Forest Products Industry (non Timber)

Fuelwood Permits

Personal Fuelwood Permits are available to purchase from May 15 - Nov. 30, 2025.

• There is a 4-cord minimum purchase for the personal use fuelwood permits. The minimum permit is $25.00 ($6.25 per cord). You can buy up to 10 cords per household per year. The personal use fuelwood permit is for your own personal use. The person gathering the fuelwood must be present to purchase and sign for the permit, tags and fuelwood brochure.
• With your fuelwood permit purchase, you will receive the permit, load tickets (in 1/4 cord increments), and a Boise, Sawtooth or Payette National Forest fuelwood brochure to assist you in locating an appropriate area.
• Permits can be purchased at our Ranger District Offices, Interagency Visitor Center in Boise, and at the following private vendors:
  • Idaho City Grocery, Idaho City     208-392-4426
  • Anderson Hardware & Supply, Idaho City     208-392-2271
  • B&W Fuels, Emmett     208-365-2291
  • East Cleveland Beverage, Caldwell     208-459-6442
  • Horseshoe Hardware, Horseshoe Bend     208-793-2214
  • Garden Valley Market, Garden Valley     208-462-3817

Rules & Regulations

Upon purchase of your fuelwood permit, you will be given a brochure with all rules and regulations that must be adhered to. Please take the time to read and understand all rules and regulations within the brochure. Highlights include:

• All Forest Service travel restrictions apply. Refer to the Motor Vehicles Use Maps (MVUM) for routes open to motorized vehicles, including seasonal restrictions.
• Only dead and downed timber can be harvested. No cutting of standing live trees.
• Fuelwood cutting is not allowed within 300 feet on both sides of a perennial stream (stream with year-round water), nor within 100 feet on both sides of an intermittent stream (steam without year-round water, such as dry creek beds).
• Regulations prohibit the cutting of dead or living Whitebark pine trees due to that species decline.
• Larch (Tamarack) are not to be cut starting Nov. 1. Larch lose their needles every fall and appear to be dead, resulting in too many live trees being accidentally cut.
• All fuelwood cutting is prohibited within riparian areas (adjacent to creeks and rivers).
• Fuelwood permits are valid within the Boise, Payette and Sawtooth National Forests. For information about fuelwood cutting on surrounding National Forests, please contact them directly.

Georeferenced maps for use on the Avenza smartphone app:

2025 Boise National Forest Fuelwood Map - North Zone

2025 Boise National Forest Fuelwood Map - South Zone

Christmas Tree Permits

Christmas Tree cutting permits go on sale in November and are available for purchase online, at our Ranger District offices, and at several area business vendors. We will have updated information posted here in early November 2025.