Firewood : Lack of woods

[Drew Cutter]

Its getting harder to find woods that have enough acres to supply my wood needs . Any secrets to finding firewood in other area ?

[francismilker]

We've not encountered that problem where I'm from yet. However, we've never had the large stands of native virgin hardwoods that Ohio used to have back in the days of the booming lumber industry. My 80 acres has too many trees for my taste. Mostly post oak, blackjack oak, and hickory that range in diameter from 4"-30" with heights from 10-60' tall.

Have you tried any neighbors to ask permission to cut? Most of neighbors would gladly let anyone cut provided the person doing the cutting stacks the brush on the stump for later burning.

[Hoop]

The big thing working against you on private land is liability. Few people want someone on their property putting their financial well being at stake over a liability issue. This is what you're up against. The landowner is putting themselves at risk. Like it or not, it is part & parcel of the age we live in. If someone gets hurt on your property, you're at risk for a lawsuit.
Firewood permits are available for state & federal forest lands, which may or may not be in proximity to your location.

And in todays era of mechanized logging, there is little remaining behind in the forest to salvage.

[randy11acres]

In my part of Ohio there are sawmills/palletshops that I used to go to to get slabs to cut up for firewood

[chickenista]

Check craigslist in your area to see if there are ads for 'free firewood'. You cut it up and haul it away from folks yards.
I get my wood from a tree company. It is cheaper for them to dump a load in my yard than paying to take it to the dump. If they are on my side of the county, they dump it here in trunk rings that are cut to length. We just have to split.
I had but to ask!

[Drew Cutter]

never thought of craig list . The liability issue is a concern . Thought of cutting up limbs and trees from storms in my neighborhood.

[Drew Cutter]

what tools would you suggest for 30 inch trees that have fallen ? Is there a way to mount your log splitter on your hitch and tow a trailer ?

[Wayne02]

Originally Posted by Drew Cutter

never thought of craig list . The liability issue is a concern . Thought of cutting up limbs and trees from storms in my neighborhood.

Even though we have standing timber still available on our property, over the last two years much of the firewood has come from venturing into the suburban areas for downed storm trees. There are frequent windstorms and lots of down trees.

However, the issue mentioned previously about liability has significantly cut down on the number of folks who will allow non bonded and insured people on their land. Couple that with an economy that has businesses scrambling to make money and you have 'Tree Service' companies, or fire wood companies and even general contractors all who are insured getting these jobs over your average Joe who is not insured. Many of the adds on CL say 'insured parties only'. In addition, some of these tree service or contractors have a person who spends almost all their time on craigslist snagging all these opportunities right after they are posted.

[big rockpile]

We use mostly Slab wood from the Sawmill.But also can get permits to cut on alot of Goverment Land and can also get scrap from Cutting Ties and Staves.

You might think about cleaning Fence Rows or cleaning up Tops after Logging.

big rockpile

[kritter8888]

Try in town. Most people in town have no need for firewood. So if a tree falls or the utlity co. cutsd them down and leaves them most people pay to get rid of them so they would love someone to do it for them, at least here anyway. We used to have a local tree company that would do jobs around us and they have to dispose of the trees (yes they have to pay for that) so they were glad to drop them in our yard for free. Unfortuantly they were to big for me and my grandparents to handle avg was 3ft in diameter.

[PhilJohnson]

I have resorted to burning pallets in the past. I live close to the county forest now so obtaining firewood is no longer that big of an issue.

[Ken Scharabok]

At one local sawmill little goes to waste. Bark is sent to a truck which hauls to a mulching company. Sawdust and chipped up side slabs are blown into another truck which then goes to a paper company.

Making railroad ties is a fairly large part of local logging. At some sawmills you can have the cut off tie ends for the hauling. At another they bundle up the sideslabs for sale separately.

At another plant which makes railroad ties and pallets the cut off ends go onto a large pile. You can pay so much a load to haul them off yourself or someone who works at the plant will bring and dump a truckload for you.

You can likely find unwanted pallets for the hauling off. A lot of truck space required though for the amount of wood.

Firewood is so abundant in the local area though to get someone to take it you almost have to put an ad in the paper to the effect: Free firewood. Will cut to length, deliver, stack, load your stove and haul away the ashes.

[Forerunner]

Depending on how you are at building relationships...... or how notorious you've become for your reputation for daring..... municipalities and township road commissioners may be able to help. Most municipalities around here have a landscape waste dump where the residents are allowed to dispose of yard waste, brush, wood, etc. There are often huge windfalls, literal and figurative, to be had for the taking. Incidentally, these places also offer huge quantities of leaves, grass clippings and wood chips/sawdust for your compost pile.

Township road commissioners are often delighted to have some help trimming the brush away from the area roads, and some areas are quite overgrown with small to seemingly virgin timber.
Personally, I have found it more advantageous to act first, in a diligent and responsible manner, and let the results be found out as time goes by, than to "ask permission". No one has stopped me yet from doing a thorough job, and I've done everything from cleaning multiple semi loads of flood debris from a state highway (corn stalks mostly, for compost) to clearing miles of township roads for the firewood-- even leaving some piled in the ditches for the locals, on occasion.
I have found that if a man is willing to take responsibility, he will be granted the liberty that he requires to ensure his survival.

[Drew Cutter]

I found an online cord weight calc. . If right then i would have to change the bed out and strength the suspense on my truck (to aluminum flatbed) . No sense in traveling very far for a cord or two. (3 cord seems to be the limit to this plan) . My insurance agent brother is tree removal owner . A nearby town does have a place for leaves , etc . Hmm .

[Alice In TX/MO]

Your insurance agent brother is a tree removal service owner? Sounds like working for/with him would have the liability and supply issues covered.

[ronbre]

if you are around amish, they often sell ends of logs that they use to make pallet lumber a their small sawmills..also pallets are often available free, but you'll need a good magnet to get the nails and screws out of the ashes once they are cool..they sell really strong magnets ..or you could sift the ashes..also check out places like habitat and behind lumber yards for scrap lumber, they often give away broken or warped lumber.
some places, esp like KY and TN have had serious windstorms this past year, and they have tons of wood available ..i know in Beesprings my friend would give you all the trees and branches you would be willing to come and cut as she can't even get someone to cut any of it..and she is elderly.

[mldollins]

Unless someone gives me wood, I go there. I give 25 dollars a truck load. It is primarily oak slabs. I still have to split it, then again, you still have to split what I cut in the woods.

I got to thinking a while back on this. It would take me several hours to cut and load wood in my truck. I make about 25 bucks an hour at my work. Simple economics says that I should go and buy it.

The wood at the mill is already dried and in the right lengths. Splittin' is all I need to do.

The sawmill wood also is very clean. My vent pipe gets practically no build up because of the dry wood.

[HermitJohn]

Or start looking at the other end, how can you reduce your demand for wood? If designed and insulated properly, even a relatively large house can be heated with one 5000btu space heater. You do need air to air heat exchanger with house so tight, so you get fresh air.

[texican]

Learn to scrounge... if a tree dies along the road, ask the neighbor if he'd let you cut it to get it out of the way... logging slash is a goldmine for wood... in a 'commercial' even aged forest, there might be slim pickings, but in mixed growth forest, there's tons of 'tops'.

Local bandsaw miller burns tons of oak slabs and gnarly logs each week... he's happy when someone saves him the bother of burning...

I don't burn much wood, as I have unlimited free gas, but when I do cut, I never cut on my own place, unless it's a dead and down tree. I leave most of the larger dead trees for wildlife habitat.

[Ken Scharabok]

To follow up on HJ's post. One of my sisters and BILs are rehab-ing a single wide trailer in the local area. They are zoning it. Pulled off original paneling, scabbed on 2" x 2" and then put in 6" of insulation, covered by 1/2" drywall. Master bedroom has thick carpet which helps there. Front room, which is sister's scrapbooking room, has wood flooring now. Both have a combination heat/cool wall unit. Remainer will be eventually serviced by a three ton heat pump. Right now their electric bill is about 2/3rds mine for essentially the same size unit.