Selling firewood in Victoria: lawful sources, receipts and State forest limits

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It follows pages from the Victorian Government and its Conservation Regulator, which target illegal firewood sales. Those pages do not set out a cord, a cubic metre rule or delivery ticket contents for sellers, so none is reported here.

Where a seller's wood may come from

The Victorian Government buying firewood page, updated August 18, 2025, says a legitimate seller should be able to say where the wood is sourced. It names three legal sources: a wholesale supplier, a commercial wood lot, or private land with the landowner's permission. It adds that if wood from private land is a native species such as river red gum, the landowner generally needs a permit from the local council. The June 1, 2023 release from the Conservation Regulator and Parks Victoria says timber from private land is also covered by the Guidelines for the removal, destruction or lopping of native vegetation, which the release says are on the DEECA website.

The receipt

Both the buying page and the 2023 release say a legitimate seller should provide a tax receipt with a business name and ABN listed. The buying page also says to ask the supplier why if firewood bought through social media seems too cheap. Anonymous reports of suspected illegal sellers go to 136 186.

State forest firewood cannot be sold

The Victorian Government collecting firewood page says firewood collected from State forest may be used only for personal use, such as at home or camping, and cannot be sold to someone else. It gives these collection rules for the domestic scheme.

Item	What the page says
Seasons	Autumn, March 1 to June 30. Spring, September 1 to November 30.
Amount	Two cubic metres per person per day, and 16 cubic metres per household per financial year.
Timber	Fallen wood only, more than 20 metres from a waterway or waterhole, not visibly hollow, with no moss or fungi growing on it.
Trailer guide	One cubic metre of split firewood fits a standard trailer of about 1.8 metres by 1.2 metres if neatly stacked to a height of 50 cm.
Parks	Parks Victoria does not allow firewood collection in the protected areas it manages, including national, state, regional and metropolitan parks.

Penalties the government lists

The June 1, 2023 release says illegal cutting or taking of timber from public land can bring an immediate fine of AU$740 under the Forests Act 1958, or a maximum penalty of AU$9,246 and/or one year in jail if the matter goes to court. It adds that chainsaws, trailers and vehicles can be seized when used in the offending. An earlier release, published June 22, 2022 and updated December 8, 2025, gives a maximum of AU$9,087 and/or one year in prison for cutting or taking more than two cubic metres of fallen or felled trees from Crown land, with a further fine of up to AU$9,087 for destroying wildlife habitat. The two pages carry different figures, and this page does not say which applies.

For the model rule and other places, see the firewood sale rules overview. Public-land collection rules for Australia are on the Australia and New Zealand public-land firewood page.