How do you come across scrounges?

  • 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
Not open for further replies.

BigBadJohn86

Member
Oct 10, 2010
48
Southern, IL
Next year I want to start finding people that need fallen trees cut, firewood they dont need, etc. My only idea is to check craigslist and make want listings on there
I just upgraded from a 79 k10 chevy to a 98 z71 and I have a 6 1/2x12 tandem utility trailer I need to title. For now I only have an 18" polan pro and 18" craftsman saw but I cant wait to cut me some wood!
 
Get the word out through your friends/coworkers that you're down for taking fallen trees. Once the word is out, calls will start trickling in. I also get scrounges from fallen trees that the county cuts off the roads, but you'll want to make sure that's legit in your area.

Tree falls here are punctuated, so when there's a big wind or snowstorm, the topic du jour for the next several days will be all the fallen trees, which is where you start "advertising".
 
Try taking a different route to work. You'd be surprised what you find people getting rid of.
 
For me its all about reputation. Once you are known as the guy who will make trees dissapear for free, they will call you....word of mouth. I turn down wood now...only been scrounging for two years.
 
I called a bunch of tree service co's. They call me most weeks 3 times. Worked for me. Also if your local dump has a wood dump pile thats a good place to get out and tallk to tree service people. Pat
 
Second calling tree companies in the area. And stopping when guys with pick-ups are cutting in the area. They may sell firewood on the side...but if they are in a hurry, or they dont sell firewood...then dropping nearby is a money saving deal for them.

I love scrounging. I mean, its the chase of finding a score...but finding someone that will dump in the driveway is priceless.

Dont be shy...I have stop at job sites, cold called, and sent blind emails. Some pan out...most dont. But you keep going.
 
Thinking about selling your Craftsman and Poulon and getting one good saw, like a Stihl.
It will be a life changing event.
 
When starting out as a wood scrounger, ya may get calls that turn out to be sticks, willow or punky junk. Asking questions like how far away, what species and "is it rotted out?" may help. Once you're 2 - 3 years ahead, you'll get more comfortable saying "no thanks".
 
I check Craig's list a few times a day. I only respond to ads that are very close. I am always on the lookout for seasoned stuff (I've had some pretty good success with finding seasoned hardwood). I drive a lot with my job and I pick up a fair amount just in passing. I am also known as the firewood guy in my circle of friends, family and neighbors, so if someone sees wood or has it, they often contact me about it. Craig's List is probably my best source though. That's where I've had my largest scores. I try to use my chainsaw as little as possible. I like to grab stuff that's already cut to size, and I often will split it right on site so I'm not handling the rounds too much.

I also grab a good amount of wood from work. I'm a carpenter so I get a lot of scrap wood (mahogny is amazing firewood). I think I have enough wood for this year, next year, and possibly a bit more. We'll see how cold it gets this winter, but so far I'm doing pretty well with my wood supply.

*My wood is not 100% scrounged. I bought 2 cords this past spring.
 
My entire pipeline has been 100% urban scrounge for 3 years and I make at best 10% of the cuts now. Don't be shy getting the word out, be the guy that makes stuff go away when you say you will, DO NOT DRIVE ACROSS LAWNS until you have a very clear green light to do so and don't complain about the Silver Maple because when you make it go away that same guy is going to eventually throw you some good stuff too.
 
BigBadJohn86 said:
Next year I want to start finding people that need fallen trees cut, firewood they dont need, etc. My only idea is to check craigslist and make want listings on there
I just upgraded from a 79 k10 chevy to a 98 z71 and I have a 6 1/2x12 tandem utility trailer I need to title. For now I only have an 18" polan pro and 18" craftsman saw but I cant wait to cut me some wood!

Let every one you run across know that you burn firewood - people at work, friends, family, friends of friends, etc. Everyone, and I mean everyone I know knows I burn firewood and will gladly cut up and haul away any downed tree that I can get reasonably close to with my truck. This is a feast/famine model and you have to be ready and willing to get after it cuz you won't know when the next score will come along.

EDIT: And quit calling them "scrounges." Call them scores.
 
Bigg_Redd said:
EDIT: And quit calling them "scrounges." Call them scores.

lol, until I consistently score stuff that at least half of which is stackable, I will call it a scrounge. This year I "scored", until now I just "scrounged".
 
I don't scrounge wood but if I did I can pretty much guarantee there would be no problem getting more than enough wood with ease. One may want to do all his cutting in the summer months and might have to change his ways some. For example: around these parts many farmers would welcome someone to come in and cut in fence rows or along the edges of the woods. However, he would not want you doing any cutting while the crops were still in the fields. You might also have to wait until the ground became frozen so there would be no problem getting stuck in the mud. No problem though if you don't mind cutting during winter months. For us, that is no problem because that is our preferred time to cut.

I can hardly believe all the dead trees we see that should be cut no matter where I drive (except while in the villages and cities).
 
I have wood/chip dump. The county/townships, tree services, power companies , and landscapers dump here. I get any where from 50-100 cord a year of logs and chunks and 500 yard of chips that are ground for mulch. Some of the logs are HUGE but we have equipment to handle it.
Put the word out and have a good accessible place to dump and you'll have lots of wood.
 
variabLEE said:
I get any where from 50-100 cord a year of logs and chunks

Holy crap. Just out of curiosity, how big is the dump area and do you have a problem with anything being dumped there that shouldn't be?
 
Years ago before internet whenever I'd see in my daily travels stacks of cut wood on the curb at random,would stop & grab it if I wasnt late for work or something else.Now I still check local CL every week or so,hasnt been much on there recently,just some brush & crap that someone wanted hauled off.2 weeks ago I did see a couple decent Red & White Oak logs in person's front yard - 16 to 24 diameter & up to 14 ft long.Didnt have time to grab them so someone else got a good score I imagine.
 
SolarAndWood said:
variabLEE said:
I get any where from 50-100 cord a year of logs and chunks

Holy crap. Just out of curiosity, how big is the dump area and do you have a problem with anything being dumped there that shouldn't be?
2-3 acres. Any logs longer than 6' get pulled and stacked in a neat pile. Rounds under 6' get pushed into a heap and chips are ramped up in a pile with a loader about 20' high.
SurprisingLEE no . Other than the occasional pop bottle or McD's bag it's been pretty clean loads for the 4 years we've been taking it
 
Kenster said:
Thinking about selling your Craftsman and Poulon and getting one good saw, like a Stihl.
It will be a life changing event.
Actually a guy I work with used to cut and trim trees for a living. Hes had up to 4' bars before. He loaned me one of his 026's for a few weeks. I didnt use it that much. Maybe 5 hours but I can tell you its one good saw
Id like to get a better one but for now cant afford it. And now being engaged, shell hit the roof if she found out I spent a few hundred on a chainsaw. Ill probably have to wait a year or two on that one. Or trade and wheel and deal my way to one

I want to get some good quality equipment and enough experience so its easy for me to cut anything I come across. I actually had the makings for a huge score almost literally in my back yard a few months ago. A farmer was long and cutting down a strip of trees between two of his fields but I didnt have the time to get a lot of it but I did get a few cords before he burnt all of the piles
 
Drive the back way to where ever you are going and keep your eyes open. You will find lots of potential firewood eventually. Power company trucks, tree trimming services, and construction are your friends - stop and ask for wood if you see trees being cut. You might see the wood those guys are cutting as a valuable thing, but to them it is most likely just another load of heavy stuff to haul away using expensive gas and time, and they rather give it to you than deal with it. If you live nearby they may be happy to dunmp at your place, or if not and you can haul it then you can offer to carry some away with you. I think the main concern for tree services is convenience and reliability (your reliability). They want you to help them get rid of wood, but not if it slows them down.
 
BigBadJohn86 said:
Kenster said:
Thinking about selling your Craftsman and Poulon and getting one good saw, like a Stihl.
It will be a life changing event.
Actually a guy I work with used to cut and trim trees for a living. Hes had up to 4' bars before. He loaned me one of his 026's for a few weeks. I didnt use it that much. Maybe 5 hours but I can tell you its one good saw
Id like to get a better one but for now cant afford it. And now being engaged, shell hit the roof if she found out I spent a few hundred on a chainsaw. Ill probably have to wait a year or two on that one. Or trade and wheel and deal my way to one

I want to get some good quality equipment and enough experience so its easy for me to cut anything I come across. I actually had the makings for a huge score almost literally in my back yard a few months ago. A farmer was long and cutting down a strip of trees between two of his fields but I didnt have the time to get a lot of it but I did get a few cords before he burnt all of the piles

You aren't limited to full list price on saws either. Example- bought factory-refurb 455 Husqvarna for $306 delivered in Sep. from VMInnovations dot com. Refurb 445 Husky was going for $230. Lots of good buys avail out there on used saws; look on Arboristsite. Tell your bride you need decent tools for SAFETY to keep her warm. That should work.

Lots of good equipment out there from Dolmar, Echo, Redmax, Husqvarna, Jonsered, Solo etc. Life does not end with Andreas (Stihl), it's just less expensive beyond, or higher performance. Big factor might be access to service, for a quality saw.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.