Stolen Wood

They're building a new house behind me, back close to where I have 18 cords presently stacked, and my new splitter stored under tarp. Hopefully none of the contractors see it as an opportunity to help themselves. So far, no problems.

woodsman416 said:

I had some stolen when I lived in a townhouse. I had a small stack out back, probably about a quarter of cord. A cold spell hit and half my wood disappeared one day while I was at work. After that, I hung a sign on pile that said "If you can read this, you're in my scope". Never had a problem again.

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This is my favorite solution! I would use this tactic if I had wood being stolen, or in your situation maybe, Joful. Awesome for you woodsman416

I had security cameras at my old apartment and I plan on installing them at my new house. One is getting aimed right at the wood pile just in case.

We built our new house 600+' off the road so we would not be bothered and have the woods to our selves. We have lots of old logging roads that run the length of the land and love to walk and hunt it in the fall and winter. This summer my niece asked if she could stop by and get some wood for her fire pit.

Over the next few weeks I could tell she had come by a few more times and was glad she was enjoying the out door fires with her children. Come Oct. I noticed much more wood being used and asked her the next time I saw her to please take the wood from the stacks I had showed her. To this she said that was where she had taken the wood from the two times they came to get some. I knew for sure some one had taken some from other stacks.

A few weeks later I was scouting out back for deer season and came across a camp set up about 1/4 mile from the house with cook stove, toilet, tent, solar lights and a real nice fire pit setup. I backed away and walked over to my neighbors house about a mile away, ( police chief in town) and asked if he could have someone take a look. I walked back home and ten min. later a cruser comes up the drive then three more. First officer out is my nieces boyfriend and asked if I could show them to the camp site they think it could be someone they have been looking for. It was and they cleared him out and gave him a lesson about trespassing on posted property and that stealing wood was just like taking cash and could end up in jail time.

Turns out he had been kicked out of the house by his wife for hitting her and was already looking at jail time for that.

Smoke Stack said:

I don't think any was actually stolen, but last week someone knocked over one of my stacked pallets and kind of threw the wood around so I know it didn't just fall over. I have my suspicions on who it was, but whatever.

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I've had bears knock over and scatter my woodpiles. I think they were after mice, chipmunks, or bugs that live in there.

Since they sell wood at the local mini ,mart for $5 for a few measly splits, yes i would think it gets stolen more often than people think.

Ha this is a cool thread.

I work as the caretaker of a campground. I also live on site in the ranger house. Our basement is a walkout to the front driveway so that is the easiest place for me to stack and access wood in the winter. A few times though I have heard some clunking in the front and I walk out to see some camper loading my wood. I politely say that this wood is for the use of the house. If you would like wood for burning you need to purchase it from the camp ground. Everyone is usually nice and appologetic. I had no idea they say. I think most are being sincere. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt

SO many people think this wood is trash and that they are doing us a favor by making the pile smaller. I honestly think that they do not understand the effort that we go through to scrounge, split, and stack all this wood.

I swear they think "oh I thought I was doing you a favor....who really needs all that wood, won't it go to waste?".

I too try to be patiently optimistic about the rest of the human race....but my find patience is failing.

Back in the day! I would wait for the power companies and road agent to clear row/lines in front of my property generally they would drop my trees that where in the way. Then just wait for the first scrounge to buck it up then I would back up my truck and start loading my wood. It's nice to have free labor! They would complain but I just replied I thought you where just getting practice for the road cleanup crew at the jail, because that's where you will be going if you take my wood! LOL

BurnIt13 said:

won't it go to waste?

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Funny I just had a debate with one of my co-workers about this, she's been complain that he wood sizzles glass dirties and she can't turn the air down, turns out she's been buying wood and burning it in the same year ever year because her dad told her "the wood will go bad and punky if you let it sit for more than a year or two". But she has a beautiful wood shed good ventilation and everything.

You just can't change the mind of some people. "Wet wood burns longer", "Pine causes creosote", etc. Some people, even those who have never even operated a stove have been hearing the same wrong opinion since birth, and unquestionably repeat it as if its gospel.

My wife was extremely nervous when we started burning our 1.5 cords of PINE this year. She comes from the city and the closest she ever was to a wood stove prior to me installing one was a campfire. Even she thought pine was bad.

Oh....back on topic. One good thing about burning pine....no one will steal it!

Here are a couple of signs that I want to put up.

There was a story on here long ago, not sure if it was true....during the Depression, a guy was having problems with a neighbor stealing firewood. The neighbor was warned but kept doing it. The owner cut a split in half, hollowed it out and put a stick of dynamite in there. The split was returned to the pile, the neighbor stole it and the resulting explosion and fire burned his house down. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess.

Best thing to prevent wood from being stolen is live in neighborhood where you the only one with wood stove.

richg said:

There was a story on here long ago, not sure if it was true....during the Depression, a guy was having problems with a neighbor stealing firewood. The neighbor was warned but kept doing it. The owner cut a split in half, hollowed it out and put a stick of dynamite in there. The split was returned to the pile, the neighbor stole it and the resulting explosion and fire burned his house down. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess.

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Unless there was a rope type fuse in it with a blasting cap i dont think it would explode.Would simply burn up. Dynamite needs a small explosion to set it off such as one from a blasting cap.

I have a Lab/german shorthaired pointer 85lbs and he is a little nippy( ask our ups driver he wont come in the driveway) I also have invisible fence if you ever enter our property you never know if he is out and he is real fast.

However we live in the on top of a moutain and there is wood everywhere.

Enzo's Dad said:

...
However we live in the on top of a moutain and there is wood everywhere.

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They don't just want the wood, they want to take the hard work you've put in c/s/s

Seasoned Oak said:

Since they sell wood at the local mini ,mart for $5 for a few measly splits, yes i would think it gets stolen more often than people think.

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Years ago new neighbors moved in and we shared a few brews around the firepit. She admitted to us that the $5 bundles were always "buy one, get one" for them meaning she'd pay for one and steal one....

Year or two later I increase my wood supply in preparation of getting a wood stove.and soon start to notice some is disappearing from the end my long stack. Waited a several weeks and no one fessed up so I installed a dusk to dawn light on the back of my garage to light up my stacking area... With in a day of turning it on, the neighbor strolls over and asks what is up with the light and it bothers them. I explain the missing wood and he fesses up, gives a half-a**ed apology and asks if I will take the light down. I say no, I spent $50 and half day installing the thing but I would be willing to work with them and make sure it's off when they have a party in the back yard.

A couple days pass and I am using the city alley that goes behind my property and theirs. I notice a chain and private property sign blocking the alley at their property(the only access). He comes out of the house and proceeds to tell me I'm trespassing and I can't use the alley anymore. Then to top it off they compained to the city about the light!!

Now years later I use the alley antime I want, the motion lights keep the wood where it belongs and wood thieving neighbors mind there own business and we mind ours. A 6' x 85' privacy fence now separates us, best investment ever.

3fordasho said:

Years ago new neighbors moved in and we shared a few brews around the firepit. She admitted to us that the $5 bundles were always "buy one, get one" for them meaning she'd pay for one and steal one....

Year or two later I increase my wood supply in preparation of getting a wood stove.and soon start to notice some is disappearing from the end my long stack. Waited a several weeks and no one fessed up so I installed a dusk to dawn light on the back of my garage to light up my stacking area... With in a day of turning it on, the neighbor strolls over and asks what is up with the light and it bothers them. I explain the missing wood and he fesses up, gives a half-a**ed apology and asks if I will take the light down. I say no, I spent $50 and half day installing the thing but I would be willing to work with them and make sure it's off when they have a party in the back yard.

A couple days pass and I am using the city alley that goes behind my property and theirs. I notice a chain and private property sign blocking the alley at their property(the only access). He comes out of the house and proceeds to tell me I'm trespassing and I can't use the alley anymore. Then to top it off they compained to the city about the light!!

Now years later I use the alley antime I want, the motion lights keep the wood where it belongs and wood thieving neighbors mind there own business and we mind ours. A 6' x 85' privacy fence now separates us, best investment ever.

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Yep, good fences make good neighbors.

I've never had a problem with anyone stealing my wood. My neighbor closest to my wood stacks is retired and watches everything that goes on. One evening about 8 o'clock after getting home from work I was bringing in a few wheel barrel loads and he watched me like a hawk! I finally got uneasy with this stopped what I was doing so I could explain it was me and everything was ok. All my neighbors dislike this man but I like him! My other neighbor is also retired but an ex marine Vietnam vet who packs heat all the time. Therefore I'm not too worried.

Woodman37 said:

My other neighbor is also retired but an ex marine Vietnam vet who packs heat all the time. Therefore I'm not too worried.

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Until the dementia starts to set in...

I'm more afraid that drunk people set fire to the load of building scraps and pallet wood that grows in front of my house.

Sinngetreu said:

Yep, good fences make good neighbors.

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Nothing beats a 6' f**k you fence...lol

This is our female, Sascha - one of our guardians of the wood stacks. Our property isn't fenced and the dogs have a wireless fence, so people approaching see the dogs are free to roam. Between her and our male, their barks (and lack of visible containment) have scared the likes of several passing by. Our neighbors all now know the drill but someone looking to score from the stacks would have no idea. And since I trained them in a different language, they don't understand "stay", "stop", or "get back".