Roadside scrounging?

Ive done it. You just have to be careful with the laws for your state. Here in PA it is illegal to remove any wood from state gamelands even if its already down laying by the road. Along highways it should be ok as long as there are no signs posted. You just have to pick and choose your battles wisely.

I have done this in PA as well. Sure does get some strange looks as stated. Ive gone one step further and stopped while the limbers were still there. Only thing they would NOT do was help me load........LOL

You can get a permit in PA for $8 or whatever it is, just need to give the forestry the exact location you will be cutting the deadfall (only).

Even along the roadside, in the state or town right of way, the land is still privately owned. If there's a house nearby, I'll check to see if they are the landowner and get their blessing. In my own town, there is a lot of land which has been turned over to land trusts. These are open scrounging, as they are tax exempt, therefore, in my mind, making me part owner, as a tax paying resident.
With all that, I'll stop and grab firewood and will even bring out there chainsaw to trim or make it more manageable.

Just loaded my 5X8 trailer with 3 foot walls with Ash rounds and limbs on the side of a PA country road. PP&L cut em down, and said have at em. Probably about a half cord.

A few years ago I spent a week scrounging a road that big orange had been working. At the end of the week when I went up to the house to inquire about the wood, the guy said he had been watching me work up the street. He had mentioned to his wife earlier, that he wondered if a had permission and that if I started taking his wood that he would shoot me. He was surprised that when I got to his property that I came to the house and asked permission. He let me have all the wood and let me have a bunch of standing dead locust in his woods.

1. It's always best to ask the owner.
2. There is always an owner, be it private, corporate, or municipal/govt.

In PA, we own to the center of the road. Yes, there's an easement for the road, but all the rocks, soil, trees, trimmings from power companies, etc., that you see off the roadway are property of the landowner. In the case of road/utility line maintenance trimmings, the road crew or tree service contracted to do the work may permit someone to take trimmings, but after they're gone, it's best to ask.

I'm in a rural area just beyond the suburbs, and we always ask because there are wood burners who live out here. Most folks I know will allow you to go after a branch or roadside trimmings IF YOU ASK. If you don't ask, expect to be greeted by an unhappy landowner or flashing red and blues.

Also, some farmers will trim or let a downed tree sit until they have time to get it (like after harvest). They won't be happy if it's gone when they go to make some firewood or mill it.

I've wondered this myself. I see stuff on the side of the interstate and I've always been tempted but never scrounged. A lot of the stuff I see is stuff that has fallen, but isn't on the ground.

What's the worst that can happen? A fine for stopping in the roadway? I'm talking a busy 4 lane interstate like 95 in MD.

STIHLY DAN said:

...if I started taking his wood that he would shoot me.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a dangerously unbalanced person, to threaten to shoot somebody over firewood. He probably doesn't need to own any firearms.

I write this as a former paramedic, current owner of multiple firearms, concealed permit, yadayadayada.

Some folks just don't know when it's time to pull the trigger, and most haven't seen the results of a shooting up close & personal.

I have picked up wood from roads passing though public land in PA. I am not sure this is legal, but no harm was done. On the other hand, private landowners have the right to let wood rot if they want to, and it can be hard to distinguish public land from private. In addition to it being the right thing to do, a big advantage of asking is that you might be given permission to cut other wood on the private property. Around here there are lots of wood burners, but even so, many owners of woods have down or dead trees they'd like to see removed. Last year a friend of mine asked on my behalf for some wood the power company had trimmed, and we were told not only could we take the down wood, but also the dozens of big dead Ash on the property. I am still cutting over there.

CrufflerJJ said:

Sounds like a dangerously unbalanced person, to threaten to shoot somebody over firewood. He probably doesn't need to own any firearms.

I write this as a former paramedic, current owner of multiple firearms, concealed permit, yadayadayada.

Some folks just don't know when it's time to pull the trigger, and most haven't seen the results of a shooting up close & personal.

Click to expand...

Some are prepared to to shoot back.

I'm sure he was just thumping his chest. Grrrr!

In some states there is a web site called the cadastral site, where all the parcels of land ownership are spelled out and you can look up the boundaries and the ownership. There is a site called
http://www.cadastral.com/cad-off.htm
that has links, or you can just google your state and the word cadastral. It is also good to do research on hunting areas

In Texas there is NO public land. It's either private or owned by some government entity. Utility companies stack wood up nice and neat along fence lines, for the most part. If I see some in a wide open area, I'll make note of it. If it stays there for a few weeks, I might grab it. Fortunately, I haven't had to scrounge for the past few years. After our 2011 drought there are plenty of oaks on our property that are dying.

CrufflerJJ said:

Sounds like a dangerously unbalanced person, to threaten to shoot somebody over firewood. He probably doesn't need to own any firearms.

I write this as a former paramedic, current owner of multiple firearms, concealed permit, yadayadayada.

Some folks just don't know when it's time to pull the trigger, and most haven't seen the results of a shooting up close & personal.

Click to expand...

Also a very stupid reason to spend the rest of your life in jail over.....pretty sure you can't shoot someone for trespassing or stealing from your property (outside of your house / caste doctrine), at least that's how it's in Ohio....as Barm said, probably just blowing smoke.

TedyOH said:

Also a very stupid reason to spend the rest of your life in jail over.....pretty sure you can't shoot someone for trespassing or stealing from your property (outside of your house / caste doctrine), at least that's how it's in Ohio....as Barm said, probably just blowing smoke.

Click to expand...

Texas law is different, apparently allowing deadly force to be used against a fleeing thief at night. "Texas penal code contains an unusual provision that grants citizens the right to use deadly force to prevent someone 'who is fleeing immediately after committing burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, or theft during the nighttime from escaping with the property.'" (from: http://nation.time.com/2013/06/13/when-you-can-kill-in-texas/ )

Always ask . . . worse thing that can happen is you spend a bit of time tracking down the owner and they say no . . . best thing that can happen is that you get the wood and make a new friend or at least someone who may remember you in the future should they or any of their friends have wood they want to get rid of . . .

Yeah, and if they seem even a tiny bit put off, just say "thanks, sorry to bother you", and walk away. Never know how many jerks that guy might have had to deal with the day / week / month before.

CrufflerJJ said:

Sounds like a dangerously unbalanced person, to threaten to shoot somebody over firewood. He probably doesn't need to own any firearms.

I write this as a former paramedic, current owner of multiple firearms, concealed permit, yadayadayada.

Some folks just don't know when it's time to pull the trigger, and most haven't seen the results of a shooting up close & personal.

Click to expand...

His wife was /is a cop. He is a very nice guy, And it was a great scrounge even though they burn wood also. I see his point and would do the same if someone was stealing my wood. I work to hard to have it taken from me.

CrufflerJJ said:

Sounds like a dangerously unbalanced person, to threaten to shoot somebody over firewood. He probably doesn't need to own any firearms.

Click to expand...

Sounds like an ordinary person using hyperbole, with no the slightest thought of actually doing it.

CrufflerJJ said:

Sounds like a dangerously unbalanced person, to threaten to shoot somebody over firewood. He probably doesn't need to own any firearms.

I write this as a former paramedic, current owner of multiple firearms, concealed permit, yadayadayada.

Some folks just don't know when it's time to pull the trigger, and most haven't seen the results of a shooting up close & personal.

Click to expand...

I guess I'm a dangerously unbalanced person. I do not take well at all to people trying to steal from me.

Oldman47 said:

I guess I'm a dangerously unbalanced person. I do not take well at all to people trying to steal from me.

Click to expand...

I'm not saying that I'd take kindly to people trying to steal from me. What I am saying is that I'd not be inclined to shoot or cut or damage a person who is trying to take mere physical possessions from me unless they threatened the safety of me or mine. At that point, things might get "interesting." A personal goal of mine is to be the nicest, kindest, gentlest most dangerous sort of person you might ever encounter.