The Forest, Mineral and Fire Management Division administers the issuance of fuelwood permits for the state forests in the Upper and Northern Lower Peninsulas. The permits are issued by Management Unit offices, not by the Lansing office. The issuance of these permits are dependent upon the availability of wood suitable for fuelwood purposes. Most of the permits are issued for wood left over after commercial logging operations.

The Forest, Mineral and Fire Management Division issues three types of timber permits:

• The first type is the cost fuelwood permit which is issued for a fee of $20.00. This entitles the permittee to gather up to five (5) standard cords in designated areas where a sufficient supply of fuelwood is known to exist, such as areas of storm damage, road or site cleaning or where residue from commercial timber sales are available. These permits are limited to one per household per year. Firewood from these permits is to be used for personal use only and is not to be resold or traded. The cost permits will be issued only during the period of April 1 to December 31. Vehicles used for firewood removal will be restricted to existing road system.
• The second type of permit is the small timber sale which is only used in selected areas. This type of sale is for persons with unusually large firewood needs or persons with interest in resale. The availability of this type is dependent on the management plans and treatment needs of the specific forest. The duration of these sales ranges from six months to a year.
• The third type is the large timber sale sold on a competitive bidding process and awarded to the highest bidder. These sales are usually bought by large timber producers. The duration of these sales is between 1-3 years. The conditions of sale contract and the cutting specifications are designed to achieve the management objectives for the specific timber sale area.

For further information you may view the following .pdf documents:

PR 4166 - Example of the Fuelwood Permit
IC 4166-A - State Forest Firewood Permittee Information
IC 4166-B - General Information for Firewood Requests
IC 4166-C - Oak Wilt
IC 4112 - Rule on Firewood Movement - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Forest, Mineral and Fire Management Division Office Locations

If you are interested in firewood from state land OTHER THAN state forests lands,you need to contact the local administering office for that land (i.e. State Game Area, State Recreation Area, etc.).

Measurements of a standard cord: Firewood, in non-packaged form, is sold by a measurement called a "cord" or "fraction of a cord." A "cord" is defined as 128 cubic feet when the wood is neatly stacked in a line or row. A standard or full "cord" would be 8 feet long, 4 feet wide and 4 feet high. You may also hear or see the terms 'ric' or 'face cord' or some other local measurement. These terms have no standard measurements, so be careful when purchasing wood from a buyer that uses these terms. Make sure that you know the dimensions of the pile of wood that is being sold. A 'ric' or 'face cord' is often a stack of wood that is 8' long, 4' high, and 16" - 24" wide, depending.