Snow's falling and your fire is roaring. Can you imagine if you ran out of wood? That would be a huge bummer, especially with the winter weather we've been experiencing and the holiday's coming up.

If you've been heating with wood for years, you're probably rolling your eyes right now. You're saying,

You should've been out cutting wood and preparing for months.

Maybe you're new to the wood burning world and you're trying to keep your costs down. Buying loads of firewood could get pricey in an emergency situation.

Luckily there are options for you to cut wood and save money.

The National Forest Service has designated places in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest where you can cut wood for $5 per cord and a minimum of 4 cords ($20). Figure in fuel for your truck and saw and you're looking at about $50-60 dollars and a good workout.

If you were to buy an already cut load of wood, you're going to pay a couple hundred dollars per cord.

A cord is the unit of measurement for a load of wood. A full cord of wood is a stack that measures 4 feet wide, 4 feet tall and 8 feet long. It would be a total of 128 cubic feet.

cord of wood
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If you're willing to put in the work, you can head to the Medicine Bow- Routt National Forest. Remember to get your firewood permit, by stopping at a ranger district office. Once you have permit in hand, you can start your journey to cut wood in these locations.

North Laramie Peak

Wood Cutting Area 1
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Sierra Madre

Wood Cutting Area 2
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Snowy Range

Wood Cutting Area 3
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South Laramie Peak

Wood Cutting Area 4
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When you find the location that works best for you, remember you CAN'T cut wood here:

  • Within 200 feet of campgrounds, picnic areas, wilderness areas or natural grass areas
  • Close to State or Federal Highways
  • 500 feet of WYO St Highway's 130 or 70
  • Areas marked No-Woodcutting
  • Active Logging Operations
  • Or certain recreation areas

Check out these videos to help you in your firewood cutting project.

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