Forest Product Permits
Types of permits available for the Coronado National Forest
The minimum charge for a firewood permit is $20. Depending on the location and availability, for $20 you can select up to 10 cords of softwood or hardwood ($2/cord). The dates listed in the table below are subject to change depending on conditions and availability of wood. We recommend you contact your local district office before traveling to buy your permit.
* Please leave a voicemail for all fuelwood permit sales.
| District | Dates available | Open Office Hours | Phone Numbers | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas | from the 3rd Tuesday in October until February 28 | Monday, Wednesday, and Friday From 10 am to 2 pm | (520) 843-2955 | Douglas Ranger District Fuelwood Permit |
| Nogales | from the 3rd Tuesday in October until February 28 | Monday - Friday | (520) 761-6000 | Nogales Ranger District Fuelwood Permit |
| Safford | Year-round | Monday - Friday | (928) 428-4150 | Safford Ranger District Fuelwood Permits |
| Santa Catalina | from the 3rd Tuesday in October until January 20 | Monday - Friday | (520) 749-8700 | Santa Catalina Ranger District Fuelwood Permit |
| Sierra Vista | from the 3rd Tuesday in October until February 28 | Monday, Wednesday, and Friday | (520) 378-0311 | Sierra Vista Ranger District Fuelwood Permit |
What is a cord?
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.
Fuelwood measure guide
Small pickup truck — ¼ ton
With or without racks, this truck bed holds approximately ½ cord of wood.
Short bed pickup truck — ½ ton
With or without racks, this truck bed holds approximately ½ cord of wood.
Long bed pickup truck — ½ or ¾ ton
Without racks, this truck bed holds approximately ½ cord of wood.
With racks, this truck bed holds approximately 1 cord of wood.
Standard truck — 1 ton
With high racks, this truck bed holds approximately 1½ cords of wood.
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.
Christmas tree harvesting is permitted on the Douglas and Sierra Vista Ranger Districts. Christmas tree permits are $10 and are available for sale starting the week before Thanksgiving for the Douglas Ranger District and the day after Thanksgiving for Sierra Vista Ranger District. Harvesting of Christmas trees begins for both districts the day after Thanksgiving.
We recommend contacting the district office regarding conditions, availability, regulations, and costs before traveling to purchase your permit.
Some forest product collection is considered incidental and therefore does not require a permit. Please review our comprehensive guide to Incidental Use. If the forest product you are interested in collecting does not fall under incidental use, you must have a permit before collecting.
Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) skeletons are prohibited from collection through Research Study Permits, Forest Products Permits, incidental use, or any other means on Coronado National Forest lands.
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To request a forest product permit, please contact your local Ranger District Office.
In your request, make sure to include the following information:
- The product that you would like to collect
- The approximate quantity (if you are unsure, use the maximum you think you would collect)
- The approximate location
- What the product will be used for (commercial use or personal use)
Typical requests take about 2-3 weeks to review; however, more complex requests can take up to several months depending on the availability of our specialists. Please send in your requests with plenty of lead time to ensure we can review them before your desired collection period.