And to think when I used permits many moons ago, they were free... 2016 fuelwood permits now available from the DNR The beginning of April marked the start of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ 2016 fuelwood season. The personal-use permits can be purchased any time now through Dec. 31, 2016, in person or by mail. The permits are good for 90 days from the date of purchase. The mail-in order forms are available online at the DNR’s website, www.michigan.gov/fuelwood. Debbie Begalle, acting DNR Forest Resources Division chief, reminds people who are looking for alternative home-heating options that fuelwood permits are a good value for those willing to put in some work to gather wood. “We keep our permits affordable and easy to access for the folks who rely on using wood to heat their homes,” she said. Permits cost $20 and are for use on designated state forest land in the northern two-thirds of the state and allow for collection of up to five standard cords of wood per household. Fuelwood collected with the permit can be used for personal use only and cannot be resold or traded. Begalle suggests people contact their local DNR office to determine what areas are available this year for wood collection, then follow up with a visit to the site before purchasing a permit. “The quantity and quality of dead and down wood varies by location,” she said. “We only sell one permit per household, so we really encourage people to visit potential collection areas before purchasing a permit to ensure wood is available.” The DNR issues between 2,500 and 3,500 each year. For further information on how and where to purchase a personal-use fuelwood permit, contact a local DNR office or visit www.michigan.gov/fuelwood.
I've bought them before but it's getting more difficult to use them. The no more than 200' off the road rule is a tough one! I used to use the ORV trails which increased the odds of finding good stuff. Living in one of the areas would make the permits a much better idea for me.
I've checked that out before, to bad there's nothing around here, not worth driving up North when I can only haul a half a cord in my trailer
$20 for 5 cord seems near free IMO Especially if within 20 to 30 miles What's a cord (real 128 cf cord) sell for in your area? I'm 15 mi from the state cutting area here & Pay $10/cord (max 10 cord per household) Can get almost a cord per trip
We have something similar here in Virginia except that it's national forest land, $20 for 18 truck loads since I have a 6 foot bed. Would be 12 loads for a full size bed. I live 10 minutes from national forest land and it gives me a great excuse to spend a few hours in the woods! Permit is only for dead or down trees and you can get fined pretty hard if they catch you cutting green - not that I would but I have heard from others who broke the rules! This is my main source of wood, if you are opportunistic and have time, like after a thunderstorm, you can get a lot of wood right by the road when trees blow over. I have several forestry roads that I check often - I hate to let an opportunity for easy wood pass!
What about the state land near Holly, Ortonville and Metamora? How far are they? Or maybe there are no permits in those areas?
True - but just Saturday I cut a log RIGHT beside the road, cut, split into quarters, and throw on the truck. Still work but about as easy as this work gets! I've also cut trees that took me hours to haul out of the woods!
Maybe possible if I got a hold of the right people . Been camping out in Metamora a few times , don't know who owns what land but between here and there , I see tons of dead wood
