# firewood theft? how to prevent it?



## par0thead151 (May 25, 2011)

I have a large lot behind my business, and i have begun storing wood there, which i split by hand and stack. there are a LOT of wood burners in the area, and it is in a so-so part of town. It is a mix of industrial and residential , in terms of what surrounds my lot.
i am wondering what i can do to protect my stash from those who would assume i split and stacked this wood for their personal use...


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## Bspring (May 25, 2011)

You neglected to tell us how much you are willing to spend. The point is that I don't think there is anything you can do for free that will help much.


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## loon (May 25, 2011)

maybe buy a couple of these??


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## RNLA (May 25, 2011)

Start simple with some fencing and warning signs, NO TRESPASSING, VIDEO SURVEILLANCE, Etc. Maybe only one person or a pair of goons are guilty. It seems like someone is always trying to get something for nothing. If it is one person it may not be to hard to get the jerk! >:-(


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## smokinj (May 25, 2011)

Game camera!


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## mywaynow (May 25, 2011)

Can get a pro level dvr/camera that records on motion when programmed properly.  Your going to spend 800-1000.


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## snowleopard (May 25, 2011)

Or a fence with a couple of dogs on duty.  If you tuck doggie treats in random spots for them to find each evening, they will assume any intruders are their to steal their Milkbones, and will *not* be amused . . . 

My approach is generally to make it necessary for thieves to work too hard for them to consider it--they're a lazy lot, by and large . . .


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## Thistle (May 25, 2011)

Do what I did in Aug 2009 when confronting a lowlife POS thieving neighbor who I caught red-handed stealing my wood from over the fence: Seeing about a wheelbarrow's worth of wood missing from my stack  yet the wood still smoldering in his firepit the next morning.

Jump the fence,pound on his screen door yelling "Get out here you f-ing thief or I'll drag your ass out!!" at the top of your lungs & practically rip it off the hinges.

Calm down when his girlfriend appears & she yells for him to wake up & get his lazy ass outside.

Call the cops inspite them both pleading for you not to.First he denies it,blames it on non-existing roommate that will be now evicted.Changes his story twice even with cops 10 ft from him.Cops put it on file,give them a stern warning,tell me to 'please calm down' & that I'm to call if something else is missing.

They moved away several months later,they were gone almost a month before other neighbor told me they 'left in May"

Case Closed.


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## cwill (May 25, 2011)

10ft fence and razor wire. video cams are cheaper these days. some you can even monitor from home.


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## ruserious2008 (May 25, 2011)

Ask the local police to keep an eye on it- depends on your town I guess but I bet they'd swing thru once a day or so. Surveillance cams are pretty cheap. There are ways thru some web sites where you can even stream it live and have it recorded offsite. I've had some trouble with local loser kids trying to break into some of the apts I own in the city and am going that route. The sign about one whether you have it or not for real is good. I've always like the one that says "Trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again!" Radio Shack also sells a fake camera you can put up in a visible location. But my first idea when I read this was drilling holes in some wood, placing a cherry bomb or an M80 in there and putting the plug back. Would prevent next years thefts I imagine:0 
Sorry don't try this at home but you're reading a post from a guy with zero tolerance or use for thieves and I believe in no mercy no quarter for the losers. Sigh..... of course we wouldn't do that but can you imagine!


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## PJF1313 (May 25, 2011)

par0thead - 

  Is it being stored in a residential area, or a commercial?

  In a commercial, on LI, N.Y., you still can run 6' chain-link/cyclone fence w. 18" barb wire in certain towns.  
If it where me; I'd "hide" it behind stockade - ya cant steel what ya don't know is there.... 

AKA - outta sight; outta mind ;-)


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## Singed Eyebrows (May 25, 2011)

par0thead151 said:
			
		

> I have a large lot behind my business, and i have begun storing wood there, which i split by hand and stack. there are a LOT of wood burners in the area, and it is in a so-so part of town. It is a mix of industrial and residential , in terms of what surrounds my lot.
> i am wondering what i can do to protect my stash from those who would assume i split and stacked this wood for their personal use...


 I would start with no tresspassing signs, this doesn't sound like much, it changes the infraction from someone walking around on your property to criminal tresspass. If the cops find someone they can hit em with a steep fine. If I still had trouble I'd bury something in the dirt(if there) that would cut car tires. As mentioned theives are lazy & probably will drive right up to the stack. You can't cause personal injury with booby traps without going to jail, you can make it real expensive to drive on your property though, Randy


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## snowleopard (May 25, 2011)

I like this sign:  "If you can read this, you're in range."


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## snowleopard (May 25, 2011)

What about getting a steel shipping container?  (known as a Conex in this neck of the woods, don't know why)  If you're getting the wood to sell, once it's seasoned it could go in one of these and be secured.   A 20-ft conex (20x8x8, roughly) would hold 10 cords. Keep the snow off in the winter time--and as long as you could vent it a little, the heat of the sun would help super-season the wood.  Might be a lousy idea--might work.  Just saying it might be worth looking into--don't know myself if it would work or not.


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## fishingpol (May 25, 2011)

The owner of a scrap yard in the next town over had motion-activated cameras installed with computer software that alerted him on his laptop to when there was activity in his yard.  Low and behold, early in the morning his lap top alerts him, he views the activity and the police were notified.  The scrap thief was caught.


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## PNWBurner (May 26, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Game camera!



Yup, those would work well here.  Cheap, no need to wire anything, batteries last months.  They can shoot video and work at night too.  You never know what will turn up on a game cam!


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## Sisu (May 26, 2011)

These signs might help on the prevention side.

If you have a wood chipper, leave a fake foot poking out of it.  Also, when I cut wood in a hockey mask, people tend to stay away.


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## Intheswamp (May 26, 2011)

PNWBurner said:
			
		

> smokinjay said:
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Sounds good, but what keeps'em from stealing the camera when they steal a load of wood?  I'm serious in asking.  I would like to set up a camera around my pile (yeah, I know I'm out in the country, but...) but I'm trying to figure out how to "hide" or secure it but yet have it close enough to the wood piles to take some useful pictures.

Ed


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## woodsmaster (May 26, 2011)

Intheswamp said:
			
		

> PNWBurner said:
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I have a friend that built a steel box to put his camera in and straped it to a tree with cable and a lock. the same friend had his camera tampered with before he did this. someone took the card out of it took some pictures off it and added a couple pictures that didnt fit the senery.


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## woodsmaster (May 26, 2011)

You can get a surveillance system at Menards for a few hundred.


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## Backwoods Savage (May 26, 2011)

Intheswamp said:
			
		

> PNWBurner said:
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Just an idea Ed. One time I hung a game camera in an area where I feared it might get stole. So I actually hung the camera up in the tree, high enough so that someone would need a ladder to get to it. Naturally this cut down a bit on the area that it would cover but it did the trick for me. I had it there a couple weeks and all was well. Camo them all you can for sure as there are many thieves out there.


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## Como (May 26, 2011)

Around here in the old days someone with this issue hollowed out a split and packed it with gunpowder. It did not stop the next lot going missing, but it did stop future losses and also indicated where the wood went.

I have my Guard Golden Retriever patrolling mine, I think she in convinced there is something living in there. I also re tell the story but may imply it is still current practice.


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## loon (May 27, 2011)

maybe you can invite these guys over for a few pints one night  :cheese:


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## wannabegreener (May 27, 2011)

loon said:
			
		

> maybe you can invite these guys over for a few pints one night  :cheese:



That curb must have been very slippery.   :cheese:


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## Intheswamp (May 27, 2011)

wannabegreener said:
			
		

> loon said:
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Nah, the guy was just clumsy...


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## Adabiviak (May 27, 2011)

Dude shanked a marine? Cretin.

I've been contemplating enclosing my wood pile with some fencing material with openings as large as possible without allowing splits to be pulled through (for airflow). This would also provide some stability to help keep stacks from falling over. Someone could certainly cut the fencing off to get the wood, but it would deter lazy thieves, and the risk of theft would then include property damage.


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## jeff_t (May 27, 2011)

BFD


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## firefighterjake (May 27, 2011)

loon said:
			
		

> maybe you can invite these guys over for a few pints one night  :cheese:



Actually this is funny, but not entirely accurate.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/stabbedmarine.asp


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## snowleopard (May 27, 2011)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> Actually this is funny, but not entirely accurate.



DANG!  And here I was going to cite hearth.com in my thesis.  :-S


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## Don2222 (May 28, 2011)

Hello

I would start with one of those Halogen Motion Lights at home depot. Any movement and it floods the area with light!!

That helps allot!

I have one of these in my back yard and they work great!
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


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## snowleopard (May 28, 2011)

Don, that's a great idea!


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