Time to get your firewood permits from Forest Service

Submitted by paula on Mon, 05/16/2016 - 3:54pm

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the sale of personal use fuelwood permits at the Forest Supervisor’s Office at 35 College Drive in South Lake Tahoe on Monday, May 23, 2016, and at the North Shore office at 855 Alder Avenue in Incline Village on Wednesday, May 25, 2016. Permits cost $20 per cord, with a two-cord minimum purchase and a limit of 10 cords per household.

Permits should be purchased early and wood collected promptly as fire restrictions are likely to go into effect early and there may be days when no cutting is allowed.

Permits have specific conditions and complete information is provided when the permit is issued. Maps to designated cutting areas are provided and must be in the permit holder’s possession along with the valid permit.

The permit is for collection of “down-dead” wood up to a 30-inch maximum diameter in designated fuelwood areas within the Lake Tahoe Basin. "Down-dead" means the tree is down on the ground and dead, rather than dead and standing. Cutting any standing tree, whether dead or green, is not allowed.

Permit holders must keep vehicles on National Forest System roads. No off-road travel is allowed and permit holders must comply with all permit conditions. Some designated fuelwood areas are only open during specified dates and all areas are subject to closure at any time.

For a complete list of forest gate and road opening/closing dates, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/OpeningClosingDates.

Permit holders are asked to stay off private property and show courtesy regarding noise or collection activity on National Forest System lands near homes or neighborhoods.

The Forest Supervisor's Office in South Lake Tahoe is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the North Shore Forest Service office in Incline Village is open Wednesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call the South Lake Tahoe office at 530-543-2694, or the Incline Village office at 775-831-0914, or visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/FuelwoodPermits.
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