Power Line Clearing - yay!
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heavy hammer
Minister of Fire
I say ask the property owners or the people with houses around the area being cleared. Taking wood that doesn't belong to you could end up not working out well. When all said and done it's still stealing, I would rather ask and be told no than deal with someone unhappy about stolen property. Not worth the hassle.
I wish I could figure out who to buy a beer so the crews in the area would just drop it off by my driveway... Lol
heavy hammer
Minister of Fire
I say ask the property owners or the people with houses around the area being cleared. Taking wood that doesn't belong to you could end up not working out well. When all said and done it's still stealing, I would rather ask and be told no than deal with someone unhappy about stolen property. Not worth the hassle.
I asked right off the bat, same guy owns both lots. Nice fella, walks his dog by 3x a day
he just wants it out of plain site. Also, he didn't think they were going to leave it behind like they did...
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heavy hammer
Minister of Fire
They're nice older folks who are just happy we're sedate and improving the property. Plus, they don't have to pay someone to get it out of their way
I asked right off the bat, same guy owns both lots. Nice fella, walks his dog by 3x a day
As an added benefit . . . by asking . . . this neighbor now knows you want wood and if he or any of his friends and family have any trees they need to get rid of there is a good chance your name will be mentioned.
I have seen people taking wood from right of way clearing hey if the owner doesn't mind why not free wood is the best wood !
heavy hammer
Minister of Fire
If property owners don't care or give permission than you are golden. The utilities are very happy to have that stuff removed they just won't tell you that for liability reasons. Trust me they want nothing to do with it. Most of the guys doing the removal have 24/7 access to wood if needed anyways so guys like us luck out. It's cut and on the ground all you have to do is clean up and take home.
Last time power company did line clearing on our property, twice I had to have trespassing scroungers unload logs they had loaded up to take away. They weren't happy, but it was theft -- not their property and not their logs.
heavy hammer
Minister of Fire
As I said earlier it's still stealing if you just walk on to property not yours and start taking wood. I'm sorry this happened I know that some people have no problem using the threat of firepower to keep people off their property. Never want to go this route but what is yours is yours.
Oldman47
Minister of Fire
Deadly force can never be justified to stop simple property theft but that does not mean I will just let you steal from me.
heavy hammer
Minister of Fire
I agree, but many don't feel this way. I have some friends who have no problem using a gun to get their point across.
D8Chumley
Minister of Fire
I assume it was on the pissed off neighbors' property/ROW? If not she had no business complaining. And like was said, come talk to me and leave my wife out of it
It simply amazes me that anyone would consider wood on someone else's property to have magically become free for the taking. Someone tried this on my property a few years ago when the utility company cut down some of my trees. Luckily for the thief, my neighbor saw him and sent him packing before I got home, because if I'd arrived home to find someone loading their truck bed with my property, his truck would have been blocked in until the police arrived.
While it is obvious to the level headed among us that an armed response in not appropriate to such a theft, in many states it would be completely legal to shoot an unarmed thief on your property, and there are folks out there who dream of getting that opportunity. Please don't make their day, ask first.
TE
While it is obvious to the level headed among us that an armed response in not appropriate to such a theft, in many states it would be completely legal to shoot an unarmed thief on your property, and there are folks out there who dream of getting that opportunity. Please don't make their day, ask first.
TE
This is interesting. Power lines near me are on the other side of the street so I don't have this problem. But I've got so much wood stacked in the yard if I did have an issue of line clearing I would hope a would be wood collector would see my wood stacks and assume I want it for myself.
I will say this though. I work on a tree service crew part time. When a tree is being removed or pruned it's fairly common for someone to come over and ask if they can take wood. It's always a no because we don't want someone getting in the way while we are working. Also don't want the liability of letting a non employee on someone else's property.
But it's different from line clearing in the sense we leave a customers property spotless when we are done in regards to clean up. So if someone asks us to leave some smaller pieces behind and say they will come back for it when we are done, we can't assume they will, so the answer is always no
I will say this though. I work on a tree service crew part time. When a tree is being removed or pruned it's fairly common for someone to come over and ask if they can take wood. It's always a no because we don't want someone getting in the way while we are working. Also don't want the liability of letting a non employee on someone else's property.
But it's different from line clearing in the sense we leave a customers property spotless when we are done in regards to clean up. So if someone asks us to leave some smaller pieces behind and say they will come back for it when we are done, we can't assume they will, so the answer is always no
heavy hammer
Minister of Fire
With all the liability issues there are today and issues with who ownes what it is usually just easier to say no.
I completely agree. 100 percent.
The following probably doesn't apply to most of us here because we are the ones with the chainsaws and the need for wood. More so a general thought I have though.........
I've seen ads online and ads posted places over the years where people say free wood all you have to do is come drop the tree and take the wood.
In theory this sounds great for the homeowner probably because the prices to have it removed by an insured professional were too expensive.
The problem is if the helpful guy down the street comes over and gets injured while cutting your tree down in exchange for free wood , that person can turn around and sue you. And if you think they won't , wait until they get $50k in hospital and emergency room bills for a serious accident.
Then there are those where a tree really should be dismantled from the top down or weight taken off a side before dropping it safely which requires a man lift , bucket, or climbing it etc, but the guy down the road feels he can safely drop it. Perhaps he can, perhaps he can't. Just make sure , as a property owner, your homeowners insurance is up to date, cause the guy down the road probably is not covered for liability in tree work.
I know what some people are thinking which is well if its an easy tree to drop why not ? Heck we all want free wood. This may seem like no problem for the cutter after all they may get free wood, but still the property owner is at risk if the person doing the cutting gets hurt on their property .
Just food for thought.
That said if you can get free wood from right of way clearing , and it's legal and safe to do so, why not free wood is still the best wood ! Plus it's obviously less dangerous getting left over logs than dropping a tree for the neighbor.
heavy hammer
Minister of Fire
Plus What if that guy down the street drops the tree wrong and hits your house all that guy has to do is pack up and leave.. You could try going after him but I don't know how that works. If in doubt call a pro. I like to help people out when I can but if it's a questionable job I say call a guy with a crane or a pro tree guy with the right stuff for the job. I cut and drop power line poles but that is out of a bucket using all the stuff equipped for that job. Worse thing is to get in over your head that's when it all starts going wrong.
powerlines are being cleared here in CT also. I got about 8 cords of oak so far. all within a 60 seconds drive.
So things progress. I've moved a decent bit over to various piles around my house. What I have so far:
![[Hearth.com] Power Line Clearing - yay!](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/177/177053-72d6da02a03e67c31b7567dad357df53.jpg?hash=hXAs3ANqPy "[Hearth.com] Power Line Clearing - yay!")
![[Hearth.com] Power Line Clearing - yay!](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/177/177054-1d06aac5dca1fcb178ff07029f016b73.jpg?hash=YSWozAE1cj "[Hearth.com] Power Line Clearing - yay!")
What I have left to snag:
![[Hearth.com] Power Line Clearing - yay!](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/177/177055-1ea7e25fb37a142ddd7cdb94498e6ce7.jpg?hash=jb8V3xzWCp "[Hearth.com] Power Line Clearing - yay!")
![[Hearth.com] Power Line Clearing - yay!](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/177/177056-3663227293938ef566a9ae34c43f5897.jpg?hash=PvVLb6bLZr "[Hearth.com] Power Line Clearing - yay!")
I'll use the saw to trim some of it down on site and then move it over to my place to split. Should give me some good exercise!
What I have left to snag:
I'll use the saw to trim some of it down on site and then move it over to my place to split. Should give me some good exercise!
Soundchasm
Minister of Fire
It really gnaws at you when the stuff is laying out there and you can't get to it!! Is some of that oak? If so, you could take a few wedges and a maul out with your saw and knock the monsters into humane sections. No sense in hurting your back trying to work too quickly.
Yeah, I'm not in a big hurry. I'm working evenings this week so not really any time to move any regardless. I've been splitting the pile I had in my driveway (which my wife appreciates).
It doesn't help that some people down the road have taken down a huge oak tree and it's just laying in pieces in their yard. Sorely tempted to go knock on their door...
It doesn't help that some people down the road have taken down a huge oak tree and it's just laying in pieces in their yard. Sorely tempted to go knock on their door...
If you don't have one already I see a truck and a small trailer in your future. That way whenever you spot wood your able to go grab it before someone else does. Doesn't have to be a nice new truck and trailer just some old thing to haul wood especially if you don't have unlimited trees of your own ( which most of us don't ) to process.
Agree with your comment on the exercise. I burn wood partly for the extra heat but also a big reason is I just enjoy cutting and splitting firewood and being outside in nature. It's awesome exercise. You'll be knocking on your neighbors doors in no time asking if you can take down trees they might not like or take some downed wood they might already have !
Agree with your comment on the exercise. I burn wood partly for the extra heat but also a big reason is I just enjoy cutting and splitting firewood and being outside in nature. It's awesome exercise. You'll be knocking on your neighbors doors in no time asking if you can take down trees they might not like or take some downed wood they might already have !
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