Firewood permits now available

The Daily Inter Lake

Firewood cutting permits now are available from the Flathead National Forest and other national forests in the region.

A $20 permit is available for a minimum of four cords of wood. Individuals can purchase a maximum of 12 cords per year, according to a news release from Flathead Forest.

A cord measures 4 feet wide by 4 feet high in an 8-foot-long stack, or about 128 cubic feet. The permits are valid through March 31, 2010. Firewood cut under these permits cannot be used for commercial resale.

The personal-use wood permit allows the removal of downed timber or the cutting of standing dead trees under most conditions.

The Flathead National Forest prohibits cutting of western larch Nov. 1 through May 31, a period during which live larch trees have lost their needles and appear dead.

The Brush Creek Wildland Fire Area on the Tally Lake Ranger District, located west of Whitefish, is not available for wood gathering or cutting.

Various post-fire management activities are taking place in that area and firewood cutting and gathering will not be permitted until those activities are completed. Firewood removal or cutting is not permitted along the Tally Lake Road, Forest Road 913 from the 1.7 mile marker to its intersection with the Star Meadows Road.

No cutting is permitted in the Coram Experimental Forest or on the paved section of the Westside Reservoir Road along Hungry Horse Reservoir.

Woodcutters must have their permits with them while harvesting wood.

During spring breakup conditions with soft road surfaces, woodcutters are asked to respect load limits and temporary road closures to prevent road damage.

Personal wood permits are available from any Flathead National Forest office or from several retail vendors across the Flathead Valley.

For more information, contact a local Forest Service office or call 758-5208.

Woodcutters also need to have approved and maintained spark arresters on chainsaws and splitters, and must have a shovel and fire extinguisher handy in the event of a wildfire.