I don't like to pull off the shoulder on 95 for wood hoarding. Accidents happen just about weekly on our town's section of 95, and increase in frequency during tourist season. I'll stick to the back roads.
Dont blame you there. 95 can be nuts! I rarely scrounge interstates unless i can get way off the shoulder. Those black locust blow overs near exit 63 EB have been cut. They were kind of on my radar. Plenty of room there to pull off too. I suspect Eric Schamell made a midnight run!
You guys have people hoarding the interstate? Like...driving down I-75 (using it because it's the closest one to me in MI) and pulling off on the shoulder to cut firewood? Full confession...I'm kinda guilty. My property butts up to the interstate. There's a hole in the fence and some dead dry wood right on the other side so...In my defense it was leaning over the fence onto the chimney creating a hazard. Plus it was pretty nice to cut/split and see 20.x% on the moisture meter on day 1!
Man that pic quality is awful. You can kinda see the fence stake where the interstate ROW starts on the left side.
It is amazing when we hear of someone scrounging along an Interstate. That is federal property and I have seen only a couple times when someone attempted that. I do think the first time you get a stern warning but if you ever get fined, you will not like that. I still think it best to not do things like this when you are not supposed to do them.
That’s what I was thinking, glad you confirmed. No way in H e double tooth picks I’d hoard off an interstate.
Come on up for your complimentary $20 buZZsaw BRAD ! You were right, I couldn’t waste an entire summer’s drying time. MikeInMa also was spot on about it being stringier than red oak. At one point I was wondering if a distant tree in this tree’s lineage was an elm LOL. Got through it fine all said and done. Looks like there will be some serious heat in all this figured wood grain.
Guilty here too. Although it was a state highway, NOT an interstate. And not the actual highway, but a very quiet on ramp late at night. Was it wrong? YES. Do I feel guilty about it? NOPE. Will I do it again? Probably not, because there’s enough legitimate sources for wood to be had elsewhere and the consequences of getting caught outweigh the few moments of sweet victory to be had getting away with it. Don’t do it kids!!! Or if you decide to do it, don’t share about it here and give the firewood community a less than stellar name. We’re going to be fighting to continue to heat our homes with wood at some point in the near future, and the last thing we need is bad publicity.
I make my own beer and toasted/smoked a couple staves of white oak(might have been chestnut oak) on the grill and dropped them in the fermentor for a batch of Ale... turned out real nice. Rave reviews from my friends, if biased.
I know you too well Eric! Those were my thoughts about the Summer drying time. I was going to say July first but didnt want to put too much pressure on you! Ive had WO be stringy but most of it ive split in the cold and it wasnt too bad. That chestnut oak from March split like cake!
Only wood cut by the state/contracted tree services. I have gotten the okay from state troopers, local police and tree services. One local cop has actually texted me about roadside wood. Ill only take wood if i can safely park out of harms way. I have safety cones too. Roadside wood is a common site around here. At least half of my wood scrounged that way.
Somewhere near there. The BL was a few blowovers up hill grassy hill well off the shoulder. Noticed them last year, but when i went by again someone had cut them. Dont go that way often,but had made note of it.
Time to give this thread a bump. Since being on the 3+ year plan, I don’t post too many pictures anymore. Here’s a small win for today from my tree service connection. A few white oak logs felled two days ago I can find red oak all day long around here but white oak is something really special to me. I’ll be going back for more soon. Plenty more to be had.
White oak is a fave of mine, too, and I was just outside with my worker trying to decide what to do with a trailer load of stacked white oak, freshly split, because we need the trailer open to split onto. So, I was internally having a battle because I could simply deliver to a customer who ordered wood. But I couldn't, I want it! I have tons of red oak and the customer couldn't care less about what I bring. So, we will be stacking the WO for me!
I hear ya on the speciality. Been burning red oak off my property forever. Very little white oak. Funny thing is all the properties surrounding ours is loaded with white oak. All gypsy moth killed now. Took a lazy ride around the forest about a month ago just to gawk. Must be 1000 dead white oaks just over the border,,,,,just laughing at me. On the bright side the moths didn’t do as much damage to my woods. They love that white oak. Looks like a World War II scene out there.
A little more oak today, all gypsy moth killed. Mostly white with 3 dead and barkless red skinnies. Since having more than enough inventory I’ve been shying away from dead wood, but…. White oak nuff said. Feels good to score something again, despite it being a small amount and it being 95 degrees out today.
