Can You Sell Wood From a Fallen Tree in your own Garden?

Hi.
My mother has a very large and very old mulberry tree in her garden.  Last week, about half of it fell clean off. Mercifully no-one was under it (it happened at night) and no damage was done. But it's been estimated there's at least a couple of tons of wood in the broken section.

Does anyone know if we are allowed to sell the wood? If so, tips for going about it would be welcome!

Thanks.
«1

Comments

  • Brie
    Brie Posts: 14,206 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    It's your mom's tree so she can do what she wants with the wood.  Sell it, burn it, give it away or take it to the tip.

    I don't know what the quality of mulberry is but it's not something standard you can pick up at B&Q so I'd suggest talking to someone who knows wood - a top quality carpenter or an artist who sculpts with wood or makes furniture. 

    I know when years ago my dad had to cut down some old apple trees there was a chap who asked for the wood as he made musical instruments and the trees would give him enough to make a complete matching set. (long ago and far away so no contact details)

    For artists I would suggest searching something like this....maybe your mom could get a nice bit of art back in exchange for the artist getting all the wood??

    Artists · Dorset Visual Arts
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Debt Free Wannabe and Old Style Money Saving boards.  If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.

    "Never retract, never explain, never apologise; get things done and let them howl.”  Nellie McClung
    ⭐️🏅😇
  • Keep_pedalling
    Keep_pedalling Posts: 20,238 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Nothing preventing its sale. If you know of any local turners they might be interested as it is suitable for turning but not available commercially.
  • Brie
    Brie Posts: 14,206 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    And now that you've piqued my curiousity I can see that mulberry makes lovely turned bowls....I'd love one of these!!!

    Oval ,live edge Mulberry bowl. 19 cm x 16 cm W x 10 cm H. - Turned Wood From Peter Thomas and Trevor Ball (peterthomaslivingwood.co.uk)
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Debt Free Wannabe and Old Style Money Saving boards.  If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.

    "Never retract, never explain, never apologise; get things done and let them howl.”  Nellie McClung
    ⭐️🏅😇
  • Brie said:
    And now that you've piqued my curiousity I can see that mulberry makes lovely turned bowls....I'd love one of these!!!

    Oval ,live edge Mulberry bowl. 19 cm x 16 cm W x 10 cm H. - Turned Wood From Peter Thomas and Trevor Ball (peterthomaslivingwood.co.uk)

    Wow - so would I!
  • Brie
    Brie Posts: 14,206 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Mehitabel said:
    Brie said:
    And now that you've piqued my curiousity I can see that mulberry makes lovely turned bowls....I'd love one of these!!!

    Oval ,live edge Mulberry bowl. 19 cm x 16 cm W x 10 cm H. - Turned Wood From Peter Thomas and Trevor Ball (peterthomaslivingwood.co.uk)

    Wow - so would I!
    Well that's your next birthday present sorted then!!!
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Debt Free Wannabe and Old Style Money Saving boards.  If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.

    "Never retract, never explain, never apologise; get things done and let them howl.”  Nellie McClung
    ⭐️🏅😇
  • twopenny
    twopenny Posts: 7,164 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I would think someone who wants it for furniture or turning would be careful when cutting it up.
    Not so sure about someone random who wants if for firewood.
    Perhaps your mum would like a bowl or coasters made from it :)

    I can rise and shine - just not at the same time!

    viral kindness .....kindness is contageous pass it on

    The only normal people you know are the ones you don’t know very well


  • Brie
    Brie Posts: 14,206 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    quite agree with @twopenny
    Likely to be able to get a quick tidy up with a gardener/tree surgeon but a furniture maker or similar would be able to look at it in place and visualise what they might use it for and cut it up accordingly.  Or maybe take it away as is though if it's a huge piece that would be very expensive for them and difficult to shift.  

    If/when it does get cut up the saw dust will be great to put in the compost or directly on the flower beds.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Debt Free Wannabe and Old Style Money Saving boards.  If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.

    "Never retract, never explain, never apologise; get things done and let them howl.”  Nellie McClung
    ⭐️🏅😇
  • Dustyevsky
    Dustyevsky Posts: 2,395 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Homepage Hero Photogenic
    Brie said:
    If/when it does get cut up the saw dust will be great to put in the compost or directly on the flower beds.
    Your other advice has been spot-on, but not this bit.
    Freshly cut sawdust is chemically active, so it will rob the soil or compost of nutrients, specifically nitrogen. Always  compost it separately for at least two years before adding it to your borders or other compost.
  • Farway
    Farway Posts: 14,439 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Homepage Hero Name Dropper
    edited 25 August 2023 at 2:19PM
    Nothing preventing its sale. If you know of any local turners they might be interested as it is suitable for turning but not available commercially.

    A colleague's hobby was wood turning, no personal knowledge but from conversations it seems quite clubby hobby, all going to meetings & shows
    He had loads of wood, stored and drying for years before using
    I've had a search and there is an association, where there is more info, and more importantly list of clubs, so maybe worth contacting?.

    Eight out of ten owners who expressed a preference said their cats preferred other peoples gardens
  • Brie
    Brie Posts: 14,206 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Brie said:
    If/when it does get cut up the saw dust will be great to put in the compost or directly on the flower beds.
    Your other advice has been spot-on, but not this bit.
    Freshly cut sawdust is chemically active, so it will rob the soil or compost of nutrients, specifically nitrogen. Always  compost it separately for at least two years before adding it to your borders or other compost.
    You're probably right.  I'm just going by what my mom used to do.  She had the absolutely worst solid clay soil, no fibrous matter in it at all.  So every year for about 30 years in a row she would go to a local timber yard where fresh wood (so not chemically treated at all like some lumber you might buy) was sawn into planks etc.  They'd happily let her take away as many bin bags full as she could get in her truck for free.  This would get rotatilled into the vegetable patch in the spring and more used to mulch.  In the autumn everything left in the garden would get rotatilled in again.  Took a good 15 years to start showing much improvement to the soil.  And the garden was always massively productive throughout.  
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Debt Free Wannabe and Old Style Money Saving boards.  If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.

    "Never retract, never explain, never apologise; get things done and let them howl.”  Nellie McClung
    ⭐️🏅😇
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350K Banking & Borrowing
  • 252.7K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.1K Spending & Discounts
  • 243K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 619.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.4K Life & Family
  • 255.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.