Collecting Firewood? Get Your Permit
Prince George, B.C, – so you want to head to the bush and collect some firewood to restock the woodpile. Well there are some rules about that.
Before you head out, you have to get a “Free Use Permit for Firewood” which verifies that gathering firewood is allowed in that area.
Cutting down trees on Crown land without the right permit (or selling any such firewood) is illegal and could result in a violation ticket or fine.
Over the past 18 months, natural resource officers from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations have issued $14,878 worth of violation tickets related to unauthorized wood harvesting. The government has also collected $156,179 in administrative penalties from unauthorized commercial ventures.
So here are the rules about gathering firewood or buying firewood:
Firewood collection permits:
* A Free Use Permit for Firewood costs nothing and allows an individual to collect and transport firewood from eligible Crown land for their personal use.
* This firewood permit is available at local natural resource district offices or online at: www.gov.bc.ca/firewoodpermits
* The permit must be signed and carried by the person who is collecting the firewood.
* To find out where firewood harvesting is prohibited in B.C. (for example, on lands set aside for conservation purposes or another public use), contact the local natural resource district office.
* For each natural resource district, the firewood permits and associated documents describe the areas where firewood collection is permitted, allowable collection methods and the amount of firewood that can legally be harvested.
Purchasing firewood:
* Anyone buying firewood should ask where the firewood comes from (Crown land or private land) and ask for a record of purchase.
* For firewood that’s been harvested on private land, the buyer should ask the seller for the district lot number and timber mark number.
* For firewood that’s been harvested on Crown land, legitimate commercial firewood producers should have a “Forestry Licence to Cut” document signed by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
Comments
I feel sorry for the world my grandchildren are inheriting. Pretty soon you will have to clear it with some official agency before you have your morning constitution.
This will all cease to be an issue when someone comes forth complaining that the trees have feelings too! Even dead trees will be included as they will all have the resident spirit of the tree living within them! That will necessitate a complete ban of harvesting!
But remember, rules, rules and more rules only apply to honest people!
I agree Bent…the good old days are long over…I am glad I won’t be around to see what’s coming in the future for this country…it appears it is a dead end street we are heading down.
Like I said before more govt. bureaucracy we can do without. They have their fingers into everything. OH but just wait until site c is built the price of electricity will come down right?? Not a snowballs chance in hell.
Where was it ever stated the price of electricity would reduce with site c? Site C is mainly being built to backup costly IPP power that includes the costly inafficent, non dispatchable wind power.
Power rates have mostly increased because of expensive contracts to buy IPP power.
If we didn’t have this permits in effect people would be cutting trees down willy-nilly. Blame the thieves for this one.
And what does willy-nilly mean to you? I don’t see anything wrong with driving down a logging road and spotting a dead standing pine or fir along side the road and dropping it to cut up for firewood and taking it home. If that’s willy-nilly then I think they should allow willy-nilly.
A lot of people don’t stop at dead, they’ll cut down the live ones as well.
If you’re okay with cutting down and taking crown property without permission does that mean you’re okay with someone cutting a tree down in your front yard? I’m sure there’s someone out there who sees nothing wrong with that.
I believe with a permit you can cut down live trees so what is the difference? A tree cut down with a permit is still a tree cut down. I agree with Bent’s comment.
That is incorrect. In the PG District, “You may cut only dead timber, whether it is standing (snag) or down (blowdown).”
As well, you cannot cut down obvious wildlife trees or take decked logs. Trust me, I’ve seen people bucking up trees at a landing for firewood.
WILLY NILLY agreed
You are not allowed to cut live trees. Go to the website and get a copy of the permit.
Apparently that’s too much effort for the rebels in the crowd.
Whatever slows down the migration of retards, in their lifted f350’s , heading into the bush with booze, ammo and Metallica blaring.. is ok by me.
Leroyjenkins what smart car are you driving? I get several loads of fire wood every year and do not drive an F350, blare Metallica and am not retarded. Well maybe debating this issue with a you kinda makes me retarded
an oldie but it kind of fits here… :P
A woman from Vancouver purchased a piece of timberland near Prince George, BC . There was a large tree on one of the highest points in the tract. She wanted a good view of the natural splendour of her land so she started to climb the big tree. As she neared the top an owl attacked her. In her haste to escape, the woman slid down the tree to the ground and got splinters in her crotch.
In considerable pain, she hurried to a local ER to see a doctor. She told him she was an environmentalist, an NDP’er and an anti-industry person and how she came to get all the splinters.
The doctor listened to her story with great patience and then asked her to wait in the examining room and he would see if he could help her. She waited three hours before the doctor re-appeared. The angry woman demanded, “What took you so long?”
He smiled and told her, “Well, I had to get permits from Environment Canada, the Parks Service and the BC Department of Land Management before I could remove old-growth timber from a ‘recreational area’ so close to a Waste Treatment Facility. And I’m sorry, but due to the Provincial Medical cut backs they turned you down.
*wipes tears* good one interceptor
Interceptor…you won the prize today!
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