Firewood Permit
Firewood in the Forest
The Forest Service sells permits to cut firewood for personal use. Firewood cutting can be a fun outing, can save on your heating bill and can be good exercise. Firewood cutting cleans up dead wood, reduces the potential for wildfires, and avoids waste of a valuable resource, but it can also cause unwanted impacts if it’s done wrong. Learn more at Don't Move Firewood.org: https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/.
Firewood Questions
Please select from the following options to learn more.
Personal-use firewood permits cost $5 per cord, with a minimum purchase of 4 cords/16 tickets (minimum $20). Offices sell permits that are for $20, $25, $30, $35, $40 etc. up to $100 (20 cords) depending on the number of cords purchased. Permits are available from your local Forest Service office.
Make sure to have your signed permit and load tickets with you when you cut and haul your wood. The person, whose name is listed on the permit, has to be present while cutting and hauling the firewood. A load ticket is required to be marked correctly and attached to the wood for every ¼ cord of wood being transported.
Downed trees may be cut Forest-wide with a few exceptions. See "Where can't I cut firewood" below for more guidance.
Motorized vehicle use off existing roads and trails will only be allowed in the areas designated as dispersed camping, up to 300 feet from the road, as shown on the Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM).
Cutting of standing dead trees is permitted in areas designated as dispersed camping areas and within *100 feet of all open Forest Service roads, as shown on the MVUM. Vehicles parked along existing roads cannot block the flow of traffic. (*Note: 100 feet distance is a change made to the 2020 firewood permit terms & conditions).
Downed trees may not be cut in any area signed closed to firewood, administrative sites, in timber sales areas (marked with signs or painted trees), on private property, in campgrounds or recreation areas. Don’t cut within natural research areas or other areas closed to firewood cutting like the Black Elk Wilderness or Norbeck Wildlife Preserve. Contact your local Forest Service office for more guidance.
Permits are valid through Dec. 31st of the year they are issued in.
Sometimes when fire danger is particularly high, wood cutting may be limited to certain times of day or prohibited altogether. It’s up to you to know about current restrictions. Check our website for the current fire danger and restrictions or call a Forest Service office if you’re not sure.
Firewood can carry insects and diseases that can threaten the health of our Forest. You can make a difference by obtaining your firewood near to where you will be burning it.
Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further invasive species information and state regulations regarding firewood.
All slash created from woodcutting is to be scattered to lie within 18 inches of the ground and located outside of road ditches, off road driving surfaces and off of cut slopes. If cutting from a deck or pile, slash needs to be piled on top of the existing piles.
Firewood removed under this permit must be less than 8 feet in length.
How much is a cord of wood?
A standard, full cord of wood is a volume of 128 cubic feet, measured as a pile 8 feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. A full cord can weigh up to 5,000 pounds.
Small Pickup -- 1/4 ton
With or without racks this truck bed holds approximately 1/2 (one-half) cord of wood. Two load tickets required.
Short Bed Pickup -- 1/2 ton
With or without racks this truck bed holds approximately 1/2 (one-half) cord of wood. Two load tickets required.
Long Bed Pickup -- 1/2 or 3/4 ton
Without racks this truck bed holds approximately 1/2 (one-half) cord of wood. Two load tickets required.
With racks this truck bed holds approximately 1 (one) cord of wood. Four load tickets required.
Standard Truck -- 1 ton
With high racks this truck bed holds approximately 1-1/2 (one and a half) cords of wood. Six load tickets required.
Please note that trucks may be overloaded when filled with wood. Check the owner's manual for your vehicle to see what load weights the truck can safely haul and make sure your vehicle is licensed for the weight you will be hauling.