# Someone stole some of my firewood.



## parthy (Jan 29, 2014)

Have a pretty good idea of who it was.  He didn't take much.  I came home late one night because I am retired, but went to pick up my last cheque from my work and they begged me to work for them for the afternoon.  I noticed footprints in the snow.  thought it was the hydro meter lady and didn't think anymore about it.  My sons came out and were looking at my 2 cords piled up in a leanto kind of wood pile and someone had taken about 20 splits.

My nearest neighbour is cutting down trees and splitting and burning them right away and we figure he need some dry stuff.

Installed a camera inside the house and talked to the RCMP here.  My son put a sign on the wood, once you flip open the light covering, saying, Smile you lazy bleep. you been busted.


I posted this in the wrong place.  I have notified the mods.  Sorry.


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## HybridFyre (Jan 29, 2014)

Awesome. Please post pics and wanted signs once you get results....


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## gzecc (Jan 29, 2014)

I just received two fake video camera's. Too cold out to mount right now. Ones going in the back and one in the front.


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## parthy (Jan 29, 2014)

The RCMP said that this is becoming more common right now.  You can't buy dry firewood anywhere until the middle to end of Feb.  In 2008 it was stealing gas from sheds.

My summer plans for making wood piles will now change to the east side of the house, where I can easily see them.  My son said he will put up light fencing with an airhorn alarm on it.  It's just sad.  The guy who we are sure is taking them has been caught red-handed doing the same thing elsewhere and the guy has 5x the money I have.


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## NH_Wood (Jan 29, 2014)

Damn. I don't want to judge anyone - but stealing another man's hard earned property is just, well, wrong (can we still say that?). I'd rather the person come to me and ask for free wood - I'd give them some if they were really hurting. Cheers!


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## tigeroak (Jan 29, 2014)

I caught one person stealing mine one time and I said what I done to him and it got pulled. Stealing and a lair is no use to me. Spit kick


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## Tom Wallace (Jan 29, 2014)

tigeroak said:


> I caught one person stealing mine one time and I said what I done to him and it got pulled. Stealing and a lair is no use to me. Spit kick


Well now I'm curious what you did to him!


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## NH_Wood (Jan 29, 2014)

He can't say until the statute of limitations is over....... Cheers!


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## parthy (Jan 29, 2014)

Went for a walk by his house today and judging by the creosote running down his brand new chimney on the outside, the fire that is going to happen there will be spectacular!  (brand new 200 grand + home)I am sure I told him I don't have a phone. I don't answer the door after dark anyways, the neighbours I like email me before showing up. And my kids have a key.

I would gladly give anybody who needed some, some wood.


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## tigeroak (Jan 29, 2014)

Back in the old days they made their teeth out of wood, get the drift.


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## tigeroak (Jan 29, 2014)

Same here parthy , you need some ask and I will give you some but just don't steal it then lie about when you get caught.


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## msherer (Jan 30, 2014)

That sux.  Besides the wood at my house we keep the bulk of it at our farm which is 25 miles away from me but 8 miles from the rest of my family.  No one lives at that old farm so there's nothing stopping someone from loading up.  With propane prices so high I could see someone indulging themselves on our stocks.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jan 30, 2014)

parthy said:


> Went for a walk by his house today and judging by the creosote running down his brand new chimney on the outside, the fire that is going to happen there will be spectacular!  (brand new 200 grand + home)I am sure I told him I don't have a phone. I don't answer the door after dark anyways, the neighbours I like email me before showing up. And my kids have a key.
> 
> I would gladly give anybody who needed some, some wood.


If you know he has issues with creosote dripping, consider doing the right thing and tell him about it, your not 100 percent sure that it is him and even if it is, he only took 20 pieces, maybe experimenting and trying to learn from you...
Atleast consider it.... He is a burner just like you me and all the rest... Stealing wood is more like someone taking half a pile or so, not a neighbor needing 20 splits.....


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## woodsman416 (Jan 30, 2014)

It's terrible and all but I can't get over a brand new house for 200K!


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## yooperdave (Jan 30, 2014)

Most definitely tell him about your concern of the visible creosote!  I don't think you would be able to live with yourself knowing you could have prevented a fire...over 20 pieces of wood.  It would also be a good time to tell him that you found some wood "missing" from your stack.


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## razerface (Jan 30, 2014)

if there are kids there I would go educated him. If it is just him,,,,shrug,,,,,he is a thief


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## Missouri Frontier (Jan 30, 2014)

ask and I'll give it to you. But,come for the wood sneaky and leave with a half ounce of lead in your ear.


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## Delta-T (Jan 30, 2014)

bring another 20 splits over and neatly stack it for 'em. leave note mentioning imminent disaster of chimney fire. suggest visiting hearth.com for knowledge of correct burning technique. detail the concept of getting out there and doing your C/S/S and getting well ahead if you wanna be a wood burner, value of time, energy spent preparing for winter...that type of thing. hopefully he figure it out, if not, maybe he stub toe on coffee table over and over.


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## Ashful (Jan 30, 2014)

woodsman416 said:


> It's terrible and all but I can't get over a brand new house for 200K!


Yeah... not many houses at $200k around here.  You can spend that redoing a kitchen, in this neighborhood.  Empty lot behind me just sold for $188k, and it was mostly wetlands, not very good for building.


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## bmblank (Jan 30, 2014)

See, I see it the other way around. 200k is quite a bit for a house around here. Most are probably in the 50k range. I guess meth does a of job of lowering prices.


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## bassJAM (Jan 30, 2014)

I've been concerned about losing wood around here with this cold spell.  The top of wood pile is visible from the road if you're driving a truck, but my driveway is low enough that you'd never see them loading anything from the road.  I need to get some cameras set up as I've caught some random people come snooping around when I've worked from home during the week.

A $200k home seems to be the threshold of "pretty darn nice" around here.


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## Bobbin (Jan 30, 2014)

The price of the home is unimportant.  The "owner's" financial statements _are important_. Stealing is always wrong.  But the circumstances surrounding the theft are not always so clearly defined.  People steal for several reasons.  If you were mortgaged to the hilt and found yourself "upside down" on your note and  your homeowner's policy was insufficient/lapsed and the threat of frozen pipes loomed... you guys see where I'm going.  Desperation makes people do things they'd usually avoid. And yeah, there is always an poophead who'll steal because "he can". 

Those of us who burn wood understand just how much planning and work goes into providing a winter's worth of firewood and the supply for the following winter.  People who are desperate don't think that way! they're worried about getting through a wicked cold night and hanging on until the next check clears the bank.  What a horrible way to live!

I would be beyond BS if I found our hard earned seasoned firewood poached by some lazy, sorry-ass person... but if I found myself in dire straits?  Dunno, maybe the suggestion of Delta-T is the best way to build community and spread the word about how to maximize the use of wood heat?!


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 30, 2014)

My wood. No touchy.


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## blades (Jan 31, 2014)

My wood- no Touchy- add or you will be touched.  Always liked that phone line add " reach out and touch someone"  modification by me- I don't use a phone.   range 600yards, elevation 18minutes, windage varies. click - hello!


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jan 31, 2014)

I understand, I regularly check my stacks because some can be taken in the night, guys in pickups have their eyes peeled on my stash as they drive by, but if a neighbor needs a little, it's a different story.....


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## bag of hammers (Jan 31, 2014)

bmblank said:


> See, I see it the other way around. 200k is quite a bit for a house around here. Most are probably in the 50k range. I guess meth does a of job of lowering prices.



Watching the Detroit news, in some areas you could buy a half a city block for $200K these days.  Its really sad.  I sure hope the folks there and elsewhere can turn it around.

Back to the OP - I wonder - sure this wood thief has lots of $$$, but that isn't worth crap on a cold night with a yard full of wet wood and nobody willing to sell him any good fuel.  In a sense, he's poorer than the guy he stole from - with the nice dry stacks - the victim.  I'm not excusing his approach (a knock on the door would have been a thousand times better) but I agree with preventing his house from burning down.  If I knew I could stop it and I didn't it would haunt me forever.  Especially if there was a life lost.  Even if the guy is an a$$-bag.    Just my 2c....


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## Bostontom (Jan 31, 2014)

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:


> If you know he has issues with creosote dripping, consider doing the right thing and tell him about it, your not 100 percent sure that it is him and even if it is, he only took 20 pieces, maybe experimenting and trying to learn from you...
> Atleast consider it.... He is a burner just like you me and all the rest... Stealing wood is more like someone taking half a pile or so, not a neighbor needing 20 splits.....




Stealing is stealing. No matter how much it is. You ask before you take or you don't take. Pretty sure some countries still take your hand for doing something like that.   I'd just tell him that you don't know who it is but you can guarantee it won't happen again


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## STIHLY DAN (Jan 31, 2014)

There would be a lot less stealing if you lost your hand here. But taxes would be 1o fold for all the people now on disability. Lose, lose.


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## flatlandr (Feb 1, 2014)

I can sympathize with the O.P. as I just had to deal with the same situation. I could see the tracks in the snow and the tarp was not fastened correctly. Probably not the smartest thing to leave tracks from MY wood stacks to YOUR back door. After recording the tracks for evidence I contacted the local p.d. who came out looked around and then went to visit my neighbor. The story he gave was that he MEANT to say something to me about BORROWING some wood. This guy just moved in a month ago and has never spoken to me at all. Ended up taking $50 for the wood that he took,showed him where his property corners are, and two standing dead trees that I would help him cut up.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Feb 1, 2014)

flatlandr said:


> I can sympathize with the O.P. as I just had to deal with the same situation. I could see the tracks in the snow and the tarp was not fastened correctly. Probably not the smartest thing to leave tracks from MY wood stacks to YOUR back door. After recording the tracks for evidence I contacted the local p.d. who came out looked around and then went to visit my neighbor. The story he gave was that he MEANT to say something to me about BORROWING some wood. This guy just moved in a month ago and has never spoken to me at all. Ended up taking $50 for the wood that he took,showed him where his property corners are, and two standing dead trees that I would help him cut up.


Dam, now that's what I call beig caught "red footed" but I don't know if I would take the 50 from my neighbor, the embarresment of the PD showing up would be more than enough for me....


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## Jon1270 (Feb 2, 2014)

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:


> I don't know if I would take the 50 from my neighbor, the embarresment of the PD showing up would be more than enough for me....



Sounds to me as if the $50 was a way to make things right between neighbors without triggering lasting animosity.  That, combined with helping the guy out with the standing dead trees, seems a rather classy way to handle the situation.


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## MJFlores (Feb 2, 2014)

I'm extremely surprised at the few who are making excuses for the thief.  Stealing is stealing, period.  I've given away some wood a few times, to help someone out.  If someone needs wood I expect they come ask me for it.  Promise to mow my lawn a few times the coming summer...or help stack some wood sometime.  Lots of ways to pay for something without digging in your pocket for money.  No excuse for stealing.


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## rowerwet (Feb 2, 2014)

for a neighbor I would trade some wet for my dry, lucky for me nobody around here burns wood, (city with natural gas) not far from here somebody has been stealing wood piles in broad daylight. best the cops can figure they are selling it. Being NH shooting is legal and many are armed. this guy has some guts...


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## parthy (Feb 3, 2014)

Houses here out in the sticks (rural) don't get much over 200 grand on average.  No basement (just a crawl space), and it's just far enough from the big city that the commute is a pain.  20 miles to a hospital, big grocery store and the prices of everything like food etc is enormous.  Also, this is a recreational area, on Lake Winnipeg, and in the winter, there is nothing open, to do.  I like it that way.  The homes here are mostly 2nd homes/cottages.

I just looked at my neighbours house, he left for work and a lot of smoke is coming out of that chimney. 

I guess I should put the fire deparment on my speed dial.


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## Ashful (Feb 3, 2014)

parthy said:


> I guess I should put the fire deparment on my speed dial.


Dial "9-1," and just wait.


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## parthy (Feb 3, 2014)

Joful - lol

Rowerwet- This guy has a "I'll just help myself mentality".  He has alienated most everyone around here since he has been here (August of 2013).

I take the long view- revenge is best served cold.  But it will be sweet too - like ice cream.


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## bag of hammers (Feb 3, 2014)

razerface said:


> if there are kids there I would go educated him. If it is just him,,,,shrug,,,,,he is a thief



Kids or pets.


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## Knots (Feb 5, 2014)

Ants and grasshoppers.  Steal someone's wood that they were relying on for the big ice storm and that's pretty serious business.  One step below horse-thievery.

Tough winter:

*Firewood thefts reported in Candia*
*Many residents rely on firewood for main source of heating*


Read more: http://www.wmur.com/news/nh-news/fi.../24039824/-/mb40rs/-/index.html#ixzz2sSVU8qYo


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