Forestry opens three new zones for personal firewood cutting to combat beetle-kill spruce

WILLOW — The Alaska Department of Forestry has added five new personal use firewood cutting zones in Willow and Houston, and now has 10 total personal use firewood zones across the Mat-Su Valley. The DOF has opened up firewood cutting of only spruce bark beetle kill trees in two zones along Zero Lake Road in Houston and three new zones along Willer-Kash Road in Willow.

“Removing beetle-killed spruce also reduces the fuel load for potential fires,” wrote Mat-Su Area Forester Stephen Nickel.

The zones are being opened to allow for cost effective home heating as well as to serve as shaded fuel breaks in the event that wildfires develop in the area. Each of the five new zones is limited to beetle-kill spruce trees only and live birch, alder and cottonwood trees are to be left standing. However, there are three zones within the Mat-Su Valley where live birch trees may be harvested. Permits for personal use firewood harvesting can be found at https://dnr.alaska.gov/FPS on the Department of Forestry’s online permit system.

“These new firewood areas are intended to provide the public with access to beetle-killed spruce for personal-use heating needs, while simultaneously addressing wildland fire and safety risks posed by extensive spruce beetle kill in the region,” said Nickel.

The right-of-way corridors along the zones extend anywhere between 150-300 feet from the road depending on the location of the zone. The new zones help promote ‘shaded fuel breaks’ to slow down a possible wildland fire and provide access for prompt initial attack from firefighters. The wider corridors provide a safer area for fire crews to work.

More information on beetle-kill spruce can be found at http://forestry.alaska.gov/insects/sprucebeetle .