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Please see news release for details regarding firewood permits on the Kaibab National Forest.
Kaibab National Forest to offer firewood permits by phone starting May 1
WILLIAMS, Ariz.,
April 21, 2020 — The Kaibab National Forest will offer firewood cutting permits for the 2020 season over the phone beginning May 1. Cutting may begin as soon as permits have been received
through the mail. Those seeking firewood cutting permits should call the following offices during the specified hours Monday through Friday, excluding federal
holidays:
Permits will not be offered in person at office locations this year in order to protect public and employee health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Kaibab National Forest employees remain committed to supporting local economies and providing home heating and other essential services to communities and individuals already stressed by current circumstance. To help ease the financial burdens many are already facing, the Kaibab National Forest will offer free permits for 10 cords of wood in areas
that would normally require paid permits. Paid permits will also be available for wood cutters who intend to resell their wood for profit or for those who need more than 10 cords of wood at $2 per cord for up to 20 additional cords. The Kaibab's 2020 firewood
offerings are different than in previous years due to the pandemic and will only be in effect this year.
"We think it is important that we do everything we can to help those already hurting," said Heather Provencio, forest supervisor for the
Kaibab National Forest. "One way we can do that is to expand our free-use wood areas so people have both greater access to what for many is an essential commodity as well as reduced financial hardship." Firewood cutters seeking to obtain a permit should call the appropriate Kaibab National Forest office. If a service representative isn't
immediately available to take the call, customers will be prompted to leave a message with contact information. An accredited Forest Service employee will respond to all messages by contacting customers to finalize the permit issuance process. Those seeking
paid permits will need to pay by credit or debit card. No checks, money orders or cash will be accepted. Mail-in permit requests will not be able to be processed. Everyone seeking 2020 firewood permits should call forest offices to receive prompt service. The permits, maps and other documents important for wood cutters will be mailed via the U.S. Postal Service. Each office location will also
offer a pickup box system for those with known mail service limitations. As soon as permits have been received, cutting may begin.
The Kaibab National Forest will also provide all firewood cutters with a detailed guide that highlights the ecological impacts that collecting
firewood can have on forest resources and describes best practices to ensure the sustainability of these resources across the landscape and over time. Forest managers developed the
Land Steward Guide to present helpful information about firewood collection in the national forest and foster shared stewardship of public lands. Over the last few years, the Kaibab National Forest has consistently increased the amount of wood available to each person for purchase while
reducing the cost per cord by crediting firewood cutting for the contribution it provides to forest restoration goals. Firewood cutters perform the important ecosystem service of removing dead and down as well as small-diameter trees, which assists in the
forest's landscape-scale fuels reduction and forest restoration efforts. The availability of firewood is critical to many local community and tribal members who use it for home heating, cooking and other purposes.
In 2019, the Kaibab National Forest provided 36,151 cords of firewood to support these needs through paid personal, free and ceremonial wood permits. Depending on the species and whether it is green or dry, a cord of firewood weighs one-to-two tons. In total
last year, the Kaibab supplied up to 72,302 tons or almost 150 million pounds of firewood. Detailed firewood cutting information and maps will be updated throughout the firewood season on the Kaibab National Forest website at
http://bit.ly/KNFfuelwood.
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Attachment:
1650-1_so_FirewoodPermits_2020_0421.pdf
Description: 1650-1_so_FirewoodPermits_2020_0421.pdf
