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Fuelwood

Stacked bundles of firewood

Fuelwood

Harvesting fuelwood in state forests

The fuelwood season opens April 1 and collection permits are available for a $20 fee. Use our fuelwood maps to determine where firewood collection is allowed. Permits may be purchased online and by mail. They are also available for purchase at DNR Customer Service Centers and select forestry field offices in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula; call to confirm availability and business hours.

Permits are for up to five standard cords of wood. Wood must be dead and down within 200 feet of a road. Fuelwood cannot be resold or traded. Permits are valid for up to 90 days after the date they are issued; all expire Dec. 31.

Purchase a fuelwood permit online

Starting April 1, you can purchase a state forest fuelwood collection permit through our online licensing system. View and print your licenses, manage your customer profile and see purchase history all in one convenient location. 

 

Mail-in permit application

Download a fuelwood permit application and print it to purchase a fuelwood permit by mail. Fill it out, enclose a $20 check payable to the State of Michigan, and send it to the DNR office which manages the state forest land where you wish to collect fuelwood. If approved, your permit will be emailed or mailed to you.

Image of fuelwood maps displayed on a computer monitor, tablet and cell phone

Fuelwood maps

Use our fuelwood map to determine where collection is allowed; contact your local permit-issuing office for details. New maps will be available April 1. 

If you need assistance with interpreting the interactive map, please contact Jake Reid, ReidJ6@michigan.gov or call 517-284-5908.

 

View fuelwood maps

How much wood is in a cord?

A standard cord is 8 feet long, 4 feet wide and 4 feet high.

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.

You may see the terms "ric," "face cord," or another local measurement. However, these terms have no standard measurements. Be sure to know the dimensions of the pile of wood being sold. 

Fuelwood resources

U.S. EPA Burn Wise

Get the most out of your firewood with cleaner, more efficient fires using tips from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Buy it where you burn it

To help protect forests and prevent the spread of invasive species, buy or collect firewood near where you plan to burn it.

Find firewood

Find firewood to purchase from a local private vendor using the Firewood Scout online search tool.