Forest Products
Permits are required for all commercial and certain individual activities that occur on the Forest. A list of the more common personal use permits are listed below. For further information or clarification on whether your activity falls under personal use or commercial use please contact your local forest service office.
Edible Material
No permit is required for recreational berry picking.
Depending on the year - Free Use and/or Commercial Use mushroom harvesting permits may be offered by the Forest. The mushroom season will vary somewhat with local weather and site conditions.
No permit is required for Incidental Use harvesting, up to five gallons per season (approximately 2 grocery bags).
Ornamental Permits - Incidental Free Use
10 bushels or less.
Less than 500 lbs. - about a pickup load.
Products such as snowberry, willows, dogwood, and beargrass. The approval of the Forest Botanist is required prior to permit issuance.
Less than 1000 lbs., about a pickup load. Usually, the request is for decorative uses such as landscape projects, furniture, railings and walking sticks. If near a stream, the forest Hydrologist or Fisheries Biologist needs to approve of prior to issuance.
Plant Permits - Incidental Free Use
Must be less than 2' in height and limited to 10 per permit. Seedlings cannot be removed from plantation stands unless approval is given by District personnel. Additionally, seedlings cannot be removed from recreation areas (campgrounds, picnic areas, or trailheads), riparian areas or from within areas that have been rehabilitated due to fire.
Mineral Permits
This rock collecting area, located up Burnt Creek Road past Gold Creek Campground on the Stevensville Ranger District, is generally open from April 1 through October 30 depending upon snow and road conditions. Material from this area is hard quartzite and its appearance is angular medium dark gray rock with moss. The size of the rock varies from 6" to 4'. Typical use of this rock is for landscaping, rock fence and fireplace. There is a minimum of 1 ton with a maximum of 10 tons per individual per year. There is no charge for the permit.
Permits are available at the Stevensville Ranger District and Darby Ranger District.
This rock collecting area, located 1-mile up Railroad Creek on the Darby Ranger District, is generally open from April 1 through October 30 depending upon snow and road conditions. Material from this area is hard quartzite and its appearance is angular medium dark gray rock with moss. The size of the rock varies from 6" to 4'. Typical use of this rock is for landscaping, rock fence and fireplace. There is a minimum 1 ton with a maximum of 10 tons per individual per year. There is no charge for the permit.
Permits are available at the Stevensville Ranger District, Darby Ranger District and the Bitterroot National Forest Supervisor's Office.
Railroad Creek Community Rock Source
Railroad Creek Community Rock Source map
Woody Material
Personal use firewood permits are currently free. Firewood permits are available year-round with a new permit season starting Jan. 1st of each year.
General Firewood Permit Information
Keep your permit on the dashboard of your vehicle where it is visible through the windshield. Travel together when hauling wood in more than one vehicle for the same permit. To cut firewood for someone else (third party), authorization must be approved when purchasing the permit. A lost or stolen permit cannot be replaced.
Where can I cut?
Check with your nearest Forest Service office to find out if there are areas specifically designated for firewood cutting. If there are none, you can cut anywhere on the Forest with the following exceptions:
Private Property: Privately owned lands within the National Forests are often marked by signs and fences. Refer to your Forest map to be sure you are not cutting on private land.
Active Timber Sale: Timber sales are usually marked with a sign or painted trees. Please don't cut anything in these areas.
What can I cut?
Only dead or down trees can be cut for firewood. Before you cut a tree, be sure it is dead. Check to see there are no green needles left. You can cut any dead standing or down tree for firewood with the exception of cedar. Cedar is marketable timber for fences and shakes but is not suitable for firewood.
Larch: Be careful when cutting larch (tamarack) trees. These trees lose their needles each fall, but are still alive. Look on the ground to see if needles have recently fallen. Check to see if the bark is tight. If it is, the tree is probably alive.
Wildlife trees: Standing and down dead trees (snags)provide a source of food, nests, perches, and protective cover for many birds and mammals in the forest. Please don't cut trees with paint marks or signs, broken tops, trunk holes or visible nests.
Help protect
Please help us protect water quality and fish habitat. Avoid cutting, piling, or gathering firewood near any stream, pond, lake, marshy or wet area. Check your wood cutting permit for guidance on specific distances.
The Best Firewood
Some trees burn hotter than others. The list below shows common types of trees in our area and their heat values in BTUs (British Thermal Units). A higher value indicates more heat.
| Tree | BTU's |
| Western Larch | 22.3 |
| Douglas Fir (Red Fir) | 20.6 |
| Lodgepole Pine | 17.5 |
| Ponderosa Pine (Yellow Pine) | 17.1 |
| Grand Fir (White Fir) | 16.7 |
| Spruce | 15.0 |
| Subalpine Fire | 13.6 |
Measuring and hauling firewood
Firewood is commonly measured in cords. A standard cord is the amount of tightly piled wood in a stack 4 feet wide and 4 feet high by 8 feet long. Hauling firewood in lengths greater than 6 feet must be approved first in writing at a Forest Service office.
Chainsaw and fire safety
- As a chainsaw operator, you must have a serviceable fire extinguisher (8 oz. liquid chemical or 1 lb. dry chemical) and shovel available at all times.
- Your saw must be equipped with an approved spark arrestor.
- You can avoid starting a fire with your chainsaw by following these commonsense rules:
- Keep the saw well away from cigarettes or open flame when adjusting or fueling the saw.
- Let your saw cool for at least 5 minutes before refueling.
- Carry your gas in a metal safety can equipped with a spout. Use a funnel to avoid spilling gasoline on the ground.
- Before starting your saw, move it from the place where it was fueled and away from gasoline vapors. Also, remove oil and sawdust from all metal parts.
- You must carry a shovel and a bucket when traveling through or on National Forest lands during fire season.
- Contact your nearest Forest Service office for information concerning local fire danger and chainsaw use restrictions.
- Be aware of the dangers when cutting near or along roads.
Before you go...
Please leave your wood cutting area clean. Scatter debris away from roads, culverts and ditches. Pack your garbage out with you.
Post and Pole permits are for personal use only. Currently there are four post and pole areas on the forest; Ambrose area on the Stevensville Ranger District, the Mine Road and 75 Road areas on the Darby Ranger District, and the Gibbons Pass area on the Sula Ranger District. See the area maps listed below for locations.
Only live lodgepole pine trees less than 6 inches in diameter at 4 1/2 feet from the ground level may be cut. Interested individuals are encouraged to view the areas first before purchasing a permit. Permits are non-refundable and available only at the Stevensville or Darby Ranger Districts.
Permits are available June 15th thru September 30th.
Christmas Tree Permits will be available to purchase online through Recreation.gov or at your local Forest Service office from mid-November thru the end of December. Permits for a Christmas Tree are $5/tree, with a service fee charged if you purchase online. There is a maximum purchase of three (3) permits per individual.
Permits can be picked up in person at any of the following offices: Stevensville Ranger District, Darby Ranger District, West Fork Ranger District, and at the Bitterroot National Forest Supervisor's Office.