People who rely on firewood as their sole source of heating and cooking are strongly encouraged to plan their firewood needs early, ensure they are using firewood in the most efficient way possible and to explore their energy options.
When you can collect firewood
Firewood can be collected from:
- 1 March to 30 June (Autumn season)
- 1 September to 30 November (Spring season)
Firewood cannot be collected outside these times.
Where you can collect firewood
Maps of collection areas are published annually on 1 March for the autumn collection period and 1 September for the spring collection period.
Penalties apply
There are serious penalties for failing to follow firewood collection rules.
The rules for firewood collection are contained in the Forests (Domestic Firewood) Regulations 2022 and Crown Land (Reserves) (Domestic Firewood) Regulations 2022.
FFMVic works with the Conservation Regulator to regularly patrol state forests and make sure people are adhering to the firewood collection rules.
Official signs make firewood collection areas easy to identify.
Read about the rules for collecting firewood, possible penalties and how to report illegal firewood collection on the Conservation Regulator website.
Page last updated: 23/04/25