Stacking is my least favorite part as well. That's why I always process, chuck it in a pile and stack it over the next few days. If a landowner doesn't burn wood, it's been my experience they don't care about firewood, or downed trees. That said, it seems some firewood burners, don't appreciate landowners letting them come out and cut on their property either, and leave messes and just cherry pick firewood. When I got started with firewood, I talked to 1 rancher, who lived along a creek and told him I'd work along the creek and take the firewood and stack the brush in a pile, so he could burn it or move it with the grapple tractor. I was grateful I had a place to go get firewood, where I wasn't bothered, and ultimately he was getting his creek cleaned up, because he'd just let it all go up till that point. Win, win situation. He was so happy with my work and caring for his place, he actually offered me a job.
As a landowner, I can sympathize with those who may be pretty standoffish on allowing people in. I personally do not have much reservation other than the potential for liability, which you *must always consider as a landowner nowdays, thanks to the bloodsuckers. It's kind of like if someone asks me to borrow a chainsaw. Uhh...no. BUT, I will come and help you with what needs done, and I will bring my chainsaw. I would never let anyone have carte blanche. I actually have offered to a buddy to 'come down and cut you some firewood' and he doesn't show. This same man will panic around late July finally realizing he needs wood for the upcoming winter. This happens year in and year out. Goocher...he has a small woodlot to cut from where he lives. My friend who comes down to my place to help me make wood sometimes is kindof odd about 'cleaning up the woods'. If he's helping me skid logs, he will cut all the branch away and put it in a nice neat pile. Meanwhile, my side of the tree looks like a hybrid Beaver/Tasmanian Devil had been working there. I do appreciate aesthetics, but honestly...'cleaning up the woods' when you have many acres is a fairly futile undertaking. My theory is that the more of it that is touching the ground, the faster it will rot and fertilize the other forest trees and plants. Brush piles are nice for wildlife though. I make plenty of them inadvertently just trying to keep the trails open. This is done out of convenience rather than desire. Most times there is only one 'hole' to toss all the stuff into off the side of the trail. In my parts it used to be common to 'trade' with the farmers. Example: "If I shoot all the groundhogs in your pastures, would you allow me to hunt for Morrell mushrooms and or deer?"
And I did give them the trees to cut along with using my dray. what more could they want. Oh, also his buddy lectured me all about burning wood too and how it is so much better to burn in the same year as it has been cut. Otherwise, you put it into the stove and POOF! It's gone. I wish you could have seen the look on his face when I described my stove and how they wisely built in a draft control so one can control the burn.
People just don't want to work too hard. I don't think there are any of us here, looking at our stacks wondering what we are going to heat with 2 years from now. In late fall in these parts the saws start up. Cutting the fuel they will use that season. They run out in january and look for more. Invariably in my township, 1 or 2 homes will burn down every winter that starts with a flue fire because of wet wood. You can lead a horse to water....
Just wait. It keeps on going, and going, and going. At 66 I’m still at it but as the song says “I’m not as good as I once was”. It’s gone to a year round project that I work on as I can. I still love CS and tolerate the S. Mike in Okla
This thread has got me thinking about a saying that I’ve heard a couple times…… “Everybody wants to be a cowboy, … until there’s cowboy chit to do!”
