We got hit with heavy snow in the foothills this week. So much that down trees have been a real problem blocking roads and hitting power lines. The last time I got a USFS permit was after a winter like this and it was easy pickings. Our local FS permits only allow cutting trees that are already down. Every time the news shows roads covered with down trees I get a little more excited.
Far out, Colorado is $20/cord. I swear it was $30 or $40 years ago. That and the cut zones were a few hours away, pita.
$20 and each permit allows 2 cords. 6 cord limit per household per year. Wood has to already be down and within 50ft of a road.
wow so the government charges ppl to cut up a tree laying across a road that is in everyone's way? I'm saddened and disgusted at the same time. they should pay you $20 for getting it out of the way. just my .02 hopefully you get some good wood though.
Understandably, you can see the abuse this "free" policy would get..... "Oh no, really! It WAS across the road!" $20 here will get you 4 cord. All the years I've been using it, I have never been checked one time . The permit is supposed to be kept up to date with the area and amounts of wood gathered. Dead and down only but I think it is 100' from the road. Also, restrictions of off road vehicles (ATV/UTV/etc) in gathering wood.
is there someone that checks how much wood you get? as long as someone is just cutting dead fall I would think they would be helping by picking it up. no ohv to help with wood? sounds like they charge you $20 just to punish you?
There is someone that can check you but also has other duties. I left the woods with a full load and the "tree cop" went by the same time I was pulling up to the highway. Perfect opportunity to check someone, right? He just kept going! Personally, I have never brought along another vehicle while making a load of wood. Just the truck, maul, saw/etc. I always end up carrying/rolling pieces to the truck.....but then I also pick the easier stuff!
This isn’t a road-clearing program, but it might be wildfire fuel load management. The fee defrays the cost of them monitoring for (and addressing) abuse. This sort of fee is very common (ranchers pay for grazing, for example, and oil companies pay for wells). They have Christmas tree cutting in some forests, too.
I think the US Forestry “patrol” may check. It’s usually done in good faith. What is done is the Forester may cut trees from the road if the road becomes blocked and dump them to the side. Just a lot of roads that have this problem in the snow time here but the permit usually helps you instead of not having one. Someone not having one will likely be in hotter water than someone with a permit and takes “too much”. The better definition is if you’re cutting down trees that aren’t already downed, then that’s abusing the system but hauling out any downed trees in good faith is what the FS is looking for. Permits are usually issued by locations that are roads far into the interior and always not by a main highway. So this isn’t intentionally hurting the public but since these roads are used by hunters or other outdoorsy folks then getting the odd tree out of the road would be a nice courtesy.
Yes they do, in fact my sweetie lives in Buckley (tiny town just located at the foothills of Mt Rainier) and they have a us forestry road that you can apply for a permit at $10. Hey beats buying at the tree stands. I couldn’t count the amount of those who were coming down the highway with one or two trees while her house is situated right there by the road and it was a busy holiday weekend as tree lightings were happening all over.
In the Prescott National Forest, my area, the cost of a permit varies according to the type of wood to be harvested. Dead and down wood is $5.00 a cord with a minimum 4 cord purchase at 20 dollars.
I get a permit to cut in the National Forest - around here it’s $20 for 6 cords or 18 truck loads in my Ranger. Forest is 10 minutes from my house. I’ve been checked one time in 20 years. Usually if I am vigilant I can find a downed tree right by the road. If the kids help I can have the truck loaded in about half an hour. Great deal all around in my opinion.
I’ve only been out there once, but it is beautiful country, and I’d like to go back. We swung through Paradise and then did the Olympic Peninsula. Most of my experience with federal land is in the Rockies and High Plains, although we do go to the national forest here a few times each summer.
I’m hoping to tour some of the East coast and I’m fine with it being in the winter time as well as Early Summer. There’s no way I could experience that all but hopefully do it when the Sugaring Off is in swing.
I live where bridges are tolled and some roads are tolled during rush hours. I cross the Tacoma Narrows bridge for work and get tolled for that. Bridge has been paid for and the tolls still get higher. That’s politics at work here and I’m not gonna get into that here but it’s not like they couldn’t allocate that for fixing roads or derelict overpasses and bridges. Other side to this? Beats the hell out of driving down a dirt road to which potholes would likely be the minuscule problem. Public land is public land, we have to choose whether or not we want to take care of it.
