Don’t let the cold weather sneak up on you. Be prepared by obtaining a firewood permit from the NAS Patuxent River Natural Resources Department and help yourself to wood available onboard the installation.
Anyone with base access can purchase the wood for personal use, such as heating a home with a fireplace or woodstove, use in recreational fire rings or pits, or for campfires and bonfires.
“There are various easily accessible locations around base where contractors have left good firewood logs from construction clearing projects, as well as other sites with downed trees, that we can point customers to if they want to harvest the wood from those locations,” said Laura LaBella, natural resources specialist.
LaBella explained that permit holders are responsible for cutting the logs to the size they desire in order to remove them, and the safe operation of a chainsaw is required. Permit holders must bring their own equipment, such as a chainsaw, gloves, safety goggles and appropriate footwear.
“The permit cost is $15 per truckload, but varies by truck bed size,” LaBella noted. “Permits are issued for a two-week period and wood can be harvested any time within that timeframe.”
A permit is required before being allowed to remove any wood from Pax River.
“There have been some people helping themselves to wood stacks and we need to make sure people understand that since the base is government property, we cannot let people take it for free; that’s why there’s this low per-truckload fee,” LaBella said. “And wood collected on station may not be sold commercially.”
To purchase a permit, cutters must call (301) 342-3670 to schedule an appointment with a staff member to meet at the Natural Resources Education Center, building #1410, on Johnson Road. There, they can also obtain a copy of the Pax River Firewood Cutting Instruction, which governs the firewood cutting program.