Wildfires Delay Sales of Fuelwood Permits on SFNF

By SFNF

The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) is postponing sales of personal-use fuelwood permits scheduled to begin on Monday, May 2, due to active wildfires in the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The SFNF will announce a new date to begin sales of 2022 fuelwood permits as soon as conditions on the ground have improved.

As Type 1 incident management teams continue to work on both the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fires on the east side of the forest and the Cerro Pelado Fire on the west side, forest officials are focused on public and firefighter health and safety. The SFNF has implemented closure orders to restrict public access to the areas surrounding both fires.

The forest is also under Stage 2 fire restrictions to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires during extreme fire danger. Stage 2 fire restrictions prohibit the following activities on the SFNF:

• Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove fire.
• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is cleared of vegetation and flammable material.
• Blasting, welding, or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame.
• Using an explosive of any kind. (Fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices are always prohibited on national forests.)
• Operating any equipment powered by an internal combustion engine, including chainsaws, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (An amended closure order with those hours will be posted soon.)
• Driving off designated roads. Visitors may park in areas cleared of vegetation within 10 feet of the roadway, or in designated parking areas.

The nonrefundable $20 permits, which expire on Dec. 31, 2022, are good for up to 10 cords and will be valid on the entire forest, except in designated wilderness areas. Fuelwood maps are posted on the SFNF website. The Pecos/Las Vegas District Offices also sell permits to harvest green wood on Rowe Mesa.

Stay up to date on the fuelwood program by checking the SFNF website and following the forest on Facebook and Twitter.