watch out the timber fairies are about again

[Mortimer Firewood]

12 gauge full of grit salt does the trick used this tactic in another life gets the point over quite well. Especially if shot in the ass at close range if they come back again its lead the second time

[bigdave]

last year i was clearing timber from a windblown tree in a church yard for a mate he had cut it in handleable pieces so i could load onto tractor trailer i moved one load back to yard 10 mins away came back to find 3 cars parked up 2 guys with bow saws & one with a chain saw cutting up & loading there cars when i asked them what the hell they thought they were doing they replied with "doing you a favour by getting rid of all this old wood!!!"

 

i politely explained to them that the wood was not free to a good home & that they were stealing the wood they could not grasp that 3 tons of beech is worth good money & were instant that they were doing me a favour!!

 

on jobs like this my payment is the wood i`v set a day aside to go clear the site so it has cost me time & diesel so am a tad upset when someone tries stealing what is in effect my days wage!!!!!

 

i know its not the same scale as loosing large amounts of cord off a forestry job but it makes my blood boil!!

 

in the last week i have seen 2 wood thefts from local woods people rolling up in cars armed with chainsaws & actually felling trees in a public place in broad daylight with people walking dogs kids etc

on both occasions i called the police as its 1) a crime & 2) a safetry risk!

both times the police responded they sent the police dirtbike crew i saw the first lot get lifted by the rozzers i dont know what happend to the second ones!

 

and on friday night a little old lady who buys her logs from me had her log store emptied & the log store stolen!!! i had delivered 3 cube on thursday afternoon so her log store was full to capacity!

the thieves left her with no logs which ment no heating or hot water her house is run off a wood fired aga

she called me at 7:30am sat morning and as she is one of my valued customers i made sure by 8:00am she had logs & kindling they came out of my own log store at home!!

i had her another 3 cube there for lunchtime & this time i stacked them in her garage so the thieves did not have easy access to them!!!

 

wood theft is on the increase wether as a standing tree, as cord at roadside or cut & split out the log store!!

 

thats my rant about it over!!!!!

[Dave177]

Its funny these posts seem to pop up again when the weather gets colder!

I had words today with a ***** who was trying to load up his transit with the cord from the days felling, after politely explaining the wood was the property of the customer (not that he could have it even if it was mine) and he couldnt have it, he got quite annoyed an told me he was going to break into my yard and steal every bit of kit that I own! The things people will do for some crappy holly and sycamore!

Just ordered a new security setup for the yard so thats one benefit!

[Riggerbear]

Last year I on a FC site we cleared approx. 30 ton of wind blown hardwoods / hardwoods that were at risk of being blown. Cut all them into 2.4m length and stacked trackside to be removed by a haulier as and when. Spoke to the FC contact last week and over the Christmas period the lot disappeared plus a few on the remaining trees being felled as well !

Now that's not a few bits being put in a boot of a car ?

[Lyncombe-climber]

I can feel a setup coming on. A nice tidy pile of hardwood cord surrounded by long clout nails. And me about 10mtrs away with my 12g as an amusing scare tactic. Ill keep you up to date.

[mechtrev]

Put some cherries on top to make them more appealing to them and use skeet shot more holes the better lol

[mendiplogs]

I can feel a setup coming on. A nice tidy pile of hardwood cord surrounded by long clout nails. And me about 10mtrs away with my 12g as an amusing scare tactic. Ill keep you up to date.

 

HI MATE sound good that jon

[renewablejohn]

 

Only solution is to drop and sned and then leave as full lengths until just before the forwarder turns up. At least I hope its a solution......

 

I have told all tree surgeons I collect for to leave in full lengths. I then cut the overhang off once loaded on the trailer. Only a partial solution as it does not stop those who come armed with a chainsaw.

[Taupotreeman]

Local primary school was cleaned out of its entire winter wood supply last year. All the kids wrote a letter to the local rag about it. Don't think the culprit was found.

 

Signs have gone up all along State Highway one forest boundaries letting people know that any wood, even wind blow, isn't for public collection. I doubt it'll stop people nicking it but I'd hate to think what will happen if they're caught. Local forestry crews are not the type of guys you want to get the wrong side

[Chris Sheppard]

We've been fairly fortunate up until one site just before Christmas. The timber was on a road that saw very little traffic as it only went from the village (a tiny one at that) up to an estate farm and may as well have been a private road.

 

There was just shy of an 8 wheeler load, but enough to warrant sending a wagon in for. Customer rolled up with the wagon to collect to find about 3T or so gone (he knew what was there as he'd forwarded it out from where wed left it). Fortunately thye'd come out with a smaller wagon and managed to make up a load, but that's not the point.

 

Chances are there'l be someone down in the village thinking theve done well out of it, not giving thought to what it cost to get it there in the first place.