I have all the wood I can handle from our own property. At this point I have not had to drop a single tree and don't really think I will ever need to. It works out well cleaning up the woods and getting free heat at the same time. My FIL just had over 200 trees on their property logged so plenty of scraps there as well.
Scrounging-how much do you do?
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Have had the stove 10 years, haven't bought in about 7. This year has been a bonanza for scrounging here in the northeast.
pmac said:
Make sure you get plenty in, after years of plenty often come years of drought as all the weak trees have fallen over for a while....... ;-)
- Oct 3, 2007
- 1,539
Chargerman said:
That ain't scrounging-that's harvesting! :lol: When I think of scrounging I think of those of us in the Northeast who either live mostly in the suburbs or on the edge of them. I have a 1/3 acre lot so no personal woodlot for me. Although just before we moved in the previous owner took down five HUGE maples (I had to take out the stumps) on the advice of the realtor to brighten up the backyard. I shudder to think how many cords were carted away after that... Anyway, to me scrounging is just that-working with what you can find. In my four years of burning wood I've never taken down a tree myself. I've cut a few up that were already down, but by and large I bust my hump trying to find, load, and cart away wood that's already been cut up either by a tree service doing some trimming, power line ROW cutting, storm damage, or a land clearing operation. I also grab pallets when and where I can. I don't begrudge you guys with big woodlots to cut on (in fact I envy you), but I want to hear more from the folks like me who scan Craigslist obsessively, find a score, and then invent an "errand," or "get lunch out" in order to leave work, toss some rounds in the truck, and get back before the boss starts asking questions
Or who, at a family gathering, hear someone talking about "having a tree taken down" and shooting across the room to ask when, where, and what type of tree it is.
100%, no pallets, pine , or poplar though. I am a wood snob and I am not ashamed of it. I am also a suburbanite on only 1/4 acre. I have no woodlot, but there is enough woods around me that if pay attention I can easily harvest 5 cords or more in a year. In 2011 I have scrounged 7 cords, probably 5 of them from with 1/2 mile of home, the rest within 5 miles. I bought for the first few of the 8 years we have had the house, and slowly stepped up my scrounging activities to 100%. I haven't bought since '08.
Never did pallets and if a tree service will dump on the driveway I will entertain pine and poplar. I posted a while back about getting ahead after being away for a year...and this last "score" from a tree guy was about six cords of white oak dumped in the driveway in log form. I should have taken photos - one section was was 10 ft long, four feet wide and about 30 inchs deep. And that one was six feet in the air on top of the pile.
Took me two weeks to buck it all - ended up with a pile of saw dust 6x6 feet, 4 ft tall. One hell of a score - dumped for free. Even with all that stacked in rounds in the back...I am still on CL tonight looking and not a downed tree I am not eyeing that is in the area. Wife thinks I am nuts...but she does not complain about the heat!
Took me two weeks to buck it all - ended up with a pile of saw dust 6x6 feet, 4 ft tall. One hell of a score - dumped for free. Even with all that stacked in rounds in the back...I am still on CL tonight looking and not a downed tree I am not eyeing that is in the area. Wife thinks I am nuts...but she does not complain about the heat!
I scrounge 100% of my wood. And hand split all of them. Thanks to Irene I am 2 years ahead and counting. Never burn pallets.
I had the wood stove installed 3 years ago. The first year was the only year I bought wood. Since then it has been scrounged wood only. Also I have 3 acres and take down whatever is standing dead. I also have about 500 acres behind my property which the owner allows me to go in and take down standing dead. So my access to free wood is more than enough. I am always 3 years ahead since most of the wood I have is oak which needs that long to dry.
Glad my pallet burning days are over. However, it's very challenging to pass up free cord wood that isn't willow or elm.
I've befriended a couple of arborists for the occasional Big Scrounge, but mostly wood comes to me through word of mouth. Everyone knows I'm the crazy guy with too much wood in his yard. If all else fails, I drive (a little too far) out to a friend's property and cut up downed trees. Purchased wood will never be cheaper than natural gas for me. It has to be free.
I have never paid for (or stolen for that matter) a scrap of wood that I didn't intended on building something out of. I have access to more free wood than I could cut in a lifetime. Since I installed my stove two years ago I've probably cut north of 30 cord. The wood is free, but turning it into firewood does cost. I think I figured it up all-in (saw, splitter, gas, chains, etc) that I'm sitting at $45 per cord if I expense the saw and splitter over 10 years.
Badfish740 said:Chargerman said:
That ain't scrounging-that's harvesting! :lol: When I think of scrounging I think of those of us in the Northeast who either live mostly in the suburbs or on the edge of them. I have a 1/3 acre lot so no personal woodlot for me. Although just before we moved in the previous owner took down five HUGE maples (I had to take out the stumps) on the advice of the realtor to brighten up the backyard. I shudder to think how many cords were carted away after that... Anyway, to me scrounging is just that-working with what you can find. In my four years of burning wood I've never taken down a tree myself. I've cut a few up that were already down, but by and large I bust my hump trying to find, load, and cart away wood that's already been cut up either by a tree service doing some trimming, power line ROW cutting, storm damage, or a land clearing operation. I also grab pallets when and where I can. I don't begrudge you guys with big woodlots to cut on (in fact I envy you), but I want to hear more from the folks like me who scan Craigslist obsessively, find a score, and then invent an "errand," or "get lunch out" in order to leave work, toss some rounds in the truck, and get back before the boss starts asking questions
I am in the same situation you're in, Badfish. I have a couple of acres, but if I started cutting firewood here I'd quickly run out of trees. I have found all of my wood on the side of the road, I happen to see a tree crew, or somebody I know has a tree they've cut down. So far I am keeping up with my four cords a year burning.
Vic99 said:
Not me . . . I would even stop for willow . . . and definitely elm . . . of course having a hydraulic splitter really changes one's outlook on elm.
Boom Stick
Feeling the Heat
My insert is due to be installed dec 12. I have 2.5 cords of locust c/s/s for 3 years waiting on raised pallets outside my back door. I have 3.5 cords I just c/s/s and about 1.5 - 2 cords in the round next to the driveway. All locust, all free, all scrounged. Plus I have 2/3 cord of red oak I got that is cut and split but is under the rounds now. I am going to bury it for a couple of years and see what happens. I may one day buy log length to put up but, unless a real emergency happens I will forever scrounge. I love it. The only problem is I see nothing but potential firewood as I drive to work, etc. I may need to see someone about this. I bet there is 4 cords (minimum) of log length pine at the highway dept. that no one ever takes. I might be that guy and see what happens with it in two years.
bluedogz
Minister of Fire
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