Creating your own lumber source

[denis4x4]

Have recently had to deal with trees and insurance companies. No point in boring you with the details. However, got a card in the mail today from a guy with a portable saw mill that offers to remove the trees and create lumber for projects. Can't help but wonder if he's using a list provided by the insurance companies.

 

[tjdux]

Could just be a random mailer or a guy who is out scouting for people with decent amounts of standing trees and sending or leaving them mailers.

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[greasyfingers01]

They're watching you!

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[jumbojak]

You gotta pay for that mill somehow! If you take him up on the offer make sure of two things upfront. First, that he knows how to safely fell a tree and is insured if he's going to be taking any down. Second, how much he charges for a damaged blade if he hits something like a nail. At about twenty five bucks a pop buying new blades for someone else's mill can get expensive pretty fast.

 

[Playwme]

Around here the guys with the mill will give the owner 1/3rd of the product and keep the other 2/3 for himself. Checking the timber for nails or metal should be on his head, as well as any mill repair costs.

 

[denis4x4]

I have no intention of using his services! Bought the property because it has trees. Fended off the insurance company countless times.

 

[GMCGarage]

I have no intention of using his services! Bought the property because it has trees. Fended off the insurance company countless times.

What does the insurance company want you to do?

 

[denis4x4]

What does the insurance company want you to do?

Cut down within 30' of the house.

 

[Schurkey]

Cut down within 30' of the house.

Seems reasonable to me. In fact, I'd have expected they'd want more distance from dwelling to trees.

 

[Stuart in MN]

That's interesting, I've never heard of an insurance company stating where you can have trees.

 

[tarmy]

Around here you must remove them within 30'...if you are in fire zones.

The fire department will remove them if you don't...and of course charge you.

Funny thing is for years the friggin tree huggers fought you if you tried to remove them. We would get permission from the forest service to remove one a year for fire wood.

Then they had a couple of big fires in south shore Tahoe and in a couple of mountain communities...now they make you clear the buffer...typical government. They wouldn't let you protect your home...now they make you.

I am sure here in Kalifornia...the insurance lobbyists had something to do with it.

 

[ard]

Around here you must remove them within 30'...if you are in fire zones.

The fire department will remove them if you don't...and of course charge you.

Funny thing is for years the friggin tree huggers fought you if you tried to remove them. We would get permission from the forest service to remove one a year for fire wood.

Then they had a couple of big fires in south shore Tahoe and in a couple of mountain communities...now they make you clear the buffer...typical government. They wouldn't let you protect your home...now they make you.

I am sure here in Kalifornia...the insurance lobbyists had something to do with it.

Don't know where "here" is, but let's not paint all of California with one brush

I live in a high fire danger area, based on CalFire maps. I find ElDorado County as well as Calfire's guidances and fire control plans to be pretty damn good.

There are no requirement to cut trees down (nor was there tree by tree restrictions eearlier). Maybe you are in the Tahoe Basin or some other local jurisdiction more restrictive than "Kalifornia" state regs or county regs?

I am requred to control fuel & clear brush to 100'. I make sure my canopy cannot 'connect' to the ground. Just for my own comfort I also field mow to reduce fuel WAY beyond 100 ft. I will also cut 20' fire breaks at strategic locations in the next few weeks.... Bascailly I am fireproof: a fire could come through and at worst burn my fencing and solar stuff.

Over the years one fire burned our property. Once an evacuation order (we didn't) Ever summer there are 2-3 close by- we can watch the chopper fill the water bucket in the community lake, dump, come back. We keep the horse trailer hooked up so we can help if needed. I've used my tractor to cut breaks on other parcels before the FD tractors show up.

Anyway, fire is a pretty common threat here- I guess I have a pretty low tolerance when someone wants to play retarded politics with it.

 

[tarmy]

Don't know where "here" is, but let's not paint all of California with one brush

I live in a high fire danger area, based on CalFire maps. I find ElDorado County as well as Calfire's guidances and fire control plans to be pretty damn good.

There are no requirement to cut trees down (nor was there tree by tree restrictions eearlier). Maybe you are in the Tahoe Basin or some other local jurisdiction more restrictive than "Kalifornia" state regs or county regs?

I am requred to control fuel & clear brush to 100'. I make sure my canopy cannot 'connect' to the ground. Just for my own comfort I also field mow to reduce fuel WAY beyond 100 ft. I will also cut 20' fire breaks at strategic locations in the next few weeks.... Bascailly I am fireproof: a fire could come through and at worst burn my fencing and solar stuff.

Over the years one fire burned our property. Once an evacuation order (we didn't) Ever summer there are 2-3 close by- we can watch the chopper fill the water bucket in the community lake, dump, come back. We keep the horse trailer hooked up so we can help if needed. I've used my tractor to cut breaks on other parcels before the FD tractors show up.

Anyway, fire is a pretty common threat here- I guess I have a pretty low tolerance when someone wants to play retarded politics with it.

Good guess on location...is Tahoe basin...

My intent was not to paint a broad picture...we have had homes in various places in the mountains in Norcal for 40 years...

They all have different rules...but for years most of the Tahoe area prohibited tree removal...even fallen dead ones...habitat for owls and bats.

Now, like you mention...we are required to clear a defensible space.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Just having seen 2,500 houses/properties burn because of wild fire in the Smokies, it makes sense to keep trees/brush away from houses. There were stories here about people that keep them cleaned out and their houses didn't burn but hundreds around them burned down. The total cost will exceed 1 billion to rebuild and there are probably many that won't be rebuilt for 5 or more years to compete. Tax bills were sent out on value with home on it and people are up in arms since they don't have a home anymore.

 

[kbs2244]

And to answer the OP's question;
Yes
The warning letter is most often a public document.
And, as such, open to anybody.

 

[NORTON'S SHOP]

Cut down within 30' of the house.

I would look for a new insurance company.

 

[KEH]

My opinion on trees near houses is that trees should be far enough from a house that, if the tree falls, it will not hit the house. Another problem is that a tree close to a house may grow roots that will damage the foundation. I am in SC and fire possibility i rarely considered. Yes, I know that the Smoky Mountains fire mentioned above is in a usually wet area also but that is a rather rare incident, made worse by high winds. In my area there are often strong winds in the spring and often we have a dry period to go with it. We had a mild version of that this spring and there were some brush fires, most of them IMO caused by careless disposal of cigarette butts. Years ago My wife and I came across a grass fie that was starting along side of the Interstate and we and others stopped and beat the fire out. I walked back to the starting point and found a cigarette ****. Very dry areas like CA with high population density and high winds have the cards stacked against them.

KEH