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jasong

New Member
Oct 23, 2008
51
Palestine, Tx.
Went to my church to cut up a tree that had died and was going to use it for firewood since I use solely wood for heat. I spent an hour and a half cutting it up. I loaded as much as I could in my truck. I left about 10 cut to length pieces about 2 foot thick. I went to the house and dumped that load. I got back to the church after about 35 minutes and someone had stolen all the wood that I had left.
 
Not surprised at all. I wouldn't cut up what I couldn't take. But I am originally from NY, so I would think about chaining it up also!
 
jasong said:
That would be well and good except it didn't get donated to the church.

just being a wise a$$. getting back to the fact, it's pretty nervy to go ahead and load up wood that you haven't cut yourself. especially from a church property. maybe if you wait long enough, someone will post a pic of the wood they scored while on a scrounging mission!!!!

back in '09, i went into an area that the loggers had vacated. left over was the usual cut offs. i think i made 3 or 4 pick up loads without even starting the saw! but anyway, on one of my next trips, i found a couple rounds that were on the edge of the tree line. well, i spent the time to roll them out next to the road with the intention of loading them onto the truck when i was on my way back out. short time later, i had a load and was on my way out to pick up the last 2 rounds that would top me off just nice when i ran into an old work mate whose daughter had just married a month earlier. after a quick visit, i drove on the discover that he had already loaded them up for himself!!! i know that your load was already maxxed out, but in my case, i should have loaded them right away!! hasn't happened again, i assure you!
 
I know this is a long shot...but maybe the person who took the wood was a person in need, and either too embarrassed to admit they didn't have the $ to buy the wood from you, or took it for granted that you took what you wanted and abandoned the rest. At least I hope that's what happened. It's a pretty pathetic being who steals from a church. If it sets your mind at ease (after throwing a tantrum, like I would in your case) think of it this way - you did something good for someone else.
 
I've noticed that the down & dead from the church at the corner is mostly gone. There was a lot of it, too. The Pastor lives in a house in front of the church, and he heats with wood,but his piles haven't gotten bigger.


Good Karma if they are passing it along.
 
Sorry to hear that you got done dirty. Understandable that you feel a little bit sucker-punched.

THere's a story about some folks who were renting fishing equipment from a mom-and-pop lakeside rental shop. They asked about a deposit, and expressed suprise to learn that there wasn't one required. The owner responded, "Ninety percent of people are honest, and the other ten percent don't fish." I agree with the general principle--most people are honest--but the others have taught me to be a little more wary than is my nature.

I'm guessing that they might have thought that since it was laying out at a church, it was a gimme. Or maybe they're from the neck of the woods that if you leave something out for the trashman, it's free picking--and they thought that was the case. Bottom line: I'm sorry you got ripped off on your labor and your heat.
 
jasong said:
Went to my church to cut up a tree that had died and was going to use it for firewood since I use solely wood for heat. I spent an hour and a half cutting it up. I loaded as much as I could in my truck. I left about 10 cut to length pieces about 2 foot thick. I went to the house and dumped that load. I got back to the church after about 35 minutes and someone had stolen all the wood that I had left.

thats pretty low eh jasong :coolmad:

alot of people in my neck of the woods burn and pretty sure if they got caught here, it would almost be worse than cattle rustling ;-)

i've been leaving piles all over the place for years and never had a problem...hope i just didnt jinx it...


loon
 
I learned the same lesson funny enough at a church as well. I spent 2 hours cutting like mad. Took a load home only to come back and find the rest (3 trucks) of wood that was cut to be gone. It was a huge 200 plus year old oak. After that I take all the easy stuff first and work on the hardest stuff last. I used to try to get the hard work out of the way but you just end up working :cheese: When I answer a CL add I usually am 2nd. I tell then straight out that I will take all the good wood, most take the smaller and leave you with a honkin stump. I am not going to work that hard for a stump only. More often then not I get a call back asking what it would cost to cut up a 2 ft stump! Other times they say they never thought someone would do that and end up letting me have it. That church called me back for 2 more trees before someone from the congregation spoke up. I made some oak blocks out of the wood for the preschool. It was a win win at the end!
 
k9brain said:
Leaving good wood is like leaving a carcass on the Serengeti.

Isn't that the truth. I asked my tree guys to stop leaving the wood on the curb for me as it often got ugly out there as soon as they left. And forget about a second load if you can't clear the curb with the first one.
 
gzecc said:
I wouldn't cut up what I couldn't take.

That is my number one rule of wood scrounging!
 
I won't take what someone else has cut unless they tell me to. Most of my scrounges are all mine, the scroungee tells me so so no worries there.
On "open" scrounges I won't cut what I can't leave with, and won't take what is cut to stove length and left by someone else. It's one thing to take the wood but another to take another mans work.

Depending on the church and it's size, someone with a need may have asked for it after you left, or they just took it without asking. Did you coordinate with the pastor/maintenance ministry?
 
As a general rule I dont cut any more than can fill the truck box at one time.Learned from experience that anything cut to length no matter how small will be gone when I return.One trip even had to place a few pieces on the seat or floorboard because the truck was rounded up to the max & wouldnt hold anymore.
 
cozy heat said:
The Lord works in mysterious ways.

And do does the Devil.

All one can do in this instance is to learn a hard lesson. It is done so get over it but don't forget it. I pity those who would do such a thing. Yes, we would hope it is some poor family who really needed the wood but a lot of folks will help a poor family in need and would rather do that than see them take to being thieves. Sad...
 
Wow, 35 minutes isn't long.
Would seem someone would have to have been watching and the stolen stash not gone far.


I've had someone pick my little orchard clean after spraying all Summer.
It sucks when someone decides they need the fruits of your labor more than you do.
 
andrewdee said:
how ya finding the wood this season at the Jersey Shore? By me suplies ran thin early

I'm new to burning so I also ran out of dry wood. Scrounging is tough in my neighborhood, although the melting snow is exposing some good limbs. I know a tree guy and already have enough for next year.
 
I wouldn't be mad, I find that when I was seffish with wood I had less than when I was generous. I end up "donating" about 2 loads or so a year, mostly for camp fires, good way to get rid of the less desirable pieces. I always have more than I need, every year, never bought any.

O.P.- You may one day be blessed to find who took it and why. Put a sign up on the church bulletin board advertising cut up and haul away of tree's, even dropping them if you are able. You might end up with lot of work to do.

I'll bet the person who took it didn't know any better.
 
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