Give me the wood or don't. Just be honest.

[oldspark]

"would have been nice if he was open about it"
That's for sure, there have been times in my life where I thought some one was a jerk but had he explained it to me I would have understood.

 

[firefighterjake]

I think I like Maple's advice the best . . . be nice, take a pass on it, but leave the option open so in the future if he decides it's too much work and just making a mess of his yard he may be decent and give you the wood for free . . . and even if he sells all the wood or sits on it forever and never offers it to you free of charge you still are good neighbors . . . and having good neighbors who are civil and decent to each other is worth more than free firewood ever will be.

 

[billb3]

Go fishing.

If he asks why you didn't take the stuff near the driveway just say you thought he was finding buyers for it.

I steer clear of owing favors to neighbors, even some relatives.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

I agree with Maple and Jake. One of the reasons I bought the house I did was that I worked with a guy that used to live in the same area. And he told me all the people that would be my neighbors were good people and they are. And that is important to me after living with my parents having neighbors that went out of their way to make trouble for Dad.

 

[NH_Wood]

build a fence. I would have zero use for my neighbor if he did that. My word to my neighbor is worth more than 50 bucks a truckload

Well said! Cheers!

 

[gzecc]

Neighbors! I have an old lady neighbor for 10 yrs now. Nothing but good stuff between us. She also told me she was taking some monster oaks down and I could have the wood. I called to ask if I can could come and pick some up. No response. Then I get a call from the local police. She filed a complaint against me for stealing dirt. Dirt? I have two acres of my own dirt, why would I need hers? I told the cop to get in touch with her out of state daughter, her mother is going off the deep end!.
This neighbor had the nerve to call my wife during sandy and ask for a favor......

 

[JP11]

This wood all of the sudden he thinks is worth money. Let him try to sell it.

A year from now.. after it has a "birthday" sitting in his front yard. Take it if he asks you to.

Otherwise.. just ignore it. Free wood isn't worth it. Sometime between him offering it to you.. and it being cut down.. someone told him he's sitting on a gold mine. Most people can't equate a tree in their yard vs those little bundles at a gas station.

JP

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I always try to remember that good neighbors are worth a lot more than money. We've been lucky and always had good neighbors.....except once. Having a bad neighbor or hard feelings between neighbors is a terrible way to live.

 

[Thistle]

Agree....Wait and see what happens next! (He may come knocking on your door) Oh I just got a massive pignut hickory (Another truck only) for this Sunday.

Ohhhh nice.More wood for the smoker next spring/summer from that also,right?

 

[4fire]

I went fishing today. I parked my car at 8:00 and was on the road headed home with a limit of steelhead at 8:45. When I came home to trade my rod for my shotgun the neighbor was out loading rounds into his truck. The rounds by my driveway are still there. If he asks about them I'll tell him I heard how much he paid the tree service and I think he should recoup some of his expenses. The tree service made a fortune yesterday.
Thought I might get a couple of grouse to go with my fish but no dice. Dad and I found some new deer hunting ground though.
Since I'll be cutting wood away from home in the near future, it gives me an excuse to put sideboards on my new truck.

 

[tbuff]

I always try to remember that good neighbors are worth a lot more than money. We've been lucky and always had good neighbors.....except once. Having a bad neighbor or hard feelings between neighbors is a terrible way to live.

I agree. I had a great relationship with my neighbor until he began blowing fog horns at my dog and yelling at my kids( 10,7,5,2) for making to much noise while playing in my back yard. Long story short, I had a very brief conversation with him and advised him of the repercussions of yelling and cursing at my kids. Haven't talked to him since but kind of wish I would have been a little more calm.

 

[jharkin]

I'll admit that as i first read this, my thinking was "what a jerk!" But people do change their minds, things happen, life goes on. I agree with the consensus - walk away from it and if the neighbor later decided to just dump some on your lot take it, but dont ask.

I am lucky to have what I think are really great neighbors but even so Ive had some strange issues like this. The neighbor to my east has a nice large wooded lot with lots of trees. Old house like me, they have fireplaces but no stove and only burn wood on occasion. The go right by my wood processing area daily and have at times commented on how much work I put into it and how neat and tidy the stacks are - one time they asked me where I got my splitting axe, they wanted to get a similar one. Anyway the story... a year back they had a tree service check out their land and found they have at least a dozen diseased ash trees, half of which have to come down. One of the savable ones was right on the line, and I offered to split the cost of treatment with them and or split the cost of cutting it down if I could have a share of the wood. the owners were going to have all the rest cut and hauled off but I suggested to them to save money just have it bucked and left & we could process it to firewood.

A few months later they had all the trees cut, rounds all over the place. My wife was talking to the neighbors wife and she mentioned another neighbor 200 yards up the road "who has a stove and we are going to ask if they need the wood". My wife almost burst (what about us?) but held her tongue. A year later the rounds are STILL sitting out in the woods and now I see they have a sign out on the road "firewood bundles $5"

In the interest of good relations I just leave it alone....

Meanwhile my other neighbor across the street gave me two entire trees (!), which Ive processed into over a year addition to my supply. They have told me that any time in the future they need tree work the wood is mine. They even have a stove but only use it in emergencies - I offered to do all the splitting and stack half for them but they dont want it. I go out of my way to find favors to do for them in return.

 

[Newwave]

Agree with the consensus...keep walking. Get you own wood at your own pace. I try to never be beholden to anyone particularly neighbors. We never know what happens in peoples lives but sometimes their actions do seem mighty strange.

Good luck and it sounds like you have some fun activities to keep you busy.

 

[4fire]

After two weeks, the rounds are still there minus a few that he hauled off somewhere. Some of the fir by my driveway is actually on my property but I was ignoring it and hoping it would disappear. He came over yesterday, told me I should take all the rounds from the tree by my driveway, and admitted that he gave me "some mixed messages." He's keeping the wood from the tree in his back yard and he said another neighbor is taking the rounds from his front yard. I told him I hadn't touched any of it because I wasn't sure of his plans and I wanted him to sell as much as he could to recoup some of his expenses. I'll grab the rounds by my driveway sometime in the next couple of days. I'm guessing the one fir will be 2-3 truckloads so it's a decent amount.
If the other neighbor that's taking the wood from the front yard is out there at the same time, we may have some problems. He and I can't seem to get together without drinking copious amounts of beer.

 

[LLigetfa]

The rounds by my driveway are still there. If he asks about them I'll tell him I heard how much he paid the tree service and I think he should recoup some of his expenses.

Ja, I'd put on my best face and say something like "Sorry, I didn't realize you needed the cash so just go ahead and sell my share"

 

[fabsroman]

Never rely on something that is promised in the future, period. Your one mistake was not getting the wood you could have gotten months ago.

I also refuse to pay for taking firewood off of somebody's hands because I feel like it is an even trade. I am doing work for them that they would normally have to pay somebody to do.

 

[4fire]

Never rely on something that is promised in the future, period. Your one mistake was not getting the wood you could have gotten months ago.

True. The wood I could have got last month was guaranteed, but I passed because of the neighbor's trees. I thought the neighbor's wood was a sure thing, but I'll consider my options differently in the future.
I did end up getting three very full truckloads from the neighbor today. I wouldn't normally load the truck that much, but it was only 50 yards from where I loaded the wood to where I unloaded.
I was warned when that this neighbor might want a favor from me regarding the use of my driveway. I made up my mind right away that the answer would be NO. Firewood or no firewood, the answer to using my driveway will be NO.

 

[WoodPorn]

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Good idea not to take any of the wood he has, now it has a value attached to it and you don't want to be in "debt" to him, just smile and wave when you see him...

Ya...Wave w/1 finger!