Forest Product Permits
Forest Products are forest resources not associated with traditional timber products but are used for personal, commercial, and scientific purposes. Examples include firewood, Christmas trees, wildflowers, cones, poles, tree boughs, nuts and berries, mushrooms, ornamental cuttings, moss, and rocks.
Several forest products are available for harvesting on the Umatilla National Forest.
Available Permits
A firewood cutting permit and load tickets are required to cut, gather, and transport firewood on the Umatilla National Forest. The firewood cutting season runs from May 1 - November 30.
All National Forests in Oregon and Washington are now offering personal-use firewood free of charge. The maximum limit for personal-use firewood on the Umatilla National Forest is 12-cords-per-household-per-year. Individuals that require more than 12 cords, or those wanting to sell firewood, may purchase a commercial or “charge” firewood permit for $10 per cord with a $30 minimum permit. Charge permits can only be purchased through a Forest Service office. Those requiring more than twelve cords or want to harvest fuelwood to sell, may purchase a commercial firewood permit for $10 per cord ($100 minimum permit) at district offices.
Permits are also available at local vendors. A vendor fee of $2 may be added to the permit acquired through local businesses. A list of vendors is available below.
Note: Hot, dry weather conditions in late summer and early fall often trigger public use restrictions that restrict the time of day you can use a chainsaw or may prohibit chainsaw use altogether. To find out if restrictions are in effect, visit our Public Use Restrictions webpage or call toll-free at 1-877-958-9663.
Where to Get Permits
Firewood cutting permits are available at all Umatilla National Forest offices in Pendleton, Ukiah and Heppner, Oregon and Walla Walla, Pomeroy, and Clarkston, Washington. Permits are also available at several local businesses including:
Athena, OR Athena Convenience Store | Boardman, OR Ace Hardware | Dale, OR Dale Store |
Elgin, OR Elgin Food Town | Heppner, OR Heppner Mobil | Hermiston, OR Smitty's Outpost Ace Hardware |
Milton-Freewater, OR Zip Zone II | Pendleton, OR BiMart | Pilot Rock, OR J&D's Food Mart |
Tollgate, OR Tollgate Crossing Store | Spray, OR Lone Elk Market | Ukiah, OR Rhode's Supply |
Clarkston, WA Schurman's True Value Hells Canyon NRA Office | Dayton, WA The General Store | Pomeroy, WA Last Resort Pomeroy Food Center |
Where to Go
Not all lands on the National Forest are open to firewood cutting. Please consult the firewood map and guide to be sure you are following the conditions of your permit. Remember that not all land within the Forest is publicly owned. It is your responsibility to be certain you are not trespassing on private land. This firewood permit is for Umatilla National Forest lands only, and not for State, BLM or private lands.
Stump Diameter, Height, and Species Limitations
Dead or down trees less than 24 inches across the stump may be cut and removed for firewood. When cutting down a dead tree, the remaining standing stump should be no more than 12 inches high from the base of the tree. For identification information on the logs and trees in this area, see US Forest Service Field Guide for the Identification of Snags and Logs in the Interior Columbia River Basin.
Do not cut any live trees! *Exception for 2025: Dead or live Juniper up to 24 inches in diameter at stump height, may be cut anywhere on the Umatilla National Forest under the personal use firewood program. See the firewood guide for further information.
How to Tell if the Tree is Dead
Trees without any green needles may still be alive. Western Larch (tamarack) loses its needles in the fall and is still a live tree. A windblown tree may take several months or years to die. Do not cut the tree if it has any green needles and/or the inner bark, called the cambium, is green, wet, spongy, or light in color. To test a questionable dead tree before it is cut: peel away a small section of the bark and examine the thin cambium layer between the bark and the wood. A dead tree has no green needles, and the cambium is dry and is a dark color.
Validating the Load Ticket
After loading the firewood, completely remove the month and day on the colored load ticket, corresponding with the date the firewood is being removed. On the back of the load, firmly staple, nail, or tack one ticket for each 1/2 cord being transported. All load tickets must be clearly visible.
What is a Cord of Firewood?
One cord of firewood (stacked) measures four feet tall by four feet deep by eight feet long (4x4x8) which equals 128 cubic feet and weighs approximately 2,662 pounds. The average half-ton pickup can carry one-half of a cord of dry wood without overloading the vehicle. Remember to validate the firewood load tickets before leaving the cutting area.
Fire Requirements
Firewood cutters are required to have the following equipment while cutting and transporting firewood:
- Saw: Exhaust system in good repair. Screen-type spark arrestor of 0.023" mesh or less, qualified under US Forest Service standards.
- Shovel: Long-handled, round point with an eight inch blade.
- Fire extinguisher: Charged with pressurized chemical. Not less than eight ounce capacity by weight. Type ABC.
- Fire watch: A one-hour fire watch is required after shutting down the chainsaw.
This program provides people the opportunity to cut and haul post and pole materials for their own personal use, whether it is for building corrals, fences, or using them to landscape the yard.
Permits may be available at ranger district offices. Please check with the individual district office to find out when permits are available and if they sell on a specific day of the week. When requesting a permit, please keep in mind that not every district has a designated post/pole area. When individual districts have designated areas for personal-use post and pole removal, maps of the post and pole areas are provided with the permit.
Price
The price per linear foot for poles is $0.4 and the price per linear foot for posts is $0.08. The minimum permit purchase price is $20.00.
The maximum amount allowed to be cut per household per year is 2000 linear feet (combination of posts and poles).
If interested in a commercial use post/pole permit, please contact your local office.
Size and diameter limitations
Only live or dead lodgepole pine can be removed with this permit. Live lodgepole has a maximum cut diameter limit of 7". There is no cut diameter limit on dead lodgepole.
Cutting season
The post and pole cutting season begins on May 1 and closes November 30.
Equipment and access
All vehicles are restricted to established roads. Tractors, ATV, jammers, etc., are not allowed. Pickup bumper winches may be used as long as the leading end is suspended or hand carried to the road. Do not cut trees that have been marked with paint or tags.
Information needed on the permit
To purchase a permit the following information will be requested: name, mailing address, driver's license number, vehicle information (year, make, model, color, and license plate number of vehicle being used to haul poles), in addition to linear foot amount and area where you would prefer to harvest.
The Blue Mountain National Forests (the Umatilla, Wallowa-Whitman and Malheur) do not require a free-use permit for individuals harvesting "incidental amounts" of mushrooms. To be consistent with State laws, "incidental amounts" are defined as "possessing or transporting one gallon or less in Oregon and five gallons or less in Washington." Free-use mushrooms cannot be sold or bartered.
Annual Commercial Permits are also available. Annual Commercial Permits are valid for the calendar year and cost $100.00. As always, commercial mushroom picking is prohibited in wilderness areas.
*2025 Commercial Mushroom picking information and maps for the Heppner Ranger District and North Fork John Day Ranger District is available below.
Personal Use Mushroom Permits
A permit is not required to harvest, possess, or transport less than one gallon of mushrooms in Oregon or less than five gallons in Washington. Mushrooms harvested free of charge on national forests are not to be sold, bartered, or given away.
Commercial Permits
A Commercial Mushroom Permit is required if:
- You are 18 years or older and harvest mushrooms to sell, or;
- You harvest, possess, or transport more than one gallon of any kind of mushroom in Oregon or more than five gallons of any kind of mushroom in Washington.
A government-issued identification (ID) must be in the Permittee's possession while harvesting and transporting forest products. To purchase a permit, please contact your local office or send us an email including your photo ID.
Commercial Permit Rates
Consecutive-Day: $2.00 per day, minimum 10 days = $20.00 (Example: 14-day permit =$28.00)
Annual Permit (Valid January 1 through December 31): $100.00
Industrial Camping Permits
An Industrial Camping Permit is required if you set up camp on National Forest Lands while commercially picking mushrooms. Commercial pickers and buyers are prohibited from camping in developed campgrounds. Industrial Camping Permits are free and can be obtained at District Offices only. Check for local road closures and area conditions.
Where Should I Pick?
Some mushroom hunters are interested in harvesting within past prescribed burn or wildfire areas. Past prescribed burn locations are identified on an interactive prescribed fire map for the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests. To locate recent wildfires, please refer to the National Interagency Fire Center’s interactive wildfire map or contact the local National Forest you are interested in picking on. However, the public should be cautious when entering a recently burned area and be aware of increased hazards, particularly snags. Dead or dying trees that remain standing after a fire are unstable, especially in high winds. Temporary road and area closures may also still be in effect from last year's wildfires where unsafe conditions, such as hazard trees, are still being mitigated.
2025 South Zone Mushroom Picking
The Heppner Ranger District and North Fork John Day Ranger District experienced larger wildfire activity in 2024 and are anticipating large numbers of mushroom hunters (both commercial and recreational). Permits can be obtained in the following ways:
- Contact the North Fork John Day Ranger District at 541-427-3231 to set up an appointment.
- Visit the Heppner Ranger District on Tuesday or Wednesday.
- Email the Umatilla National Forest at sm.fs.umainquiries@usda.gov.
The following information is meant to increase your enjoyment and appreciation of huckleberry fields on the Umatilla National Forest. Please take a moment to learn about the rules, history, and culture of berry picking.
The Huckleberry
Twelve species of huckleberries grow in Washington and Oregon. They are often grouped into plants producing red or blue berries, and plants that produce berries in clusters or individually on the twig. The most sought-after huckleberry is the thin-leaved huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum). This species is renowned for its large, sweet, purple berries, occurring singly on the plant. The peak season for picking huckleberries occurs between July to October.
Harvest Regulations
Each harvester is allowed up to 1 gallon of berries per day or 3 gallons per year free of charge. We ask you only take what you need and would like to remind pickers that other creatures in the forest rely on these berries as a food source.
Commercial gathering of huckleberries is not permitted on the Umatilla National Forest.
Harvesting of berries is allowed on the majority of lands on the Forest. Wilderness Areas are closed to huckleberry harvesting.
Know Before You Go
- Always check weather conditions before heading out into the Forest.
- Be safety minded; think before doing.
- Carry extra water, clothing and a light "survival kit" with a flashlight, map, compass, whistle, matches and a first-aid kit.
- Inform someone where you are going and when you plan to return.
- Obey Forest regulations.
- Be careful with fire; always drown your fire dead out.
- Drive carefully. Forest roads are often narrow, winding and congested.
The holiday season is often time for families and friends to head to the woods to play in the snow and to cut the traditional family Christmas tree. Lifelong memories are built during these special times and the Umatilla National Forest is happy to help with any information gathering you'll need to make this trip a safe and enjoyable one.
2024 Christmas Tree Cutting Guide
Where can I buy a Christmas Tree Permit?
A Christmas Tree Permit can be purchased in person for $5.00. We ask that you limit permits to one per household, but you can purchase for neighbors, family and friends. Permits will go on sale November 15 and can be purchased at any Umatilla National Forest Office or at several local businesses. Permits may also be purchased online through recreation.gov (a processing fee may be applied). The local businesses include:
Athena, OR Athena Convenience | Boardman, OR Ace Hardware | Elgin, OR Elgin Food Town |
Heppner, OR Heppner Mobil | Hermiston, OR Smitty's Outpost Ace Hardware | Milton-Freewater, OR Zip Zone II |
Pendleton, OR D & B Supply BiMart | Pilot Rock, OR J&D's Food Mart | Tollgate, OR Tollgate Crossing Store |
Ukiah, OR Rhode's Supply | Clarkston, WA Schurman's True Value Hells Canyon NRA Office | Dayton, WA The General Store |
Kennewick, WA Sportsman's Warehouse | Pomeroy, WA Pomeroy Food Center | Walla Walla, WA Sportsman's Warehouse |
Where can you cut a Christmas Tree?
The Christmas Tree Cutting Program on the Umatilla National Forest remains simple and easy to follow. The Christmas tree permit is
valid on any Umatilla National Forest Ranger District land when accompanied by this brochure. Please follow these few simple rules:
- Clean up any trimmings or limbs.
- Leave stumps no higher than 10 inches. It is illegal to “top” a tree.
- Cut off any green limbs left on the stump (these can be used for decorating greens).
- The maximum height of tree to be cut is 14 feet tall.
- Do not cut in active timber sales or areas that have been planted with new trees.
- Do not cut on private land, in wilderness areas, designated campgrounds, or existing tree plantations.
- Do not cut trees within 200 feet of Bluewood or Spout Springs Ski Areas, summer home sites, Tollgate Work Center, or Forest Service Guard Stations.
- Christmas tree cutting in the Tollgate Area on the Walla Walla Ranger District can be challenging after December 1, when most Forest roads close for the winter. After Dec. 1, snowmobiling or snowshoeing will be your only access onto most roads off Hwy 204.
- Christmas tree cutting on the Pomeroy Ranger District is prohibited on Park and Cook Ridges, and in the Lick Creek area, including Sheep Creek, Cabin, Capehorn and Mud Springs ridges. You may encounter road closures during logging operations. Please abide by these closures.
Be prepared for Winter Weather!
- Dress appropriately in warm socks, boots, coats, hats & gloves
- Bring plenty of snacks and water
- Have supplies available to build a fire if necessary
- Make sure your vehicle is equipped for winter travel
- Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be home
Every Kid Outdoors Free Christmas Tree Permit
Get your free Christmas Tree permit! The Every Kid Outdoors program grants free access to fourth graders and family members to over 2,000 federal lands and waters for exploration and a free Christmas Tree permit. For more information on how to obtain your voucher, visit the Every Kid Outdoors pass webpage.
Inquire at your local district office about transplants and landscaping mineral permits. These items are free of charge at incidental use amounts.