Newspaper bundles also available for families looking to prepare for the winter
CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – New Mexicans looking to stock up on firewood ahead of colder weather can purchase personal- use fuelwood permits from the Bureau of Land Management at several locations across the state, including the Rio Puerco Field Office in Albuquerque.
BLM fuelwood permits generally cost between $5 and $20 per cord, depending on the field office and cutting area. In most areas, permits allow the collection of dead and down or standing dead piñon and juniper. Cutting live trees or species not specifically authorized by a permit is prohibited.
For residents of Cibola County, the nearest listed BLM permit location is the Rio Puerco Field Office, 100 Sun Avenue NE, Suite 330, in Albuquerque. The office sells permits for dead and down fuelwood for $10 per cord. Permits are available year-round.
The Rio Puerco office is open from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office can be reached at 505-761-8700.
BLM said minimum and maximum amounts that may be purchased vary by field office, and rules, available cutting areas and seasons can differ from one area to another. Maps showing areas open to wood cutting, along with permit requirements and hauling rules, are provided when permits are purchased.
Elsewhere in New Mexico, fuelwood permits are available through BLM offices in Socorro, Farmington, Taos and Las Cruces, as well as through the New Mexico Public Lands Information Center in Santa Fe.
Prices include $5 per cord through the Socorro Field Office, $12 per cord for personal-use permits through Farmington and Taos, and $20 per cord in the Pinos Altos Fuelwood Area administered by the Las Cruces District Office.
The Socorro fuelwood season runs from Aug. 14, 2026, through March 31, 2027. The Taos season runs through Dec. 31. Rio Puerco, Farmington and Las Cruces list year-round availability.
Online permits are also available for areas administered by the Taos Field Office and Las Cruces District Office at forestproducts.blm.gov. Online purchasers must have access to a printer because permits, maps, instructions and haul tags must be printed before collecting wood.
BLM advises permit holders to carefully review all materials accompanying their permits before cutting because allowable species, cutting methods and collection areas vary.
More information, including maps and permit details, is available through the BLM New Mexico Wood Cutting Permits webpage at blm.gov.
For another inexpensive source of fire-starting material closer to home, old bundles of the Cibola Citizen are available for $1 at Roberta’s Place, 807 E. Roosevelt Ave. in Grants.