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Sky Hiker
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PostTue Jan 15, 2019 6:33 am 
Anyone else noticed an increase in firewood or wood thieves? I have seen quite a few large trees fell and cut up in places they shouldn't be. Reported a couple myself to USFS.

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Chief Joseph
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PostTue Jan 15, 2019 7:43 am 
Some are getting caught... https://www.heraldnet.com/news/2-arrested-on-suspicion-of-illegally-cutting-down-douglas-fir-trees/

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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treeswarper
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treeswarper
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PostTue Jan 15, 2019 8:43 am 
No surprise what with the shutdown. There might be 2 people working on a ranger district right now. People who legally get permits to cut legally designated firewood are out of luck right now as they cannot buy permits. Things are screwed up. Stay tuned whilst the reality show drama continues. Or not.

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Chief Joseph
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PostTue Jan 15, 2019 8:55 am 
Out on the mountain loop the Federal Rangers usually are pretty visible and vigilant, even though they are based out of Bellingham, so who is minding the store now? Sheriffs I suppose.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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flatsqwerl
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PostTue Jan 15, 2019 9:15 am 
Thats to bad. CL regularly has posts for free wood...already cut up, often, sitting curbside.

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cambajamba
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PostTue Jan 15, 2019 11:41 am 
Shoot, I live in town and people have been getting firewood stolen from porches and back patios. Center cannot hold and all that jazz.

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treeswarper
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PostTue Jan 15, 2019 12:24 pm 
Chief Joseph wrote:
Out on the mountain loop the Federal Rangers usually are pretty visible and vigilant, even though they are based out of Bellingham, so who is minding the store now? Sheriffs I suppose.
Well, think of their effects on trailhead break ins. I imagine, if you are wanting to dump a tree down for green firewood and had an inkling of intelligence, it would be easy to get away with. But I think people who cut green wood when there are snags around, are not too smart. I have cut up green wood and it took two years to season properly on the west side of the state. Oh, and you cannot be legal on FS land right now. New firewood permits for a new year are sold after the 1st of the year. The shutdown has nixed that. In the area around Packwood and Randle, legal firewood cutters are the main road openers. They cut up the trees that blow across the roads. It's fairly easy wood to get if you come across it. If everybody is respecting the shutdown and rules embarassedlaugh.gif most roads will not have blowdown removed. But, I'll bet that's not happening. Take pictures, get license plate numbers, time of day, location and turn that in. We are the eyes in the woods right now.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human末animals and aliens are great possibilities
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Kim Brown
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PostTue Jan 15, 2019 1:12 pm 
Chief Joseph wrote:
Out on the mountain loop the Federal Rangers usually are pretty visible and vigilant, even though they are based out of Bellingham, so who is minding the store now? Sheriffs I suppose.
Snohomish Co sheriffs have always been the law enforcement on the Mtn Loop (roads and campgrounds). DNR has one Law Enforcement Officer for the entire north region.

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Sky Hiker
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PostWed Jan 16, 2019 6:42 am 
Problem in the Skykomish Ranger district is when Robo cop retired he was not replaced. While he was an ass he did help this type of behavior be kept to a minimum. Now they have a couple LEO from the coast make a sweep up there every few weeks. Doesn't hurt to ask if they have a permit or how much one costs before reporting it. I did and the guy mouthed off $50 which I knew was a lie.

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treeswarper
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PostWed Jan 16, 2019 12:06 pm 
Sky Hiker wrote:
Problem in the Skykomish Ranger district is when Robo cop retired he was not replaced. While he was an ass he did help this type of behavior be kept to a minimum. Now they have a couple LEO from the coast make a sweep up there every few weeks. Doesn't hurt to ask if they have a permit or how much one costs before reporting it. I did and the guy mouthed off $50 which I knew was a lie.
The people with the guns may not cover it well but there are regular employees who have the training to gather info and write up tickets. Also, any FS employee can stop and check permits if they feel comfortable about it. If they find out something is wrong, they can get information for ticketing. Problem is, only one or two people are working. On the GPNF, winter is the time to get your firewood for the next winter so it's going to be tough for folks who choose to follow the rules. The amount for a firewood permit varies by Forest and you can buy anywhere from a minimum to ten cords. The guy may have paid $50. You, unless you are an employee probably shouldn't be asking to see permits. Just take a picture, get license plate numbers and note date, time and location. The color of tags, that must have the date punched out on them will be different from last year, but it is supposed to be fixed to the load. It was one tag per half cord on the GPNF. Firewood cutters are a pain to deal with. I did feel sorry for my neighbor, who was a semi-retired logger. He and his buddy would ignore the easy, smaller wood and go after the really big stuff, often rigging up a block and lines to their pickup and doing some yarding. Then they'd be stove up for a few days afterwards. They did open up a road that had a tree across that no FS person wanted to deal with or had a big enough saw to cut. So firewood cutters do good work in that way.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human末animals and aliens are great possibilities
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Sky Hiker
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PostWed Jan 16, 2019 12:48 pm 
I was specifically told by the USFS employee to ask if they had a permit or how much one costs. The employee also told me they don't have the people to go out and check people. Which is why in the 2 cases where I came across them I straight to the employees house along with the pictures I took of them.

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Chief Joseph
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Chief Joseph
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PostWed Jan 16, 2019 1:05 pm 
A bit off topic but last summer I went to the Verlot (Visitor Center, no longer a Ranger Station) to inquire about purchasing a wood cutting permit. I was told by an employee, (an older gentleman who has been there for a long time) that I would have to go to the Darrington Ranger station to purchase a permit as they no longer sold them there. Then a couple of months later a neighbor-friend said that he purchased a permit at the Verlot location....what could be up with that?

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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treeswarper
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treeswarper
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PostWed Jan 16, 2019 1:20 pm 
I last paid $20 for four cords. So, $50 is possible. Man, I can't believe somebody told you to check permits. That's crazy. I think if you stopped to check some of the more anti-gubmint folks around Randle, they'd tell you where to go and it wouldn't be home. I think I'd even tell you it is none of your business.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human末animals and aliens are great possibilities
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Joey
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PostWed Jan 16, 2019 7:02 pm 
Go to the forest to swipe trees? crazy.gif Heck, we had to cut our way out after the last storm. One neighbor lost a huge Doug Fir. They were happy to have me take it for firewood. I still have 4 rounds to split. Scorecard: 2.5 blowdown trees = 3+ cords of primo Doug Fir.

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Sky Hiker
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PostWed Jan 16, 2019 9:00 pm 
treeswarper wrote:
I last paid $20 for four cords. So, $50 is possible. Man, I can't believe somebody told you to check permits. That's crazy. I think if you stopped to check some of the more anti-gubmint folks around Randle, they'd tell you where to go and it wouldn't be home. I think I'd even tell you it is none of your business.
Even if you did tell me it was none of my business I am going to the USFS and they can check you. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know there wouldn't be a firewood permit given for a 3 foot standing fir tree 100 ft off the road. Randle or Skykomish it really doesn't matter. When a person sees illegal activity its their responsibility to report it. If you chose to condone and turn your back on such behavior that's your choice but don't tell me how to go about my business.

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