Neighbour stole our firewood! (Aka the tree pun thread)

A friend used to live in Wrest St. I couldn't ever see the trees for the 4 Wrest.

Next door used to always have a camera out. That was the 2 Wrest.
 
Okay you dinful bunch of woodpeckers ... firewood not returned, but they may be away as car parked outside the house hasn't moved all week ... will give the termites until Monday and then it's time to visit the chop shop.
 
Just a serious question if I may Liz.

How do you know the firewood is yours exactly?

Any chance it could be theirs but from the same species of tree cut around the same time?

Just askin...?
 
Dear Lizzie

No jokes here.

You did the right thing and you should pursue it.

To our "city slickers cousins" here who seem to think fire wood is rubbish of no value. Personally by getting serious, having chainsaws and investing about a week in time I got enough wood to drop our electicity bill by $400 a quarter last year. That is $1200 in saving before tax!!!

Wood sells for on average $150 a cubic metre here so the pile woulds like at least $500 even $1000 worth. How would anyone feel if YOUR neighbour siphoned $1000 worth of gas from your house just before you sold it, knowing you would get the bill.

The alternative if they reimburse you for the wood. That is get them to pay the bill to have the equivalent wood delivered to you place from a supplier.

Regards Peter 14.7
 
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The Fence said:
Just a serious question if I may Liz.

How do you know the firewood is yours exactly?

Any chance it could be theirs but from the same species of tree cut around the same time?

Just askin...?
Click to expand...

Hmmm - not 100% sure but

1. The timber is exactly the same specimen
2. The timber is exactly the same colour
3. The rings are exactly the same shape and size
4. It's only 3 doors down and less than 300m away (nice and handy)
5. There have been no other trees in the vicinity that have been dropped (mostly cleared farmland)
6. Our timber is missing

Pretty sus in my books.

And Peter is right - to us rural's, it's no different from someone coming in and helping themselves to your outdoor furniture just "because" it was left outside ... it cost us around $1,000 plus our labour to get the tree dropped and cut so not happy.
 
lizzie said:
Hmmm - not 100% sure but

1. The timber is exactly the specimen
2. The timber is exactly the same colour
3. The rings are exactly the same shape
4. It's only 3 doors down and less than 300m away (nice and handy)
5. There have been no other trees in the vicinity that have been dropped (mostly cleared farmland)
6. Our timber is missing

Pretty sus in my books.
Click to expand...

Why not casually ask the other neighbours "what they saw". They will assume all good, Car used, who etc.. Assuming it adds up.

Then if THEY say "it was not us, prove it" then tell them you you will be reporting what neighbours saw in writing to Police and asking them to pursue trespass as well.

Really, this sucks. Where we live fire wood is like cash.

You want, you ask, they say no, you say ok. No touch.

If they say ok then you offer a load delivered to him/ker usually one load for every 3 loads you take. If they don't want wood we gift my wife's jam. Respect.

Regards Peter
 
What if you were to retrieve the wood (without communicating with the neighbours at all)...or pour kero over it and light it...or pour a bucket of paint or chromated copper arsenate over it?

You'd be mighty embarrassed if you later discovered that someone else removed your wood.
 
lizzie said:
Okay you dinful bunch of woodpeckers ... firewood not returned, but they may be away as car parked outside the house hasn't moved all week ... will give the termites until Monday and then it's time to visit the chop shop.
Click to expand...

Perfect! If they're away just go take it back?
 
lizzie said:
Hmmm - not 100% sure but

1. The timber is exactly the same specimen
2. The timber is exactly the same colour
3. The rings are exactly the same shape and size
4. It's only 3 doors down and less than 300m away (nice and handy)
5. There have been no other trees in the vicinity that have been dropped (mostly cleared farmland)
6. Our timber is missing

Pretty sus in my books.

And Peter is right - to us rural's, it's no different from someone coming in and helping themselves to your outdoor furniture just "because" it was left outside ... it cost us around $1,000 plus our labour to get the tree dropped and cut so not happy.
Click to expand...

That's lots of things that point it to them taking it but not exactly solid proof and as someone else pointed out they might have had a similar tree, maybe at the back of their property. You might want to double check and look for more evidence and if you think it might not be them then you better run down to the letter box before they return home :)
 
Peter 14.7 said:
Sounds great except:

1) you are still trespassing unless you can prove it is your goods
2) 50% of the work in firewood is lugging it. They should return.

Peter
Click to expand...

1. I doubt Lizzie can prove it is her's. Does wood come with a serial number or registration stamp?
2. They should return it, but I doubt they will.

If I was Lizzie and I was confident it was my wood I would just take it. I know this is contrary to the tree hugging (had to get a pun in) attitude of some here. She should act before it all goes up in smoke (yes, another bad pun).
 
Ed Barton said:
1. I doubt Lizzie can prove it is her's. Does wood come with a serial number or registration stamp?
2. They should return it, but I doubt they will.

If I was Lizzie and I was confident it was my wood I would just take it. I know this is contrary to the tree hugging (had to get a pun in) attitude of some here. She should act before it all goes up in smoke (yes, another bad pun).
Click to expand...

Thinking some more I think an independent witness is essential. Ask the neighbours and may bee take back the letter as discussed.

I would do this. A gracious exit but firm.


Hello we are XX, we have not meet.

GET THIER NAMES

We had a large load of wood at our home at XXX, if appear you took it thinking we were leaving it and didn't need it but we do, so sadly, we need it loaded back into out ute thanks. When can we do that?

IF NO NOT US PROVE IT

Then OK I was being nice but we have witnesses to you taking it so again, I when we can collect our wood.

IF STILL NO.

Well that is really sad you think you can trespass on private property and remove items for personal gain. Obviously we will have to report to the Police. Your name is XXX correct.

AND

Then report.

Peter
 
lizzie said:
1. The timber is exactly the same specimen .... 6. Our timber is missing
Click to expand...

oh - and

7. Their pile of wood appeared in the exact same period of time during which ours disappeared.

I will report it stolen if not returned by Monday - but won't make any accusation of them actually stealing it - just point the police in their direction with my suspicions, and disclaimer that I can't "prove it", and leave them to it.
 
Yeah & I bet (you may be able to confirm ?) those bits that they split up would be the larger rings that could be placed near the stump showing proof of shape and hence origin...?

Either way, I thoroughly believe you and it's certainly a brazen act by the neighbour. Lucky you are leaving, otherwise what would be next?

Not a nice feeling Liz, commizerations.:mad:
 
Lizzie,
Any updates for us?

With all the rules about trees in Australia,
will you get into trouble with the law, for cutting it down?
 
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