Too Much of a Good Thing

[Hasufel]

I can stop anytime. I keep telling myself that. But I can't bring myself to do it!

In the days before this week's snowstorm I was hurrying to finish CSS'ing all of the readily available wood around me. I might be moving in a couple of years and figured that, if I wanted this stuff to be dry enough to burn before I go, I'd better process it now. I'm pretty sure I already have more than I need for the next two winters, but I wanted to "stick a fork in it" and not have any unfinished scores nagging at me.

I picked a nice day to stack the very last of my splits. Once I was done, I walked around as sort of a victory lap to celebrate & enjoy the weather. That's when I noticed the standing dead trees--three of them. Hmm, should I take them down or just let nature take its course?

I was picking up some small branches that had fallen near the road and met my new neighbor, who had just bought the place across the street. We were chatting about things and she casually mentioned that their home inspector pointed out a bunch of dead trees around their place that needed to come down. I think I gulped.

So I wonder if any of you have "been there," and do you have any advice on how to ignore easy scores that you don't really need? There aren't a lot of woodburners around here, so it's not like I'd be helping out my neighbors.

FWIW, I've got lots of work waiting for me at my new place. Unfortunately it's an 8-hour drive away so I can't just pop down to do a bit of bucking and splitting. I had a guy moving some dirt around and I asked him to save any trees he cleared for firewood. This is what I found:

Mostly white oak, some of which had been standing dead for at least a couple of years. Smelled heavenly! And in addition to this nice stack, I still have a bunch in the spot where the septic field probably will go:

Most of this is off the ground or on well-drained soil so I think I have time before it starts getting punky. I just wish I could teleport down so that I could get my fix anytime I felt like it!

 

[Woodsplitter67]

My last score was 3 weeks ago.. all i see is dead trees now... its like they are taunting as i dtive down my street. I need to get other projects done, but fined it difficult. I am going to get some of these other things done over the next coup of weeks and then go get my wood fix. Really its been an addictin. I got a friend of mine who owns a tree company who has been asking if i would take 3 dump truck loads of oak and cherry and a little apple. He has bee trying to give it to me for 2 weeks now...

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I can stop anytime. I keep telling myself that. But I can't bring myself to do it!

In the days before this week's snowstorm I was hurrying to finish CSS'ing all of the readily available wood around me. I might be moving in a couple of years and figured that, if I wanted this stuff to be dry enough to burn before I go, I'd better process it now. I'm pretty sure I already have more than I need for the next two winters, but I wanted to "stick a fork in it" and not have any unfinished scores nagging at me.

I picked a nice day to stack the very last of my splits. Once I was done, I walked around as sort of a victory lap to celebrate & enjoy the weather. That's when I noticed the standing dead trees--three of them. Hmm, should I take them down or just let nature take its course?

I was picking up some small branches that had fallen near the road and met my new neighbor, who had just bought the place across the street. We were chatting about things and she casually mentioned that their home inspector pointed out a bunch of dead trees around their place that needed to come down. I think I gulped.

So I wonder if any of you have "been there," and do you have any advice on how to ignore easy scores that you don't really need? There aren't a lot of woodburners around here, so it's not like I'd be helping out my neighbors.

FWIW, I've got lots of work waiting for me at my new place. Unfortunately it's an 8-hour drive away so I can't just pop down to do a bit of bucking and splitting. I had a guy moving some dirt around and I asked him to save any trees he cleared for firewood. This is what I found:
View attachment 196169
Mostly white oak, some of which had been standing dead for at least a couple of years. Smelled heavenly! And in addition to this nice stack, I still have a bunch in the spot where the septic field probably will go:
View attachment 196170
Most of this is off the ground or on well-drained soil so I think I have time before it starts getting punky. I just wish I could teleport down so that I could get my fix anytime I felt like it!

Be who you were born to be, Hasufel. Reread the books from whence your screen name came. If you follow your heart, you will end up in the right place. The universe is is speaking to you, ignore at your own peril!

 

[saewoody]

Wish I had some of these problems[emoji6]. The suburbs of CT aren't exactly the easiest place to come across easy wood. I wish I had had my stove several years ago when they were taking trees like crazy along the power lines.


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[redktmrider]

I was clearing some brush for a neighbor and see a guy coming through the adjacent woods, I stopped cutting long enough to talk to him. He owns the woods and is wanting to clear some of it. He said i can drop and take anything I want. Its 100 yards from my front door! Gotta love the universe some times! Already have a cord of red oak from one downed tree.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Wish I had some of these problems[emoji6]. The suburbs of CT aren't exactly the easiest place to come across easy wood. I wish I had had my stove several years ago when they were taking trees like crazy along the power lines.


Sent from


Why is it so hard to come by??? When i think of your state i think of large areas of woods ect.. i see you live in the burbs. Dont your neighbors have fallen trees, do you live near any farms??

Why is it so hard to come by??? When i think of your state i think of large areas of woods ect.. i see you live in the burbs. Dont your neighbors have fallen trees, do you live near any farms??

 

[Hasufel]

Be who you were born to be, Hasufel. Reread the books from whence your screen name came. If you follow your heart, you will end up in the right place. The universe is is speaking to you, ignore at your own peril!

Haha, I'm very impressed that someone recognized the name! Kudos to you.

It's a shame I can't take the wood with me but I'm in a gypsy moth zone. So if I have any left over in a couple of years I might be offering it up to local burners on this site. I also thought about selling it on CL but it won't be a huge amount and I'd rather just give it away to somebody who appreciates good firewood! But I might be getting ahead of myself...there's still a lot of burning time left.

 

[jatoxico]

There's a limit to how much I want to keep and tend on site. Now that I'm ahead I will only go for the easier high quality scores. Just have to have the mind set that there will be more when needed.

Does tug at ya though.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I was clearing some brush for a neighbor and see a guy coming through the adjacent woods, I stopped cutting long enough to talk to him. He owns the woods and is wanting to clear some of it. He said i can drop and take anything I want. Its 100 yards from my front door! Gotta love the universe some times! Already have a cord of red oak from one downed tree.

Awesome. I am amazed at the good that can come out of simply talking to folks. Especially if you are nice to them. Stay warm, my friend.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

There's a limit to how much I want to keep and tend on site. Now that I'm ahead I will only go for the easier high quality scores. Just have to have the mind set that there will be more when needed.

Does tug at ya though.

I honestly think that tug is a genetic thing, born out of generations of ancestors needing to collect fuel wood to not freeze to death. Sort of like pointing dogs, they just have it in 'em.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Haha, I'm very impressed that someone recognized the name! Kudos to you.

It's a shame I can't take the wood with me but I'm in a gypsy moth zone. So if I have any left over in a couple of years I might be offering it up to local burners on this site. I also thought about selling it on CL but it won't be a huge amount and I'd rather just give it away to somebody who appreciates good firewood! But I might be getting ahead of myself...there's still a lot of burning time left.

My nine-year-old daughter recognized your screen name last night when I was reading your original post. She only commented on that and not on the kitten strangely enough.

You say you might be moving in a couple of years. If that might be extended to three or four, I'd suggest not passing on easy wood close to home. Your new neighbors might also appreciate not having to pay the tree company to haul it it the dump.

You weren't really coming here expecting people to help you overcome this minor addiction, were you?

And if you do end up with a woodpile that needs to go in a couple of years, I'm sure you could get help with that. And if I knew how to find that winky smiley, I'd put one in here.

 

[Babaganoosh]

Wish I had some of these problems[emoji6]. The suburbs of CT aren't exactly the easiest place to come across easy wood. I wish I had had my stove several years ago when they were taking trees like crazy along the power lines.


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Start calling all the tree services and asking for wood to be dumped. Can't hurt.

 

[Tom123]

Why is it so hard to come by??? When i think of your state i think of large areas of woods ect.. i see you live in the burbs. Dont your neighbors have fallen trees, do you live near any farms??

I live in Hartford County (Ct) on the west side of the airport. I get so much free wood that I prioritize by species.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I live in Hartford County (Ct) on the west side of the airport. I get so much free wood that I prioritize by species.

My question was to saewoody
He was stating wood was hard to come by

 

[Tom123]

My question was to saewoody
He was stating wood was hard to come by

And my point is that there is allot of wood in Ct, the easy stuff by the side of the road goes fast but the
Power company had Asplundh cutting in the woods where the power lines cut through and there are multiple places like this. Also as you said most lots are wooded and I see allot of down limbs/trees, especially after this last weeks storm.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

And my point is that there is allot of wood in Ct, the easy stuff by the side of the road goes fast but the
Power company had Asplundh cutting in the woods where the power lines cut through and there are multiple places like this. Also as you said most lots are wooded and I see allot of down limbs/trees, especially after this last weeks storm.

Thanks but i will wait for
Saewoodys reply

 

[Hasufel]

My nine-year-old daughter recognized your screen name last night when I was reading your original post. She only commented on that and not on the kitten strangely enough.

You say you might be moving in a couple of years. If that might be extended to three or four, I'd suggest not passing on easy wood close to home. Your new neighbors might also appreciate not having to pay the tree company to haul it it the dump.

You weren't really coming here expecting people to help you overcome this minor addiction, were you?

And if you do end up with a woodpile that needs to go in a couple of years, I'm sure you could get help with that. And if I knew how to find that winky smiley, I'd put one in here.

Color me impressed! Congratulations on having a daughter who's a fan of quality literature/cinema. Most adults I deal with don't get the reference, even if they claim to be LotR fans.

I really wouldn't be saving my neighbors much. We live in a wooded area so most people around here just let trees rot on the ground. I know the bugs need to eat, too, but it's such a shame to see good wood going unclaimed.

I wasn't expecting everyone to help me overcome this addiction but I was half hoping that someone would post their secret for keeping the firewood bug in check (like a regimen of cold showers and good beer, for example).

And if you live anywhere near Fairfax County, keep an eye on this site in a couple of years. No winky smiley necessary! But here's one for future use -->

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Color me impressed! Congratulations on having a daughter who's a fan of quality literature/cinema. Most adults I deal with don't get the reference, even if they claim to be LotR fans.

I really wouldn't be saving my neighbors much. We live in a wooded area so most people around here just let trees rot on the ground. I know the bugs need to eat, too, but it's such a shame to see good wood going unclaimed.

I wasn't expecting everyone to help me overcome this addiction but I was half hoping that someone would post their secret for keeping the firewood bug in check (like a regimen of cold showers and good beer, for example).

And if you live anywhere near Fairfax County, keep an eye on this site in a couple of years. No winky smiley necessary! But here's one for future use -->

Well ... how i do it is occupie myself with other projects. Mostly my wood.problem is in the winter and early.spring. once i get past early may it starts to get to warm and i get occupied by the pool and hot tub. Once December starts i am back to my wood addiction. I get back to the wood scouting... i try not to do it all the time as if i did i would be over run with wood. So i give myself breaks in between.

 

[saewoody]

I live in Hartford County (Ct) on the west side of the airport. I get so much free wood that I prioritize by species.

I would imagine up in that area there is plenty of available wood. I'm guessing Granby or Hartland or that general area, assuming you are talking about Bradley Airport. I would also imagine because you live in a fairly heavily wooded area that there would be plenty of trees down after the storm. Where I live I have not seen a single tree down due to the storm. That's not to say there isn't any, just that I haven't seen one. I do agree with you that parts of CT are heavily wooded. I grew up in the northwest corner of the state, so i spent a significant part of my childhood in the woods.


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[saewoody]

Why is it so hard to come by??? When i think of your state i think of large areas of woods ect.. i see you live in the burbs. Dont your neighbors have fallen trees, do you live near any farms??

I live in town that is approximately 95% developed. I actually just took a couple of fairly small downed trees from a neighbor and I have had tree companies drop wood for me a couple times. That can be helpful, but It's not always fun to deal with a 36-48" diameter tree trunk. I live one town south of Hartford so the towns immediately surrounding me are very similar to mine. A little further out there is certainly a lot more wood, but I often start to debate whether or not a 40-60 minute round trip is worth it to fill my little 4x6 trailer. If I know for sure the wood is there and I can have it, I'm sure it is a worthwhile trip; but otherwise it could be a wild goose chase. Also, not too many farms around here anymore, and they generally have very few trees. Lots of them were sold off in the 70s, 80s, and 90s to build developments, condos, and shopping plazas. I believe my wife's grandfathers family farm is now a combination of condos and a grocery store plaza!
I definitely do my fair share of scavenging. I spent a few nights this winter in frigid temperatures gathering wood because it was available. I probably scored about two cords over the 3 nights, making multiple trips a night. The point I was making was partly facetious. But it would be great to have plenty of wood available at my so called "doorstep".


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[Hasufel]

Well ... how i do it is occupie myself with other projects. Mostly my wood.problem is in the winter and early.spring. once i get past early may it starts to get to warm and i get occupied by the pool and hot tub. Once December starts i am back to my wood addiction. I get back to the wood scouting... i try not to do it all the time as if i did i would be over run with wood. So i give myself breaks in between.

Yeah, that's a good point. I just need to hang on until the weather warms up. CSS'ing is definitely a cold weather activity for me. Once it warms up the only thing I want to do with firewood is admire my stacks. But as soon as we get the first crisp fall day, bang! Back in firewood mode.

 

[Jay106n]

It definitely depends which area of CT your are in. Much of CT is wooded, however developed areas in the south and central parts of the state, wood can be hard to come by. Luckily, I am in the northwest corner and so far wood has been plentiful.

OP: Keep at it and when you get closer to your move sell whatever you have left.

 

[saewoody]

It definitely depends which area of CT your are in. Much of CT is wooded, however developed areas in the south and central parts of the state, wood can be hard to come by. Luckily, I am in the northwest corner and so far wood has been plentiful.

OP: Keep at it and when you get closer to your move sell whatever you have left.

Very accurate assessment of CT. Having grown up in the area where you live and having lived just outside Hartford for the past 13 years there is certainly a stark contrast for certain a things; availability of wood being one. I talked to a tree service guy early this winter who was advertising free wood to be dropped off in your yard. But when I got the real details he was only willing to drop off the biggest, ugliest, and gnarliest for free. He said the bigger the tree I could take, the lower the price. He wanted to charge me $200 for 2-3 cords of 24"+- diameter tree trunks. And it's not like they were perfectly straight trees either. People were paying much more for what he considered to be his quality wood.

So I guess what my point ultimately is that it is all about supply and demand.


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[Woodsplitter67]

Very accurate assessment of CT. Having grown up in the area where you live and having lived just outside Hartford for the past 13 years there is certainly a stark contrast for certain a things; availability of wood being one. I talked to a tree service guy early this winter who was advertising free wood to be dropped off in your yard. But when I got the real details he was only willing to drop off the biggest, ugliest, and gnarliest for free. He said the bigger the tree I could take, the lower the price. He wanted to charge me $200 for 2-3 cords of 24"+- diameter tree trunks. And it's not like they were perfectly straight trees either. People were paying much more for what he considered to be his quality wood.

So I guess what my point ultimately is that it is all about supply and demand.


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Maybe a larger trailer for the scroung and stuff. The larger the trailer the less trips and the more efficient you will become. My trailer. My trailer is 20ft and holds a lot. It will easily fit more than a cord to be processed at home.. you could go on the hunt, have someone commit the wood to you, go back and get it. With a large trailer then its one trip and you get to select the wood that is best for you.. offer something in return.. i once gave a farmer 2 racks of ribs that i smoked for the cherry the he cleared and was going to burn in the field. I got 2 cords out of that deal.. and now let me take what ever i want. They have at least 5 cords there for me to grab.. you will be surprised at how nice people can be. Build a couple of relationships with those people and you will have a life time of free wood.

 

[saewoody]

Maybe a larger trailer for the scroung and stuff. The larger the trailer the less trips and the more efficient you will become. My trailer. My trailer is 20ft and holds a lot. It will easily fit more than a cord to be processed at home.. you could go on the hunt, have someone commit the wood to you, go back and get it. With a large trailer then its one trip and you get to select the wood that is best for you.. offer something in return.. i once gave a farmer 2 racks of ribs that i smoked for the cherry the he cleared and was going to burn in the field. I got 2 cords out of that deal.. and now let me take what ever i want. They have at least 5 cords there for me to grab.. you will be surprised at how nice people can be. Build a couple of relationships with those people and you will have a life time of free wood.

Very valid points. I would certainly enjoy a larger trailer. Mine actually belongs to a neighbor. I store it for him, but can use it whenever I need, which is way more often than him! His property is so small he does not have a place he can store and access it. My yard is considered fairly large in my town at .46 acres. At some point a larger trailer will make it on my list I hope.

Good luck to everyone starting to prep for next winter! Happy CSSing!


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