Ahhhhh! Scrounging hell.

[DiscoInferno]

I responded to a freecycle ad for a downed oak tree. While I was at the woman's house checking that out, I noticed a big black locust across the street that was marked for removal. She said that the tree crew was coming soon, and she'd see if they would leave the wood - double score! Monday they come and take down all but about 15' of trunk, and leave the stuff they don't chip in 4-6' lengths. So I grab one truckload of the stuff I can lift, and this morning before work I zipped by to cut another truckload (probably about 4 total in the tree) because I'm worried Asplundh or the county will come back for the wood anyway. After 5 minutes the woman comes out and apologizes, turns out the neighbor whose house the tree is in front of actually thinks he wants the wood. So I pack up and leave. This afternoon she emails me, Asplundh has returned, cut down the rest of the tree, and removed all the wood. :blank: Just like that, a cord of locust slips through my grasp... This is actually the second locust I lost, as another guy I got some from last year had one in his backyard marked for removal that I had dibs on, but the tree crew took all that wood also.

I'll still get her oak tree, but this is going to drive me nuts for a while. Scrounging is getting a lot more competitive in DC; a cut-up hemlock posted to craigslist on saturday afternoon was completely gone by sunday noon. Used to be I had no competition at all for softwoods. As I was talking to the woman this morning some guy in a pickup drove by and wanted the locust I was cutting! Hopefully as it warms up the bulk of the scroungers will lose interest, as they have always done in the past.

 

[TreePapa]

Even here in warm and sunny so. calif., there's a lot less competition for firewood in the summer than there is when it gets (slightly compared to many places) cold. Most of what I've scrounged or gotten cheap this winter is green anyway, so most folks gonna be disappointed when they try to burn it.

edited to add: I only pick up already bucked wood, so competiton for that is even more fierce.

Peace,
- Sequoia

 

[`RyaN`]

I just scored on 2 pick up loads of locust and birch! Got some more to go cut up. FYI the wood on a ROW is typically the property owners and if people are removing it without permission they can get into trouble for stealing. I wouldn't be suprised if that Asphlund crew isn't selling that wood down there after work hours!