pen said:
Here it will be there till some one does pick it up! I still ask because you can get a much larger score!
Scrounging 101
- Thread starter Stegman
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
Here it will be there till some one does pick it up! I still ask because you can get a much larger score!
Bigg_Redd said:
I got number 4 down pretty good....I got a call from my meat man the other day wanting to know if I wanted some wood...actually lots o wood..... :cheese:
I did a stress test on a guy last week that owns a tree cutting business....I tried like hell to get a good deal going with him but dammit, he already has a woodburner friend that gets all his stuff.....I make it a "point" to make small talk with the patients...about their line of work for that reason. I know I will score big one of these days.
Yeah, the girls at work ride me about that all the time...screw them...let them pay for their expensive heating bills... :coolsmirk:May have already been said, but take an axe if for no other reason but to see how easy the wood is to split (if you are splitting it manually). In a less memorable moment I collected some large rounds of American elm and they are still rounds in my yard. You cannot always ID the tree you are scrounging.... many times logs with no leaves 
!! --Bri
!! --Bri
olsonbri said:May have already been said, but take an axe if for no other reason but to see how easy the wood is to split (if you are splitting it manually). In a less memorable moment I collected some large rounds of American elm and they are still rounds in my yard. You cannot always ID the tree you are scrounging.... many times logs with no leaves
Large elm rounds were the mother-necessity that gave birth to noodling. Really. Read that somewhere.
But seriously, noodle a groove into the side of a round, set wedge, and pound away. They also seem to get easier as they age & dry. Better to burn them than trip over them.
pen said:
Couldn't agree more. Try driving away in the township truck. That's stealing, even though you pay taxes. Other than that a i keep a saw in the truck and ASK permission first. Did it just last week and scored about a cord of maple. And yes it was on state land.
ohio woodburner said:
That makes sense, but is it always practical? If there's a tree on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, who are you supposed to ask?
I totally understand the need to ask when the wood is obviously in someone's yard or the woods next to their house, but the rightful owner of the deadfall stuff I drive by isn't that clearcut [so to speak]. And if it's on the side of the road, who do I ask then? The cops? The highway department?
Stegman said:
If your neighbor is away on vacation, is it OK just to go over and pull a beer out of the fridge in his unlocked garage w/out having permission?
I have property about 1.5 hours from me heated by wood. I only get out there with the intent of working 3x per year. Just because I'm not around to ask, doesn't mean I have dismissed the wood that has fallen on my property. Being the property owner, I should be able to take as little or as much time as I want to do what I want with my property.
If you can't ask, you shouldn't take it. Don't rationalize. Stealing is stealing.
pen
I agree with what Pen wrote.
In this country, the "middle of nowhere" is still owned by someone--either a person, a business/company, or the government. You can ask at the nearest home or building and they should be able to tell you whom to ask for permission. This is especially true in farming communities.
The back side of our farm is an oak/ash/beech woods that can't be seen from our house, but can be seen from another road. I collect the deadfall and other firewood from that area in the off-season when I have time (after harvest and fields are done for the season), and I'd be pretty PO'ed if someone else took it. In fact, I'd file a report with the police.
In this country, the "middle of nowhere" is still owned by someone--either a person, a business/company, or the government. You can ask at the nearest home or building and they should be able to tell you whom to ask for permission. This is especially true in farming communities.
The back side of our farm is an oak/ash/beech woods that can't be seen from our house, but can be seen from another road. I collect the deadfall and other firewood from that area in the off-season when I have time (after harvest and fields are done for the season), and I'd be pretty PO'ed if someone else took it. In fact, I'd file a report with the police.
pen said:
Thanks for the lecture, Pen! Be careful stepping down from your high horse.
I’m not trying to rationalize anything, and I don’t particularly care for insinuation that I’m a thief.
First off, I’m trying to learn the ins and outs of scrounging. In my original post, I wrote: “I was wondering if some of the [many] scrounging experts around here could share some tips for the beginner - essential gear, how to find wood, the ethics of scrounging etc.â€
If I was as nefarious as you seem to think I am, would I have even bothered?
Secondly, here’s what I wrote that prompted your sanctimonious reply:
“I totally understand the need to ask when the wood is obviously in someone’s yard or the woods next to their house, but the rightful owner of the deadfall stuff I drive by isn’t that clearcut [so to speak]. And if it’s on the side of the road, who do I ask then? The cops? The highway department?
So the example you give is absurd. That might have been a good comparison had I asked: “If my neighbor’s on vacation and he has a really great log sitting there in his unlocked garage that I notice while prowling around his house, can I take it?â€
Duh.
In the town I live in, the state owns about 1/3 of the land, and it’s generally well-marked [it’s part of a large watershed area that feeds a reservoir, which is the second largest body of water in Massachusetts]. I see scrounge opportunities alongside the road on state land all the time. There’s also a little triangular median thing not far from my house that has some good-sized Hurricane Irene branches lying there. Now it’s possible someone owns that little lot, but I suspect it’s the town’s as it’s too small to build on. The wood just sits there and sits there and sits there. Are those fair game, or am I supposed to track down some state/local official before going after it?
That’s what I was getting at. So thanks for bringing nothing to the table [except your holier-than-thou attitude!].
Sorry Stegman, just calling a spade a spade. If you take w/out asking, it's stealing. As far as who to ask, you'll just have to do some leg work in your area making calls / asking around.
When it comes to state land you still need to ask. Same with anything along the side of the road. The state has a right of way onto property from the centerline. That just means that they could use that land for state projects if they deamed it appropriate. The landowner still owns it. Anything in that right of way is still the landowner's.
If it's state land call whatever state agency it belongs to. In my state it would be the Pa Game Comission or Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Private land, find the closest neighbor or go to the courthouse and get a plot map.
I wish we could be of more help but exactly who to talk to will vary from state to state. Maybe start with your local burough, municipality, township supervisor, etc, to ask questions where to go. It's different all over. If I saw a cop around to ask or the township guys working the road, sure, I'd ask them, why not? If they don't know, they may know where to send you next.
pen
When it comes to state land you still need to ask. Same with anything along the side of the road. The state has a right of way onto property from the centerline. That just means that they could use that land for state projects if they deamed it appropriate. The landowner still owns it. Anything in that right of way is still the landowner's.
If it's state land call whatever state agency it belongs to. In my state it would be the Pa Game Comission or Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Private land, find the closest neighbor or go to the courthouse and get a plot map.
I wish we could be of more help but exactly who to talk to will vary from state to state. Maybe start with your local burough, municipality, township supervisor, etc, to ask questions where to go. It's different all over. If I saw a cop around to ask or the township guys working the road, sure, I'd ask them, why not? If they don't know, they may know where to send you next.
pen
pen said:
No worries. Sorry I got a little hot under the collar there.
I totally agree with the ask-first approach when dealing with private land. But along the roadside bordering state or town land, I think there's some gray area there.
And I think you might misunderstand what I'm saying about the state land near my house. The state owns 1/3 of the acreage in our town. Outright. It's not some conservation restriction or easement situation. The land belongs to the state by deed.
This map shows what they own in dark green: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/watersupply/watershed/images/wachshed.jpg
It's a lot of land.
Before making a phone call to anyone I'd pick out some wood in an area that you'd really like to have and know exactly where it is (IE. 7/10 mile north from the intersection of, etc). Then you have specifics to use in the conversation. Wouldn't hurt to have a few areas in mind really.
Your map shows 2 areas both controlled by DCR
Department of Conservation and Recreation
251 Causeway Street
Boston, MA 02114
617-626-1250
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/index.htm
There has to be someone around controlling what goes on with that land that they can send you to.
pen
Your map shows 2 areas both controlled by DCR
Department of Conservation and Recreation
251 Causeway Street
Boston, MA 02114
617-626-1250
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/index.htm
There has to be someone around controlling what goes on with that land that they can send you to.
pen
Yeah, the dark green is land they own. The olive green I think is land that they have conservation restrictions on.
They have rangers that patrol the area around my house regularly. Maybe next time I'll ask them. But I suspect I'll get the typical bureaucratic response. They don't even allow ice skating on the lake across from our house [seriously; you can canoe and kayak there, but you can't skate there. And when you ask them about this, their answer is basically "because."]
They have rangers that patrol the area around my house regularly. Maybe next time I'll ask them. But I suspect I'll get the typical bureaucratic response. They don't even allow ice skating on the lake across from our house [seriously; you can canoe and kayak there, but you can't skate there. And when you ask them about this, their answer is basically "because."]
Stegman said:
Lots of regs on public land here that I can't understand either. It's a shame and we get about the same reasons here as well. For example, you can camp on State Forest land but cannot camp on Game Lands. Different gov agencies managing essentially the same land. Hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised. Let us know what you find out either way.
pen
- Status
