Is it legal to cut up downed trees from the side of the road?

[rodekyll]

I'm in WA. The rules are pretty clear that no wood (or anything else) can be taken from public property without a permit. Not even driftwood from a beach. However, I've never had a situation where I asked the powers that be for permission to remove downed trees and permission was denied.

That said, you're not too far from me (Whidbey Island). I have two doug firs that need to come down in order to get my MADP out of the driveway. I have others that are down and/or need to come down. I estimate you could pull 3 cord easy. Serious. No charge. PM if interested.


As for the comment above regarding pine forests in WA --Pine is infrequent on the west side of the cascades. It's mostly fir, hemlock, spruce, and cedar. There is a midget coastal pine that grows in the sandy dune areas, but it's not much. Tamarack and pines like the rain shadow area of eastern WA. Properly seasoned and allowed to burn rather than smolder, conifer wood is as clean as anything else to burn.

[Waiter21]

Its easier to ask forgiveness than it is permission.. If its on private land I'd attempt to get the owners permission. If its a roadside possible public land, go for it.

In Ohio, many of the public utilities actually cut the down trees / limbs into small sections and stack it beside the road. Give it a few days and its gone.

[C.Martin]

Many Forest...yes, on Public land...forbid collection of wood. The reason being it is an ecosystem for bugs, which in turn feed birds and small critters. You should check with the overseer of the land.

[scottandanna]

Originally Posted by winniman

Im not sure about where you live, but here in Ontario, the electrical company clears trees all the time to keep them from interfering with the pole lines on the side of the road. If you see a clearing crew doing tree removal, ask them for some of the wood. They quite often will just block up good firewood, and leave it for the locals. Many times, you would be doing the local roadcrews a favour cleaning up dead falls. I don't think I would actually be cutting down trees though.

I have actually picked up previously cut wood that was left off the side of a back road. It was easy to split, and was from a tree that died from a forest fire.

[scottandanna]

Originally Posted by rodekyll

That said, you're not too far from me (Whidbey Island). I have two doug firs that need to come down in order to get my MADP out of the driveway. I have others that are down and/or need to come down. I estimate you could pull 3 cord easy. Serious. No charge. PM if interested.

I asked this question first, because I don't have a chainsaw (yet) and was wondering if it would be worth it for me to get one. If I had one (or get one soon) I would PM you.



On my property, we have 20 acres of nothing but sagebrush. Maybe a couple of thin spindly trees, but nothing thick enough to cut and split.



So I was hoping to cut a bit at a time off the side of the roads and drop it off at my "camp" once the truck is full.



I guess I better do a little more research before I make the purchase ($550).

[Mr_D]

As a retired WSDOT transportation engineer I can pretty much guarantee it's illegal. The state doesn't want the liability. However, if you contact a local maintenance supervisor you might find that they will cut trees up and leave the wood for pickup. Worth a try anyway.

[rodekyll]

Craigslist and pawn shops are good sources for tools like a chain saw. Remember that you don't have to make cordwood on-site. You can haul pickup-bed lengths home to the sawbuck. My dad did that outside of Steilacoom where we lived. He'd contract with the land developers to remove the trees they wanted gone because otherwise they were bulldozed into piles and burned in a slash heap. Some of that old growth stuff went 60' without a knothole and sold to the boatbuilders. Us kids made monster forts out of the 8' lengths of firewood that were constantly arriving.

Back then seasoned fir sold for $25/cord, delivered and stacked. Oak went for $30. Alder was a gimmee. It was a kid's chore to cut 18" rounds, split them, and stack them between posts to prove the cord. Then we rehandled them into a truck and pitched and stacked them at the customer's woodshed. Dad kept the money.

[kcdogger]

Originally Posted by scottandanna

I asked this question first, because I don't have a chainsaw (yet) and was wondering if it would be worth it for me to get one. If I had one (or get one soon) I would PM you.



On my property, we have 20 acres of nothing but sagebrush. Maybe a couple of thin spindly trees, but nothing thick enough to cut and split.



So I was hoping to cut a bit at a time off the side of the roads and drop it off at my "camp" once the truck is full.



I guess I better do a little more research before I make the purchase ($550).

Do you have any experience running a chain saw? It is a bit more expensive and complicated than just owning a saw. Chains go dull quickly and sharpening is an art not everyone can master. Buying new chains or having them professionally sharpened can run into money.
Chain saws improperly operated are very dangerous. Saws kick back. Chains get loose and come off the bar. Swing the saw around carelessly and you can take off human limbs. Trees and logs shift unpredictably and can break bones. Cutting down a tree that gets hung up in other trees create widowmakers which can be fatal not only to you but to a passerby 6 months in the future. Logging is the most dangerous profession in the US for a reason. Be careful if you move forward.

[Tlmr4784]

Depends on what state your in ....
Private land is just that..."private".
State land belongs to "state", some state forests permit fallen wood to taken in some areas, other parts of land wood cannot be removed.
Check with your local parks/ forest ranger.

[rgvtexan]

A good place to start is the local County Sheriff's Office.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Unplanned

As long as you are not on private property, I see no problem.

I wouldn't hesitate to do it.

Down and dead trees are OK to take on crown land in BC for your own use.

Also "It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission" the old saying goes.

Happy Glamping.

In the U.S.A. ignorance of the law is no excuse. A simple phone might prevent a lot of grief.

[Alpine36]

Timber harvest alongside any Wa state highway is prohibited.
USFS permits are available at most Washington Ranger Stations, although I haven't bought one in years. They have maps for your district showing where harvest is allowed. You can no longer harvest standing dead in WA.
God forbid you get caught on Green Diamond, Manke, Simpson or any other timber company claims though, even though it's on state land. I have found that if you ask at an active logging site they'll usually point you to slash piles that are ok to take from, after they shut down for the day.
That said, I still carry my chainsaw and ax in the toad. Did I mention I haven't bought a tree cutting permit in years? Draw your own conclusions....

[HoneyBadger]

Originally Posted by SteveNSue

Would this wood be for an outdoor fire pit or inside fireplace/wood stove? Washington state has pine forests and that type of wood is not good for inside burning due to the large amount of creosote. As far as legality, check with the highway department. I'm inclined to think they would discourage it for the risk alone. You likely don't see many people stopped along the highway now.



Go to a hardware store that sell chain saws and ask the specialist what they recommend and where you can find good wood for inside use.

2 points; WA state has NO pine forests on the west side of the state, but it does have plenty of Douglas fir, which, when seasoned is a perfectly good woodstove fuel and used by 100s of thousands of Washingtonians.

All green firewood will burn at too low a temperature and deposit creosote in the stack, which is why a sensible person won't burn any species green.

SOMEBODY owns that downed wood, unless you know absolutely that you are on state land. The state can issue you a firewood permit (as will some timber companies on cut over land). Otherwise, its not yours to cut.

But you may not go to jail for cutting it, who knows?

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by 95f5334j

we live in whatcom county, no one has ever told us we can't take downed trees. the only place near us that's off limits is the state parks

.... but .... did you ask the proper agency? Perhaps they didn't see you but that doesn't mean it's right.