The Idiots/Thieves With Chainsaws Thread

[mike_belben]

i noticed a few trees down  in neighbors woods near my line a few weeks ago and figured one of the recent storms blew them over, didnt bother looking very close.  was marking my line today and realized i saw a cut stump "next door."  so i went walking around on maybe 5 acres of the lot and realize its been cherry picked in the worst way.  i dont know if the pillhead kid that sorta squats there when he isnt in jail, made a deal with this hack that went sour, or if these were just plain stolen.

but the worst part of it is all the best white oaks were cut and most of them not even retrieved. its like deer shot and just left to lay.  the sapwood is turned black so its been a while, few months anyways. staves that are become ties now.  more snags than you can shake a stick at, theyre everywhere.  kid lost most of them direction wise, first cut high and then change his mind 3 times, lose 2 feet off every butt.   other trees smashed off and folded over.  and most of the buttlogs just sitting right there probably because the idiot couldnt get them out after he spent a day cutting the best and counting dollars in his head.  got a feeling i know exactly who it is.

for any of you lurkers out there who have showed up here on FF because you heard timber is paying real good right now and you think youve got some to sell, let this be a lesson about what a pillhead moron will do for you.  absolutely nothing good.

if youve got land you havent checked on in a while, go walk your place and make sure you havent been robbed.  high timber is just like high copper.  stuff goes missing.   i highly suggest you go bring some paint, signs, etc and make your boundaries known so that guy next door doesnt take the liberty of inviting a harvest on you.  this guy got awful close to my place and it was probably 2 little bits of pink flagging that spared me.  well its lit up good now.  





























so, lets see some hack jobs i guess.

[leeroyjd]

Where is "Karma"?

[Southside]

You sure he isn't still under one of those?  Mid '90s one winter a landowner had a bunch of top notch Birdseye Maple disappear off his lot, I don't mean one or two trees either, I want to say it was 50 or so.  The usual suspects were likely responsible but it was never proven.  Idiots didn't realize that you just can't sell that to anybody and anybody you do sell it to will want to see the lot it came off of - at least they did back then.  Maybe four or five years later I was stacking firewood my at the time GF bought and I happened to knock the bark off a piece when it fell - yup, there it was - 16", well seasoned, premium Birdseye Maple firewood, a whole cord worth, and who knows how much more.  

[mike_belben]

the mills turn a blind eye to it here entirely. 

[so il logger]

If the prices continue on this curve i figure we all will be seeing stumps like those. And lots of 1/2 tons dragging car trailer loads

[so il logger]

You sure he isn't still under one of those?  Mid '90s one winter a landowner had a bunch of top notch Birdseye Maple disappear off his lot, I don't mean one or two trees either, I want to say it was 50 or so.  The usual suspects were likely responsible but it was never proven.  Idiots didn't realize that you just can't sell that to anybody and anybody you do sell it to will want to see the lot it came off of - at least they did back then.  Maybe four or five years later I was stacking firewood my at the time GF bought and I happened to knock the bark off a piece when it fell - yup, there it was - 16", well seasoned, premium Birdseye Maple firewood, a whole cord worth, and who knows how much more.  

4-5 years after being cut? And it still had bark to fall off?

[BargeMonkey]

Preach on Mike, unfortunately the theives make it harder for the rest of us who do try to be decent. The NY state timber theft laws where changed because of someone 10 miles from me, the family was literally named in it, they never had a pot nor window so at the end of the day the people got bogus judgements and stripped woodlots. 


 
 Saw it posted on FB, I don't have the whole story but was supposedly behind an F150, same type of crap I'm dealing with here with the 440-540 crowd of fly by night loggers and excavation guys while I pay HUT and keep trucks on the road in NY. 🤦‍♂️  

[stavebuyer]

Mike, actually those should still make staves. Sapwood is edged off as it leaks and only 1/4" on the outside is allowed in a bourbon stave and zero sapwood on a wine stave. Some buyers may be "picky" but you can move those at stave pricing as they are not hurt. They dry them outside and char the inside of the barrels. Stain doesn't matter.

[SwampDonkey]

Minimum fine on public land is $10,000 up here.

Theft is very common up here off public and private land that is remote and not watched by absantee owners. And a lot is by a neighbor you thought you could trust to watch your land. I've seen that more than once. Even from a lot of senior citizens, which is usually by some family member looking for $$.

[Firewoodjoe]

Now that's a hinge lol

[HemlockKing]

Good enough for government work 

[moodnacreek]

I once cleaned up a hillside of prime r. oak felled just like that for a view cut [to see the mountains, worth more $]  After I took 4 or 5 foot off each butt I still had rotary. The stuff I pushed over the bank would make you cry.

[Nebraska]

Mike if you can get them out make a deal with the land owner. A handfull of logs and jag of good firewood.  Don't know what fair would be and not a handshake deal. Written and signed with texted copies on your phone.  My hay raising farmers do that because sometimes that new guy calling for hay isn't the straightest shooter in the world.  Might make a little with out using resources you have.

[WV Sawmiller]

Good enough for government work

HK,

   "Close enough for government work" is now used as a slight on the quality of the workmanship but did you know it was originally a sign of great respect because government contracts called for highly specific tolerances and only the best craftsmen could meet them. FWIW.

[dustyhat]

You sure its not the land owner? I know Youtube has made alot of experienced loggers nowdays. :D :D :D i almost forgot to put in my laughing images.

[mike_belben]

Im more than capable of salvaging it but its a real touchy situation i dont wanna divulge.


The landowner is long dead.  Except for one murderous addict son who occasionally hides out there between sentences it is an abandoned meth park that everyone abuses.  If dirtbag wasnt home back when i heard the saw i woulda run them off but he was around at the time so i just said not my problem.  If he wants to strip mommas land what can i say? I offered to log it last year and he declined.  

Now i dont think he is around.  If i find him maybe i can do something.  

[Nebraska]

Well maybe rotting is the best way if you can't do it for his mom without a freakout....

[mike_belben]

Shes dead and he really doesnt even have claim to it.  Although its referred to as his place since he grew up there and occasionally returns.  Im not gonna sweat it.  Just wanted to showcase some of the local talent. 

[livemusic]

Yikes, those stumps are pitiful, lol! Your characterization of the likely culprit seems fitting seeing those cuts.

[mike_belben]

Its hard to be optomistic about people when youre surrounded by the worst.  

I first have to determine if this is a theft or a deal. Then if i will help the idiot get better at it or not. I was a hard working idiot kid too once and thankfully i got some help along the way. 

[IndiLina]

Got a call from a neighbor of my parcel back home in Indiana.   
Said someone was logging some pretty large trees from another neighbors 1 acre parcel that is mostly grass, aka they were probably logging my timber.   
He didn't want to intervene because he figures they are tweakers, so can't blame him for that.   
The people renting the house where the logging was done by are reportedly addicts. Yay.   
Tried driving up to Indiana overnight, but ran into too much unplowed road, and felt it was best to turn back.    
Having a local forester stop by to evaluate the damage today. I had asked this forester to coordinate a timber sale for this parcel last summer, but it seems he has larger parcels that are his priority. This one has 20-29" walnut, a score of 30-39" oaks, etc.    
Going to cry if they dragged the walnut out, because I assume I won't have any luck recuperating damages from people that have spent every dollar on drugs.    
What's the purpose of saving legacy trees if the thieves can take them so easily. 

[newoodguy78]

Thankfully you have a good neighbor to let you know what's going on. That's a real pain to deal with. If they're stealing your timber hopefully you can nail them to the wall. Not much worse than thieves. 

[IndiLina]

Thankfully you have a good neighbor to let you know what's going on. That's a real pain to deal with. If they're stealing your timber hopefully you can nail them to the wall. Not much worse than thieves.

Yeah, what I'm worried about is that the occupants of that house will claim they don't know who the loggers were, and assumed the owner of the house was who sent the loggers. What proof do I have? 

[KEC]

Several years ago, someone who had to have been a climber, went up into some trees along my neighbors' property line and dropped a bunch of sizable limbs. Many limbs were dropped on my neighbors' land. The adjacent property is an expensive single family home yard. My neighbor questioned them and they swore that they didn't know anything about it. There's no panoramic view there. The only thing I can figure is that someone wanted to see how far they could hit golf balls and the trees were in the way. Numerous times I've found golf balls on my neighbors' land.

[mike_belben]

That sucks man.  Happens here any time prices are up.  Like copper and cats.