Local News

Woodcutting Permits Available at Forest Service Offices

Apr 01, 2015

Beginning April 1, 2015, personal-use firewood cutting permits are available for purchase at Forest Service Offices in Okanogan, Tonasket and Winthrop.

“We’re opening the Methow Valley Ranger District a month earlier this year due to the low snow pack and associated early access to the Forest,” said Mike Liu, Methow Valley District Ranger.

“Cutting Western larch will still be prohibited until May 1 on the Methow Valley Ranger District though,” said Liu. “We implemented this restriction in response to so many woodcutters indicating confusion over whether western larch trees are dead or dormant. Waiting until the larch needles begin to show each spring helps to ensure that live trees aren’t mistaken for dead and harvested as firewood.”

The minimum purchase price for firewood permits remains $20 for four cords, with each cord costing $5. Each year, a household may purchase permits for up to 12 cords. One cord of wood measures four feet by four feet by eight feet.

Firewood gatherers are encouraged to check the forest website www.fs.usda.gov/goto/okawen/conditions, or contact the local ranger district for up-to-date road conditions or closure information.

Some consider spring or fall the best times to cut wood because the early and late seasons avoid cutting restrictions that may be in place associated with fire danger. In the springtime though, road conditions may vary throughout the day as temperatures change. So, in addition to a reminder that road conditions may change during time it takes to gather a load of wood, travelers are asked to avoid driving on slippery or muddy roads to help prevent rutting.

Firewood permits are good through December 31 in the calendar year they are purchased or until areas are no longer accessible.

For more information about the woodcutting program, please visit the forest website www.fs.usda.gov/main/okawen/passes-permits, or call the Ranger District offices in Tonasket 509-486-2186 or Winthrop 509-996-4003.