What states have cutting permits?

[flashpuppy]

I see an awful lot of mention of cutting permits. What states have them? How much do they cost? Do you have to be a resident?

 

[rob206]

Michigan. 20 bucks for state, 20 bucks for federal.

 

[TreePointer]

Pennsylvania.

$10/cord for state parks. Resident or non-resident = same price.

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findinfo/prices_miscellaneous.aspx

(I don't have any experience using one.)

 

[MJR]

NY $15 a cord.

 

[Billy_Bob]

Basically firewood permits are issued by then entity which "owns" the land.

This could be the U.S. Forest Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture), BLM (U.S. Bureau of Land Management), Army Corps of Engineers, State, or a private land owner.

Ask around.

They may or may not issue permits for firewood depending on if there is wood available, if there is snow and you can't get up there, if it is fire season and they don't want anyone in the area operating chainsaws (sparks from the exhaust of these can cause fires), etc.

So ask if they *ever* issue firewood permits and are just not doing so at this time.

In my area of Oregon, the firewood permits are only for trees which are "already down" and only in specific areas / piles of wood.

 

[Dalmatian90]

CT State Land: $30/cord, 2 or 4 cord permits. http://www.ct.gov/dEP/cwp/view.asp?a=2697&q=429464&depNav_GID=1631

Talk about holy googles while verifying that:

http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/stimulus/forest_service_application_heating_assitance_foresters.pdf

It's an application by CT DEP under the Stimulus bill for 2 foresters for 2 years to mark firewood due to "extraordinary demand." To the tune of $270,000.

Even using their "it might be" demand of 4,000/cords per year (compared to about 2,000 in '09 and 510 in in '06), that math puts it at $33.75/cord just to mark the trees.

You'd think they could afford the staff already since they charge $30/cord for a permit now without federal money.

=========
BTW, in Connecticut's case (from my observations of marked lots), it's not dead wood but instead thinnings of trees that won't grow to make good timber.

 

[Dalmatian90]

Continue my vent a bit, I guess the $33.75 would also include time to meet with the permit holder to make sure they know where it is and the ground rules (like not cutting when you'll rut up the woods roads).

But the point is, a program like this could pay for itself without this silly pay-taxes-to-Washington-then-ask-for-mother-may-I grants to get it back.

Had a college professor who was the CT Commissioner of Agriculture in the 70s or early 80s who would go off on tangents about the inefficiency of trying to run a state agency.

I know CT DEP already complains they could sell twice as much timber, and turn a profit, if they could hire more foresters.

But they're not legally allowed to run programs like timber and firewood as "enterprise accounts" which pay for their own staff and expenses. Any money they collect has to go to the General Fund, and then the Legislature & Governor get to spend it as they see fit, which very likely isn't re-investing back into forestry operations.

 

[Chris Crouse]

Colorado has them and the rules and price varies from forest to forest. Now we have rampant pine beetle problems. Last year I wanted to get a permit for the forest closest to my house and it was August before the rangers finally designated an area to cut at. They are slammed with working on the beetle problem and it really delayed the firewood permit stuff. I even asked if I could volunteer to help and was rejected!

 

[olyman]

i dont know that iowa has them, but if you go on state or fed--you have to ask the caretaker of it. problem is, they have a bunch of drip nerds--that only like the wood for their own use--so they just tell you it aint allowed as its cover for wildlife---i found this out by asking, and losing my humor over it--

 

[mtngun]

Idaho state land permit $10 for 2 cords, and valid only for 30 days. And it's only valid for a specific parcel, and the forester has to approve that particular parcel, and you have to stay away from commercial logging activity, and you can't cut wood when the roads are muddy, or when the fire danger is high. And so on.

Basically, it costs the state more than $10 to administer a firewood permit, so they consider us a nuisance. They'd rather spend their time working on commercial sales.

I try to buy the permits, just so I can have a clear conscience. Most people don't bother.

 

[alderman]

Oregon

$10 for 2 cord 5 permits per year

 

[matt9923]

CT State Land: $30/cord, 2 or 4 cord permits. http://www.ct.gov/dEP/cwp/view.asp?a=2697&q=429464&depNav_GID=1631

Talk about holy googles while verifying that:

http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/stimulus/forest_service_application_heating_assitance_foresters.pdf

It's an application by CT DEP under the Stimulus bill for 2 foresters for 2 years to mark firewood due to "extraordinary demand." To the tune of $270,000.

Even using their "it might be" demand of 4,000/cords per year (compared to about 2,000 in '09 and 510 in in '06), that math puts it at $33.75/cord just to mark the trees.

You'd think they could afford the staff already since they charge $30/cord for a permit now without federal money.

=========
BTW, in Connecticut's case (from my observations of marked lots), it's not dead wood but instead thinnings of trees that won't grow to make good timber.

you pay this? even on private property?

 

[Steve NW WI]

Here, there may be state land permits, but all I've heard of are the county forest permits, which I believe are $5/cord with a 10 cord limit, personal use only. I do most of my cutting on my own land, and the rest on other's private property, so I've never checked it out, plus most of the county forest land here is 15+ miles one way.

If Stang302 is around, I believe he was cutting on permits lately, and he can correct me if the numbers aren't right.

 

[ts39136]

Idaho state land permit $10 for 2 cords, and valid only for 30 days. And it's only valid for a specific parcel, and the forester has to approve that particular parcel, and you have to stay away from commercial logging activity, and you can't cut wood when the roads are muddy, or when the fire danger is high. And so on.

Basically, it costs the state more than $10 to administer a firewood permit, so they consider us a nuisance. They'd rather spend their time working on commercial sales.

I try to buy the permits, just so I can have a clear conscience. Most people don't bother.

Also in Idaho, BLM and Forest service is $4.25 per cord. Designated as "personal use", max 8 cord per household. They have other permits for poles, live trees, lumber, etc.

 

[whitemountain]

Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming Forest Service Permits are $5/cord with four cord minimum. The permit is good for a specified time (usually 90 or so days). 10 cord maximum per household. I've not cut on BLM or other land, so cannot comment on such.

 

[Dalmatian90]

you pay this? even on private property?

Um, state land is sort of incompatible with simultaneously being private property.

 

[STANG302]

Here, there may be state land permits, but all I've heard of are the county forest permits, which I believe are $5/cord with a 10 cord limit, personal use only. I do most of my cutting on my own land, and the rest on other's private property, so I've never checked it out, plus most of the county forest land here is 15+ miles one way.

If Stang302 is around, I believe he was cutting on permits lately, and he can correct me if the numbers aren't right.

Yes, I was cutting up in the barrons near Grantsburg, WI. For sandy jack pine country there's allot of nice oak up there!

It is a drive to get wood. But I am able to haul 3-4 cords in one shot so it works out pretty good.