Forest Service Press Release
The deadline for free firewood permits is fast approaching. The Manti-La Sal National Forest began issuing free use firewood permits earlier this year and extended the deadline through Nov. 30. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, processing these permits can take upwards of a week.
All Manti-La Sal offices are currently closed to the public, with the majority of forest employees teleworking.
“In years past, people could walk into a district ranger office, request a wood-cutting permit and receive it right away,” explained Amanda Wilson, resource clerk for the Moab ranger district. “This year, because we are closed to visitors, permits are processed on Wednesdays, and then put in the mail, which is why the entire process can take up to a week.”
Wilson said she receives numerous phone calls from people who are outside the office, wanting permits.
“We realize that a lot of people come in when the temperature gets cooler, and want a permit right away, but we cannot accommodate that this year,” Wilson said. “We would like people to be aware that waiting until mid-October or later to request a firewood permit is a bad idea. You may not get the permit in the timeframe you want.”
All free use wood permits are for up to four cords of wood, per-household. The Forest is not limited in the amount of permits it can issue, so they will not run out.
To request a free use permit for the Manti-La Sal National Forest, please call the district you are planning to cut wood from. The contacts for the Districts are: Ferron/Price Ranger District (RD) at (435) 636-3580, Sanpete RD at (435) 636-3300, Moab RD at (435) 259-7155 or the Monticello RD at (435) 587-2041. Please leave a call back number and the Forest will call you back to get the required information needed for the permit.
To maintain COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, all permits will be mailed. Upon requesting a permit, please allow the Forest one week to get the permit sent out.
All rules associated with the permit will be the same as previous years when purchasing a fuelwood permit. As part of the permit, there will be maps of where not to harvest fuelwood and a diagram of an approximate cord. The person the permit is issued to must be present with the permit when cutting wood. It is required that the permit holder fill out the amount of cords collected until the four-cord permit is filled. Any changes will be posted on the Manti-La Sal National Forest website and Facebook page.