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Colorado State Forest Service News

State Forest Firewood Sale Reduces Fire Risk, Offers Low-Cost Wood

Lodgepole pine regeneration at the Colorado State Forest in June 2017.

GOULD, Colo. – The Colorado State Forest Service is offering firewood from the Colorado State Forest in north-central Colorado for $10 per cord. The CSFS is selling self-serve permits for the low fee to encourage citizens to help remove a build-up of dead wood in the area that inhibits new growth and could fuel an intense wildfire.

Removing wood will also help reduce logging debris in the vicinity of main roads and trails, to address public safety concerns and improve aesthetics.

The State Forest has 28,000 acres of lodgepole pine, a majority of which have been impacted in recent years by mountain pine beetles. All of the sites included in the 2017 firewood area are comprised of logging debris from recent harvests of mountain pine beetle-killed trees. Only trees no longer housing live bark beetles or their larvae have been identified for removal, making the wood safe to transport.

Those interested in harvesting the firewood should come prepared with a chainsaw and personal protective equipment. A majority of the wood is adjacent to County Road 41 and other forest roads. The wood simply needs to be cut into manageable sizes and hauled off. The CSFS asks that all vehicles pull as far off the road as possible to reduce the risk of an accident.

Those interested in harvesting the firewood should come prepared with a chainsaw and personal protective equipment.

The Colorado State Forest offers 72,000 acres of forests, peaks and alpine lakes with many miles of access trails. While responsibility for recreation management at the State Forest falls under the jurisdiction of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the CSFS is responsible for forest management. A Colorado State Parks pass is required to recreate in the State Forest, but not to gather firewood with a permit.

Interested woodcutters can buy a $10 permit and pick up a map of the firewood area on a self-serve basis at the CSFS office located at 59228 Highway 14 (6 miles west of Cameron Pass and adjacent to Ranger Lakes). For more information about the State Forest firewood program, call 970-723-4505.

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Map powered by the Colorado Forest Atlas from the Colorado State Forest Service