What’s the Rule on Acquiring Trees that have fallen by the Roadside please ?

Thinking of getting a log burner and chainsaw.
The farmers/council just seem to leave the trees to rot round here.

My instinct is to track down the local farmers and offer them 50% of the wood, but do I need to speak to the Council/highways agency for fallen trees on the verge. There’s probably some Health & Sagfety Law about me needing a chainsaw licence too I guess if it is a council tree!!

Think wildlife food chain.

a lot of fallen trees have serious rot and/or disease so they’re either no good for firewood or shouldn’t be hacked about with a chainsaw and as has been said they’re also left for biodiversity reasons.

I can imagine the council will welcome a keen, untrained, amateur with a potenitally lethal tool and no public liability insurance onto its highways and byways.

I always wondered why my dad never did this, when ever i ask him, all i seem to get in response is “you wouldn’t steal from a shop would you” 🙄

“It’s thieving”, “it’s dangerous”, “think of the animals”. That’s why this country is going to the dogs. It’s a dead tree – use some initiative. If it’s not someone’s private property take it home for carbon neutral home heating. The council aren’t going to do anything with it apart from maybe mulch it, and otherwise a felled or fallen tree lying on the ground isn’t going to do much for biodiversity. If you’re worried about health and safety use a bow saw.

Slight digression, but this made me go GULP when I saw it yesterday.

horrible chainsaw accident

I cut a couple of tonnes of wood wih a chainsaw every year and probably need to invest in some safety kit. I do exercise extreme caution when using the saw but that may not be enough….

find a local tree surgeon they will have a field full of massive logs/trees etc they cant be bothered splitting – might be harder in credit crunch. You should get a very good price if you collect yourself. A petrol log splitter is about £20 for a days hire and highly recommended

davey_clayton – Member

“It’s thieving”, “it’s dangerous”, “think of the animals”. That’s why this country is going to the dogs. It’s a dead tree – use some initiative. If it’s not someone’s private property take it home for carbon neutral home heating. The council aren’t going to do anything with it apart from maybe mulch it, and otherwise a felled or fallen tree lying on the ground isn’t going to do much for biodiversity. If you’re worried about health and safety use a bow saw.

I wish life was that simple…

As above, council (and maybe a landowner) WILL have issues of H&S- especially dangerous if they are rotten/fallen.

There are many logs / wood left deliberately for conservation and habitat purposes – and you ‘eco’ ‘carbon-neutral’ (bollocks) heating would ruin this.

Many logs are left stored while owner can find a buyer – and this can take a time. I know of whole trees round Sheffield that have been bought and paid for, sat there all this year, waiting until the business that bought them can afford one huge load of wood on an artic and the portable sawmill for the day to plank it all up.

Small windfall in forests / brash seems fair game for kindling – anything else is theft, unless you have the owners permission – and they may more than willingly give it.

I think a good rule of thumb is anything fallen with a diameter of your fist or less is fair game. Anything bigger has commercial value and should be left unless you’ve got permission.

Many logs are left stored while owner can find a buyer

Does Sheffield Council sell logs?

Small windfall in forests / brash seems fair game for kindling

It strikes me that windfall in forests will provide more appropriate shelter for animals than doofing great boughs left next to a road, which will only provide habitat for saprobic fungi and some insects.

And how is buring wood not carbon neutral?

And how is buring wood not carbon neutral?

I guess it all depends if you plant trees to provide the same rate of carbon capture as you’re releasing.

davey_clayton

And how is buring wood not carbon neutral?

The carbon emmitted by cutting, splitting and transporting the logs unless you do it by hand
Not replanting the tree you burn

Anyhow, the whole carbon thing is distraction from the real issues, but we digress.

Sheffield Council do not sell logs.

Find a tree surgeon, have a word, buy them a pint or two and negotiate – many will supply ready to rock. I get them as boughs / rounds ready to split.

If i ever see tree surgeons at work, I pull up and offer to take the wood – they often are happy with this as it saves on mileage/travel/processing time – I get them to dump it outside my house – i so far have not paid anything for wood bar a few cuppas / 6-pack by way of thanks.

I collect windfall from the woods, cut it up with a bow saw and transport it by bicycle. Is that carbon neutral enough for you?

I collect windfall from the woods, cut it up with a bow saw and transport it by bicycle. Is that carbon neutral enough for you?

You forgot to plant another couple of trees… 😉

Farmers are generally very cooperative (as long as you don’t take the P!ss)
Game Keepers are generally the most territorial g!ts who assume your hidden agenda is to rip them off and slaughter their pheasnts.
If you after more than the odd bit of wood ask. If your going to use a chainsaw definitely ask as they aren’t exactly stealth bits of kit.

Safety kit particularly the trousers, goggles & safety boots is essential as contrary to what chainsaw manuals imply trees never fall on nice level ground.

You forgot ear muffs,noisy fookers up close.

A polite word with a local farmer, plus a bottle of Whiskey every Xmas has seen me good for wood for the last few years.

He even lets me store/season it on his land.

Might have to help out moving cattle or sort sheep for him once in a while, but it all helps.

I have just moved, now in a smoke free zone, so looking at what I can fit to comply at the moment.

anything fallen with a diameter of your fist or less is fair game

I have tiny little hands. I’d end up with nowt more than a few twigs!

Glad I’ve got GCH. None of this faffing with wood malarky.

I collect windfall from the woods, cut it up with a bow saw and transport it by bicycle. Is that carbon neutral enough for you?

Don’t forget the extra food you’ll need to consume 🙂

Lots of insects live in rotting wood. No little insects = massive food chain shortage in nature.

Dont forget about the little insects.

Ski – lots of smokeless compliant ampliances available on the market now. Euroheat ones are particularly nice. Think ours was about 20% more pricey than a ‘standard’ item.