

 

[stihly dan]

Most is in the circle of on and off the highway ramps.

 

[H 2 H]

I can only get trees that are down on property that who I know the owner of the property here in Washington State

I ask some county workers here that were clearing the right a way on county roads last summer and they told me I had to have owners (of the property) ok to take the trees for firewood

There are still trees laying down that I watch being cut and I asked property owners if I could cut them up and they said no there just rotting now

 

[Encore]

Around here you wouldn't get a ticket from the cops but you could get in trouble from DOT.

I guess they are liable for anyone who could get hurt on the right of way if they were cutting.


However, if I were on a backroad and there was a downed tree in the right of way, I'd take it. Just don't stop on a major highway.

 

[mountainmandan]

If you are talking state forest, there is probably a permit, and it is probably cheap, but you better get one. The fines are not worth it.
The cops don't care, the rangers will.

Dan

 

[Itsme7]

I'd never touch a tree on a homeowner's lot. This is more of a 6-7 mile road with nothing but state owned land on both sides (not state park) I've seen other individuals doing the same, in fact there were 2 others out on the same road cutting blowdown on the same day, and have seen others in the past. Was wondering if anyone else has done the same. Or possible issues.

 

[unclemoustache]

Varies from state to state, but most take a dim view cutting anything on state land unless you have permits, inspections, a dog named Clyde, and a bushel of corned beef hash in the glove box.

Wow - you got a big glove box. How you fit all that hash in there? :monkey:

 

[FLHX Storm]

I heard from one of my neighbors that the state owns only 20 feet from the center line. I live directly across the road from federal land which also has the Blue Ridge Parkway. I see perhaps a good 6 cord of wood, some standing, some fallen, and a few hangers that I could easily just wonder over and take. A lot of it is within 50 feet of the road I live on.

Should I take it? Not on your life!

Last year when I removed a couple of trees from a road because it was a hazard after a wind storm, all I did was cut it into pieces small enough for me to handle and put it off to the side of the road. I figured the county would come by and take care of the rest. Sure, I could have taken the wood that was on the road, but did it belong to me? No! I didn't have permission to take it. All I did was remove the hazard since it was covering better than half the road. Once I was done I went on home and about my business.

Otherwise, let me ask the OP this. If a loaded log truck is parked in the ditch and seemingly abandoned, do I have the right to take all the logs and process them as my own? NO WAY! And if the OP had a load of logs that was down by the road, is it okay for me to take it? Again NO WAY! I would think the OP would be right upset that I had or was taking his wood. But according to his way of thinking it is okay for him to do the same to someone else.

There is a right way and a wrong way to procure something. Ask the owner of the property or get whatever permit. OR, look on Craigs List. I am forever seeing adds "wood free for the taking." Some is still standing! I've even recently seen someone giving away seasoned firewood that has already been bucked. Point is, with so much free stuff out there, why take it from someones property without at least getting permission FIRST!

On a final note: If I have a downed tree laying in the ditch along my property and I see you pull up and start cutting, I will fill your butt with rock salt if your not with the city or county. N the chances are, I will eventually limb n cut the tree into sizes I can handle and move it the rest of the way on my property to process it for next years firewood since it belongs to me!

 

[TreePointer]

Essentially the rule where I am is you always ask permission, no matter who you think the owner is.

And I don't really know what plain old "state land" is. There are state parks, state forests, state gamelands, and grounds around state institutions like government buildings and prisons. There is also land between the fences on state limited access highways. As for non-limited access state highways, SOMEBODY (homwowners, farms, businesses, etc.) owns that land and we ask permission here if we don't want trouble. Even if there is no building around, somebody owns it.

 

[Steve NW WI]

The easiest answer for these threads is to KNOW who owns the wood, and if it's a private landowner, get permission. If it's a govenment property, find out what the requirements are for gathering firewood on it, if it's allowed at all. Your state forestry office or possibly Natural Resources would be the best places to start asking these questions.

Where I live, permits are required to cut on State or County lands, anything in the right of way on private property is just that, private property belonging to the landowner. The road easement allows for the municipality to cut vegetation for safe use of the roads, but the trees themselves are not public property.

It's up to you to know the rules and abide by them, as they say "Ignorance of the law is no excuse."

 

[mikey517]

I'd never touch a tree on a homeowner's lot. This is more of a 6-7 mile road with nothing but state owned land on both sides (not state park) I've seen other individuals doing the same, in fact there were 2 others out on the same road cutting blowdown on the same day, and have seen others in the past. Was wondering if anyone else has done the same. Or possible issues.

If I'm thinking of the right road, isn't some of that Newark Watershed Property? I know some of that land around the 4 mi. marker is privately owned.

Am I in the right place?

I just wish I had TIME to go a scrounging!! :msp_sad:

Mike

 

[jrider]

In my part of the state, we got hit with a real bad oak disease. 1000's of oaks died about 4-5 years ago. What was along side any road was cut down and was free for the taking. Along a busy state road, crews were cutting on a 10-15 mile stretch for weeks and guys with trucks were pulling over and filling up time and time again. This was only a few miles from the state police barracks and was also a road commonly used by park rangers to get to and from various parks in the area. Nobody cared one bit. You can bet all the troopers and rangers who burned wood were well stocked after that summer.

 

[avalancher]

In my part of the state, we got hit with a real bad oak disease. 1000's of oaks died about 4-5 years ago. What was along side any road was cut down and was free for the taking. Along a busy state road, crews were cutting on a 10-15 mile stretch for weeks and guys with trucks were pulling over and filling up time and time again. This was only a few miles from the state police barracks and was also a road commonly used by park rangers to get to and from various parks in the area. Nobody cared one bit. You can bet all the troopers and rangers who burned wood were well stocked after that summer.

That right there is the difference, an authorized crew was doing the cutting, and the folks who stopped and loaded up were merrily hauling off the debris with the permission of the authorized crews. The crews decided what came down or were cut up, and allowed private citizens to have the wood. The problems with stopping and cutting all on your own are far to numerous to even think about doing it without the okay from the agency or landowner in charge of that chunk of ground. Last time I checked, there just aint no land in the United States that aint owned by somebody, unless you count Alaska. From what I heard, there is still land there that NOBODY actually owns.

To the OP, I would stop by your local highway department and ask them. If they say "no problem, help yourself" get it in writing and help yourself!

 

[jrider]

That right there is the difference, an authorized crew was doing the cutting, and the folks who stopped and loaded up were merrily hauling off the debris with the permission of the authorized crews. The crews decided what came down or were cut up, and allowed private citizens to have the wood. The problems with stopping and cutting all on your own are far to numerous to even think about doing it without the okay from the agency or landowner in charge of that chunk of ground. Last time I checked, there just aint no land in the United States that aint owned by somebody, unless you count Alaska. From what I heard, there is still land there that NOBODY actually owns.

To the OP, I would stop by your local highway department and ask them. If they say "no problem, help yourself" get it in writing and help yourself!

No permission was given, just nobody stopped them. And yes, while wood was already on the ground, it wasn't all cut to easy to load sizes. There were plenty of guys running saws...the ones that didn't get there quick enough to get the easy stuff.