Collecting chopped logs

berries

Just wondering if there's any rules on picking up cut logs after the tree people have left them. It's been over a week. Was hoping to collect some for my new house open fire. My friend have had a look at them all good logs !! Thanks

comeandgo

The trees belong to someone. To take them is stealing.

redux

It would have been better to ask them while they were there. Can you ask the landowner, or is it public land? To be pedantic, this might be viewed as theft, even if they look abandoned. Remember someone was prosecuted for keeping a £5 note someone dropped in a shop not long ago.

berries

Good point people I did wonder. I have seen them working down the road further along. I will keep a eye out for them and ask them. Normally once it's done they take it all away. This is the first time I've seen them left behind. Thanks

berries

It's on pubic land too

Cardew

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/household-bills/10557848/Is-it-legal-to-collect-firewood-for-a-woodburning-stove.html

Greenfires

Yep - all been said already really. If logs have been cut up then someone has money in them one way or another in the form of chainsaw fuel, labour costs etc. and they usually tend to take a pretty dim view of people just helping themselves. Also, there are times when logs may be left as habitat for wildlife and fungi etc - there's not much as sterile as a woodland near a campsite that allows fires - every last twig has been taken to burn - doesn't make for a good woodland at all.

silverwhistle

Best bet is to ask them when they're on site. I've not had much, but some oak from the county council team doing safety work and some suburban leylandii have been handy top-ups.

Robisere

Tips for anyone with a wood burner:
* If there is a timber yard near you which sells to trade and public, ask them for offcuts. There is not much they can do, or have the time to do, with these generally. You can usually collect quite a lot cheaply.
* Same applies to any pallet yards, there is one near us and any pallets which are broken, are sold to my mate down the road, who fetches them in his trailer, chops them up and burns them.
Any business which uses a lot of timber, is usually quite happy to sell anything they don't need, cheaply. Have a look in the Business Directory.

silverwhistle

But only burn pallets with an HT mark on them. Heat treated ones are ok, but if they have MB (Methyl Bromide) avoid, as it's nasty stuff and already banned in some countries. Few of them around these days but I broke up one stone crate from a neighbour laying a path and only noticed the markings once I'd finished. Drat.

berries

Thank you all. Hopefully I will see them soon to ask. Will start looking up other forms of wood sources too. Need to remember about the MB markings. Thanks again