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Michigan, 2026 season, 4 offices

Michigan Firewood Permits 2026: Prices, Seasons and Rules

Michigan sells a $20 state forest fuelwood permit each spring and all three national forests sell their own $20 personal use firewood permits, and starting Jan 1, 2027 only certified heat treated firewood may be brought into the state.

4
Offices selling permits
3 federal, 1 state
$4
Price per cord
1 priced by the cord
Quarantine
Bringing wood in
Michigan Dept of Agriculture and Rural Development
A distance is set
How far it may travel
10 miles
Office by office

Where to buy a firewood permit in Michigan

4 offices in Michigan sell a personal use firewood permit, 3 of them federal and 1 run by the state. A cord runs $4 depending on which office you buy from.

One Michigan DNR fuelwood permit covers state forest land statewide, and the DNR points cutters to its own fuelwood maps for where collection is open.

Michigan state forest land

2026 season

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Price
$20 per household
Household limit
five standard cords, or up to 10 cords in the 12 northern Lower Peninsula counties affected by the March 2025 ice storm
Wood you may cut
already dead and downed trees within 200 feet of the road
Cutting season
Apr 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026
Where to buy
online at the DNR eLicense system, in person at DNR customer service centers, select forestry field offices, by mail
Permits cost $20 per household, with a limit of one per year. A permit allows you to collect five standard cords of wood, which is a stack measuring 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet.
Need wood to burn? State forest fuelwood permits available now, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Rules on this permit

Permits run 90 days but every permit ends with the calendar year.

Permits are valid for 90 days after the date they are issued, but all expire Dec. 31 regardless of when they were purchased.
Michigan state forest land. Read it at the source

Standing dead trees are off limits; only wood already on the ground counts.

Gather wood only from already dead and downed trees; do not remove wood from trees that are dead and still standing.
Michigan state forest land. Read it at the source

Stay on the road with your vehicle and carry the wood out by hand.

Do not drive vehicles off the road, though you may use a wheelbarrow or handcart to move wood to your vehicle.
Michigan state forest land. Read it at the source

Carry the permit and fill in the collection log before you haul the wood.

You must have your permit with you and fill out the collection log before transporting your wood.
Michigan state forest land. Read it at the source

The wood is for your own stove only.

You may not sell or trade firewood; it is for personal use only.
Michigan state forest land. Read it at the source

Michigan state forest land firewood permit page

Huron-Manistee National Forests

2026 season

USDA Forest Service

Price
$4 per cord
Minimum
5 cords for $20
Household limit
15 cords per year for $60
Wood you may cut
dead and downed trees, no live trees
Cutting season
Until Dec 31, 2026
Where to buy
in person at any of the five forest offices
Firewood is $4 per cord. Minimum Purchase: 5 cords for $20. Maximum Purchase: 15 cords per year for $60.
Permits, Huron-Manistee National Forests, USDA Forest Service, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Rules on this permit

Live trees are never allowed.

Live trees may NOT be cut.
Huron-Manistee National Forests. Read it at the source

Keep 200 feet back from water and from recreation areas.

No cutting or gathering of dead and/or down wood will occur within 200 feet of any lake, pond, stream or river or within 200 feet of any recreation area.
Huron-Manistee National Forests. Read it at the source

Standing dead trees only close to a public road.

Standing dead trees may be cut only if they are within 200 feet of a legal public road.
Huron-Manistee National Forests. Read it at the source

On part of the Manistee, standing dead trees are a cool season job because of the Indiana bat.

On portions of the Manistee National Forest (as shown on firewood cutting maps linked below), cutting and gathering of standing dead trees is authorized only between September 1 and April 30 for protection of the endangered Indiana Bat.
Huron-Manistee National Forests. Read it at the source

Cut pieces short and stumps low.

All firewood products cut under this permit shall not exceed 6 (six) feet in length.
Huron-Manistee National Forests. Read it at the source

Wood from these forests cannot go to the Upper Peninsula or out of state without a state compliance agreement.

Firewood gathered on the Huron-Manistee National Forests intended to be moved to the Upper Peninsula, or out of state, must have a Compliance Agreement issued from the Michigan Department of Agriculture.
Huron-Manistee National Forests. Read it at the source

Huron-Manistee National Forests firewood permit page

Hiawatha National Forest

Permit on request

USDA Forest Service

Price
$20
Wood you may cut
standing dead and down trees
Cutting season
Sold on request
Where to buy
online through the Forest Service ePermit system, St. Ignace and Sault Ste Marie District Office, Supervisor's Office in Gladstone
The permits cost $20 and are good for personal-use firewood gathering on the Hiawatha for one year after the date of purchase -- or when the purchased cords have been gathered, whichever comes first.
Permits, Hiawatha National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Rules on this permit

Only dead wood, standing or down.

Only standing dead and down trees may be gathered for firewood.
Hiawatha National Forest. Read it at the source

The permit covers personal cutting on national forest land only.

This authority applies only to non-commercial firewood cutting on Hiawatha National Forest system lands.
Hiawatha National Forest. Read it at the source

No firewood from outside the Upper Peninsula may be brought onto this forest at all.

Any firewood of any species originating from outside the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Hiawatha National Forest. Read it at the source

Hiawatha National Forest firewood permit page

Ottawa National Forest

Permit on request

USDA Forest Service

Price
$20
Minimum
minimum of 4 CCF, about 5 full cords
Household limit
maximum of 12 CCF per individual within a calendar year
Wood you may cut
downed trees, with standing dead trees only near open roads
Cutting season
Sold on request
Where to buy
online through the Forest Service ePermit system, in person at any Ottawa National Forest District Office or the Visitor Center
The permits cost $20 and are good for personal-use firewood gathering on the Forest for one year after the date of purchase -- or when the purchased cords have been gathered, whichever comes first.
Forest Product Permits, Ottawa National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Rules on this permit

Downed wood is the default, and standing dead trees only if small and close to an open road.

Only downed trees may be harvested, except standing dead trees may be cut within 100 feet of open Forest Service roads, if they are less than 15-inches in diameter at breast height. No live trees may be cut.
Ottawa National Forest. Read it at the source

No skidding equipment.

The use of tractors, rubber-tired skidders, and similar vehicles is not allowed.
Ottawa National Forest. Read it at the source

Cut pieces short.

No firewood products cut under this permit can be longer than 6 feet in length.
Ottawa National Forest. Read it at the source

An online permit has to be printed to count.

ePermits must be printed to be valid, digital copies are not allowed at this time on any National Forest
Ottawa National Forest. Read it at the source

No firewood from outside the Upper Peninsula may be brought onto this forest at all.

Any firewood of any species originating from outside the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Ottawa National Forest. Read it at the source

Ottawa National Forest firewood permit page

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Moving firewood

Can you bring firewood into Michigan?

Michigan has a quarantine on the books, which means untreated firewood from outside the line may not come in. The rule is written by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and it sits below in its own words.

Quarantine

Michigan restricts moving firewood, and its agencies ask that wood travel no more than 10 miles.

Michigan has adopted a firewood quarantine that takes effect Jan 1, 2027, after which only certified heat treated firewood may be brought into the state. Until then the state asks people to buy certified wood or buy it within 10 miles of where they will burn it.

Agency
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
How far wood may travel
10 miles
Certified or treated wood
Heat treated and certified wood may come in
Pests named
Asian longhorned beetle, spotted lanternfly, oak wilt, balsam woolly adelgid, emerald ash borer
Beginning January 1, 2027, it no longer will be permissible for anyone to bring untreated firewood into Michigan. Under the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's firewood quarantine, only firewood that has been heat-treated and certified will be permitted to enter Michigan.
Firewood quarantine FAQs, Michigan Invasive Species Program, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

What the rule says

From the start of 2027 untreated firewood cannot cross the state line at all.

Beginning January 1, 2027, it no longer will be permissible for anyone to bring untreated firewood into Michigan.
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Read it at the source

Treated means a certified kiln, not just dry.

The firewood must reach a minimum core temperature of 140°F for at least 60 minutes. The kiln must be certified by MDARD, another state's agriculture officials or the USDA Department of Agriculture.
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Read it at the source

The rule reaches every traveler, not just firewood sellers.

Yes, the quarantine applies to everyone entering the state of Michigan.
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Read it at the source

Kiln dried lumber and small chips are outside the rule.

Kiln-dried dimensional lumber and wood chips no larger than one inch in two dimensions are exempt from Michigan's firewood quarantine.
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Read it at the source

Inside Michigan the state sets a 10 mile rule of thumb for untreated wood.

Firewood should never be moved more than 10 miles from where it was originally cut – unless it's been heat-treated!
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Read it at the source

The insects and diseases named in the Michigan rule are Asian longhorned beetle, spotted lanternfly, oak wilt, balsam woolly adelgid and emerald ash borer. A beetle covers a few hundred yards in a season on its own wings, and several hundred miles in an afternoon in the bed of a pickup, which is the whole reason the rule exists.

A slender metallic green beetle about half an inch long resting on pale cracked tree bark
The emerald ash borer, photographed by USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine. It flies only a short way on its own; a load of untreated firewood carries it as far as the truck goes, which is why more states name it in their firewood rules than any other pest. “Plant Protection and Quarantine (34954841290)”, APHIS.gov, Public domain
When to cut

Firewood cutting season in Michigan

Each office sets its own window, and most of them close it when fire danger rises or the roads soften. The dates those offices have posted:

  • Michigan state forest landApr 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026
  • Huron-Manistee National ForestsUntil Dec 31, 2026

Offices close their gates for weather and fire restrictions inside these windows, so the office’s own page is the one to check the week you go.

Nearby

What a cord costs in the states next door

A permit is only good on the land the office manages, so a cheaper cord across the line still has to obey whatever Michigan says about firewood arriving. The nearest states posting a price by the cord:

  1. Wisconsin$5 to $20

Michigan firewood permit questions

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Firewood permits in other states

Michigan heating oil and propane pricesWhat a gallon costs this winter, and how that compares with a cord.First snow in MichiganWhen the first measurable snow usually falls, city by city.Michigan Christmas tree permitsThe other permit the same ranger district sells each winter.Firewood permits by stateEvery price by the cord in one table, with the rule on moving wood.
An open pole woodshed in a spruce clearing, one bay filled with stacked cordwood, a hydraulic log splitter in the foreground
An Alaska woodshed in summer with the winter stacked and the splitter still out. A cord is a stack four feet by four feet by eight feet, and that is the unit nearly every permit is priced in. “Alaska woodshed”, Keith Parker, CC BY-SA 2.0

Compiled September 22, 2026 from Need wood to burn? State forest fuelwood permits available now, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the other agency pages linked beside each quote above. Prices, seasons and quarantine boundaries change, so the agency’s own page is the one to read before you load a truck. Every state is in the national firewood permit guide.