Forest Products Industry (non Timber)

Firewood collection provides the opportunity to supplement or replace conventional energy sources. After purchasing a permit, you may cut and remove firewood from the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests for personal use home heating. Permits can be purchased online here or in person at ranger district offices, except Parks. Firewood permits are purchased in one cord increments for $5 per cord, with a minimum four (4) cord purchase ($20) per transaction. Ten cords per Permittee per year are allowed.

Forest Products should not be collected from active timber sale areas. Please contact your local ranger district office for active timber sale information. 

Harvesting Do's and Don'ts:

• Do CUT ONLY unmarked standing dead or down trees in areas open to fuelwood cutting.
• Do remember: For an evergreen tree to be considered dead, ALL needles must be red, brown, or absent.
• Do know: Stumps should be as close to the ground as possible or no more than 12 inches high.
• Do measure: Maximum length of wood removed will be less than 8 feet on pieces that are 9 inches or larger in diameter (measured at the large end).
• Don't cut standing dead trees which have bird cavities (holes) or nests, or wildlife tree signs.
• Don't cut trees marked with paint or signs.

Where can wood be harvested on the forest with a permit?

The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests are open to cutting and removing firewood, EXCEPT for the following areas which are closed to firewood collection:

• Within 100 feet of developed areas including campgrounds, picnic areas, recreation sites, and other buildings.
• Within 500 feet of the Snowy Range (WY HWY 130) and Battle Highway (WY HWY 70).
• Areas which are signed "No Woodcutting."
• Active timber sales or logging operations.
• Wilderness Areas, Research Natural Areas, and Special Interest Areas.
• Within 150 feet of live streams or lake shorelines.

In addition to the above locations, wood CANNOT be harvested within the following areas on the associated Ranger Districts:

• Laramie Ranger District:

  The entire Pole Mountain Area which includes Vedauwoo.

• Hahn's Peak/Bears Ears Ranger District:

  The Fish Creek Falls Recreation Area.

• Yampa Ranger District:

  Within 300 yards (approximately one-quarter mile) of the Bear Creek Road (Forest Road 900).

Important Note:

Privately owned lands and State in-holdings within the National Forest boundaries are closed to harvest. The boundaries between private/state lands and federal lands are not always marked. It is your responsibility to know where you are harvesting at all times.

Forest Stewardship Requirements

• Slash and unused vegetative material resulting from the permittee's activities shall be removed from roads and ditches and scattered in the surrounding landscape.
• All slash resulting from the permittee's activities must be lopped and scattered to lie less than 24 inches from the ground.
• During times of fire restrictions, you must have with you an approved fire extinguisher and a shovel available for firefighting. Any smoking should be done inside a closed vehicle or in an area cleared of flammable materials.
• The Permittee shall comply with fire requirements and current restrictions to prevent forest fires.
• Carry gasoline in an approved container equipped with a spout or use a funnel so that gasoline does not spill on the saw or ground.
• An approved, working spark arrester system is required on the chainsaw.
• Remove all trash and litter resulting from the permittee's activities, including oily rags, used oil filters, garbage and other debris when you leave the site.
• Do not fell trees onto roads, trails, or parking areas.
• Providing no resource damage will occur, motorized travel up to 300 feet from the centerline of open Forest Service Roads, as identified on the current Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM), is permitted for the purpose of gathering firewood.
• No mechanical equipment (including but not limited to yarders, skidders, winches, dozers, ATVs or UTVs) can be used to cut, yard, or load products.

Measuring and Transporting Firewood

• A standard cord is defined as 128 cubic feet of wood which is a tight stack of wood that measures 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet.
• The permit must be in the Permittee's possession while harvesting and transporting firewood.
• All load tags must have the month and day the firewood is being removed punched and displayed when the Permittee moves between collection areas or leaves a permit area. Load tickets must be securely attached to the load and visible from the rear of the vehicle. Failure to do so may result in a citation.

Dead Trees and Wildlife

When cutting firewood, be on the lookout for telltale signs of animal life in trees before you cut. Wildlife need dead, hollow or fallen trees for food and family homes. Nearly all wildlife species benefit from "animal inns" dead trees provide for food, nesting or shelter. The forest neighborhood changes, yet the way animals, plants and people depend on each other remains the same. Even as a tree dies, it continues to help sustain life to animal families and eventually to new plants and trees, and the cycle begins again. Please don't cut trees with: paint marks, wildlife signs, broken tops, trunk holes or visible nests, and any other trees prohibited by permit.