The Perfect Scrounge

[markam]

Less than a mile from my house
~24 inch rounds, so dense wood perfect for stove
cut short enough to be easy to split
piled right on the edge of the road, so no question it was being given away
residential street, no traffic
exactly one truck load, couldn't put another piece in if there had been one
10 minutes to collect

It don't get better than that.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Are you sure no one wanted it or that it belonged to a homeowner? Not judging it, just wondering how you know that?

 

[markam]

Wood stacked at the edge of the road is pretty much the universal sign for please take. Besides, i believe that it was a city tree cut by the municipality because they usually leave the big wood which cant be ground up.

 

[Woody Stover]

I like to ask just to be sure but whenever it's stacked by the road, they say "take it."

exactly one truck load, couldn't put another piece in if there had been one
10 minutes to collect

Not sure I could load a truck in 10 min. Don't forget, you've got the passenger seat and floor to stack in. If you've got a helper along, then you have to find room under the hood. And we're gonna need some pics of this fabled "dense wood."

 

[markam]

That is not the case around here. Very few people burn wood. Those that do would never leave wood by the road without a sign. Plus, the city owns about 5 feet out from the roads and the trees planted in those strips. The property owner does not own the tree or the wood if it is cut. If he wants it, he better grab before somebody else (like me) does.

 

[Woody Stover]

the city owns about 5 feet out from the roads and the trees planted in those strips. The property owner does not own the tree or the wood if it is cut.

Huh. Where is that? I think that here, the county just has a right-of-way next to the road, the property owner actually owns the land. I could be wrong, though....I think I've heard of county workers grabbing primo wood, so I don't actually know for sure how it all works.

 

[Auzzie Gumtree]

If its by the side of the road - with no sign- its first come first served around here.

 

[claydogg84]

Nice score markam. Don't let these guys try to make you feel bad. I've actually contacted my local county engineering department and asked them about wood being left on their right of way. Their response was, it's fair game. If it's not taken, or moved by the home owner the county comes and takes it to the dump. If a tree is in someone's front yard and they want the wood they are told to move it after its cut or risk it being taken by scroungers. Right of way is 25 feet off center line here in Dutchess county NY.

 

[claydogg84]

Dislike button needed for this one.
If city cut on my property, left the wood, and some jerk just decided to come and take it i'd be ticked....
Around here, many people make wood stacks along the road like a wall to block traffic noise during the summer. Sounds like theft to me. Always ask for permission.

Sounds like you're calling someone a thief without any proof that anything was stolen.

 

[Oldman47]

I own to the middle of the road but the county owns a right of way over my property for the road and the drainage ditch. If you or the county take something from my land without my permission it is theft. At that point the only question is do I care about it enough to press charges. Always at least ask permission. I did that with a neighbor a few days ago. He had a pile of small rounds spilling into the street on a day when the village was scheduled to come around and chip "landscape waste" as a free service. It turns out he works for the village and it was a scrounge he had picked up while he was doing that chipping. I'm certain he would have been upset to come out and find it gone.

 

[claydogg84]

I own to the middle of the road but the county owns a right of way over my property for the road and the drainage ditch. If you or the county take something from my land without my permission it is theft. At that point the only question is do I care about it enough to press charges. Always at least ask permission. I did that with a neighbor a few days ago. He had a pile of small rounds spilling into the street on a day when the village was scheduled to come around and chip "landscape waste" as a free service. It turns out he works for the village and it was a scrounge he had picked up while he was doing that chipping. I'm certain he would have been upset to come out and find it gone.

If you think you own any part of the roadway, past, present, or future, you're nothing short of a fool. Stop paying your taxes and see who really owns the land. We're all renters, like it or not.

 

[kennyp2339]

When dealing with road right of ways "to the center of the road" or "only to the edge of the shoulder" I think the term is called "in fee" or "out of fee", meaning "in fee" owner of the property owns the soil to the center of the road way and is taxed as a parcel of his / her land accordingly, but the town / county has a right of way making it wasted property for the home owner, since they can not alter or use the road way for anything else other than commerce travel. The only protection of having a road way which is "in fee" designation, would be if the town or county were to make the road wider, or add sidewalks they would have to approach the property owner for a new easement, usually when a new easement is needed the owner of the property is compensated $$$. " out of fee" means the town / county owns the soil under the road way, they may own past the shoulder onto the property depending on how far the right of way extends. The property owner is only taxed for what they own, the nice thing about this, is that the town or county may have a 60ft easement, and may only be using 35ft of it as actual roadway, the rest maybe part of the owners landscaped front yard, but if the township or county wants to widen the road or add sidewalks, they can do that without home owner input because they already have and existing right of way and are the physical owners of the soil. The only advice is to check the actual title search of your property, and see what's listed, a regular deed may not have the information listed, sometimes easements are put on larger properties, but when the larger properties are subdivided the actual easements are not listed on the new deed, but it all reverts back to the original parcel before it was split up.

 

[billb3]

When the electric co wants to cut a tree away from the lines along the road we get a letter of intent and as the owner of the tree whether we want the wood or not. It is the property of the property owner.
The electric co (cable and phone ) contract out to a company with tree equipment and they grind up the branches just like they all do.

Same with a tree purposefully cut , the town sends an intent letter -this only happens for a road improvement.

We have to send the letter back with permission to take or leave the wood. Technically it is a contract.

I wouldn't be too happy if the tree(s) in front of my house I contracted to have the wood remain disappeared.

After a hurricane the town road dept. sometimes has trees to remove from the road. They usually take it but it is considered fair game and they often leave it for a day or two to disappear. If a commercial enterprise went around picking it all up they would most certainly get a cease and desist as it could be considered town property just like the trash and recyclables that are put out at the curb. You take metal out of the bins put out for recycling and the town lawyers will be taking you to court for theft of their property.




I wish I didn't "own" the six feet in from the edge of the street. I wouldn't have to keep the sidewalk clear of snow in the Winter.
Unfortunately due to the easement on the land I own I can't remove the sidewalk.

 

[Jay106n]

Not being mischievous, just saying taking wood from someone elses property without permission is not a good idea. Here that would get you arrested if the property owner wanted to press charges. Trees and anything cut by city/county/electric, etc. that originated on a tree on your property belongs to you and they need permission to cut it first. You tell them if you want them to remove the wood or leave the logs on the side of the road. (Town/State has right of way 3 feet, but you own it). If somebody takes it from you without your permission it is theft, not to mention trespassing onto someone elses property.

Firewood is a big deal here in New England. The value of wood is high and people do have problems with people stealing it from them, which is probably why it is treated like property. The law must be different where you are, so otherwise, good score.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I always find out who owns the property and if I don't know I call the local assessments office, give them the location and they can tell me who owns the land. Then I contact the property owner to get either a yes or no answer; if it's "no", I let it be, if it's "yes" I get a name so if anyone questions me I tell them who gave me permission and on what date and even the time, that way I'm covered and have peace of mind that I did the right thing. Now in your case it very well may just have been up for grabs, but I personally like to check it out first.

 

[markam]

I always find out who owns the property and if I don't know I call the local assessments office, give them the location and they can tell me who owns the land.

That is the nice thing about my town. The city owns 5 feet out from the edge of every municipal road, so it is never taking from someone's property (except the city which doesn't care). Of course, the city still requires us to cut and maintain the grass on their stretch of property, and shovel and repair the sidewalk. The weird thing is that we have no responsibility for trees in the city strip. They plant, maintain and cut them.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

That is the nice thing about my town. The city owns 5 feet out from the edge of every municipal road, so it is never taking from someone's property (except the city which doesn't care). Of course, the city still requires us to cut and maintain the grass on their stretch of property, and shovel and repair the sidewalk. The weird thing is that we have no responsibility for trees in the city strip. They plant, maintain and cut them.

That's interesting and quite unusual but then it sounds like it is up for grabs then if that's the case!

 

[Rickb]

That is the nice thing about my town. The city owns 5 feet out from the edge of every municipal road, so it is never taking from someone's property (except the city which doesn't care). Of course, the city still requires us to cut and maintain the grass on their stretch of property, and shovel and repair the sidewalk. The weird thing is that we have no responsibility for trees in the city strip. They plant, maintain and cut them.

This is similar to where my parents live. Matter of fact last year the city contracted to have some one cut all the dead trees and branches and when I asked for the wood that was being cut from my parents property they told me no. Said they lowballed the negotiated price because the city lets them keep all the wood they then split it and sell it.

 

[Woody Stover]

I think that here, the county skims the cream primo wood, or they have buddies they call. It's not often they are around and I've only talked to them once. They weren't taking the monster Pin Oak I've posted about but I let some neighbors have at it first because the county wasn't coming back 'til the following week to clean up what was left. I got there Monday aft. and all the wood was gone except the trunk, county had been there in the morning, and I wasn't gonna tackle that trunk. The power company contracts line maintenance and you can get wood from them...

 

[claydogg84]

I think that here, the county skims the cream primo wood, or they have buddies they call. It's not often they are around and I've only talked to them once. They weren't taking the monster Pin Oak I've posted about but I let some neighbors have at it first because the county wasn't coming back 'til the following week to clean up what was left. I got there Monday aft. and all the wood was gone except the trunk, county had been there in the morning, and I wasn't gonna tackle that trunk. The power company contracts line maintenance and you can get wood from them...

That's how it works here. I work for the county and the tree crew gives me a heads up if they take anything down in my area. Don't be fooled though, those guys take mostly all of the good manageable sized pieces for themselves.

 

[EJP1234]

Whats funny is, I had a meeting for a construction build I am bidding on yesterday, and it's on a county owner hwy storage yard, and it was full of rounds... and I left with a 8' bed full lol...

And yes, I'm under bidding the work, so I can get the remaining wood lol...

 

[sportbikerider78]

If you think you own any part of the roadway, past, present, or future, you're nothing short of a fool. Stop paying your taxes and see who really owns the land. We're all renters, like it or not.

True. Total bs that our country has come to this.

And for what? To keep failing public schools going?