Is it legal to collect firewood in the UK?
In most cases, it is not legal to collect firewood from forests, parks, or countryside areas in the UK without permission. All woodland is owned by someone, whether it’s private land, the Forestry Commission, the Duchy of Cornwall, the National Trust, or Cornwall Council, and removing wood without consent is considered theft under the Theft Act 1968.
That said, there are a few exceptions:
-
With the landowner’s permission: You can collect fallen branches or cut your own logs if you have explicit permission from the landowner or a felling licence holder.
-
Your own property: You are free to cut and use trees or branches from your own land, as long as you comply with tree protection laws (for example, Tree Preservation Orders or conservation area restrictions).
-
Designated firewood collection schemes: Some forestry sites occasionally offer paid firewood collection permits where you can legally gather wood from designated areas — always check locally first.
It’s also important to remember that collecting wood from roadsides, hedgerows, or beaches without permission is still illegal, even if it looks abandoned.
Finally, from a practical point of view, most collected wood is green and too wet to burn effectively. It can take up to two years to season properly, and may still fail to meet the government’s Ready to Burn standards.
That’s why we recommend using kiln dried hardwood logs, they’re legally sourced, sustainably produced, and ready to burn immediately, giving you maximum heat output and minimal smoke while staying fully compliant with UK regulations.
