So? Cutting in Yellow River Forest? Where do you get the permit? I've not heard of this before? Interesting.
Yup I experienced that at the quarry with a couple of trees. Most of them i drove rt up to but theres been a few that i had to go 40-50 yds and the wheelbarrowing was tough
I've been using a Gorilla Cart in the woods when I can't get my truck close enough. I also use it to bring splits into the house to load my firewood bin near the wood stove. My bin near the wood stove holds a day+ of wood to heat the home in January. The Gorilla Cart works a lot better than just hand carrying the cuts in the woods. I do clear a path free of sticks and rocks so that it rolls better. The best thing, for me, is to get my pickup as close as possible to the felled tree.
My understanding is all or almost all Iowa State Forests will sell a firewood cutting permit and the rules vary. Some forests mark trees to be thinned and the permit is issued for that area and those marked trees. Yellow River issues a general downed wood permit with the best places to gather wood being harvest and thinning cuts. I purchase my permit at the saw mill office on work days around the lunch hour. You could call the saw mill to arrange purchasing a firewood permit at a different schedule. YRSF closes the gravel roads every winter when they are icy or used for snowmobiles. Summer closures can occur from washouts until repairs are completed. YRSF is in a "cold pocket" and even light snow like recently can make the gravel road descents too icy for bringing out a load of firewood.