As winter settles over Ararat and district, Ararat Rural City Council is reminding residents that collecting firewood without the proper permits or from restricted areas is illegal and can cause significant harm to local landscapes and wildlife. Fallen timber provides important habitat for native animals and plays a key role in maintaining healthy ecosystems across the municipality.
Council is encouraging community members who rely on firewood for heating to use legal collection options and follow statewide rules that balance home heating needs with protection of the natural environment. Designated firewood collection areas are open seasonally across Victoria, with clear guidelines on where, when, and how much wood can be collected.
Locally, there are five collection points in the Mount Cole / Beeripmo State Forest that will be open until 30 June 2026.
Ararat Rural City Council CEO, Dr Tim Harrison, said responsible firewood collection was one way the community could care for its shared environment while looking after households. “When people head out to collect firewood, they are using a shared public resource, so it is important that everyone follows the rules and thinks about the impact on the landscape,” Dr Harrison said. “Fallen timber might look like waste, but it is actually home for many native species and part of the way our ecosystems stay healthy across Ararat Rural City.”
“Our community understands the value of looking after country for the long term, and by using designated collection areas and respecting seasonal limits we can make sure there is fair access to firewood today while protecting the environment for future generations.”
In Victoria, domestic firewood can only be collected from designated collection areas in State forests during the autumn and spring firewood collection seasons, subject to local conditions and any temporary closures. Firewood collection is generally not allowed from roadsides, parks, or other protected public land, and it is always illegal to cut down standing trees without express permission.
In designated collection areas, firewood may only be taken from timber that is already on the ground, is not visibly hollow, and does not have moss or fungi growing on it, helping to protect important habitat features. There are also limits on the amount that can be collected to ensure everyone has a fair opportunity to access domestic firewood and to discourage commercial-scale removal.
Residents are encouraged to plan ahead before heading out, check current firewood collection maps and any local restrictions, and follow all public land vehicle use rules while in the forest. Anyone who sees suspected illegal firewood collection on public land is urged to report it to the relevant state authorities so that enforcement officers can investigate.
