It seems like it's getting harder and harder to find free scrounges. People are putting ads up wanting $100 for a pick up load of fresh cut rounds. I barely get that for season, split wood. The only decent free wood I've gotten in the last 3 months has been tree service. Normally there's enough ads on Marketplacr and Craigslist to keep me well stocked. Now it seems everyone wants premium prices but no one is willing to pay.
Must just be your exact area...while I see the ads you refer to, there have still been plenty of free wood opportunitys around here...
I do think people here are stocking up, so there’s a little less than usual as far as curbside neighborhood scrounges go. Back in early August 2 houses up from me, a tree company was taking down 4 massive red oaks, all multiple trunks that were over 3’ diameter each. Easily several cords there. They were up there working for almost an entire week, then had everything staged by the road for removal. In my mind I envisioned myself getting permission then rolling (all downhill) round after round to my backyard. When I asked the foreman on the job if the wood was up for grabs, he said they were taking ALL of it. He said typically they drop the wood in a landfill but this year he’s cashing in on firewood demand. Can’t get them all I suppose.
I am seeing the same thing in SE Ohio. Some scrounges here and there but nothing like I have had in the past. In 2018 I had a scrounge that netted 6 + cord. This year I've gotten mostly just truck loads, haven't even hooked up the dump bed trailer for wood. I am on the six year plan so I am not going to worry just yet.
I’m not surprised. With the cost of other heating methods, way more people are turning to wood heating this season.
Tried this a few times in my area, no dice, nodda, nothing but might be better in other parts of the country. I also live in a Development perhaps tree folks don't wanna drop in my driveway/curbside, to difficult. If I had a nice easy spot to drop I might have better luck.
Time of year too. Its getting cold and unprepared burners panic and want wood, hence the sellers coming out of the woodwork. I did see a couple of guys with a PU stopped and picking up dead limbs last week. I have a few scrounges to hit (as usual) and no shortage of wood score around here either roadside of FBM/CL.
Its hit and miss... Right now I'm on the hit... but those came mainly from looking on the way home from work and stopping and asking. I've got like 3 cords uncut in my driveway right now... so I'm sitting pretty good currently...
I don't look for wood on CL or Facebook anymore, I have a ton of wood I need to pull out of the woods on my parents 80 and what the boss wants cleaned off fence lines and the wood I still have to cut and split at home, unless I find a free ad a few miles from me I don't even bother
... working on it... I finally got that big load of Oak from June done last weekend... Now I'm trying to get a saw buck built for my JD to load on to... Just trying to refine my process...
I agree with the temps dropping there is less free wood, that happens every year. The best time of year for me to score free wood is when it is absolutely scorching hot outside. Nobody wants to suffer through the bugs and heat and hunidity, vacations, barbecues and sitting in the AC are far more appealing.
Most folks who do not heat with wood have the idea wood is worth more than it is. After all, look what happened to lumber, and now more want to bur wood. So let's take advantage and ask ridiculous prices. Some even try to sell brush thinking that it burns so people probably want it. I even saw an ad for willow someone wanted to sell. The tree was down but not bucked. Get it all for $200.00.
