Remove Tree's for free???Jut for the Wood

[OKnewguy]

There was an add in the local craigslist, it reads:
I will cut down oak trees free for firewood. I will consider other types of trees but I like oak the best. NE Okla. City and East Edmond. Will consider other areas. I have my own equipment truck,trailer,5 chain saws and 30 ton log splitter. I do this to heat my home and my parents home. I've been cutting firewood for my home for 30 years. Contact David at xxxxxxxxx for details. I do not remove any stumps for free. I do not remove limbs.

What are your thought? I have been doing a bunch of clearing myself and this could be a big help. On one hand it sounds great, but on the other hand I am concerned about liability issues.
Any responses are greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Dave

 

[OKnewguy]

Sorry the title should say "just for the wood"
Dave

 

[Highbeam]

Sounds like all he is responsible for is to take the logs and leave you the mess. It is totally self serving, firewood for him and a mess for you. If that's what you want then it might be fine. You could follow behind him with a chipper and dispose of the substantial leftovers.

In these parts, he would pay to come take your logs.

 

[LBrown59]

I'v gotten rid of a lot of it that way.

 

[Dusty]

Last week a experienced logger was killed when a tree fell on him that he was cutting. He had 40+ years of experience. I don't know where it happened, on private or public land. Either way, the family could hire an attorney and look for monetary damages. I don't know if they will, but it is a possibility. I wouldn't let anyone cut trees on my property unless they were being paid to do so, and they carried workmen's compensation insurance.
Dusty

 

[Highbeam]

Several states offer special liability protection for the property owner so long as you are NOT collecting money to let someone harvest firewood. Similar protections are offered on a state by state basis for allowing hunting on your land. Someone on this site once posted a compilation of these protections arranged by state.

 

[kossetx]

I have to agree with highbeam. Doesn't sound like that great a deal to me. Take the wood AND limbs and leave the stump, yes. Your not getting much out of it for the liability involved. He is.

It's a shame in this day and age wood doesn't have more value. Seems mighty high when I price it.

 

[OKnewguy]

I am not to concerned with the mess. It would be no different then when I take the tree's down myself. I have allready outfitted my dad with about 10 years of firewood and he has been fighting prostate cancer for a few already so he should be good to go. I do not have wood heat myself and do not have the time to split and sell, so on the surface it seems like a mariage made in heaven. This guy takes what he needs and I have much less work ( I burn the brush and will eventually hire out the stump grinding). If my state has a legal provision for this, that would be great! How would I go about finding out if my state has provisions for something like this? I have heard/read that a liability waiver is not worth the paper it written on, so that is no good. My BIG concern is liabilty to my family.
Thanks for all of the replies so far!
Dave

 

[Doc_Bob]

Sad, but the risk of him working with felling a tree on your property is too great. Trees can kill. Even the best tree trimmers can be injured, even ones with decades of experience.

That said, if he signs a contract and proves that he is insured, go for it.
Bob

 

[N80]

There are people around here that will cut down pine trees for free. They take the logs and sell them for timber. Some of them are licensed and bonded but they are not tree surgeons per se and will not cut any tree that is close to your house. They don't top and limb them, they just cut them. Some will remove the mess for a fee.

I have about 8 enormous pines right next to my house. Every ice storm or wind storm and they scare the dickens out of me. They look at these and walk away. The serious tree guys want $300 per tree to take them down piece by piece with complete clean up. Ugh.