I have had an epiphany.

[BobUrban]

Case in point Aussiedog - I think you can attract peoples "play it forward" gene with the correctly written add. If I were in an "urban" area with limited access to wood I would have an add like this on CL. I would also write it differently from time to time keeping track of what I say to see if I can trigger more responses. This is just the scientist in me but it would be fun to see.

I am thinking a well written add with something about keeping family warm with wood(especially Children) would get more response than - I will cut and haul your firewood.

On a side note - My dog is named Aussie. The dog in my avitar - although I maybe should have called him "Wile-E"

 

[JoeyD]

I was reading these forums for almost a year before I registered here and bought my stove so I knew how important it was to have dry wood. When I bought my stove I bought 3 cords to get me started then began scrounging so I could get ahead. The whole time I was eyeing my neighbor who scored about two cords of red oak from another neighbor who had a tree taken down two years earlier that was just sitting and rotting in her backyard. I went over and asked her if she was doing anything with it and offered to clean it up because they didn't have a fireplace or stove to burn it. She said they were going to put a wood stove in and wanted to keep it. Well, about a year later when my stash was growing to the point where I was almost two years ahead she asked if I still wanted it. After looking it over one day when no one was around I decided it wasn't worth taking. It was full of termites and at least 50% rotten. When I got back to her I just told her I had enough wood already and couldn't take it. She ended up paying someone to remove it a few months later. We both lost on that one.

 

[ChrisNJ]

I would love to see what everyone writes in their cl adds, I like the idea of keeping kids warm and I could include a pic of the kids as all they wear is their underwear in the winter when Mom is not home anyway

 

[TradEddie]

When a tree service will charge you $250 extra to haul the wood away, I can see why some people will just let it rot. Human nature is also a little paranoid; I've tried to give away seasoned split oak and maple with little success, I think people figured there was some catch.

TE

 

[osagebow]

"The look was always a sceptical slight paranoid side eye that clearly indicated fear of loss. "

Well said - that has been my experience in many dealings with our species....never quite understood why, though. I Like to help people out, especially if it costs me little or nothing. As a new scrounger,especially of cut and bucked stuff, I can see I will have about as much luck as I've had finding private land to hunt.

But I'm still gonna ask!

 

[firebroad]

Just a thought: People are also terrified of being sued. They think that if you get hurt while cutting or hauling away wood, you will sue the pants off of them. If the things you see floating around the internet such as the "Stella Awards" have any truth to them, you almost can't blame them.