The autumn firewood collection season ends on June 30.
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Victorians will not be able to collect firewood from public land from midnight Thursday, June 30, when the autumn collection season finishes.
Forest Fire Management Victoria Hume deputy chief fire officer Aaron Kennedy said firewood could only be taken from designated collection areas in state forests or parks from March 1 to June 30 and September 1 to November 30.
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“Firewood is a shared public resource that provides a range of environmental values and needs to be managed in a sustainable way for the future,” he said.
“There are on-the-spot fines of $727 for illegal firewood collection behaviour and, if an offence goes to court, the person may be liable for fines up to $9087, one-year imprisonment or both.
Forest Fire Management Victoria and Parks Victoria staff will patrol parks, forests and reserves to make sure everyone did the right thing and the habitat was protected.
Financial help was available for people on low incomes who purchased firewood or wanted to transition to other energy sources.
For information, visit ffm.vic.gov.au/firewood/energy-concession-and-support
