WILLIAMS, Ariz. — The Kaibab National Forest will offer firewood cutting permits for the 2018 firewood season beginning April 16 for the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts and May 1 for the North Kaibab Ranger District.
The minimum cost for a personal use firewood permit is $20. Firewood cutting permits can be purchased at the following locations and during the specified hours Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays:
- North Kaibab Ranger District, 430 S. Main St., Fredonia; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; (928) 643-7395
- Williams Ranger District, 742 S. Clover Road, Williams; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; (928) 635-5600
- Tusayan Ranger District, 176 Lincoln Log Loop, Tusayan; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; (928) 638-2443
The 2018 firewood cutting season runs from April 16 to Dec. 31 for the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts and from May 1 to Nov. 30 for the North Kaibab Ranger District.
Besides the paid, personal-use firewood permits, free-use permits may also be available for specific areas on the forest. Individuals seeking such permits should check with the appropriate ranger district office for availability, locations and other information. Those interested in free-use permits are also encouraged to check in periodically with the appropriate ranger district office throughout the firewood season, as additional free-use areas may be opened for public use.
It is important that a permit be acquired even for free-use areas because by tracking public demand for the various kinds of permits, the amount of wood removed, and other factors, forest managers are better able to plan for the future needs of firewood collectors and provide greater opportunities for accessing these important resources. Firewood from the Kaibab National Forest is frequently used by local community and tribal members for home heating, cooking and other critical purposes.
“We consider our firewood cutters to be partners in our forest restoration efforts. We have a lot of dead and down trees as well as small-diameter trees that firewood cutters help us remove. This improves overall forest health and reduces the threat of unnaturally severe wildfire,” Samantha Flores, timber staff officer for the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts said. “We ask our firewood cutting partners to always get a permit for any wood removed so that we can continue to provide plentiful opportunities for firewood collection across the forest.”
All permits issued by the Kaibab National Forest will include a map and detailed cutting regulations as well as load tags, which must be physically attached to each ¼ cord of firewood and visible from the rear of the vehicle. The goal of this load tagging system is to ensure accountability for the amount of wood removed from the forest and to inform planning for future firewood cutting areas to meet public need and forest restoration objectives.
The removal of firewood is permitted only from National Forest lands on the district for which the permit is issued. Firewood cutters are reminded to take note of property boundaries and cut only on National Forest lands.
Detailed firewood cutting information and maps for each ranger district will soon be available on the Kaibab National Forest website . Please check back for updates as firewood season cutting dates approach.
Resources
- Kaibab National Forest phone line: 928-635-8311.
- Test message: Text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404.
Email: [email protected]
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