Homeowners can save by cutting state firewood
Toolbox
By Josh O'Gorman Herald Staff - Published: January 6, 2009
WATERBURY — Homeowners looking to save money on their fuel bills are invited to sign up to cut their own wood on state forest land in the Rutland and Springfield areas.
The Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation has given residents until Feb. 6 to sign up for one of 80 wood lots in the area. Each lot contains about 3 cords of wood, and for $30 residents can come and cut it and take it home.
The program has been in place since the 1970s, and Gov. James Douglas highlighted the program during the Food and Fuel Partnership, a taskforce dedicating to dealing with rising fuel costs.
"While the price of gasoline and heating fuel may have temporarily declined, other costs of living continue to climb," Douglas said in a statement. "We know that there is no one cause of this economic downturn and there is no one solution. Programs like Wood Warms are great steps to help Vermonters control their heating costs and break their dependence on foreign oil."
Officials have seen an increased demand for the program and expect that increase to continue.
"We've been doing this since the '70s, but there was never a lot of interest until the cost of fuel oil ballooned last summer," said Paul Frederick, wood utilization forester for the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
Under the program, forest officials mark trees with paint to designate them for cutting. The trees are chosen for removal to encourage the overall health of the forest.
"It's like weeding a garden," Frederick said. "You want to pull out all the junk, all the trees that are malformed so the healthy trees can thrive."
Tree species marked for removal include ash, beech, birch and sugar maple because "we try to maintain a diverse forest and don't want to pick on a specific species," Frederick said.
After signing up, residents are assigned a lot containing approximately 3 cords of wood. The lot will be no further than 100-200 yards from the road, which is convenient because vehicles such as skidders, all-terrain vehicles and tractors are not allowed.
Another condition dictates the wood is for personal use only and cannot be sold commercially.
"We haven't been too worried about that in the past," Frederick said. "These are guys with pickups and chainsaws. It's not a big operation."
Forest officials are urging people to brush up on their chainsaw safety. Safety tips are available at www.vtfpr.org.
There are 45 lots scattered throughout the Springfield District, in Bridgewater, Cavendish, Grafton, Ludlow, Plymouth, Rockingham, Sharon, Weathersfield and Weston. The Rutland District contains 35 lots in Castleton and Shrewsbury. In the event demand exceeds supply, officials will hold a lottery, Frederick said.
With most of the lots located on roads that are not plowed during winter, Frederick expects people will not be able to cut wood until June.
To sign up for a lot, call the Springfield District office at 885-8845, or the Rutland District office at 786-0060.
Contact Josh O'Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com.
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