Re-stack

[Stegman]

Check out my re-stack. Found out that a bunch of my wood was over on my neighbor's property. Since the neighbor in question happens to be the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I had to move it.

Took about a week to finish chipping away at it an hour or two a day. If you look behind the new stack, you can see the other one I have to move later this fall. Ugh. Probably about four cords all told.

 

[gzecc]

How did you find out it was on the states property?

 

[Woody Stover]

Did someone bring it to your attention, or what?

I've got a couple I've been putting off. One's a stack crash....haven't been too worried since it's been dry lately. The other is a stack of dead White Ash that I stacked in spring, and was hoping would be good this winter. Now I'm looking at it thinking, 'Damn, some of those splits are pretty big...' I think I'll try to knock the big ones right out of the stack with a pry bar, split 'em and toss 'em back on top.

 

[Stegman]

It's no big secret. We're surrounded by Wachusett Reservoir watershed protection land, and apparently they get real finicky about any kind of encroachment. Every couple of years they send guys out to walk around and check things out. Got a letter in the mail last fall saying that my firewood and my utility trailer were over the property line and that I also needed to stop mowing a couple of feet onto their land. I moved the trailer ASAP but asked if the wood could wait, since it was November or something and my woodshed was already full. They were pretty cool about it.

I actually knew I was a few feet over the line with the woodpiles - the stone markers are pretty easy to find - but didn't think they'd care. Should have known better. It's kind of annoying since it's not like I'm parking an old oil-leaking beater on their property or something. It's just a woodpile, for chrissakes. They busted my neighbor's balls about him putting some mulch down over the line and dumping his grass clippings in the woods.

 

[Stegman]

More important, however, is that I'm loving the new pallets-on-the-ends stacking set-up. Much better than the T-posts and rope I had been using.

 

[USMC80]

More important, however, is that I'm loving the new pallets-on-the-ends stacking set-up. Much better than the T-posts and rope I had been using.

ya looks good, i might give that a go on my next stack

 

[Woody Stover]

ya looks good, i might give that a go on my next stack

To each, his own, but I like to see drying splits no matter which angle I view the stack from.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

It's no big secret. We're surrounded by Wachusett Reservoir watershed protection land, and apparently they get real finicky about any kind of encroachment. Every couple of years they send guys out to walk around and check things out. Got a letter in the mail last fall saying that my firewood and my utility trailer were over the property line and that I also needed to stop mowing a couple of feet onto their land. I moved the trailer ASAP but asked if the wood could wait, since it was November or something and my woodshed was already full. They were pretty cool about it.

I actually knew I was a few feet over the line with the woodpiles - the stone markers are pretty easy to find - but didn't think they'd care. Should have known better. It's kind of annoying since it's not like I'm parking an old oil-leaking beater on their property or something. It's just a woodpile, for chrissakes. They busted my neighbor's balls about him putting some mulch down over the line and dumping his grass clippings in the woods.

That is pretty common for State or Federal land. They get picky and are perhaps worried about a hostel takeover. Bu they usually will work with you if you need some time. Sometimes they get a bit too paniky. For example, my wife and I for years camped on Federal and State owned lands. One can do that in many places without paying any camp fees but most states still require you to get a free permit and post it. That allows them to track you down if you leave a mess. One time we were camped in one of our favorite spots and the second day we were there a ranger stopped and inquired about how long we planned to be there. It turned out he was on a new assignment but he was a good guy anyway. I assured him we would not be there more than 2 weeks. We never saw him again but he did kick out some squatters that really made a mess. That was a good thing he got rid of them as they give others a bad name too.

 

[USMC80]

To each, his own, but I like to see drying splits no matter which angle I view the stack from.

True, but my next stack will be in the corner of the property so won't even see the pallets really

 

[MrWhoopee]

It's no big secret. We're surrounded by Wachusett Reservoir watershed protection land, and apparently they get real finicky about any kind of encroachment. Every couple of years they send guys out to walk around and check things out.

I recently became aware of the law regarding this issue. It varies from state to state, but essentially, if the owner of the property does not deal with an encroachment within a specified period of time, the encroachee (?) may be able to obtain a legal easement on the property. Here in California, the period is 5 years. See also: Adverse possession
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverse_possession

The law is just plain weird sometimes.

 

[Stegman]

Massachusetts has statutes in place that make adverse possession impossible on state-owned property. Believe me, I checked.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That could be true for both State and Federal now.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Seems they can't take a joke. Tell them you were just checking to see if they were on the ball.

 

[bogydave]

Nice stacks
At least you shouldn't have anyone building along that property line

 

[Whitepine2]

Ya if Tax All could get a fee from ya you could keep it there till the cow come home. LOL

 

[Stegman]

Nice stacks
At least you shouldn't have anyone building along that property line

That's the glass-half full viewpoint, which I share. We're basically surrounded on two sides by 11 acres of state-owned conservation land [forest]. It's pretty tasty. We do have a next-door neighbor on one side and the road out front, but it's a pretty good deal. And beyond the adjacent 11 acres there's hundreds more in the general vicinity, as well as a lake across the street where we can fish and kayak [but not swim or skate, the latter of which really pisses me off].

 

[basod]

I actually came out in the good when they remarked the national forest boundary here a few years back.
Turned out an eyesore of a trailer(former meth lab) that I could just barely see when the foliage had dropped was parked ~15' onto national forest land.
Apparently they gave the landowner till the end of the year to move it(it was partially damaged when they pulled it up the steep drive originally) came home around Dec 28th and it was gone

The older lady that owned the land sold me the accessible parcel with survey fees for 3200 - she didn't want any of her drug addict grandchildren to inherit it anyways