Forest Service firewood permits, called forest products removal permits, cost $5 per cord for up to four cords.
The minimum cost of a permit is $20 for cutting up to four cords.
Here are some guidelines:
• Users must record how much wood they remove.
• The permit is administered and enforced jointly by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, according to the “general conditions” of the permit.
• The permit terminates at midnight of the date the permit was issued or when the quantity listed on the permit is reached, whichever comes first.
• Firewood must be processed in lengths of 24 inches or less before the permittee leaves the cutting area.
• Cutting of cedar is not allowed, nor is the use of a skidder or other heavy equipment.
The maximum number of cords a cutter can get per year is 10 for personal use.
The Forest Service has commercial use permits but is not issuing any at this time.
It is a federal misdemeanor to take or cut any wood, blown down or not, from outside the roadway area, with or without a permit.
The penalty is a maximum $5,000 fine, up to six months in jail and potential seizure of the woodcutter’s vehicle and chain saw.
A felony conviction is applied if the stolen wood is valued at more than $1,000 and carries increased fines and more jail time.
Most offenders pay $275 in “collateral forfeiture” to put the violation to rest without an admission of guilt — and without having to stand before a federal district court judge in Seattle to explain why they cut firewood without a permit, said John Klaasen, Forest Service patrol captain for law enforcement and investigations for Northwest Washington.
They rarely serve jail time.
It’s illegal to get a personal-use permit and sell the firewood.
The fine can range from $125 to a maximum of $5,000, Klaasen said. Most offenders pay $125.
If the value of the cut wood that the cutter intended to sell is valued at more than $500, the offender must make a federal court appearance.
Wood thieves can also be prosecuted under state law regarding first-, second- and third-degree theft.
It’s Forest Service policy not to release the names of offenders, Klaasen said.
Permits can be purchased year round from the Quilcene district office, 360-765-2200, and the Quinault district offices, 360-288-2525.
All regulations pertaining to the permit are included with the permit.
