Can you take wood from forests

Forest Fire Management Victoria. Firewood collection in your region Find a firewood collection area Energy concession and support Sustainable firewood management.

Firewood collection in your region Firewood can be collected in State forests for home use in designated places at specific times. Our crews are working hard to assess storm impacts, however, there is a significant risk of falling trees, particularly with the wet and windy weather forecast over the coming days.

Check the Forest Fire Management Victoria website for general information and the Parks Victoria website for park, site, road and track closures visit VicRoads website for updates on public road closures; and download the VicEmergency app. Firewood can only be collected twice per year from State Forests at specified times and locations. Find maps for firewood collection areas. Remember you must wear a face covering when you leave home.

Some parts of Victoria will have modified domestic firewood collection rules in their areas due to the June storms and the need to ensure people can safely get, and collect firewood. Regular updates are being provided to affected communities as work progresses. FFMVic Chief Fire Officer is focused on enabling recovery efforts on roadside debris and Strategic Fire Network roads, ensuring they are first open for emergency vehicle use and then ensuring the legacy fire risk of debris situated on the ground is managed.

Of all the state parks we have visited, we have not found one that allows you to burn dead and down wood, except for that found inside of a developed campground.

Of the 16 states that hold trust lands, only 8 allow for recreational camping. Of the 8 states that allow for camping, only a few specifically address the issue of gathering firewood….

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Rules on Collecting Firewood for Camping views 0 August 8, A collection of wood gathered at Joshua Tree BLM South in California Rules on Collecting Firewood for Camping Most federal land management agencies are lenient when it comes to collecting firewood for your own personal campfire uses.

It also has rules that prohibit you from destroying plants… a On all public lands, unless otherwise authorized, no person shall; 2 Willfully deface, remove or destroy plants or their parts, soil, rocks or minerals, or cave resources, except as permitted under paragraph b or c of this paragraph; b Except on developed recreation sites and areas, or where otherwise prohibited and posted, it is permissible to collect from the public lands reasonable amounts of the following for noncommercial purposes: 5 Forest products for use in campfires on the public lands.

While it says you cannot destroy plants, we assume that to mean living plants and trees. We interpret all this to mean that you can cut down dead standing trees.

Rules for gathering firewood on developed recreation areas, national monuments, or wilderness areas will depend each specific area. Those rules are usually posted on a kiosk at the entrance, or you can inquire at a visitor center. Note that… Each national forest and national grassland is free to establish additional restrictions on gathering firewood.

You will have to inquire at a visitor center or ranger station to get all the specific restrictions. Some national forests will prohibit you from bringing in outside wood, and may require you to purchase firewood at authorized retail outlets, or will require you to gather dead and down wood. National Park Service The National Park Service will allow you to collect dead and down wood, but only in places that have been designated for firewood gathering.

Army Corps of Engineers The Army Corps of Engineers allows for the gathering of dead and down wood for use in campfires. That is, you cannot collect dead wood outside of a recreation area. Each recreation area will have a kiosk with a set of rules posted.

Thus, read the rules first. State Parks Of all the state parks we have visited, we have not found one that allows you to burn dead and down wood, except for that found inside of a developed campground. Most state parks do not even allow you to gather dead and down wood, let alone burn it.

If anything, they will allow you to gather and burn trash left behind by previous campers, such as pallets, cut lumber, and other wood refuse. You should inquire at a state park visitor center to find out what the regulations are. The problem would be if you take it to your cabin a few counties away, or if you stack it on the roadside for strangers to pick up and take it to who-knows-where. The short answer is that this is OK in some limited circumstances. These products are a good alternative to regular firewood, and generally speaking they are safe to move.

While this might seem reasonable. You should not be moving firewood far distances. There are simply too many unknowns.

What if a little chip of bark falls unnoticed onto the forest floor- and that chip contains invasive insect larvae? Or what if there is a sudden rainstorm, washing fungus spores off the wood, out of the back of your pickup, and into the grass? Even if you intend to burn all the wood completely, you still need to make sure it is local wood. The risks are simply too big. The best option is to burn it quickly, completely, and safely.

Make sure to also rake up any dropped leaves, bark, twigs or other debris and burn them as well. Do not leave it there, and do not bring it back to where it was from. This is not a good idea. Pest infestations can take years to be recognized by the authorities- sometimes trees appear perfectly healthy despite harboring harmful organisms.

By the time the tree looks sick, or the quarantine is announced, you could have spread the infestation to all your favorite campsites! Buy the wood as close to where you burn it as possible.

Visit our Map of Firewood Regulations to see what information we have for your state.