Permits

Firewood Permits are sold for $5 per cord with a four-cord minimum ($20) and a 20-cord maximum ($100). Each household is allowed to cut and remove up to 20 cords per year. The cutting and removal of standing DEAD and DOWN trees for firewood is permitted, except where otherwise restricted or prohibited as described in the permit package. The cutting of LIVE trees for firewood is prohibited, except where allowed as described in the permit package.  Please read the permit conditions, which outline areas that are NOT available for firewood cutting.

All forest service travel restrictions apply. Refer to the Motor Vehicle Use Maps for routes designated open for motorized vehicles. Contact local Forest Service offices for up-to-date information.

Firewood Cutting Maps

To purchase a firewood cutting permit, you must be 18 years of age and present a valid drivers license. The person who will be cutting the wood must be present at the purchase to sign the permit.

Special Forest Products is a category that includes a variety of products ranging from fuelwood to edible delights. Decorative floral greens, cones, mushrooms, boughs, rocks and poles are just some of the products which come from the forest.

The availability of Special Forest Products varies by location. Like other forest resources, they must be carefully managed to protect them and ensure a lasting supply for the future. Permits are issued for many products and a minimal fee may be charged. Contact a local District Office first to see if permits are required.

If you plan to sell the products, a permit needs to be obtained from the local District Office.

For personal use, fees are generally charged depending on the amount taken. Some areas have special restrictions and some years vary, for instance, a spring following a large fire season, may require permits for personal use mushroom gathering.

Permits are not required for collection of minor forest products, such as flowers, acorns, nuts or dry cones, from areas other than designated recreation, research, natural or other areas closed to such activities.  However, such collections are limited to small quantities for personal use; there can be no disturbance of surface resources; and the products must not be protected by State or Federal laws or regulations. 

Rock collecting and gold panning are generally permitted on public lands, except for certain designated areas, such as Wilderness areas, Wilderness Study Areas, developed special management areas or recreation sites. However, mineral extraction of any kind and type is prohibited within the Smith River National Recreation Area.

Rock Collecting

• Personal use rock permits are required to remove rocks from the Six Rivers National Forest.
• Personal use rock permits are available through at your nearest district office. Please contact the appropriate office to check the availability of personal use permits.
• Permits are $12.00 a ton.
• Permits expire on December 31 of each year.

Casual Mineral Collection on Forest Service Lands

Minerals can be collected in reasonable quantities without a permit, as long as the activity is for personal use and not commercial purposes. 

Non-mechanized sluicing is unregulated on most public lands, dredging and mechanized sluicing are regulated and may require a permit.

There are no designated gold panning locations on the Six Rivers National Forest. If you wish to engage in gold panning, you must ensure you are not panning  on an active unpatented mining claim. Many areas of the national forest have unpatented mining claims. Due to complex ownership and mining claim boundaries, we suggest going to commercial gold panning businesses for families planning vacation trips. Information on these businesses are available from local Visitor Information Bureaus and Chambers of Commerce.

To ensure the enjoyment of all visitors on public lands, please follow all necessary laws, regulations and guidelines:

• Collection and removal is generally limited to battery-operated equipment, equipment that uses recycling processes and dry washers.
• Collection and removal may not be assisted by motorized or mechanized equipment.
• Blasting material of any kind is not permitted.
• Do not contaminate wells, creeks or other water supplies.
• Do not disturb, damage or destroy the environment; wildlife; cultural, historical or paleontological resources; or government or private property.

 Please contact the nearest district office for permit information. If you are collecting mushrooms for commercial purposes (more than 10 pounds), you must purchase a permit for the desired amount ($2.00 per pound). There is a minimum of 10 lbs. per commercial permit and a maximum of 150 lbs.

Posts and Poles:  People call about getting teepee poles, fence rails and miscellaneous small wood from the forest. These require a permit from the District Office.

Rocks: Collecting rocks, say for backyard landscaping, requires a permit. Please contact a District Office for more information.

Special activities involving large groups, educational activities or film-making will require special use permits, which authorize or grant a privilege for use on National Forest System lands with specific conditions for the use. The Forest Service grants these uses in a manner that protects natural resource values, public health and safety and is consistent with the Forest land and resource management plans. The special use permits may be for a one-day event, such as a wedding or bicycle race, or for up to 40 years, such as a ski resort permit. No special use authorities provide for permanent use of National Forest System lands. 

Please contact the Ranger District Offices for further information about non-recreation special use permits and recreation special use permits.

• Group Use - an activity that involves a group of 75 or more people, either as participants or spectators.
• Non-commercial Use - an activity where an entry or participation fee is not charged, and the primary purpose is not the sale of goods or services. Some examples of non-commercial group uses are weddings, church services, educational camping trips, hikes, graduations and races.
• Short-term forest users, not exceeding one year (recreation districts, schools and nonprofit entities) Examples include a request for a one-week hike on National Forest System land or a group requesting three-short-day trips over the course of the summer. Permits will be issued for the short duration of the trip and will not exceed one year. Capacity should not be adversely affected by these groups. All recreation event requests should be handled through this process. Refer to the timeline approach below.
• Long-term forest users requesting a large number of service days or who use the National Forest on a regular basis throughout the season may need to apply through a competitive process. It also assumed that these requests would pass the streamlining process as required in 36 Code of Federal Regulation 251.

• Manufacturing
• Timber processing
• Mineral exploration
• Filming for motion pictures or commercials, still photography- The Forest Service permits commercial filming and still photography on public lands.  Like other commercial uses of National Forest lands and resources, commercial filming requires a special use permit issued by the District Ranger.

• Boat dock and wharf
• Campgrounds and picnic areas
• Organization/private camps
• Shelters
• Outfitter and guide services
• Resorts and marinas
• Vendors and peddlers (mobile concessions)
• Ski areas

• Group events (non-recreational purposes such as parades and demonstrations)
• Native American Traditional Religious Activity
• Religious meetings
• Weddings
• Public information & Signs (we try to avoid commercial advertising signs)
• Markers & Monuments (historical markers, roadside markers, summit markers, etc.)

In order to hold a non-commercial event or activity (including weddings) on the forest, please contact the local Ranger District where the event will be held.

• Site surveys and testing
• Research and research study
• Experimental and demonstration

Research requests can be made by submitting the research application to the appropriate Ranger District. 

In a normal year, typical fire restrictions will allow only gas stoves and lanterns. Wood and charcoal fires are prohibited outside of designated campgrounds. During a bad fire year, fire restrictions will be more restrictive depending on forest conditions.

• No Fire Restrictions: Wood, charcoal, and gas fires are allowed in the general forest and some remote campgrounds when in possession of a valid Campfire Permit. The Campfire Permit is not needed in developed campgrounds generally. Check for specific wilderness restrictions.
• Stage 1: Wood fires (campfires) and charcoal fires (barbeques) are allowed only in designated developed campgrounds on this forest. Gas stoves and lanterns can be used in the general forest when in possession of a valid Campfire Permit. Note: additional restrictions on smoking, welding, and operating internal/external combustion engines without a spark arrestor. Check the forest order for details.
• Stage 2: No Fires are allowed in the forest including the campgrounds. Gas stoves and lanterns can be used in the forest only when in possession of a valid Campfire Permit. Note: additional restrictions on smoking, welding, and operating internal/external combustion engines without a spark arrestor. Check the forest order for details.

Terms of the Permits

Permittee agrees to the following:

• Clear all flammable material away from the fire for a minimum of five feet in all directions to prevent escape of the fire. Meadows make poor campsite locations as you will destroy sections of the meadow with the campfire and the clearance.
• Have a shovel available at the campfire site for preparing and extinguishing campfires.
• Have a responsible person in attendance at all times. Leave the permit with that person and make sure they are aware of the terms of the permit.
• Extinguish campfire with water, using the drown, stir, and feel method. If it is to hot to touch than the fire is not out and can re-ignite.

Campfire permits are required for the use of open fires, such as wood (campfire), barbecues (charcoal) and portable stoves (gas) on federally managed lands. 

A campfire permit does not give a person permission to access or camp on National Forest or private lands.

Permits are free.

Any Forest Service, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Office, or Bureau of Land Management office in California. Visit the California Campfire Permit page at www.preventwildfiresca.org for information on how to obtain a campfire permit online! You must be 18 years of age or older to sign the permit.

Your campfire permit is valid from the dated issued until the end of the calendar year (December 31st).

The permit may be used in any National Forest in Northern California, in the Sierra Nevada, and on Bureau of Land Management land. For the southern California area call the individual forest for local information and regulations.

Rules governing the use of wood and open flame fires differ in Wilderness Areas. The Six Rivers shares management of four wilderness areas─the Siskiyou, Trinity Alps, Yolla-Bolly, and Marble Mountain—with nearby national forests, and has sole responsibility for managing both the Lassics and North Fork Wilderness. Before visiting these areas, find out what you need to know by visiting the Wilderness page.