STILL slim pickins' around here and other "updates"

[PA. Woodsman]

Awhile ago I had mentioned that it was really slim pickins' this season as far as free scrounges went and it still is going that way; in fact, it seems like hardly anyone is cutting anything down, as not even Pine is being dropped off at the local compost sites. Usually they're loaded with Pine but not even that this year; man am I glad that I work 2 years ahead because I'd be jonesing right now if I didn't! Like my neighbor down the alley whom I said I saw about 5 weeks ago when he said "getting ready to replenish my firewood-I'll have this filled in a month"...well, here it is over a month later and he only added two small rows to the pile, back-to-back with no room for air circulation....I don't know what he's thinking but it's almost August and there's no way anything except dead wood is gonna be ready for this Fall...what are these guys thinking??? And the new guy down the alley that has rounds of Pine laying around with an ax stuck in the same spot for weeks had a fire in his firepit the other night, unseasoned Pine throwing more smoke off than heat, stinking up the neighborhood.

To each his own, but I'd really be worried if I didn't have my supply in by now in this wacky Pennsylvania weather-oy vey! Good luck to 'em as his wife will kill him when he smokes her out of the house come Fall

 

[Woody Stover]

Yep, I'm slowly getting those I supply ahead, and feeling better as it progresses. I found a bunch of dead wood for them that was close to ready, got another five cords stacked for them for next year....now I can start feeding the Oak into their rotation. The more aheader, the bedder!

 

[osagebow]

Lots of trees down in my area, but competitive scrounging conditions due to last year's wood shortage. I' m set but want to be setter.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

I have noticed there is not much out there this year. CL has been empty. Lucky for me I found a scrounge not far away that is a large wood lot full of oak and beech, that I can cut and keep. no time issue, I can do it at my leisure. I haven't taken any yet but I am many years ahead, so I can wait for cooler weather.

 

[D8Chumley]

I've added about 1.5 cord of rounds to the stockpile over the last few months. I have a few almost dead ash in the yard and woods here that will triple that but wood on my property is easy peasy to get. I try to scrounge what I can from jobs when I can to add to the arsenal.
The firewood my superintendent said would be on this job turned out to be a few smaller limbs. Nothing real exciting. Maybe the next job will be more fruitful

 

[Missouri Frontier]

I' m set but want to be setter

story of my life! what I wouldn't give to be setter, in almost everything! I could not have said it better osagebow.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

2 years ago I told all of my retired neighbors about my 3 year plan. They have been loading me up ever since. I'm getting close to 4 years ahead in a year and half. They tell me "that will teach you to ask to be years ahead". They don't know me well enough I guess.. If any of you guys that are having trouble scrounging live anywhere near me. let me know. I'll get you hooked up.

 

[Andy S.]

Lots of trees down in my area, but competitive scrounging conditions due to last year's wood shortage. I' m set but want to be setter.

+1 on the competitive scrounging. I'm lucky enough to have been first to a few and have done well, but have heard a lot of "I can't believe how many replies I got" from the homeowner.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

The local compost site is open from 7:30-2:30 on Mondays, so I sometimes drive through before work; this morning I thought "what's the use, there's probably nothing there", but drove through anyway and scored about 11 pieces of fresh Mulberry which was a pleasant surprise. It's not a lot, but it's something, and every little bit adds up-plus it's for 2 years from now so Mulberry will last.

So there's a glimmer of hope

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

I've gone over 6 months before I finally found any wood worth picking up, now I just found another mother load, I've been looking and looking, nothing, till the other day. I was at a school, saw downed rounds, left a note with my number on it, and got a call a week later saying I can take whatever I want. All I can say is keep looking and you never know what tomorrow will bring.....gl

 

[fire_man]

A guy was arrested near me because he was interfering with the removal of a tree by highway workers. He was standing directly under the tree with his chainsaw while they were dropping it. The Police told him he could have the wood after it was safely down, but he had to move until it was clear. He refused, afraid of someone else moving in on him. The police hauled him off.

 

[Applesister]

Thats a little scary, people being hauled off. I imagine Craigs list to be like that. A frenzy in general. I dont scrounge but it seems like grand sport. Its not quite like New Jersey here but it Is suburbia central. Gotta have some sort of populus to have available free wood and the people looking for it. Plus the availability of free wood probably follows alot of natural disaster occurances so its two sided. With the internet and Craigs list and online classified its all kind of at our fingertips. I dont scrounge but I do network that Im heating with wood and people who know me return tips. I dont pass up opportunities to add to the pile aside from what I process off the farm.

 

[bassJAM]

It was a little slow for me up until a month ago. I've got enough for a year and a half of burning but I really wanted to reach that 3 year plan this summer. I've been checking Craigslist but never had the time to get to anything before it's gone. I was about to take the 4 cords of pine a family friend has cut and stacked just to make sure I'd have something (and I did take one load), but then the heavens opened and the sun started shining!

A neighbor lost a large silver maple, and them my buddy's grandpa 1/2 mile down the street lost an even bigger silver maple. I'm not crazy about silver maple, but when it's that close to my house and they've already limbed it and help me cut and load, it even marginal wood is hard to pass up! Then this week another neighbor stopped over and said he's having about 5 ash's taken down in 2 weeks and offered me the wood. When I let him know I'd be gone on my honeymoon and wouldn't be able to get to it right away, he said he'd just use the FIL on his Kubota and bring it over and dump it by my wood pile. Looks like I'll be 4-5 years ahead after that!

 

[Rebelduckman]

Hearing stories like those makes me feel fortunate to have 100+ acres full of all kinds of trees to choose from

 

[tsquini]

I find there is more competition for free firewood. I had a scrounge over the weekend. A private school took down 3 ash trees. They called and offered me wood on Thursday. Saturday I show up ready to cut it up. All that is left is limb wood. Know one knows where it went. I need to be quicker next time.

 

[bassJAM]

It is a bit of a rat race getting free wood. I thought I had a great hookup earlier this year from a buddy who does landscaping and has gotten a lot of tree removal jobs this year from all the dead ash trees. He told me back in the spring I could have all the wood I could take as all the jobs would amount to 15 cords or so, but then his cousin decided he want's to take the wood so he can split it and sell it this winter. Suddenly I'm second fiddle now, and he's told me I might be able to get a cord or so, but he can't promise anything.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

A guy was arrested near me because he was interfering with the removal of a tree by highway workers. He was standing directly under the tree with his chainsaw while they were dropping it. The Police told him he could have the wood after it was safely down, but he had to move until it was clear. He refused, afraid of someone else moving in on him. The police hauled him off.

Wow, that's extreme! I guess things aren't so bad here after all

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Thanks for the stories, guys! I tried to rep all of you but it said "I've reached my limit", so I'll just have to say "thanks" here!

Keep scroungin' !!

 

[woodsman416]

With all the storm damage we've had the last couple of years, there's still an abundance of free wood in my area.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

Storm came thru here the other night, trees down everywhere. Of course all my saws needed sharpening bad, Sharpened a few and went out to get some good scores. Seems almost all the trees where pople. so no wood for me. Although I did run each saw dry helping clear driveways and houses. Better than sitting in the dark house with no power.

 

[Osagebndr]

I can't keep up with the wood scores I been getting lately. Thankfully most of them are in no hurry. Been able to get this years and and a big hunk of next years CSS. Also sold around 5 cord

 

[Got Wood]

Peaks and valleys..... I had nothing coming my way for a good time period and then BOOM! A neighbor had a tree company take down a bunch of trees and had them bucked to my preferred length and dropped in my yard (3 dump trucks worth), then another neighbor gets the same tree company the next day....another load ...... then a 3rd neighbor. Wow in 5 days I went from having nothing to process to having what I am guessing to be 5 cords worth of rounds to split and stack all w/o starting the saw. SWEET. Mix of Oak, Locus, maple and a small amount of elm.

 

[bassJAM]

Peaks and valleys.....

That's the truth! The first year I bought my house and needed to start scrounging for the winter I was pretty worried since it was July and I had just a 1/2 cord of sycamore. Then a local guy on a motorcycle forum I used to frequent said he was having a couple trees taken down, maybe a truck and trailer load at best. I stopped by one evening to get it, and saw a tree company going to town in their neighborhood dropping mature trees! Several of his neighbors stopped by asking if I could "please" take their wood too, and one of the neighbors even had 3 cords of seasoned oak in his back yard from 3 yeas earlier he wanted to get rid of. He assumed he'd have to pay someone to come take it so he figured he'd just let it rot back there!

I got enough for myself in one score for 2 years, and supplied both my parents and BIL with enough for one year, maybe 10 cords total. Just about all of it was red oak, red maple, and a little black locust and ash. It took 2 evenings and part of a Saturday to just load it up and get it out of there. I may never find another score like that again!

 

[Osagebndr]

Craig's list has been very good to me. That's where most of the wood I've been scrounging has come from. All the storms we been getting here its no wonder

 

[Seanm]

The wife and I went to Lethbridge Alberta yesterday and spent several hours driving through prairie. I commented to her how hard it must be to be a wood burner out there. Im lucky that I can cut on crown land 5 minutes from my house even if it is all soft wood!