Useful Firewood Tips from Colorado Old-timers You Will Actually Use

Even before Halloween, Coloradans are already gearing up for winter. You can smell it in the air — that sharp mix of cedar and oak being split — or hear it in the steady rhythm of an axe or chainsaw echoing from a neighbor’s yard.

In Western Colorado, pumpkins on front porches signal that fall has settled in — and winter isn’t far behind. Around Grand Junction and Montrose, once the pumpkin patches open, locals know it’s time to start stacking firewood.

Where to Get Good Firewood in Colorado

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In Colorado, residents like to cut their own firewood, but the rules can be different depending on where you go. Both BLM and the U.S. Forest Service allow firewood cutting for personal use with a permit. These can be purchased online or at local ranger stations like the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forest offices.

Once you have your permit, you are free to go after dead and down wood in your assigned area. Some permits last 24 hours, other permits on State Forest lands are typically valid from June to October (weather permitting). Permits to cut wood in a national forest typically expire on December 31 of the year they were purchased.

Cutting and Storing Tips from the Old-Timers

Here’s how the old-timers in Colorado have been cutting firewood for decades. Techniques like the ones below can be found in guides such as Woodsmith's “A Step-By-Step Guide on How to Cut Firewood.”

1. Always cut firewood on a dry day. Target trees that are dead and down. They will have less sap and fewer bugs. Avoid cutting wood in places that will require hauling logs uphill or on slick terrain.
2. Cut your logs to fit your stove or fireplace for a manageable fire (16-18 inches). Once the logs are sized up, split them to increase their surface area and help them dry faster.
3. To help the rain pour off the log pile, stack the wood and alternate bark side up, bark side down. Keep the wood in a place where the sun/breeze can get at it and keep it dry.
4. Use a chainsaw, an axe, a hatchet, or a splitting maul, and wedges. Stay safe with chaps, gloves, a helmet, and goggles.

Best Storage and Stacking Methods for Colorado Winters

Cutting or purchasing the firewood you need for winter is only half the battle. Storing and drying the wood properly is the other half. On the Western Slope, you will see lots of wood stacked off the ground on pallets or rails so that it does not absorb the moisture from the ground.

Do not stack wood up against the house or the garage. Leave a gap between the wood and the structure for fire safety and to keep pests from hiding in it. Stack it bark-side-up to help protect it. A good wood pile needs to be covered on top, but the sides should stay open to the air. For drying, stack your woodpile in the sun, near the windiest corner of the house. An ideal spot is one where the wood can sit undisturbed for six months or longer.

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