How far will you go for a scrounge?

[USMC80]

I would say for most instances a cord of wood between gas for truck, saw (if needed) and splitter, bar oil, files etc.. It might cost me $65.00 a cord compared to $200 a cord if I purchased wood. Plus it keeps you in shape, takes your mind off all other BS (work) and a good way to meet people

 

[nate379]

200ft. If it falls in the yard.

 

[Ashful]

... and a good way to meet people

Yahbut... the people you're meeting are obviously not burners, and therefore not worth knowing.

 

[USMC80]

Yahbut... the people you're meeting are obviously not burners, and therefore not worth knowing.

True but they tell their "non-burning" friends about you and give them you contact info

 

[blwncrewchief]

Depends on the wood and the access. I would rather haul it 30 miles and be able to back right up to it than to get it 1 mile down the road and have to haul it a 1/4 mile up a hill through thorn bushes. For really good wood I would go up to 50 mi each way. Hauling a cord at a time with the trailer I get 10 mpg so 100mi trip would be $35.00 in fuel right now. I just did one last year that was 45 miles each way. But, it was already bucked to 16-18" lengths and was 5 cords. So I had about 12 hours and $150 in fuel for 5 cords. Without the trailer I would not go near as far.

 

[mikefrommaine]

When I did the scrounging thing I'd go up to 30 miles for good easy to access oak or apple wood. I have a 1 ton truck and 10k dump trailer so I could load up and make the trip worthwhile. Now I get the wood dropped off for free by a tree service.

I highly recommend the latter

 

[HDRock]

I would rather haul it 30 miles and be able to back right up to it than to get it 1 mile down the road and have to haul it a 1/4 mile up a hill through thorn bushes.

I usually will keep it to 20-25mi, but crewchief took the words right out of my mouth, " I would rather haul it 30 miles and be able to back right up to it than to get it 1 mile down the road and have to haul it a 1/4 mile up a hill through thorn bushes"

 

[tigeroak]

In the last 25 years I have not had to go more than 6-7 miles one way to get wood. Most is right here in town or brought to me. Early this spring the tree man brought me about 1/2 cord cherry to me cut to length, all I had to do is split and stack. Then went north out of town about 3 miles and cut up 4 small red oak trees and six small to med. walnut . Got about 1 1/2 half cord. Then Monday , the same tree man stopped by and said he had a large persimmon that he cut down and he wanted to know if I wanted any. So I went and told him I will be back with the trailer and saw. I filled the trailer 2 times for that. Should be right at a cord in that. Now he is working on a maple[soft] . These 2 trees are 4 blocks north of me.

 

[Mr A]

How's the persimmon to burn? Barbecue, maybe? I could potentially go 175 miles!, but I have not. A buddy of mine has 20 acre hillside full of eucalyptus for shade trees, wind break. Constantly regrowing themselves, all down hill to the road. If run out of wood, I know where to go get some. But if there wasn't any wood closer than that, it would have to be an end of word scenario, and that wood would be be gone too.

 

[teutonicking]

Depends on the wood and the access. I would rather haul it 30 miles and be able to back right up to it than to get it 1 mile down the road and have to haul it a 1/4 mile up a hill through thorn bushes. For really good wood I would go up to 50 mi each way. Hauling a cord at a time with the trailer I get 10 mpg so 100mi trip would be $35.00 in fuel right now. I just did one last year that was 45 miles each way. But, it was already bucked to 16-18" lengths and was 5 cords. So I had about 12 hours and $150 in fuel for 5 cords. Without the trailer I would not go near as far.

+1

 

[rdust]

My max since my first year just happened this year. The tree guy I pick up wood from said he had a job which is about 45 miles from me one way. Only reason I did it was to keep him calling, of coarse the downside was the tree was huge and required I make three trips. Not counting my time the fuel cost me about 25 bucks for each trip and I probably had a solid cord+ each trip. Not something I'll do a lot but figured this time I'd give it a go. Wood is usually at the curb so it's a pull up load deal. I can haul a good bit so he calls me for the bigger trees.

My brother has property that is 90 miles one way and I've cut on his place before but that has more to do with being with family and helping rather than a "free score" so I don't count that.

The area I live it wood doesn't usually leave the land owners property, if I want "free" wood it usually requires a trip into the "city".

 

[Jon1270]

if I want "free" wood it usually requires a trip into the "city".

That's one thing that really surprised me when I first started looking for firewood. I had somehow assumed that because there are so many more trees in rural areas, they'd be harder to come by in the city. But it turns out that for most urban and suburban homeowners, the material a tree is made of becomes problematic junk the moment the tree is no longer standing. A few people try to sell their yard trees, but I think they typically find that doesn't work out too well for them. Someone in my borough is currently offering a 12' steel firewood rack full of unsplit rounds for $20 OBO, including the rack.

 

[aansorge]

My city will delivery loads to my door free. 8 to 10 foot lengths. I cut and split in my front yard. I've actually only done this once as I store my wood at my uncle's farm and there is plenty of cutting "projects" there to keep me busy for years.

 

[red oak]

I will drive 15-20 minutes and be in the National Forest - that's where I do most of my cutting. I'll drive farther if the wood is easily accessible - I'd rather work the truck than me! I think the farthest I've gone was 40 minutes, but that was for a friend who helped me cut, split, and load.

 

[Ashful]

I'll drive farther if the wood is easily accessible - I'd rather work the truck than me!

I was thinking the opposite. When someone calls me to come get a tree, I find nothing as disappointing as getting there to see it's already felled and/or bucked. That's half of the fun, in heating with wood.

 

[Thistle]

Maybe 20 miles one way if its decent stuff & somewhat easy access (no carrying it 200ft+ up a hill or lifting it over someone's fence unless I can back right up next to it - those days are over.)

I dont count the 90% of my yearly wood supply I get from parents acreage 1 hour west of me when cutting 2-4 days monthly year-round as 'scrounging'.It keeps their woods looking nice,me in shape + you cant put a price on spending time with family/friends.

 

[ColdNH]

Unless we get a hurricane this summer I will have to start going 20-30 miles to get "free" wood. So many people have started burning wood out here that any trees felled by the highway dept get snatched up before the ants have escaped. I just checked out a state park where you can get a firewood permit and all I found was sawdust. I guess I will have to get a trailer and start responing to the craigslist adds from up island.

Thats how it is in NH, its borderline aggrevating, I lost a 10 cord score on my frigan street because i was not vigilant enough checking craigslist every 5 minutes. I have even started posting "Will remove your dead hardwood/fallen hardwood trees for free" on craigslist only to have them flagged and deleted. getting near impossible to get free wood around here. im contemplating driving 27 miles for a good score of oak logs that i just found.

 

[Trilifter7]

The first 4 years that I burned I drove 20 miles one way to get wood from a friend. He has an old tree farm that he is constantly clearing the woods out. He normally had dead stuff pushed into piles that I could just sort threw as I'd go up. I just cleaned his piles out this winter since I started getting ahead so now I started scrounging. It has amazed me how much free wood is available right around me that I just wasn't looking for or paying attention to. Now I don't like to drive more than 10-15 min for a load. Tree trimming companies can def be your friend if you catch the right one at the right time!