State to issue $10 firewood permits

10/24/2009

Area residents can obtain low-cost firewood for the upcoming winter through an Ohio Department of Natural Resources firewood-cutting program ongoing in the Maumee State Forest, about five miles southwest of Swanton.

One-day permits for $10 are available for individuals to cut firewood at designated sites from trees felled by storms, cleared for roads, or topped for forest management.

Permit-holders will be allowed to take all the firewood they can cut in a day - usually about two trees' worth or a couple of pickup truckloads, forestry officials said. The firewood is strictly for private use, not commercial firewood sellers.

Participants need to bring their own chain-saw or saw and have a vehicle to transport the wood.

Permits are available at Maumee State Forest headquarters at 3390 County Rd. D, Swanton, and will be issued subject to the availability of felled trees suitable for firewood.

Requests for a permit should be made five to seven days in advance by calling the forest headquarters at 419-822-3052 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

The firewood program is limited to northwest Ohio residents. Michigan residents are excluded by state and federal laws prohibiting the transport of firewood across state lines to prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer beetle.