RESIDENTS will no longer be able to collect firewood from public land, with DELWP’s Spring 2016 Firewood Collection Season closing up on Thursday, 1 December.
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP)’s forest and fire operations regional manager Peter Kambouris said that from Thursday, the firewood collection areas would be closed for summer.
“It will be illegal for people to collect firewood on public land until the start of the Autumn Firewood Collection Season,” he said.
Mr Kambouris noted that some areas may have already closed, due to firewood supplies being exhausted, or rain and flooding making tracks to the areas unsafe.
The autumn collection season opens from 1 March, 2017, if conditions allow.
Mr Kambouris said that Forest Fire Management Victoria staff would be patrolling parks, forests and reserves to police the closing of the collection areas.
On-the-spot fines for collecting firewood illegally can be up to $622, and if charges are pressed through the courts, offenders can be fined $7773, receive one year imprisonment or both.
For more information, visit www.delwp.vic.gov.au/firewood or call 136 186.
