Gonne have to Say No!!!

[johnnydel29]

Now I know why many landowners refuse to allow anyone on their property. I tried to be nice - but I have ZERO tolerace for when folks try to take advantage of you.

We recently had one of our properties logged. The land is about an hour or so from us, my family pruchased the property many years ago for us to use - hunt, fish, cut firewood, camp etc. I allowed a few local folks from the area hunt on the land, not a problem. I can care less if they take a deer or two and keep an eye on the place. Then I allowed them to take some firewood to heat their homes, no problem.

The logger left a gigantic pile of log lengths - proabably close to 30 cords. I allowed them to take "some wood" . Last week, I dropped in and noticed nearly ALL of the wood gone. My gut feeling is that these guys are selling the wood. I am going to find out.

Also, one of these guys actaully gave me attitiude about plowing the road this past winter, which really annoyed me.

I am very angry. I am simply going post the entire property again, put a cable across the access road and never allow anyone on our property again. Now I know why these guys are always complaining that no one will allow them to hunt their land anymore.

 

[kthompson]

All you say may be correct and the one that probably would bug me the most is their abusing the gift. But, based upon such logging sites here, I would be glad they removed all the good size stuff left. It has to take years to rot and it would seem the way it is left piled up and such would affect the reseeding either by man or nature taking extra years to get trees growing there. So they may have done you a big favor, probably some one who knows better will chime in. It also reduces fire risk.

If all they did proved to be benefical that does not mean you should not post and cable the road.

 

[teg]

They might have been thinking that they were doing you a favor... who knows what "some wood" is. Around my place as soon as the loggers leave - it's like a locust swarm. Did you say for them to leave you "some wood"? I would talk to them and maybe they will return "some wood" to you... I don't know your neighbors... but if they are like mine



..

 

[johnnydel29]

They are well aware that me and my family burn wood. The logger actually did a nice job - they selective cut the timber, dragging the tops to one location and leaving a huge pile that was considered firewood which is easily accessible w/ your truck.

If someone lets me have some firewood - I would not dare to take the nearly all of it, especially if I know that the landowner and family burn wood also.

I learned that people in these samll towns can be "funny", and if your not careful they will completely take advantage of you.

No, I am not interested in talking to these guys about what I think, I am simply going to put a cable w/ a lock across the access road, post the property and tell them they are no longer welcome on our land - and end right there.

These guys were slow with work this year, I have a feeling they were selling the wood, which really pisses me off.

 

[jimmyj]

Very frustrating. Most folks are good people but it only takes the few to spoil our fun.

Another "maybe a good reason to get a remote game camera" thread.

 

[Wis Bang]

I am simply going to put a cable w/ a lock across the access road, post the property and tell them they are no longer welcome on our land - and end right there.

These guys were slow with work this year, I have a feeling they were selling the wood, which really pisses me off.

Do you really feel that a cable will stop them?

If there are alot of ATV riders in the area; consider a gate -or- string a length of white PVC pipe onthe cable w/ some reflective material to warn an ATV rider b/4 you have a lawsuit over a dead kid on an ATV...

 

[CurlyDave]

Actually, a far better question is do you really think you can keep them out at all?

Owning far off property makes you both "rich" and an "outsider", possibly with "city slicker" thrown in there somewhere.

When we first bought our property, I tried putting up a chain and signs, but then realized they only caused resentment among the neighbors.

I took them down after a few months, and when one of the local kids (who is the most polite boy I have ever met, BTW) came up and asked if he could still ride his motorcycle on our property I told him he could. The only thing I did to protect myself was to go down the next day and increase the limits on our umbrella policy. Well, the word got around and the neighborhood started warming up to us.

When we started building our house, we never had any vandalism, and now they don't ride up on our hill because they don't want the noise to bother us.

The thing I realized early on was that I couldn't control what the neighbors did while I wasn't here, but that if I was friendly and let them use it, they wouldn't cause trouble out of jealousy and they would be more respectful.

These guys were slow with work this year, I have a feeling they were selling the wood, which really pisses me off.

I would think about this for a while. If they are selling the wood, it is because they are having hard times. I don't think they were stealing, you told them they could take some. You meant for them to leave you a pretty big load of wood for yourself, but they might not have understood that.

If it were my land, I would thank God that I wasn't having hard times and didn't need to sell a few cords of firewood to live. And then maybe thank Him again that I was able to help a neighbor or two provide for their families.

The bottom line is that unless you can afford a security patrol, these people can have their way with your land while you are gone. The only realistic way to prevent vandalism, garbage dumping, and a lot of stuff you are going to like a whole lot less than losing some firewood is to have them want to protect your land.

Depending on how many trees are left after the logging, you might want to talk to the neighbors and explain that enough wood was logged out so you need to give it a few years to recover and have to stop taking any more firewood out for the next few years. OTOH if you still need remaining scrub trees thinned, explain that, and spend an hour or two marking which ones can go.

Unless you have some way to keep them off the land, and the local sheriff has a lot more important things to do, declaring it off-limits and putting up chains and signs is going to be viewed as an intelligence test -- which they are going to win every time.

 

[two_bit_score]

Good fences make good neighbors. Poor communication makes bad relationships. I think what we have here is a failure to communicate.

 

[two_bit_score]

An excellent post, CurlyDave!

 

[JMynes]

Although I understand and can appreciate the kinder, gentler approach, this excessive logging was clearly not in the spirit of the agreement.
Expectations should have been defined early, but to me, "some wood" doesn't mean 30 cord, and if I intended to cut 30 cord I would have made that clear up front.
This guy cut and hauled the wood quickly before the landowner could react to the problem, under the guise of just taking "some wood". He clearly took advantage of the ambiguity of the agreement. While there is probably no recourse to fix the wrong, that doesn't mean you have to be grateful for the opportunity to help a snake.
I would post the land with "No Trespassing Without Owner's Permission" signs and let the neighbors know they are free to hunt, fish, and traverse the area. Let them know what the issue is and I'm sure they will understand.
Or, don't do anything. Invite the loggers back and throw a box of sheet rock screws in the access road.