rights to collect dead wood

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rights to collect dead wood
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clare kendall

Joined: 09 Sep 2013
Posts: 3

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 13 3:53 pm Post subject:

I know this is quite an old thread but I thought I would post here for posterity!
Can I firstly say, that no matter what people will try and tell you about ancient rights, there is no such law allowing the public to forage for wood.
There are a few exceptions where individuals have forest rights but if that's the case you will certainly know about it.
All forests are owned by someone, even if it's just the council. It's also worth remembering that all forests are managed and that by removing wood you may, inadvertantly, be hindering the work of conservationists so it's vital to make sure that you're not only legally allowed to forage on a particular piece of land but that it's in an area where local forest managers feel it's not going to have a damaging impact.
The way to find out about foraging is to contact your local forestry commission office and ask them if brushwood permits are available for anywhere in your area.
In the area where I live I recently paid ï¿½36 for a two year license which allows me to take smallish pieces of fallen wood. (no bigger than 3 inches wide or three foot long).
This means that it will work fine if you're just feeding your own log burner but wouldn't if anyone wanted to turn it into a commercial exercise.
The wood where I forage is near to where I live so I stockpile, when I'm driving through, throughout the summer, saw in the late summer/early Autumn and generally have enough to see me through the winter.(supplemented by a few skip finds - only taken with permission!)
The wood burner is the only form of heating I have so it's a great way of reducing my fuel costs and my carbon footprint.

Mr O

Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 5512
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 13 4:50 pm Post subject:
Welcome Clair where abouts are you?

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 13 6:47 pm Post subject:
That's interesting Clare, thanks for that...and welcome.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16006

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 13 7:31 am Post subject:

As a woodland owner that also manages our wood and uses the timber and wood for firewood and charcoal making, I think this is a useful post. So many people don't read the signs we put up which tell them that we don't want them to take the wood and although the signs are big enough, they still don't think anyone owns the land, or if they do 'it must be the council and we have the right to take anything we like'.

I have never had to point out to someone that it is theft, but would if necessary. The worst case we had was when someone cut a tree down and were starting to saw it up. As it was a willow, it wouldn't have done them much good for a couple of years anyway, but they knew they shouldn't have been doing it, as it got left halfway through a saw cut, so we assume someone saw them.

clare kendall

Joined: 09 Sep 2013
Posts: 3

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 13 1:28 pm Post subject:

And the really sad thing is that people like that give all foragers a bad name meaning that permits are harder to come by and more limited. You give some people an inch and they take a yard.

Hello Mr O, I'm a long way from Canada I'm afraid! I live in Wiltshire in the UK.
I meant to add to the above post that it's always worth approaching private landowners too. I know a few people who have got permission from privately owned estates to do a similar kind of low impact wood collecting.
If you can show yourself to be well-informed,responsible and not too greedy most landlords are quite reasonable.

Happy foraging!

clare kendall

Joined: 09 Sep 2013
Posts: 3

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 13 1:30 pm Post subject:
And finally... It's also worth befriending a local ranger (maybe doing a bit of voluntary work in return) as they sometimes have smaller logs to dispose of and are happy to leave them for you.

Mr O

Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 5512
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 13 5:19 pm Post subject:

clare kendall wrote:

I'm a long way from Canada I'm afraid! I live in Wiltshire in the UK.

I used to know a Clair Kendall from Coventry, only reason I asked.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 13 6:10 pm Post subject:
Hello Clare

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16006

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 13 7:47 am Post subject:

I would go along with the voluntary work idea. Quite often cutting is done for conservation and there is nowhere to dispose of the wood. It is usually left; some for 'habitat piles', but some could easily be used by the volunteers. Worth asking. Remember in the bad old days when the only coppicing was being done by FoE and like groups, having a discussion with one of them at lunch time at work, and him telling me they just had to leave all the cut wood and timber as nobody wanted it.

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