Permit required to cut wood on Crown land

Cooler weather is coming and you might be thinking of lighting your wood stove.

The province is reminding Vancouver Island residents that a permit is required when cutting wood from Crown land.

The Free Use Permit for Firewood doesn’t cost anything and allows individuals to collect and transport wood on eligible Crown land for personal use. The application for the permit is available online, and can be filled out and sent online as well.

The province says residents can also obtain a permit by visiting their local natural resource district office to apply in person. 

Having the permit will help identify where it’s legal for people to harvest firewood within a particular natural resource district. The permit also describes allowed collection methods and how much firewood can be legally harvested.

Applicants must confirm they want to harvest wood on Crown land and not on private lands or a First Nations reserve. District maps can be found online to help with applications. 

Firewood collected under the permit is free of charge, but individuals must:

• Understand the permit before signing it. The signed permit must be carried by the person collecting firewood
• Carry the permit and associated map at all times
• Produce the permit when requested by a natural resource officer, conservation officer or peace officer

Cutting firewood on Crown land without a permit – or selling firewood collected without a permit – is illegal and could result in a ticket or fine. For more information on permit applications and natural resource district maps, visit this link.