New law in Washington: transporting wood

Owen Lowe · 2005-06-04T08:25:32+00:00

The following newspaper article was circulated around our chapter meeting the other night. Since we're close to WA as well as have several members from southern Washington it was of importance to the membership. Anyone heard any more about this new law to take effect on July 1? Any idea on how this would even be enforced with firewood cutters, helping out a neighbor, roadside ditch scavenging, etc? Seems cumbersome and not very workable. If it's just targeting BL Maples, are deputies going to be schooled in recognizing pieces from the bark or green wood? Who determines what constitutes "specialty wood"? How much figure is too much? While I can see and understand the frustration and anger of those who have lost property to tree rustlers, it seems to me there could be a more workable solution addressing the wholesale and retail of such wood. Snip of the full article but take note of the last paragraphs:

Jun 04, 2005 45 Replies

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Scott Altman 21 years ago

Rank amateur woodturner, lurking here to learn anything about woodturning, never posted until now......

I'm old enough to have become cynical about anything, any level of any Govt. imposes on honest people. I do believe the mental level of bearucrats & crooks are about equal, perhaps a little higher on the crooked side.

I was stopped a year ago by a small town cop for him to determine the intent of hauling 10 bags of straight nitrogen in my pickup. The only knowledge he possessed about nitrogen was that he'd learned in a 2 week cop training school was that it could be used in making an explosive device.

Perhaps your protectors out there are hopefully getting some training on wood species identification.

Sometimes a good idea gets muddled with all the ink it takes to say something simple. And it is easier to hassle the honest than work at prosecuting to crooks.

Thank you for letting me vent.

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George 21 years ago

Folks in OK City probably feel a bit different about it than you do.

Citizens elect representatives, representatives make the laws. Enforcement has to give their best guess on what the public wants at the moment. Lots of laws, rules and ordinances never get enforced, but get stopped with a radar detector, hops on your breath, or an attitude, and you'd best be prepared for some creative writing....

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Leif Thorvaldson 21 years ago

Not mention where can you get "bags" of nitrogen? Are you referring to nitrogen based fertilizer?

Leif

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Patriarch 21 years ago

"George" wrote in news:42ab3d68 snipped-for-privacy@newspeer2.tds.net:

There are exceptions to every generalization, but I have been fortunate to experience, for the most part, people in law enforcement and other public service agencies are interested in the public good.

We citizens and inhabitants often make it difficult for them to balance the sometimes conflicting goals we ask them to meet. Our goals change over time. We protect sometimes conflicting interest in the law. For this reason we have courts, to decide rationality and resolve conflict.

We can live without all of these things, but not in a well organized society. Just check your newspapers for almost any week of any of the last decades for places trying to reorganize themselves. Thank whatever deity you belive in for the places and societies in which most of us reside and create our fancy bits.

We will figure out how to legally acquire and transport turning materials, firewood and instrument grade lumber, because it is in the best interests of society to work this out. Other things may get done

*first*, however. ;-)

Patriarch, thinking that Oregon Bigleaf Maple may be the ticket for now...

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Chuck 21 years ago

Hmmm, lemme see...."Thou shalt not steal." Would that work? Nope, too controversial.

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J. Clarke 21 years ago

Run that past a contracts lawyer and see how he words it to close all the loopholes.

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