People who cut firewood on national forests in Northeastern Oregon for their own use, but not for sale, will no longer have to pay for cutting permits starting in 2022.

The Forest Service announced this week that it is transitioning to a free personal use firewood system for national forests in the Pacific Northwest.

The current cost for firewood permits is $5 per cord.

People who want to sell firewood they cut on national forests can buy permits for $5 per cord.

“We are pleased to be able to offer free personal use firewood across the national forests in Oregon and Washington,” Regional Forester Glenn Casamassa said in a press release. “This change will benefit people who rely on firewood as their primary heat source and will allow us to dispose of material that otherwise would have a cost to burn or remove.”

The change to free woodcutting includes the Wallowa-Whitman, Umatilla and Malheur national forests in Northeastern Oregon.

Firewood cutting season ends on Nov. 30, 2021, and resumes on May 1, 2022.

Forest supervisors will designate free use firewood areas and will establish the annual limit on the number of cords of free use an individual can cut, according to the Forest Service. The total amount of free use material granted to an individual in any fiscal year cannot exceed $200 in value. District rangers or forest supervisors can authorize free woodcutting in excess of that limit in cases of hardship or unusual need.