So I headed out this AM to grab a coffee at the local Dunkin Donuts. While driving I came across a tree crew doing trimming for the utility company and just down the road from them was a nice pile of red oak on the roadside. In my area as long as the wood is not in front of someones house its fair game so I pulled over to grab it. Once stopped I realized it would not all fit in my truck plus I had decent clothes on that I really did not to load wood in. So I gambled and left it there praying nobody would grab it before I could return (lot of wood burners in my town). I got my coffee, went home, changed clothes and got the trailer. Fortunately, when I got back the wood was still there. 10 minutes later my trailer was loaded. Luck day today for this wood burner.
Now that is some prime wood you scrounged! Glad it was still there when you got back. I remember one time I was wearing a suit and spotted some lath that someone had out for the junk to pick up. Well, I was in our van so I stopped, took off the jacket and tie then loaded it all into the van. Best kindling wood you'll ever find but it is getting harder and harder to find a home that has lath in it.
I don't know what part of Southwestern Massachusetts you live in, but as a property owner in Dartmouth, Ma any wood left on the side of the road by a Nstar or Utility right of way trimming crew is most certainly NOT "fair game". If any of those rounds have blue paint or flags on them that's theft of real property.
Does it belong to the property owner or the utility or the town? Trees getting cut down by power lines on the side of the road most often are on town property (street ROW) and are not actually on private property. Even though most people think their property goes up to the street, the town can own up to about 12' into the "yard" in a lot of cases.
I'm not saying I'm right and your wrong but I'll put it to you this way. The other day I asked the cop working the same road detail albeit further up the road if the wood was for the taking and he told me that if it's in front of a home the homeowner has first right to the wood so check with them. Any wood left if front of an empty lot was for the taking. Heck, in my old town the DPW tree crew would leave the good wood by the side of the road for anyone to take. If the wood was still there a day or two later the DPW would remove it. When living there I took wood from in front of houses. Talked to the cops in that town too and they said it was free for the taking cause it came from town tree's. Also, The crew was within eyeshot of me when I grabbed it and neither them nor the detail cop seemed to care.
I have to say though billb3, you had me nervous for a minute cause one of the rounds looks like it has blue on it which I saw when I loaded it and thought it was just discoloration in the wood possibly from a nail. But, being the honest fella that I am I just went out and checked the round and its just wood discoloration like I thought. You can see it on the round in the pic loaded at the trailer front.
The blue paint around here is just how the power company mark what trees they want cut then later on the crews come out and they cut those trees and leave the wood laying there
Good score! Good on you for checking though. You did everything a reasonable person could, your conscience is clear. That can be tricky though. Asking my local utility and law enforcement I found out they consider the wood more of a waste product rather than property. They had to cut the trees on their right of way. The kicker is I have to have permission of the landowner to access the wood. Same kinda deal as mentioned before where the landowner has first dibs.
When they widened the road by my house they took a few feet of everyone's property by eminent domain, all wood was fair game, I didn't know this and didn't take any. I talked to one guy on the street and he got 9 cords of ash, I guess he was the only one that knew and the only one that wanted any.
Halligan, yadone good! Like you said, it wasn't in front of anyone's house...Gotta make hay when the sun shines.
Great score! Always tricky grabbing wood on the side of the road - I've always asked the nearest house if I can take it. I've had some guys loading utility cuts from the road edge of my property, just down from my house - my stacks are obvious from where the wood was - they didn't get very far. Do the best you can as honest as you can - that's all we can do. Cheers!
