Well it just goes to show you, we should never take anything for granted. We have a local timber company here in town that has always allowed anyone who respects the owners wishes to cut all the wood they could ever cut. The permits didn't , haven't ever cost a dime, nothing. Both my brothers and i have cut wood on the company property for a combined 30 yrs and my dad and us boys cut wood on the same company property for over 30 years as well. We were even allowed to ''find'' stands of maple, alder, and just give the guys the location and we were able to fall the trees, clean up the mess and really get some of the very best of the best wood. We as 4 familys never abused the privilege we had. Respected the owners concerns and did it their way, always. Fast forward the year 2019, it started coming to a halt. Fewer and fewer wood permits, less and less wood. I cut some really nice wood back then, got it early, beautiful fir, maple, alder. Split it, stacked it, covered it when it started raining. Here comes 2020, very few wood permits, 2021 NO MORE WOOD PERMITS, period!! Its a done deal, now they let a guy go out, cut dump truck loads, and then he'll sell it by the truck load, to who ever wants to buy it. Not sure the price, but, you have to have a place to dump it. I don't. Nothing i like anymore than going out, summer, winter, spring, and fall than cutting wood, at my speed, i'm retired, and taking my time, getting some great wood. But, no more. Its too bad i hate to see it come to an end so abruptly, but, it did. So, the end result is don't take being able to get all the wood, anytime you want, almost where ever you want for granted. It can come to a screeching halt at any time. TRUST ME ON THIS! And, you'd better enjoy it all you can, savor those fun times, in the mud, in the snow, heat, etc. Enjoy it, because it could come to a halt. Its sad it had to come to this, but, people dumping junk cars, garbage, abusing property, stealing saw logs for firewood, all this adds up and now, no more wood cutting, sad, very sad.
Sorry to hear this is happening. We are finding that wood left on the ground after a logging show has finished is getting scarcer. We have to go farther a field to find it.
2020 the USFS did not issue any permits for firewood here either. The difference is, gathering was not prohibited. The only reason the permits were not issued is because all the offices were closed!
If you are going to cut a LOT of firewood, you need access to a LOT of wood. I am good friends with loggers and follow them from job to job cleaning up the refuse on log landings. Got pretty much what I need right now for this season. Pretty much cleaned this place up.
yooperdave I saw weather forecast for the UP and was thinking of you and others in that part of the country, looks like super cold weather coming your way. You be burning a lot of firewood!
B.Brown ........... 'misery loves company" The same thing happened around these parts quite some time ago. All the land owing timber companies no longer allow the cutting of wood on any of their lands. In their defense, it is their choice, right? I can't remember where your location is as I have already asked you once, but perhaps the USFS has lands you can utilize? Worth a try, no?
Just my humble opinion, but, this could come back to bite the big timber company's, bugs, disease could decimate the timber area's if the wood from the logging sites are allowed to lay on the ground and grow all kinds of bad stuff. Not wishing anything on any's property, but, good clean up practices in the woods never hurt anyone. The loggers around here are really good at it, i know some owners personally. When Don leaves the job site, it looks like a football field, some ''leave lay'' logs for the bugs and small animals, but, generally its as neat as a pin. And, it gets planted back within a couple of weeks of them leaving the area. I complemented him on how good of a job he and his son's/crew does the job. He and his son's are good loggers and even better men.
