The San Juan National Forest began selling permits for personal-use firewood cutting and other miscellaneous products on May 1.
Many forest roads are covered by more snow than in recent years, leading to a delay in re-opening the roads, so please contact your local ranger district for the latest road conditions… or visit our road conditions webpage and read the associated news release for more information. Visitors are asked to stay off wet roads and respect road closures, which will prevent long-term and costly damages to the roadway.
Purchase your permit and know the rules before you head into the woods.
Each permit costs $20 and allows firewood cutters to gather two-and-a-half cords of dead and downed firewood from the San Juan National Forest for personal use prior to December 31. Each household may purchase additional permits for up to 10 cords of firewood per year for personal use. A cord is the amount of tightly piled wood in a stack four-feet high by four-feet wide by eight-feet long.
Firewood cutters are required to have their chainsaw equipped with an approved spark-arrestor when cutting wood, and it is recommended they carry an axe or shovel.
Click here for additional information on wood cutting regulations.
Permits are available for purchase at any of these local vendors:
- Pagosa Ranger District, 180 Pagosa Street, Pagosa Springs
- Durango: Kroeger’s Ace Hardware, #8 Town Plaza
- Durango: San Juan National Forest Headquarters, 15 Burnett Court
- Bayfield: Columbine Ranger District Office, 367 Pearl Street
- Mancos: Cox Conoco, 201 E. Railroad Avenue
For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970) 247-4874, visit the forest website.