Special Forest Products: Firewood Permit
A permit is required to remove firewood from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. A Free Use permit is available for those who want firewood for personal use. Charge Use/Commercial permits may be available on a limited bases for individuals who wish to resell firewood. A firewood permit is intended for the gathering of firewood to be used by person holding the permit. Obtain a firewood permit by mail or phone from ranger district offices in Amboy, Trout Lake, and Randle Washington. *Note: Permits expire December 31 of the year purchased.
Only down wood may be gathered for a campfire without a permit. This camp firewood must be used on the Forest. (You must have a permit to remove firewood from the forest.) Do not cut live trees, standing dead trees, trees with signs, wildlife tags, blazes or with any evidence of wildlife habitation such as nests, or cavities.
Permit Application: Free-Use Firewood Permit Application (.pdf); Free-Use Firewood Permit Application (.docx)
Obtain a permit in person or by mail. To apply for a commercial/charge-use permit please contact your local ranger district office to learn about availability. When making plans to apply for a permit in person, please be sure to check our alerts page to ensure there are no temporary office closures.
Permit conditions & collection locations by district:
Cowlitz Valley Ranger District; Firewood Conditions & Roads List
Mt. Adams Ranger District & Mount St. Helens; Firewood Conditions & Roads List View MTA/MSH Roads Map (JPG)
Firewood Questions
The limit on the amount of firewood you can gather with a free, or charge use, permit is 6 cords per household, per year across the forest.
A personal use firewood permit is free. The cost of a charge use/commercial firewood permit is dependent on the amount you want to gather. The Charge Use Product Summary Table shows the price of a permit to gather firewood.
A permit may be obtained in person, by mail or phone from ranger district offices. Mt. Adams Ranger District/Mount St Helens area firewood permits are also available at multiple vendors.
District offices (call ahead hours vary)
Mount Adams Ranger District firewood permit vendors:
Home Valley Store
50151 Hwy. 14
Home Valley, WA 98648
509-427-4015
Wind River Market
11 Carson Frontage Road
Carson, WA 98610
509-427-5565
The permit and woodcutting load tickets must be in your possession when cutting firewood. The following equipment is also required at the cutting site when using a power saw:
- Saw: Exhaust system in good repair and a screen-type spark arrestor of 0.023" or less and qualified under USDA Forest Service Standards.
- Shovel: Long-handled round point with an 8" blade in possession of operator.
- Fire Extinguisher: Pressurized chemical of not less than 8-ounce capacity by weight and in possession of operator.
Check with the Ranger District Office nearest your destination for a list of areas currently open for firewood cutting.
There are several ways to obtain firewood. Check with the local Ranger District Office to determine how wood is marked or designated as allowable firewood.
Firewood can carry insects and diseases that can threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by obtaining your firewood near to where you will burn it. Currently, invasive emerald ash borer, Asian gypsy moth, sudden oak death, and thousand canker disease are not known to occur on the forest. However, invasive balsam wooly adelgid does occur and is widespread throughout Northwest. Several native insects live in down trees and some, like Ips pini and Douglas-fir bark beetles, can potentially affect nearby live trees. Wood that has been down for one year or more is usually safe from these pests.
Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further invasive species information and state regulations regarding firewood.
The Ranger District offices offer permits year-round. Forest Industrial Fire Protection Levels (IFPLs) regulate activities to reduce the chance of starting a forest fire and apply to firewood cutting. IFPLs are dependent on the weather and conditions in the woods. IFPLs can be determined by calling or visiting the local Forest Service office. IFPLs may change often so check with Forest Service Office nearest your cutting area on the day you will be cutting firewood.
Up to 6 cords of firewood on the forest per household for either a free use or charge/commercial use permit.
Each load ticket allows you to haul 1/2 (one-half) cord of wood. If your vehicle is large enough to allow you to transport more than 1/2 cord of wood, a load ticket must be attached for each 1/2 cord of wood hauled. This ticket must be marked to indicate the month and day of use, and be attached to the load when the vehicle is moved from the cutting site.
A standard, full cord of wood is a volume of 128 cubic feet, measured as a pile 8 feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. A full cord can weigh up to 5,000 pounds.
Small Pickup -- 1/4 ton
With or without racks this truck bed holds approximately 1/2 (one-half) cord of wood. One load ticket required.
Short Bed Pickup -- 1/2 ton
With or without racks this truck bed holds approximately 1/2 (one-half) cord of wood. One load ticket required.
Long Bed Pickup -- 1/2 or 3/4 ton
Without racks this truck bed holds approximately 1/2 (one-half) cord of wood. One load ticket required.
With racks this truck bed holds approximately 1 (one) cord of wood. Two load tickets required.
Standard Truck -- 1 ton
With high racks this truck bed holds approximately 1-1/2 (one and a half) cords of wood. Three load tickets required.
Please note that trucks may be overloaded when filled with wood. Check the owner's manual for your vehicle to see what load weights the truck can safely haul and make sure your vehicle is licensed for the weight you will be hauling.