someones cutting trees on my land

dryan

i have a piece of land thats away from the homeplace.
Its stocked and stock is checked every second day.

A railway line (that is no longer in use) runs at the bottom of the land and i have a small parcel of land (~1 ha) on the other side of the railway line that i dont use. Its very remote and difficult to access..
its declared as a wildlife habitat in my reps plan.
Eventually i plan on planting the same piece of ground.

I walk this particular bit of land a few times a year just to check it.
Today i checked it and i see that someone has knocked a couple of large (35 - 40 year old) ash trees in the last few days. Good job they were not there at the time as it would have got a bit messy - i was that vexed!
Anyway, what are my options here?

Put up a no trespassing sign?
Contact the guards?

cheers.

vanderbadger

dryan wrote: »

i have a piece of land thats away from the homeplace.
Its stocked and stock is checked every second day.

A railway line (that is no longer in use) runs at the bottom of the land and i have a small parcel of land (~1 ha) on the other side of the railway line that i dont use. Its very remote and difficult to access..
its declared as a wildlife habitat in my reps plan.
Eventually i plan on planting the same piece of ground.

I walk this particular bit of land a few times a year just to check it.
Today i checked it and i see that someone has knocked a couple of large (35 - 40 year old) ash trees in the last few days. Good job they were not there at the time as it would have got a bit messy - i was that vexed!
Anyway, what are my options here?

Put up a no trespassing sign?
Contact the guards?

cheers.

ya deffo get the guards, keep an eye on done deal for lads selling ash in your area

Username John

dryan wrote: »

i have a piece of land thats away from the homeplace.
Its stocked and stock is checked every second day.

A railway line (that is no longer in use) runs at the bottom of the land and i have a small parcel of land (~1 ha) on the other side of the railway line that i dont use. Its very remote and difficult to access..
its declared as a wildlife habitat in my reps plan.
Eventually i plan on planting the same piece of ground.

I walk this particular bit of land a few times a year just to check it.
Today i checked it and i see that someone has knocked a couple of large (35 - 40 year old) ash trees in the last few days. Good job they were not there at the time as it would have got a bit messy - i was that vexed!
Anyway, what are my options here?

Put up a no trespassing sign?
Contact the guards?

cheers.

If it was me I would contact the guards. I wouldnt too confident as to what they'll do, or can do. But you should report it.

Can you get out the chainsaw and get that ash out of there before someone comes back to take it?

Put up no trespassing signs, but not sure what good it is. But at least they're up, and people know someone is watching the place.

I'd also make enquiries as to whether any of your neighbours saw anything or anyone in there (altho not sure how successful that would be, given you say its fairly remote)

I guess try to walk it more, or ask someone you know to wander down around there every now and then...

We owe a bit of woodland / scrub, which would have bushes and bits of trees on it. Last year, I spoke to 3 people who were basically helping themselves... :mad: :mad: :mad:

the_syco

dryan wrote: »

A railway line (that is no longer in use) runs at the bottom of the land and i have a small parcel of land (~1 ha) on the other side of the railway line that i dont use. Its very remote and difficult to access..

Sounds like someone chancing their arm, tbh, and cutting down some nice looking trees in a remote area.

When is the last time you walking along there? I'm thinking they may be chopping a tree down every so often, after not getting any hassle after the first one.

As well as the Gardai, put some "no trespassing" signs up. Stick one on an ash tree to get the point across?

pakalasa

vanderbadger wrote: »

ya deffo get the guards, keep an eye on done deal for lads selling ash in your area

Also contact local hurley makers. They may approach them too. Ash butts are worth a lot more than the firewood in them.

Tora Bora

dryan wrote: »

i have a piece of land thats away from the homeplace.
Its stocked and stock is checked every second day.

A railway line (that is no longer in use) runs at the bottom of the land and i have a small parcel of land (~1 ha) on the other side of the railway line that i dont use. Its very remote and difficult to access..
its declared as a wildlife habitat in my reps plan.
Eventually i plan on planting the same piece of ground.

I walk this particular bit of land a few times a year just to check it.
Today i checked it and i see that someone has knocked a couple of large (35 - 40 year old) ash trees in the last few days. Good job they were not there at the time as it would have got a bit messy - i was that vexed!
Anyway, what are my options here?

Put up a no trespassing sign?
Contact the guards?

cheers.

I'd say that was Eleganza, from the other chainsaw thread, just proving to all us doubters, that you can cut through half a forest in an afternoon, with one of those Lidl chainsaws :D

MOSSAD

Ring the forest service in wexford and find out who the forestry inspector for your area is. Call him/her and tell them what's going on. You need a felling licence to cut your trees and some inspectors will drag you to hell if you cut without one.
But at any rate inform them of what is going on.

howamidifferent

Lay down a few of them wolf/bear traps with the giant jaws and wait a few weeks before going back...

Atilathehun

the_syco wrote: »

Sounds like someone chancing their arm, tbh, and cutting down some nice looking trees in a remote area.

When is the last time you walking along there? I'm thinking they may be chopping a tree down every so often, after not getting any hassle after the first one.

As well as the Gardai, put some "no trespassing" signs up. Stick one on an ash tree to get the point across?

Forget about the no trespassing signs. Don't work.
This sign works great, nobody wants to hang around too long with this!

reilig

If they are fairly big ash trees and they cut them right at the butt (or dug around the butt to cut lower) then its definitely for hurlies. As pakalasa said, they're worth more for hurlies than for firewood.

Definitely report it to Guards

dryan

Thanks guys.
Going to go with the sign, the guards, and will have a chat to a few lads in the area (not that it will help)

i do believe its for the firewood market.
only last winter, most of the larger trees growing alongside the railway line itself were cut down.
I only noticed it in the spring as some of the fences were damaged.
I contacted a local CIE representative to complain.
Told me that as the line is now closed, they have no maintenance going on and that it was probably a few local lads cutting timber to sell it on.

My guess is that its the same lads cutting my trees.

Dow99

It might be kids getting in early preparation for Halloween bonfires. I know when I was a kid we would usually start collecting for wood as soon as we're back to school!!

Birdnuts

pakalasa wrote: »

Also contact local hurley makers. They may approach them too. Ash butts are worth a lot more than the firewood in them.

Yes - this kind of thing is on the rise. One criminal recently got done for stealing ash tree's from Declan Ganley's place in Galway.

PS: Perhaps the OP might consider installing a trail camera if the problem persists, this method is increasingly used to target illegal dumpers in a number of counties. JG(da mod) gave some good advice on that subject not so long ago.:)

Atilathehun

I could swear, I saw a piece of one of your trees in Croke Park, last Sunday week. Them Kilkenny boys, fairly move around the country in their Hi Ace vans:cool:

Itsdacraic

Take a look at this link.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0715/ganleyd.html

Big money in native ash trees for hurley making at the moment, as the majority of ash is being shipped in from abroad.

Eleganza

Tora Bora wrote: »

I'd say that was Eleganza, from the other chainsaw thread, just proving to all us doubters, that you can cut through half a forest in an afternoon, with one of those Lidl chainsaws :D

and I also said that nomadic people who own no land love chainsaws.
it was impossible to deal with nomadic people as they'd bring in saws with the serial numbers ground off or on one occassion we checked a serial number from a saw and it had been stolen in a different part of the country.
they'd ask for them to be fixed, negotiate in the way nomadic people negotiate and often they'd try to launder their stolen goods through us.
Impossible to deal with these nomadic people while staying within the rules of the equal status act.
I guarantee you that the nomadic people who own no land weren't bothering to buy anything in lidl no matter how much of a bargain it was.

Eleganza

irish ash is preferable to eastern european ash as the growth is faster and grain is wider.

Username John

Itsdacraic wrote: »

Take a look at this link.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0715/ganleyd.html

Big money in native ash trees for hurley making at the moment, as the majority of ash is being shipped in from abroad.

"the theft of eight mature ash trees valued at €21,600 taken from ancient, protected woodland"

:eek:

Holy God! Thats over 2500 per tree. What diameter were the trees?

Eleganza

it is hard work. you have to dig down to the roots and cut out below ground level.
A former all-ireland winning hurler arsehole I knew used to use Husky 65 saws with very short bars for the work and the saw chain would be destroyed by stones and gravel.

dryan

The trees are cut well above the ground and are being cut for firewood.
There is a nice little heap left to one side that i am going to help myself to this evening.

3 trees were knocked. the trunk diamater would be around 24 inches where they were cut.

PMU

also,report it to your reps planner so it is noted in case of an inspection

Bizzum

dryan wrote: »

The trees are cut well above the ground and are being cut for firewood.
There is a nice little heap left to one side that i am going to help myself to this evening.

3 trees were knocked. the trunk diamater would be around 24 inches where they were cut.

Don't rest 'till you've every bit home.

I "know a man" who was having timber stolen on him who carefully drilled out holes in an irresistable little bit and placed a live shotgun cartridge in the hole, plugged them and waited for the bang!

I would not recommend anyone to try this!:)

colrow

I heard of a bloke round our way, who was having turf stolen, and put a shotgun cartrige in the pile, he forgot about it and put a load on his own fire and nearly lost his eye.

whelan1

i dont know what would annoy me more, the fact they are on my land with out permission or the fact they stole the wood, ffs i know things are bad but channces are if they asked you for a tree you would have given them one , its just the sleeven (sp) way they have gone about it

crackcrack30

How would you work out 'insurance wise' if they cut their foot off on your land?

Tora Bora

whelan1 wrote: »

i dont know what would annoy me more, the fact they are on my land with out permission or the fact they stole the wood, ffs i know things are bad but channces are if they asked you for a tree you would have given them one , its just the sleeven (sp) way they have gone about it

Ah, Whealan, that's real generous of you. I'll be there first thing in the morning.
PS. When you bring the sandwiches, I prefer brown bread.:cool:

whelan1

Tora Bora wrote: »

Ah, Whealan, that's real generous of you. I'll be there first thing in the morning.
PS. When you bring the sandwiches, I prefer brown bread.:cool:

i would have no problem giving a fallen tree to someone, as often i will get the favour returned, doesnt hurt to ask

blue5000

OP saw this sign in a breakers yard years ago

'SHOTGUN PATROL 3 NIGHTS A WEEK,
TAKE YOUR PICK'

colrow

whelan1 wrote: »

i would have no problem giving a fallen tree to someone, as often i will get the favour returned, doesnt hurt to ask

I help out where I can, I get far more help from my neighbours than I can repay, its sort of like paying into a pot, and makes life worth living.

ZETOR_IS_BETTER

What some farmers used to do when they had ash trees stolen was to put nails into the tree especially near the base to f#c% up the chainsaw and I suppose to make the tree worthless to them.

Kovu

TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT.
SURVIVORS WILL BE SHOT AGAIN.

dryan

Thanks for all the replies.
The insurance risk was the first thing that popped into my head as i doubt these guys are properly set up or have licences to fell trees.
Stuck a few signs up yesterday evening and took a few pictures of them so that should cover me insurance wise for now.

Helped myself to the pile of cut up timber yesterday evening. Should get me through the winter!

Today i will contact the local guarda station to report the whole thing.
Should also help insurance wise if anything was ever to happen.

thanks for the tip on the Reps - never thought of that.
Is it a case that you can not cut down trees (mature) while in Reps?

Rovi

Whatever the understandable temptation (and this would boil my pi55 too! :mad:), don't go spiking the remaining trees.
While it'd be most deeply satisfying to think that the thief's chainsaw was destroyed, there is a possibility that they could be injured as a direct result of your actions, which could put you into a whole other world of grief as regards your insurance company, the Gardai, and their attitude to 'mantraps'.

All you can legally do is notify the Gardai, spread the word among the neighbours, and make it difficult for the thieves to do it again. They'll know they've been rumbled when they find 'their' firewood gone, so with a bit of luck they'll make themselves scarce for the immediate future.
Fence or otherwise block off all access points, and visit the site more frequently yourself.

LK_Dave

You could always put a sign saying that you have spiked the trees

Rovi

LK_Dave wrote: »

You could always put a sign saying that you have spiked the trees

Or this:

Oldtree

Thats just gas! very very funny.

The only way to deal with it is to be present there as much as you can, perhaps leaving some visible work half done.

I had a similar problem with shooters, even with signs up, and went down more regularly and that seemed to put a stop to it but I got sick for a while last winter and they must have heard about it and down they went again. Hoping to catch them this year. A friend of mine had a similar problem and they even cut his wire to get access.

MOSSAD

In the late 70s my father had trouble with the nomadic peoples stealing Sitka at christmas time-when he came across them he discharged a clip of bullets over their heads. They never came back. Each year around Christmas he would go back to the plantations at any hour of the night and fire at random into the trees.
We keep up the tradition. Works well.

the_syco

Atilathehun wrote: »

Forget about the no trespassing signs. Don't work.
This sign works great, nobody wants to hang around too long with this!

Nice. How about "no trespassing/gun club" signs?