Yes, you can usually keep the wood from a fallen tree on your property. Just tell the tree service before the work starts, so the crew knows to leave logs or rounds in a spot you choose instead of hauling everything away.
Keeping the wood can make sense for firewood, woodworking or landscaping. It can also change what’s included in the job, so it’s worth talking through the details first.
Let the Crew Know Early
Mention that you want the wood when you ask for an estimate. Explain how you plan to use it and where you’d like it left.
Crews typically cut the trunk into lengths that are practical to move. If you want pieces a certain length for a fireplace or wood stove, ask whether that’s possible. Very large sections can be heavy and difficult to move by hand, so be realistic about what you can handle.
How Keeping Wood Can Affect the Job
Leaving wood on site usually means less hauling for the crew, which can affect the price. Some services charge less when the wood stays, while others price the job the same either way. Ask how your choice changes the estimate.
Branches and small limbs are often chipped. You may be able to keep the wood chips as well, for use as mulch around trees and garden beds.
What to Know Before Burning Firewood
Freshly cut wood holds a lot of moisture and usually needs time to dry before it burns well. Stack it off the ground, somewhere with airflow, and away from the side of the house.
Wood from a tree that died from disease or insect damage may carry those problems with it. The Missouri Department of Conservation encourages people not to move firewood long distances, since it can spread tree pests. Using it close to where the tree fell is a safer habit.
Leaving Safety to the Professionals
Fallen trees can be under tension, with trunks and branches pinned or twisted. Cutting them is one of the more dangerous parts of storm cleanup, so leave the cutting to trained crews.
Once the wood has been cut into rounds and set in a safe spot, moving and stacking it is usually a reasonable task for a homeowner. Wear gloves, lift carefully and ask for help with heavy pieces.
Keeping the wood is one of many choices you can make during removal of a fallen tree. You can also decide whether the stump should be ground or left in place.
When a tree has come down in your Joplin yard and you’d like to hold on to some of the wood, mention it when you contact a tree service so the cleanup can be planned around what you want to keep.
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