Brisbane City Council road expansion - Tree salvage

[Denim]

Hello,

The roundabout intersecting Murphy Rd and Ellison Rd (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Murphy+Rd,+Brisbane+QLD/@-27.3773325,153.0254007,15.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x6b93e2a341e20335:0xb1aea466eaa9a6a8!8m2!3d-27.3698758!4d153.0361791) is about to be upgraded to an intersection and there are a significant number of mature trees along the Marchant Park road side that will be removed to accommodate the roadworks.

I would love to have an opportunity to get a few logs from the park but haven't had any success speaking with the BCC about timber salvage.

Does anyone have any experience with this scenario?

447834

Thanks


Denim.

[ian]

Usually the trees to be removed will have been "sold" to a tree felling service. More often than not, the tree felling service is only interested in turning the trees into mulch.
I typed "sold" because in my experience the "sale" is really council paying the tree service to turn the tree into mulch.

If you are lucky, the tree service will salvage the trunk and mulch the rest.
Rarely will the tree service allow a woody like yourself to salvage the trunk.

[tonzeyd]

Ian nailed it

The local councils and environmental departments believe in maintaining the ecosystem at much as possible. Meaning any trees that are taken down either get mulched and the mulch reapplied in the surrounding areas or left to decompose and nature do its thing.

Technically speaking taking a "walking stick"/ "dog fetch stick" from the park is considered theft due to the above.

[WoodyOwen]

What type of trees are likely to be removed during the construction?

[skot]

Trickle Down.......BCC will mulch the trees and use the mulch on the hundreds of Parks in the city thus saving the money by not needing to purchase mulch from suppliers.

Same as the Green Waste that we take to the tip. We use our coupons or pay to take vegetation to the dump ......then they mulch it, use it on the parks OR sell any surplus to Landscape wholesalers.

Why would they give away a material which they can use to save money.

[Mobyturns]

Trickle Down.......BCC will mulch the trees and use the mulch on the hundreds of Parks in the city thus saving the money by not needing to purchase mulch from suppliers.

Same as the Green Waste that we take to the tip. We use our coupons or pay to take vegetation to the dump ......then they mulch it, use it on the parks OR sell any surplus to Landscape wholesalers.

Why would they give away a material which they can use to save money.

That pretty much sums up what happens to all trees taken out by "tree services" - mulch is worth something. Dealing with the H&S implications of "weekend warriors" salvaging logs is a nightmare. I had an arrangement with a tree service here in Townsville for a select few who held appropriate chainsaw accreditation etc to salvage logs from their yard but they soon revoked access due to "the idiots" wanting to get in on the act as they put it.

Try approaching it from another angle and search "urban tree salvage" and BCC's website for environment / waste or try and get in touch with their environmental services manager.

In the USA it is common for local authorities to provide areas for "log dumps" and access to the general public for salvage or firewood. Many very well known woodturners source most of their raw material from such areas. Pity we don't do it here. Tens of thousands of tons of "timber" was mulched after TC's Larry & Yasi in FNQ, much of it unsafe to mill, but a lot of salvageable timber went too.

[BobL]

I don't know about QLD but here in WA, even if it is OK with tree service to cut up and remove a log from a place like a park or a verge, you can't just rock up and use a chainsaw in this situation. You need a chainsaw operators ticket AND the permission of the landowner which if it's a park will be a council and they are be unlikely to give you permission because you don't have a contract with them and you won't have any insurance.

I've cut and milled logs in public parks but it's always been under the wing of my tree lopper mate who I have known for many years, and had the contract to provide or remove logs to/from that park.
In most cases I had to
- only operate within certain hours
- demonstrate to the tree lopper I was personally OHS compliant and had a safety plan.
- put up safety signs/cones/safety tape to clearly indicate the areas the public was to keep away from.
- clean up afterwards.

I'm fortunate the same tree lopper mate brings back lots of logs to his yard on the outskirts of the city where I prep logs for nature playground jobs and mill way more timber than I have use for.

I have stopped and talked to other tree service operators in a street and asked them for small logs that can fit in the back of my van and have been successful twice and been knocked back once.

[Wood Collector]

If you can talk with the contractor doing the work you may be able to get a few logs if you have a big enough trailer, it just depends on what the contract that the company has bid on states and what the operator is feeling like on the day. I am all too happy to give away timber from trees that i remove for a mate if i cant use the wood and the owner of neighbour has a use. It saves me tipping fees.

[crowie]

I drove past there late yesterday afternoon and there are a few good sized logs/tree trunks just lying around on the ground. A crying shame to see it all just mulched.

[ian]

I drove past there late yesterday afternoon and there are a few good sized logs/tree trunks just lying around on the ground. A crying shame to see it all just mulched.
Has Denim stopped and spoken to the tree felling contractor?

[rustynail]

I have a few contractors that are more than happy for me to take large logs off their hands. These logs are not chipped, just taken to the tip by the contractors and cost them plenty. They are quite happy to deal with the heads as they go through the chipper no problem. Its a win win situation, No bothersome heads for me and no bothersome logs for them.

[Denim]

I've had a really busy week or so with work so I've not had an opportunity to speak to the contractors. As per Crowie's observations the large logs are left at the moment but they're not something I can handle with my workshop equipment. I was hoping to get my hands on some 300mm diameter branches etc but those are mulched as soon as they're dropped. As a result I feel there's no real incentive for me to speak to them as I assume it's an OH&S requirement (and in their contract) to chip asap (just an assumption).

Regards,

Denim

[ian]

If the logs are too big to chip -- which is possible given they are still lying there -- then the contractor will be either taking them to the tip or turning them into firewood. In Brisbane I think the tip is the more likely option.

[Redbeard]

I'm not sure who the contractor at Murphy and Ellison is but council's primary tree management contractor is Treescape (https://www.treescape.co.nz). They probably won't be able to help in this case but if you present a good, reasoned argument, you might be able to get an inside line in future cases.

Best of luck.
Redbeard

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[Cal]

I would just go by with the trailer and pick them up if you can lift them. Here in South Aus they are happy for people to take them, saves the council money. After a storm there are always people out on the roadside with chainsaws and trailers.