Scroungers are jerks! (Jealous)

[Lasher]

(ranting)

Down the street from me, a company is dropping trees around the powerlines. Not just branches...but whole trees. I saw the red ribbons the other day at one end of this road (on my way to work) and got excited. The last week, I saw the tree guys at the other end of the road cutting away. I was with my oldest son at the time and told him that we would have to grab some wood soon (they were cutting in front of people's houses) when they got to the open areas. Later that weekend, I noticed all the wood by the road was gone, which I expected since it was in front of people's homes.

This morning on the way to work, I noticed they moved down the street towards the open areas...I started to get excited...But the wife just called and said that she saw 3 trucks driving away with wood and another guy sitting there cutting up some more. All the pieces she saw she could not lift and cannot use the chainsaw yet.

Curse you scroungers! I am stuck at work and you guys are stealing the wood! This is war...and I will come up with a plan to win this war...

Since I do not have time to show the wife how to use the saw, here is my plan. (if anyone reading this is one of those I am fighting, stop reading)

My wife will be taking the car, and I will get the truck. Chainsaw will be ready to go and in the truck (along with safety gear). During lunch, I am going to drive all the way back there and grab the wood. Then on the way home, I will grab some more.

(note to those reading and scrounging my wood)
This is war you guys...and I will win!

(end rant)

 

[Jags]

Always remember: The early bird gets the worm.

But the second mouse gets the cheese. :lol:

 

[Risser09]

Yeah, there will always be a line formed when free wood is given out. The easiest way to scrounge is to make friends with an apartment/house renter, tree person, co-workers (ug) and let them know you'll work for free on any downed trees. You can cover waaayyyyy more ground if you have others keeping an eye out.

btw, sorry about your luck.

 

[eba1225]

Hey Lasher I resemble that remark....well not really.

I usually let the wood lie there for at least a month or two to give others an opportunity before I move in and take it all.

Good luck in getting some of that free stuff.

Erik

 

[Lasher]

This morning I saw one of my enemies...he had his weapon in hand, cutting away. I felt better after I mumbled a few words as I drove by...

Today it is raining all day, so I cannot get out there and get some. By I am creating my battle plan, preparing the troops for a future offensive...

 

[LLigetfa]

At my former home I had two large spruce trees in front of my house blow down in a storm. They fell onto the public road and I had to cut the tops off to clear the road but I tried leaving the rest of the tree there until Spring to keep the snowmobiles on the other side of the road. Our municipality didn't allow us to deliberately block snowmobile access to the road allowance. I had to clean it up right away because I got so many requests from scroungers. Not the best for burning but I sure got a lot of kin'lin from those trees!

15 years later in a different place, I drive by a clearing where tree removal contractors have been illegally dumping. The land owner eventually put up a chain at the entrance to stop it but all that did was to make the dumpers walk so now they just toss it on the other other side of the chain. I never see any scroungers take from the growing pile. The company I work for is just finishing up construction of a 90 million dollar biomass boiler and the hungry monster is going to consume in the order of 3 B-trains per hour of everything that isn't suitable for the mills. I fear it will raise the price and reduce the availability of firewood.

 

[Wet1]

Funny, I just grabbed countless cords out of this same area. I saw the red ribbons and went knocking door to door and all the HO gave me permission to take what they didn't want. I grabbed a bunch of buddies and we've been grabbing wood like mad men while others are sitting helplessly at work. Too bad... I've also received exclusive rights to take all the remaining trees from the tree guys and the power company.

So don't bother rushing out to get any of the wood... it's all mine now. You should be hearing my 3120 and 880 roaring away as soon as the weather breaks.

 

[drdoct]

This morning I saw one of my enemies...he had his weapon in hand, cutting away. I felt better after I mumbled a few words as I drove by...

Today it is raining all day, so I cannot get out there and get some. By I am creating my battle plan, preparing the troops for a future offensive...

Your not too committed are you? Are you afraid you'll melt? Get your truck and saw and get the d@mn wood mister! Don't ever drive by a tree service who is working without stopping and asking about the wood. Always drive your truck and keep the saw locked up in it somewhere. If your going to scrounge then you've got to be ready to call in late when you see something. Call in sick or something. Just get the wood. It won't be there in 10 minutes.... get it now! Scrounging really is an art form. All the wood you could ever use is just one harmless question away.

 

[Lasher]

Right now I am not that committed. I have about 5-6 codes in my backyard waiting to be split. But the real reason that I am not jumping all over this is too busy at work to call out. So I will have see what I can do. I thought about running up during lunch to get a load, but I have important things to take care during lunch this week so I am stuck.

 

[smokinj]

This morning I saw one of my enemies...he had his weapon in hand, cutting away. I felt better after I mumbled a few words as I drove by...

Today it is raining all day, so I cannot get out there and get some. By I am creating my battle plan, preparing the troops for a future offensive...

Your not too committed are you? Are you afraid you'll melt? Get your truck and saw and get the d@mn wood mister! Don't ever drive by a tree service who is working without stopping and asking about the wood. Always drive your truck and keep the saw locked up in it somewhere. If your going to scrounge then you've got to be ready to call in late when you see something. Call in sick or something. Just get the wood. It won't be there in 10 minutes.... get it now! Scrounging really is an art form. All the wood you could ever use is just one harmless question away.

"All the wood you could ever use is just one harmless question away". Words to live by right there!

 

[Nic36]

Down around here, very few heat with wood anymore. Trees fall on the ground and end up rotting. Others are hauled off to the city landfill and at best ground up for mulch. A shame really. I know of several places with trees on the ground that I have not gotten around to asking for.

 

[Lasher]

Here is the latest...

On Friday a couple neighbors stopped by my house (one was the guy that gave me the insert since he has a OWB) both heat with wood. After they wanted to raid my wood pile in the backyard, we got to talking about the trees being dropped down the road by the power line crew. One mentioned that they were heading out around 7am to get the last couple logs from the road, so I joked that I would be there at 6:30, to which he changed his time to 6am.

Now I am not a morning person at all. But the next morning I had the saw and safety gear in the truck and driving down the road at 7:30am. As I came down the road, I saw two trucks near the remaining logs (not my neighbors) and they were working away. Damn....I was too late, but I did not see my neighbors and figured they must have been too late as well. A little later in the morning, I saw my neighbors driving down the street with an empty trailier. We BSed for a little while and they were too late as well. Again, they bugged me to where I got all the wood in my backyard and wanted to pull the truck around back. Then threatened to cut the large really old oak tree in my front yard. I told them that they would have to deal with my wife (she calls it a farmers tree, since the old farmers left the tree standing years ago).

So far this week, the power line crews have not been out, but I am keeping an eye out for them.

 

[Jags]

Wow, I never realized how much competition there is for scrounge wood out east.

I have 2 property owners that BEG me to cut up there dead standing and fall downs. A total of about 95 acres of hardwoods that I simply have not had any time to get. All with trails and easy access. I figure I need to get the remaining logs that are already in my yard processed before I go out and fetch more. I am already 3 years ahead so no hurry I guess.

 

[Lasher]

Since I have started burning wood (last year was first) I was shocked as well.

This past summer we had a micro burst go through the neighborhood (down the road) and take out a ton of trees. Within 1 day all the trees in the people's yard were gone!

Now with these power lines being cleared, there is a line of people waiting for the wood. 7am on Saturday...mid day in the rain...8pm in the dark...don't matter.

It is a war...

 

[Wet1]

Wow, I never realized how much competition there is for scrounge wood out east.

I have 2 property owners that BEG me to cut up there dead standing and fall downs. A total of about 95 acres of hardwoods that I simply have not had any time to get. All with trails and easy access. I figure I need to get the remaining logs that are already in my yard processed before I go out and fetch more. I am already 3 years ahead so no hurry I guess.

You have to remember the population is a lot higher and more dense out here than it is in the mid west. There aren't all that many folks who have a 95 acre lot around here (it would be worth a fortune around these parts). The folks who might have this much property, typically don't want people on their property... and many don't want the liability of having people cutting there.

With that said, over the last several months, I've found enough wood to last me years... and some of it people paid me to remove. So you just have to know where to find it and how to get it.