Looking ahead to summer bonfires, a warm woodstove next winter? A $20 fuelwood permit from the DNR lets you stock up on your woodshed needs.

Fuelwood permits are for personal use and allow a household to get up to five cords of firewood from designated areas of state forests in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. A cord of wood is a stack measuring 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet. All wood must be collected from trees that are both dead and downed within 200 feet of a road.

Permits are valid for 90 days after issue date, but all expire Dec. 31 of the current year regardless of when they were purchased. To get your fuelwood permit, purchase online through DNR eLicense or at a DNR customer service center.

Fuelwood rules to know:

• Do not drive vehicles off the road to gather fuelwood. You may use a wheelbarrow or handcart to carry wood to your vehicle.
• Gather wood only from dead and downed trees. Do not cut live trees or standing dead trees.
• You must have the permit with you when collecting wood and fill out the collection log before transporting wood. Failure to do so could result in a citation.
• You may not sell or trade firewood collected under the fuelwood permit.

When moving firewood across distances, there’s always risk of spreading invasive pests and diseases. Collect wood nearest to where it will be used.

For more information on fuelwood permits and list of frequently asked questions, visit Michigan.gov/Fuelwood.

Questions about fuelwood? Contact forester Jake Reid at ReidJ6@Michigan.gov.