Any Free Wood from State or National Forests?

Can anyone please tell me if national forests or any state forests have any programs for giving downed trees away? I don't think Massachusetts allows this.

Thanks.

Most National Forests have a permit you can purchase. I buy one every year for $20 and it's good for one calendar year. I believe they limit you to 4-5 cords but I have never been stopped or questioned by any Forest Service personnel. I'm located near a Wilderness Area so that is off limits. They also have some research areas that are off limits. Other than that, it's "down and dead"--anything on the ground is fair game. "Standing dead" is actually off limits. Contact the closest US Forest Service regional office/headquarters and see what they say. Hope this helps.

I have been told (via the grape vine) that if you get in touch with the rangers at the parks in mass that they can give make arrangements with you to remove wood for burning.

Thank you. I'll seek out my nearest ranger.

Some rangers have been known to flag standing wood to be culled.

I got a couple cords of wood from one of the state parks here in MI a couple years ago. Seems they went through in the winter and cut down a bunch of Oak and left it in piles. No permits or anything involved, they just left the gates open until all of the piles were gone throughout the entire campground. Didn't take long though and I make sure to drive by this campground every Feb/March to check for more.

+1

I usually try and get my free permit every year...They allow cutting of 'only' hedge and locust, plus any dead or downed trees, but free wood within a dozen miles of my house...not too bad. I just try and keep a lid on the info so the woods don't get picked clean! (You're not around Kansas are you?!?!)

I'm in Lawrence, Kansas too. But will keep this info just between you and me.

What a great day! Got a call from the wildlife area that basically surrounds my house, and they are sending a free permit and map to where I can cut, they want the hedge cut out! . And a friend called me back about his hedgerow that he needed cleaned out, and as we talked he decided he needed a field full of hedge cleared. If this works out this spring, I could get a year or 2 ahead, and with hedge, the best wood you can burn in this area.

Does anyone know if they have this type of thing in Ontario? Guess I should just do some research %-P

It’s not going to help the original poster (to far away) but maybe there is someone on this board that lives near me (south central PA) that might want to take advantage of this. I know it says $15.00 per cord but if it’s like other state programs that I’ve seen there is no way for them to know if you got 2 pickup loads or 10. Even if you paid the $15.00 per cord it's still way cheap and it says “easily accessible”. It sounds like the trees will already be downed and in my area it is almost exclusively oaks that the gypsy moths go after. Read the 1/5/2009 advisory at this link:

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/kingsgap.aspx


Ron

Funny thing, as I drive around here lately I've had thoughts along the same lines... I can't find anything on the Mass state parks website about wood cutting. I think I may just have to try stopping by and asking the staff at each park directly - perhaps they have the authority (or will simply take the authority) to allow some gathering to happen. Seems like a waste to let these trees rot on the ground... but then again, I bet they do provide habitat for some critters or other.

Slow- Check with the Mass Department of Environmental Protection. In Connecticut the Forestry department falls under the DEP.

Good luck!

when you cut at these national forrest, would you be resonsible to haul off all the branches?

I guess you could but around here they only require you to make slash piles which they burn at a later date. In the mean time it provides some shelter for small animals. Taking the branches would count towards your allotted permit though.

Pretty much the same here, Roac. When cutting in the state forests the DEP wants you to leave the tops in brush piles to serve as wildlife habitat.

Josh

They used to, but I haven't been in 25 years. (Freetown state forest)
Last time I went for a permit there were so many people wanting thier two cords (that was the limit per person) they had a lottery.
People were <animals> cutting what they weren't supposed to, driving where they weren't supposed to, etc.
Rule was to spread the branches out, no piles. They disappear quicker that way.

Local rules must be different. In the Olympic National Forest you may only cut wood that is in the road or in the ditch. Absolutely nothing - live, dead, down, standing - in any stand of trees.

"How to obtain a Special Forest Product Permit: Special forest product permits are available by appointment only. Firewood permits for personal use are subject to the availability of firewood and are also issued on an appointment only basis. Contact the closest District office where you would like to obtain the special forest product."


Looks like you can get firewood in your forest but it looks like it is a lot harder. The only variation around here in cutting permits is the price, anywhere from $5 to $12.50 a cord. I have 4 different National Forests to choose from and one BLM area.

Here is the page I got that quote from.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/olympic/passes/

I did some goggle searching on New York State permits for firewood... all I found was this - applies to Chenango, Madison, Broome, Cayuga, Cortland, Oswego, Tioga and Tompkins Counties
http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/50141.html

I did not find anything else, yet