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I recently moved house (in Scotland if it's relevant) and across the road is a piece of post-industrial land that is now a nature reserve which is mostly woodland. Across the space there are piles of logs in various stages of decay from totally rotten to cut within the past few days. My new neighbours assure me that the tress are only felled for land management reasons and no-one ever takes the logs away, and that I should help myself if I want any. Does anyone know the legality of this? It feels like it might be a bit naughty, but then I'd sooner they heat my house that sit and rot where they are.
to me it depends how your moving them.
one or 2 at a time on your bike or walking - no ones gonna bother you.
if you rock up with a trailer and the car and start carting away loads - dont be surprised if you get a visit from the cops when a nosey reports you - afterall they belong to someone - and a certain % of logs are left behind due to them providing a valuable habitat in the ecosystem.
You could contact the land owner and ask his opinion. - once you have his good grace its not an issue how you move em is it.
I think you might find that the wood that is felled and left is there to create habitats for little creepy-crawley things.
As a general rule - if you don't have the permission from the owner to take something then you shouldn't take it. This rule also applies to bikes and virginity.
they may be left for habitat reasons so dont assume that "rotting" away is an absence of a deliberate act.
In law it is theft, even if it is waste.
Best bet is to identify the land management/owner and get permission.
EDIT: too slzzzzzzzzzzz.......
Where my brother lives you can get a licence from the land owner.
This allows you to fell anything up to 6" in diameter and take away anything that's fallen naturally.
It might be worth talking to the owners?
That kind of fits with what I thought - I'll try and work out who the landowner is and seek their permission. Although I suspect it's the council and getting an answer out of them may not be easy.
Firstly we got absolutely roasted once in Scotland for collecting some kindling in woods opposite the cottage we were renting. Someone reported us and ten minutes later there was a loud knock on the door and a very angry gentleman informing us that the wood was left as a habitat for breeding game birds.
Secondly rotting wood makes very poor fuel.
DD & I often drive to Malvern at night with the express purpose of nicking the stuff from Stoner.
Are you guys anything to do with my sore arse in the morning?
Are you guys anything to do with my sore arse in the morning?
That's the doggers, comrade - they provide the distraction, whilst we redistribute firewood to the poor. We're like a two-man Irish/Brizzle Robin Hood.
I keep meaning to get a trailer. Hide it at the start of a ride, pick it up at the end and fill with wood.
i do know that it used to be legal to collect the brash after felling on forestry commission land but our dear leaders put a stop to that recently, under the idea that it could be collected under license and sold, which of course no-one does because it is labour intensive to collect sticks of low calorie pine, and therefore not financially viable. so cheers for that one 'dave'
i do know that it used to be legal to collect the brash after felling on forestry commission land but our dear leaders put a stop to that recently, under the idea that it could be collected under license and sold, which of course no-one does because it is labour intensive to collect sticks of low calorie pine, and therefore not financially viable. so cheers for that one 'dave'
That's not true now is it.
Certain FC areas allowed permits to collect firewood, some still do others stopped it so they can sell it or leave it to rot. That's it and has been like that a few years now and nothing to do with call me Dave.
But it must be, it was in the Daily Mail - [url= http://www.****/news/article-1080836/Health-safety-axe-800-year-old-right-collect-firewood.html ]Health and safety axe on 800-year-old right to collect firewood[/url].That's not true now is it.
Except it was all twaddle, there was no such right, and it was back in 2008 when Labour were in government anyway.
Are you guys anything to do with my sore arse in the morning?
Nice one nearly chocked on my veg soup.
There was a good program on radio 4 last week about this, essentially its theft and due to huge increases in theft from private woodlands people are starting to be prosecuted. Forrestry commission also sell scavenger licenses for a few hundred pounds for a year
Wood left to rot is deliberate as it creates habitat and is used as part of managing woodland, so it not free to take.
Do what my mates did hire a moosive van turn up the day after the Power company have been in and been felling trees under power lines put on a HiVis load the van x 3 anyone asking who you are your the clean up crew 😀
2 years worth of timber gathered without touching a saw 8)
All I can say to the orginal question is "it's dark early at the moment isn't it" little and often 😈
Loads of legal issues indeed with lifting from most woodlands.
Perfectly legal to lift wood off the beaches here washed into John Muir Bay in East Lothian from the river Tyne estuary (not the Geordie Tyne!) after heavy rain. The stuff is not too salty,and often good hardwood. I heat my house for free-just a bit cycling, sawing and splitting. Whats not good about free and legal heating 🙂
I sometimes also trailer rubbish off the beach once done lifting logs; road cones, broken creels etc, do my bit to keep the coast clean 😉
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5492/11712166615_982c9eb590_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastkid71/11712166615/ ]Hauling beach firewood with the fat BOB trailer! 014[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/coastkid71/ ]coastkid71[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3749/11712501394_7ca2aaed07_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastkid71/11712501394/ ]Hauling beach firewood with the fat BOB trailer! 017[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/coastkid71/ ]coastkid71[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3727/11712074015_2027c6ee8c_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastkid71/11712074015/ ]Hauling beach firewood with the fat BOB trailer! 020[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/coastkid71/ ]coastkid71[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/11712817786_689db6d012_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastkid71/11712817786/ ]Hauling beach firewood with the fat BOB trailer! 022[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/coastkid71/ ]coastkid71[/url], on Flickr
Been a spate of this recently in our local woods not collecting fallen trees/branches but felling trees and as the woods and surrounding land belongs to the MOD landmarc who manage the land are doing a lot more patrols backed up by the military police(who tend to clout first ask questions later)bumped into them more than a few times recently always point them in the right direction if we have seen anything after all no hills round here so the more trees the better 😀
badllama, whats your address?
I feel like getting some free stuff, you won't mind, will you?
Burning logs found on the beach in a log burner isn't a good idea if you have no idea how long it been soaking seawater up.
Does it matter? Assuming you season it. Other than funky coloured flames, what's the difference?
Ok in an open fire though!, 9 years and counting 🙂
Some stoves don`t recommend joiner wood etc too i was reading.
My other half burns dried horse poo on her log burner stove! 😆 More free heat! 🙂
I may have been thinking of sea coal. 😳
i am a tree surgeon and always have involved the police when wood is stolen (most recently last week with the individual getting a police caution), but if someone asks for a car load of 2 when we are there - I always make a point of cutting the logs and loading them for free - karma.
You are right Drac burning driftwood isnt recommended as the salt can corrode the stove and can give off nasty gasses, there is lots of info if you google it. What coast kid is burning (I think) is wood that has floated down the river then washed up on the beach.
The instructions that came with my stove say not to burn pallet or construction wood but if it is dry ie less than 20% whats the problem ?
What coast kid is burning (I think) is wood that has floated down the river then washed up on the beach.
True but hard to say how much it's soaked up.
I burn pallets as kindling it works brilliantly.
It does seem harsh that the local authorities can't be bothered moving any fallen trees off bridle ways for months and months but were you to clear it up yourself for them you can't take any. Just the way it is I suppose.
Lots if fallen trees in the wood near us but I think the council own that so fat chance Of being able to pick any up then.
This was on radio four on Sunday.
It all belongs to somebody.
No right to collect.
The programme said the only "free wood was found on a public beach between high and low tide as long as it had no value.
s now a nature reserve which is mostly woodland. Across the space there are piles of logs in various stages of decay
Is creepy crawlie, bug, fungi and bacteria habitat. Leave alone.
s now a nature reserve which is mostly woodland. Across the space there are piles of logs in various stages of decay
Is creepy crawlie, bug, fungi and bacteria habitat. Leave alone.
Certain FC areas allowed permits to collect firewood.
Indeed they do; they'd stopped the 'scavenging' permits as folk picked the forest floor dry and wildlife suffered. No chainsaws allowed unless you have a licence and £5,000,000 indemnity insurance. We paid £45 for a two-tonne (hard to quantify!) collect permit; the timber had been cut into <4m lengths and a bowsaw cut it into transportable lengths easily enough.
I asked the company building the Borders railway about all the wood they were felling. Answer was all wood belongs to landowners even the piles of clippings, which were classed as industrial waste and needed special disposal. Because of theft British transport police were investigating.
When I worked for the council doing tree surveys we had an entire standing mature elm stolen over a weekend a few days after we marked it for felling. It had DED and extensive burring, so some enterprising wood lover nicked it. Must have driven a small lorry into the park, felled, loaded and been off with it without anyone raising an eyebrow. Not sure if the cops ever caught them, or tried very hard.
Too many people with bloody wood burners these days (including me). 😡
Not sure if the cops ever caught them, or tried very hard
Difficult to ID a tree when it's been sliced into planks or whatever. 😉
Someone mention sea coal? find quite a bit of that on the coast also, burns a treat on the open fire 🙂
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/11102800976_4ec059e22d_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastkid71/11102800976/ ]28th Nov; Barnes Ness beach ride 077[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/coastkid71/ ]coastkid71[/url], on Flickr
I thought that everything washed up on the foreshore between high and low tide mark (theoretically) belonged to the Queen? How's she going to heat Balmoral if you nick all her wood?
thought that everything washed up on the foreshore between high and low tide mark (theoretically) belonged to the Queen? How's she going to heat Balmoral if you nick all her wood?
Yeah and all swans too. 😀
How's she going to heat Balmoral if you nick all her wood?
She doesnt burn wood, numbnuts! She's Corgi registered!
I thought that everything washed up on the foreshore between high and low tide mark (theoretically) belonged to the Queen? How's she going to heat Balmoral if you nick all her wood?
Probably a right in the magna carta, along with the right to help yourself to fallen wood in forests (since outlawed).
The queen burns swans?
I knew the monarchy was hopelessly out of date. Where can you buy Gas-safe dogs? Or do you just have to change their diet? 🙂
The instructions that came with my stove say not to burn pallet or construction wood but if it is dry ie less than 20% whats the problem ?
It's full of nasty chemicals (especially pallets) which then get released when it's burnt.
along with the right to help yourself to fallen wood in forests (since outlawed).
No, it was never a law.
I can confirm our gluten-free spaniel's diet is certainly not gas safe.
Did you order the logs? Think about dave in the warehouse who might lose his job!
Folks want everything for nothing theses days 🙄
Did you order the logs? Think about dave in the warehouse who might lose his job!
Folks want everything for nothing theses days
I read the phrase 'unsolicited goods' on the internet once I reckon that's what the land owner is doing here so the OP can keep them.
lol
"She doesnt burn wood, numbnuts! She's Corgi registered!"
BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
She sweeps her chimney with a basil brush?