sources of free wood?

[Gehl Family]

Hey everyone,

This is my family's first year with a wood burner (Avalon Olympic) and we are really loving it. We live just outside of Buffalo NY, and have a 100+ year-old, drafty farm house with no other sources of heat. It is a little chilly in the mornings, but we can get it up to a toasty 65 on most days.

I am already thinking of next year and how to get my hands on free wood. I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions. We have a Stihl Farmboss and log splitter. So processing the wood is not a problem, i just need access to it. This year i posted on craigslist for downed trees and got a couple responses. I also was able to get some from the local dump, but not much. I tried getting in touch with a local tree guy, but did not get very far.

So, i was wondering where you folks get free wood from? I do not have enough acreage to take down my own trees, and i would prefer to use wood that is already down. Any secret sources you can share?

-The Gehls

 

[philaphire]

DId you talk to more than one tree guy? Some guys could care less, while others will be glad you called so don't be discouraged if a couple don't get you far. Also, are you talking it up within your network? Last year I was at a New Years party, overheard someone talking about having a bunch of wood in his yard that he wanted to get rid of and yada yada yada I have maybe a cord or more of locust as a result. FInally, just drive around wooded neighborhoods every now and again - you'll either run into a tree co OR you will see wood at the curb for the taking!

 

[noodlestsc]

If you know anyone in commercial construction around your area that is a start (or drive around and look for construction signs for new proposed building). I cleared 10 acres of trees for the building I'm putting up right now

 

[ChrisN]

One thing is to make it known to people in your social circles that you are always looking for wood. if people know you want it, when a tree comes down you might get the call. That said, if you agree to take wood away for someone, make sure you do it. Nothing worse for your reputation as a wood scrounger than blowing off a wood pick-up commitment.

I have had the best luck by hooking up with a small time landscaper/lotclearer dude. He works solo and is always happy to take me on as his laboror in exchange for wood. It's definitely hard work, but provides me with a steady stream of high quality hardwoods.

The power company and town occasionally take down trees along roads and power lines. If you can get the inside info on where they are working and get there before the rest of us, you will get something.

Good luck

Chris

 

[swestall]

Many companies that use pallets will give them to you. That wood would help you while you figure out a permanent source of cordwood.

 

[eba1225]

I agree with the previous post. All of my scores have been from scrounging the roadside. Pay attention to the utility companies as they are allways trimming. I will be putting a flyer on mailboxes of pople in the neighborhood, who have downed trees, eluding to the fact that I will take downed trees away for free (don't want the liability of taking any down).

Also check Craigslist for your area as there is periodically people advertising for wood removal, for free.

I guess the pearl of wisdom here is, spread the word that you are looking for wood and are willing to take it away for free.

 

[timfromohio]

I always keep gloves and many times my saw with me in the truck with me. I stop by and ask whenever I see people that have trees down or I see tree services working. Some folks have told me that if there is wood by the road it's there for the taking, but I always ask regardless before taking anything. I scrounged all the wood I need for this season as well as half for next season this way. Most people are very nice, have let me take the wood, and appreciate the fact that I asked first without taking. One cautionary note - whenever I knock on the door I knock or ring bell and then stand back a few feet. I know that if some strange guy were knocking on our door and my wife were home alone she probably would not feel all that comfortable. I don't want to freak anybody out or accidentally get shot!

 

[Codeman812]

Welcome, we are in the same neck of the woods so to speak. I am going to talk to some farmers in my area and see if I can clean up some of their downed trees. I agree with and definitely would use the social network, I have scored some that way. Let me know how you make out, maybe we can help each other. Good luck.

 

[88gmc1]

depending what you want, logs or just free "wood" we have a roof truss company near buy and some of the local guys with outdoor boilers drop large trailers off and these guys fill them up with 2x4 trim ends from the roof trusses. loads and loads of free wood.

 

[tdziecho]

Check to see if there are any conservation commissions in nearby towns doing trail
maintenance. I'm chair of my town's conservation commission and oversee 400+
acres of town forest. When we do trail clearing projects we leave 4' piles of wood
for people to take. We have trouble giving it away.

Winsurfer

 

[downeast]

All of the above ideas are helpful. Wood scrounging is a year-round avocation, involving a whole lot of serendipidy. Be ready to move when you get that call for downed, cut, or "tops".
When you ask highway departments, arborists, contractors, linemen , etc.. for wood, be prepared to take all of it, get all of it dumped on your driveway, and get a pile of mixed wood: soft, hard, rotted. When you ask for free, you get all of it. The work is not bad, great exercise besides.
Make it part of "what you do" on weekends for instance. Get buddies together- one with a pickup, one with chainsaw savvy-- to share the wood humping and the firewood. Great way to drink after the work.
The previous posts are right about many wood cutter wanting to get "rid" of cut wood. Ask. Then keep asking. And now is the time to start for next winter.

 

[jpl1nh]

I agree, network, spread the word, let everyone know. Wood comes when wood comes; be ready and don't pass it up. Be prompt, corteous, appreciative, and clean up well. Let everyone you know know you are always looking for wood to heat your home. Spring and summer are great times becasue so many people put off looking for wood until they really need it.

 

[Gehl Family]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies. I am a part of several online communities and none are nearly as responsive (or friendly) as you all are.

Thanks again!

 

[colsmith]

We have gotten a lot of free wood from Craigslist and freecycle. For a large quantity of wood we usually give the people a thank you gift on the first trip, such as a loaf of our banana bread or a jar of my jam. Shows appreciation, plus this encourages them (if they have multiple people interested or a large quantity of wood) to tell us we can have all the rest of it! Have seen several people on freecycle post Wanteds for firewood, don't know if that works or not, we just follow up on offers.

On Craiglist some people post "Free firewood" but if you read on, it says you must cut the tree down. We avoid those, many are in situations that would need special equipment like a cherry picker. Followed up on one near our home, agreed when to cut it and the guy would take down a section of his chainlink fence so we wouldn't crush it. Showed up at the agreed day, fence was up, guy not home. Wife said go ahead and cut the tree down, but we didn't want to break their fence nor attempt to take apart a fence we knew we couldn't put back together. (The fence was around a pool so it was critical to be in place most of the time for legal reasons.)

We watch the side of the road. If we run out of wood to handle (we have some trees of our own) we have an eye on a yard next to the freeway about 4 miles from our house where there is a lot of standing deadwood, some falling over. We tell neighbors we are looking for wood, doesn't help much since many of my neighbors heat with wood. My brother is a realtor and sent us to two properties to clean up down wood, one was in nice sizes, the other we had to do cutting on site. He knows a lot of property owners and will keep us in mind. Hubby's brother lives in Milwaukee and alerts us to wood piled in alleys by the trash or lots being cleared/pruned majorly.

Be vigilant and ready to move fast. We came home from 5 weeks in Europe late on Nov. 14th. The next morning hubby drives to the post office. I am exhausted, jet lagged, and was feverish the last few days, planning to do absolutely nothing all day. Hubby sees nice county highway trimmings along the road and gets me up to gather them. I go to the door (less threatening looking) and talk to the lady. She says sure we can have the cut wood, and once we establish how near we live and that we know some of the same people, she takes me in the backyard and shows us a tree falling over there that we can cut down. We will do that in the spring. We also have a little handout entitled Got Wood? that we sometimes leave with people.

 

[ModMan]

I have been averaging about 1/2 rick per day of free wood during the last week. I am somewhat hampered since all I have to transport the wood is an older Suburban. Sometimes I have to drive several blocks to get to the free wood and I have had to dig through branches to get to the good stuff (oak).

The homeowners who do their own ice storm clean up usually cut the logs in about 4 foot sections and separate it from the branches while the commercial operators just put it all in one big pile.

I have even collected some seasoned wood from homes who must have converted to a gas fireplaces and set out their old firewood since the city will (eventually) be collecting the ice storm debris. I realize this "ice storm of a century" doesn't hampen very often and plan to collect a few years worth of fuel for the Lopi Freedom insert I installed last month.

 

[johnsopi]

The thing with free wood is that sometimes when it rains it pours. Last year I started looking for wood again
ran into a feild that had been cleared ,took over 50 truck load out now it will be a year before I can even think about looking hard.

 

[narutojp]

I live in Japan, so please bear with me as my sources may be completely different from what's available in Canada or the US. I agree with the other replies in that once you have a network looking out for you for wood, it never usually rains but pours with offers. Over here, one source of free wood is new housing. The scraps of leftover 2x4's, 4x4's, 2x6's and so on is amazing. The contractors usually have to pay to take away their garbage and are usually happy to have someone hauling it away for them. A second source for me is schools. A lot of schools have trees on their property that needs trimming on a yearly basis. Again the school is usually happy to have someone take away their garbage. The last resource is any orchards that may be in the area. I'm jealous of the properties overseas because here in Japan where the property prices are outrageous, there is little leftover space on most properties for storing wood. Good luck in your search!

 

[Rick]

I agree with the previous posts about it pouring when it rains. I made a deal with a tree service to take his chips, as well as the wood. So I get about 30 yards of chips a year, which are a pain, in exchange for about 10 cords (cut to stove length) of fairly good quality wood. He won't bring me any softwoods, but some of the "hardwood" he brings me are on the low end. However, I do get the occasional load or two of white or red oak. He only brings me the chips and wood when he is working near me. Right now I have at least 10 cords waiting to be split. I also have an annoying pile of chips that he dropped in my driveway on Friday because he couldn't get off the road to where he usually dumps. It's a give and take.

 

[streeter69]

Good day, with that ice storm that hit Buffalo 2 years ago around halloween, there is ALOT of firewood that still needs cutting and cleared, i know this cause I have family and friends that live there (east of Buffalo). Just like the rest said, do some scrounging and door knocking you should find dirt cheap wood.

 

[eernest4]

I have been averaging about 1/2 rick per day of free wood during the last week. I am somewhat hampered since all I have to transport the wood is an older Suburban. Sometimes I have to drive several blocks to get to the free wood and I have had to dig through branches to get to the good stuff (oak).

The homeowners who do their own ice storm clean up usually cut the logs in about 4 foot sections and separate it from the branches while the commercial operators just put it all in one big pile.

I have even collected some seasoned wood from homes who must have converted to a gas fireplaces and set out their old firewood since the city will (eventually) be collecting the ice storm debris. I realize this "ice storm of a century" doesn't hampen very often and plan to collect a few years worth of fuel for the Lopi Freedom insert I installed last month.

You should consider spending $350.oo for a 4 ft x 8 ft trailer & another 100.oo fo the hitch.
For like 450.oo ,you can almost triple your payload & the trailer is so handy for larger items
like picking up a new wood stove or splitter or lawn tractor,snowblower,you get the idea, instead of paying $ to have it delivered.

I wouldn't want to be without mine as it allows me to drive a 40 mpg honda civic & still have a pick up truck load capacity.

Heck, I even put a tow hitch on the 04 toyota celica GTS, avitar, upper left.

 

[North of 60]

You should consider spending $350.oo for a 4 ft x 8 ft trailer & another 100.oo fo the hitch.
For like 450.oo ,you can almost triple your payload & the trailer is so handy for larger items
like picking up a new wood stove or splitter or lawn tractor,snowblower,you get the idea, instead of paying $ to have it delivered.

I wouldn't want to be without mine as it allows me to drive a 40 mpg honda civic & still have a pick up truck load capacity.

Heck, I even put a tow hitch on the 04 toyota celica GTS, avitar, upper left.

A pickup truck (volume) not capacity. Unless you got over loads on that civic with oversized brakes and electric ones on your trailer. Ya get the idea. Just your northern mother checkin in. ;-)

 

[JimWalshin845]

author="eernest4" date="1198495439
You should consider spending $350.oo for a 4 ft x 8 ft trailer & another 100.oo fo the hitch.
For like 450.oo ,you can almost triple your payload & the trailer is so handy for larger items
like picking up a new wood stove or splitter or lawn tractor,snowblower,you get the idea, instead of paying $ to have it delivered.

I wouldn't want to be without mine as it allows me to drive a 40 mpg honda civic & still have a pick up truck load capacity.

Heck, I even put a tow hitch on the 04 toyota celica GTS, avitar, upper left.

We are looking into a trailer, so where can you purchase a 4'x8' trailer with 1/2 ton payload for $350.00? A "Class A" trailer hitch is $175 properly installed + Ball.

Those poor rice burners!

 

[Jfk4th]

Hey everyone,

This is my family's first year with a wood burner (Avalon Olympic) and we are really loving it. We live just outside of Buffalo NY, and have a 100+ year-old, drafty farm house with no other sources of heat. It is a little chilly in the mornings, but we can get it up to a toasty 65 on most days.

I am already thinking of next year and how to get my hands on free wood. I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions. We have a Stihl Farmboss and log splitter. So processing the wood is not a problem, i just need access to it. This year i posted on craigslist for downed trees and got a couple responses. I also was able to get some from the local dump, but not much. I tried getting in touch with a local tree guy, but did not get very far.

So, i was wondering where you folks get free wood from? I do not have enough acreage to take down my own trees, and i would prefer to use wood that is already down. Any secret sources you can share?

-The Gehls

Hey I live just outside Buffalo too, who put your stove in Country side or Heritage Fireplace? Good choice on the Avalon Olympic, that is my second choice next to PE Summit. I get a lot of free wood by driving around the ritzy areas and look for free wood there. For them it is an eye soar looking at wood piled next to the street, plus talk to the county guys, more wood you pick up means less work for them. WOW that is such a great idea that I hope you don't live around the Clarence area, no worries there is always enough wood to share. Keep talking to tree cutters too, once again more wood you pick up less work for them.

In no time you will make that Olympic stove get your house to a toasty 75-80F, what a nice hot burn that stove has my father in law has one a real beauty
Cheers

 

[Codeman812]

hello there, I work in your neck of the woods. I have seen some really big piles of wood in your area. No way for me to get it home in a quick and efficient manner. Good Luck in your searches.

Hey I live just outside Buffalo too, who put your stove in Country side or Heritage Fireplace? Good choice on the Avalon Olympic, that is my second choice next to PE Summit. I get a lot of free wood by driving around the ritzy areas and look for free wood there. For them it is an eye soar looking at wood piled next to the street, plus talk to the county guys, more wood you pick up means less work for them. WOW that is such a great idea that I hope you don't live around the Clarence area, no worries there is always enough wood to share. Keep talking to tree cutters too, once again more wood you pick up less work for them.

In no time you will make that Olympic stove get your house to a toasty 75-80F, what a nice hot burn that stove has my father in law has one a real beauty
Cheers

 

[Gehl Family]

Thanks again for all the replies, you all are great.

We are in the process of fixing up a trailer that should be ready to go in the spring.

And, after taking some of your advice, I already have an appointment to pick up about a cord of wood after the holidays.

In response to those who are in WNY, I am down in Elma (close to Orchard Park). You are right that there is a lot of wood around, but it seems that everyone also has a stove in these parts. I am sure it just takes finding the right neighborhood and building up that social network. If any of you have leads for me, please pass them along. We had our stove put in by Heritage, but we are very familiar with Countryside. In fact, after dealing with both stores, I think we will be going to Countryside for any needs in the future.

I did learn that Batavia, NY has a spot where anyone who lives in the town can dump wood, leaves, brush, etc. However, they allow anybody, no matter where you are from, to come and take wood out. In fact, he said that some guys bring there long splitter and chain saw and just load it right into the truck. The guy i spoke with said that the better wood does not last long, but there is always something worth taking.