BLM Rio Puerco Field Office offering forest product permits online
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ALBUQUERQUE, NM – As part of its ongoing efforts to better serve the public, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rio Puerco Field Office has begun a pilot program offering permits for fuelwood and Christmas trees online.
“The BLM works to maintain healthy forests and woodlands that include abundant opportunities for harvest and use of forest products,” said acting Rio Puerco Field Manager Angel Martinez. “We are pleased to offer this pilot program enabling members of the public to purchase fuelwood and Christmas tree permits online.”
The BLM has long offered permits to members of the public for harvest of forest products from BLM-managed land. However, before the pilot program began, customers had to drive to their local BLM office – sometimes over very long distances – to buy these permits.
Now, customers in participating field offices can visit https://forestproducts.blm.gov to purchase fuelwood and Christmas tree permits online. (Permits for other forest products still require an in-person office visit.) Once at the web site, users can simply answer a few questions, enter payment information, and print their permit.
Participating BLM field offices include Glennallen (Alaska), Pocatello (Idaho), Albuquerque (New Mexico), Taos (New Mexico), Prineville (Oregon), and Kemmerer (Wyoming).
During the pilot, online permits will be available – depending on the office and season – for fuelwood and Christmas trees 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while over-the-counter permits for these and other forest products will still be available during normal business hours.
The pilot program is intended to run for about a year, and the BLM plans to evaluate it for potential continuation and expansion over time.
For more information on the online forest products permit pilot program, visit https://forestproducts.blm.gov or contact BLM forester Elyssa Duran at 505-954-2190 or ekduran@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.