Firewood thefts, illegal cutting on the rise in Interior Alaska
Published Monday, August 25, 2008
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Stumble It!FAIRBANKS — Not only are more people cutting firewood to offset high fuel costs, more people are doing it illegally.
“We’re seeing more people out doing that kind of stuff, cutting in the wrong place and cutting without permits,” Fairbanks-area forester Marc Lee said.
A permit from the Division of Forestry is required to cut wood on state land and wood cutting is allowed only in designated areas.
The state Division of Forestry issues wood cutting permits for $5 a cord with a three-cord minimum. The demand for permits has risen dramatically this summer, Lee said. Forestry officials have issued about 300 permits since July 1, he said.
Officials with Alaska State Parks have noticed an increase in illegal wood cutting in the Chena River State Recreation Area on Chena Hot Springs Road, about 30 miles east of Fairbanks, prompting a news release earlier this week reminding would-be wood cutters that permits are required and cutting is only allowed from Sept. 15 to April 15.
Ranger Mike Moore said he issued two citations in the last three weeks to people cutting wood without a permit and cutting wood when they shouldn’t be.
Based on the number of stumps he sees while patrolling the 250,000-acre recreation area, there have been other people illegally cutting wood, too, Moore said.
“We saw an increase (in illegal woodcutting) beginning last winter, and we saw it periodically throughout the summer,” Moore said.
The cost of a permit to cut firewood in the state recreation area is $10 a cord with a five-cord limit. People are only allowed to cut down trees or standing trees that have been killed by fire, Moore said.
Illegal wood cutting is nothing new in the state rec area, said superintendent Brooks Ludwig, but more stumps have been showing up the last couple years as fuel prices have risen.
“We’ve had wood poachers out there for a long time,” Ludwig said. “It’s just becoming more and more.”
A citation for cutting firewood illegally in the state recreation area is considered destruction of natural resources and involves a mandatory court appearance, Ludwig said. The fine is based on the amount and value of the wood cut and is determined by a judge, he said.
http://forestry.alaska.gov/wood/firewood.htm
http://forestry.alaska.gov/wood/index.htm
Community Discussion
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The State should be getting at least $100 a cord for that precious wood , Far better to let it rot , than sell it so cheap . SOURED TO THE CORE .
'Let it rot'????
that is about the silliest comment I have seen on here in a long time....
precious wood? its a renewable resource, bub....
Is it better that people will freeze this winter?
I wouldn't call that a silly comment. It was down right STUPID
More evidence that there is no lack of inconsiderate rednecks in Alaska. I hope the illegal firewood cutters shot up a sign or two while they were at it.
The state could have avoided this situation by directing forestry/parks to open up more areas for woodcutting this summer. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know people are going to go back to wood with the price of fuel rising. Instead it will take a study,then a plan, then public comment. Five years from now they will put in one road an pat themselves on the back.
A dead tree gives of more carbon dioxide when it decomposes than burning it. Instead of wasting all the trees they cut for the fire breaks around the borough, they should have offered them to people, instead of wind rows. But since the borough doesn't want anyone to burn wood, they probably will fight the State on any new issuance of areas.
But since the borough doesn't want anyone to burn wood, they probably will fight the State on any new issuance of areas.
Good point Woodman!! It is going to be an interesting winter as soon as it starts really cooling off.
The 1st guy was being sarcastic people! He really does have a point, there are hundreds of thousands of cords of wood standing dead around here and it would really do the forest a lot of good to cut them down - rather than hassle people.
A lot of times forestry cuts a whole area down, pushes it into a pile and leaves it. They tell no one about these piles and they honestly sit and rot.
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Three applications for wood pellet plants in this area sitting at DNR. They are probably on hold for the same reason, the borough does not want wood burning, even though they are one of the lowest emissions fuel.
Anyone notice, the stores have started to raise the price on pellets. Just like everything in Fairbanks, when they can make a larger profit on something people are willing to buy, they begin to charge more and more.
Catch me if you can....
I don't think that we are going to have a shortage of trees in this borough anytime soon. Maybe the borough needs to start a PR campaign to stop the innocent killing of all these trees. I thought I lived in Alaska, not California.
It's Alaskifornia now.
Wow. It only took 8 posts for LostAlaskan to bring up race here. Inappropriate and nonsensical, Lost. Did you have a point other than to try to turn the wood thread into another race argument?
FreeDarfur - It's called "supply and demand"? If the demand for something goes "up", so does the price. Wood pellets are not exempt.
I guess this article is just about illegal cutting. It doesn't sound like there was any theft, except from the state. I was expecting some sort of yard invasion, homeowner wood theft. I guess maybe the thieves around here aren't risking getting shot for something you can buy for $5 and roughly the same amount of sweat.
wow, dvd didn't say ANYTHING when people were openly bashing natives.
It's only ok to make libelous statements about natives here?
"Instead of wasting all the trees they cut for the fire breaks around the borough, they should have offered them to people, instead of wind rows."
The large fuel breaks have been installed in black spruce stands--not very high on anyone's list for a firewood source.
LostAlaskan - I've been in this state for over 30 years. Let's be clear - I am not an Alaska Native, but I am native Alaskan and I have a great respect for the knowledge of and a greater sadness about the recent history of my fellow Alaskans. If I harbored a racist intent, I certainly wouldn't use my name - I would hide it behind some anonymous screen name.
As you know, articles about race and the community (and apparently even those that don't pertain to race), sadly, tend to call out the racists among us. Racism and stupidity come in every color, and it only takes one person to throw out some bait to get the arguments going - this time it happened to be you tossing out that bait.
I'm sorry if you see a contradiction in my choice of posts to respond to; it is a fair comment and I'll think on it. I've always approached this as some people are just not worth the effort; they are unreachable.
Next the borough is going to start taxing the value of our wood piles. Ten cords at the going rate of $250 will add $2,500 to my property tax assessment.
Chris B - "I was expecting some sort of yard invasion, homeowner wood theft."
Actually, a church down the road from me had some young men a couple weeks ago stealing some wood from their storage spot(I don't think the church realizes it yet). I've also heard that gas siphoning was happening as well. And it's only gonna get worse. Desperation.
MrGreen/MrB - I have been thinking about that, too. It might be a good time to get myself a high-powered rifle.
I was born in Fairbanks before Alaska was a State I grew up with a woodstove it dosn't make sense 5$ a cord is cheap ! not only that the Forestry knows where the dead standing trees are. Thats the best! there is a reason thay pick areas is because when you clear the dead standing trees it makes the forest more fire resistant . And lets say your going to clear alot to build on its better to cut green trees in the winter time when the trees are hibernating so the tree isn't full of water and it will season faster if you burn green firewood it will not put out as much BTU's you will have to burn more and it will load your stovepipe with soot . You could get a fire in the stovepipe which could be bad . and if you find sprucebeetle grubs in your wood knock them out of the wood and save them for the winter birds thay love them.
The DNR needs to set up a sting operation the weekend after Thanksgiving to catch all the tree poachers in this town.
Just take a drive up Cache Creek Road off Murphy Dome Road. Most of the property is in private hands but there are plenty of trucks leaving the area with loads of wood.
Anybody know if scavenging cut timbers along the state highway is legal?
Is mac serious?
From the DNR woodcutting guide:
Cache Creek (about 9 mile Murphy Dome off Goldstream) Road is in good shape. Watch for
logging trucks. No firewood cutting from 0-7.5 mile (private and borough land). 7.5 mile to end
cut any dead or down spruce or any birch along road. Watch for private sales (keep out). Left at
7.5 mile may still be some decks of spruce, about 2 mile on right hand side of road.
Our state constitution says the states natural resources belong to all Alaskans, that's why we get a dividend check, and supposedly, why we are getting an energy rebate check next month. The trees are a natural resource. They belong to the people. They are on public land. Aren't we all "the public?" Better to cut them down for good use than have them burn in a forest fire. A lot of you who are posting negative comments about these people are the same ones who have been telling everyone to get off their butt and do something about their situation and stop expecting a handout from the state to solve their energy needs. They just took you advise. They got off their butt and took action.
Gee, I thought the wood shed was looking a little emptier this weekend.
Apparently allot of you have forgotten what happens to nature in this country when there are no laws or regulations.
The laws aren't there to inconvenience you, they are there to protect nature from humans.
Get over yourselves.
The illegal cutting isn't just in the state park but also private property. Be warned if you try cutting my trees without my permission you will be sued and be arrested for trespassing.
"Set up a sting for poachers" Yea! & film like COPS! Put it on the Fairbanks channels then syndicate it. We'll need a good theme song.
If everyone just cut down the dead trees in their yards around here there would be plenty of firewood for years to some and the yards would look a heck of a lot better. Mine included : )
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