Swan Lake Ranger District offering temporary firewood cutting opportunity

The Swan Lake Ranger District is offering a temporary firewood cutting opportunity in the Condon Mountain Area. National Forest System Road 9813 will be open from August 2 to August 30 for access to firewood. A release from the National Forest Service asks that people use caution when traveling on the road as it is narrow with switchbacks and provides few turnouts. The 9813 road has also received significant blowdown with trees across the road. Woodcutters must have their permit with them while collecting wood and fill it out as required. Please read and follow all terms and conditions written on your permit and listed on the Flathead National Forest’s firewood brochure. This includes not cutting standing or downed trees with paint or signs. Some trees in this area may have been marked with paint and wildlife signs, these trees provide important habitat for many kinds of wildlife. Clear the road surface and ditches of treetops and limbs when you are done cutting firewood and scatter or pile the material off the roadway. All vehicles must remain on the road surface. The area will be monitored by Forest Service personnel. To be sure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable woodcutting experience, people visiting the area are asked to spread out, keep a lookout for other people and vehicles and as much as possible keep the road open and passable for others. Areas of the road have limited space where they end, so it is a good idea to turn your vehicle around before filling it with wood. Maps of the woodcutting areas, as well as firewood permits, are available at all of our local ranger stations and the Flathead National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Kalispell, MT. Firewood permits will remain free through December 31, 2022. For locations of these offices please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/flathead/about-forest/offices.