Bureau of Land Management press release:

ARCATA, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is offering firewood permits for a designated wood cutting area in the Lacks Creek Management Area, northeast of Arcata.

Permits can be purchased at the Arcata Field Office,1695 Heindon Rd., Arcata. The permits cost $10 per cord, with a two-cord minimum and a 10-cord maximum.

“This is the fourth season that we have opened Lacks Creek areas for public wood cutting,” said Dan Wooden, a forester in the BLM Arcata Field Office. “The wood is green and will need to be dried before burning, but there is a lot available.”

The permits allow wood cutters to remove Douglas-fir and tan oak trees that were cut down this fall in a forest thinning project. Cutting live or standing dead trees will not be permitted. The BLM will provide maps of wood cutting areas and information on cutting regulations. Wood cutters must carry fully-charged fire extinguishers and ensure that their chainsaws have fully functioning spark arresters. 

In addition to using the public lands to obtain an economical source of winter heat for their homes, Wooden noted that firewood cutters help sustain these lands by removing fuel that could feed a wildfirereduce wildfire danger in the Lacks Creek area by removing fuel that could feed a wildfire. 

As stewards, the BLM manages public lands for the benefit of current and future generations, supporting conservation as the agency pursues its multiple-use mission. More information is available from the BLM Arcata Field Office, 707-825-2300.