Where to get free firewood, including in your area.
There are several ways to get free or very low cost firewood if a household relies on a wood burning stove, fireplace insert, or pellet heater. Assistance programs start with government programs that pay for wood and continues with local charities, community organizations, and practical ways to find low-cost or free wood in your area. Learn where to get free firewood in your area or money to pay for wood.
Why this matters
Heating your home with firewood or pellets can be a more affordable option than using oil, gas, or electric heat. However, if your income is limited, the up-front cost of wood, deliveries, or storage of it can still be a burden. For seniors, people with disabilities, or households that use wood as their primary heat source, missing wood deliveries or having to rely on low-quality wood can mean unsafe living conditions or higher costs.
The good news is there are official programs and charity-based options that help. Importantly, while many of these programs focus on paying wood-heat bills rather than giving free wood, the funding and eligibility criteria have recently become more inclusive of “wood/cord/pellet” heating in many states.
Organizations that pay for firewood
Low-income households relying on a wood-burning stove, a fireplace insert, or a pellet system can often receive financial help to pay for cords of wood, deliveries, or bags of pellets. The federal government funds most of this help through LIHEAP, administered at the state and county level. (Always remember LIHEAP can go by different names in different states).
- The LIHEAP program (or your state’s version) remains the single most dependable way for low-income families to afford wood heat as the government will provide money to pay for firewood. Most states include wood, pellets, or cords as approved heating fuels when a household uses them as its primary source of heat. This means an eligible family can receive a seasonal grant or a vendor payment that covers part or all of the wood they need.
- Many states set the benefit at a flat seasonal amount, but others increase the allowance for homes heated exclusively with wood because of the higher volume required. The program rules confirm that LIHEAP funds can be used for a range of fuel types, including wood and pellets, and the benefit can also help with related delivery charges that come directly from approved suppliers. Read more about LIHEAP government grants.
Community action agencies are another resource. Many manage applications, intake appointments, and documentation for LIHEAP grants. However a local community action agency will often be able to provide other emergency help to pay for firewood. Their county offices verify income, confirm that wood is the household’s primary heating fuel, and issue the payment to a vendor. Many winter heating programs, whether LIHEAP or other community action grants, is seasonal and funds run down as winter progresses, the agency in your county should be contacted early and look here for a list of state community action agencies.
Some families may also qualify for financial help to pay for wood from charities. The Salvation Army in many regions may include wood or pellet help under its emergency utility or winter-heat funds, and some local branches host “wood lot” distributions when donations allow. Catholic Charities and independent churches sometimes do the same, often collecting downed or donated wood and making it available to seniors or families in crisis. Some thrift stores may also give out free wood scraps to burn in a fireplace or stove. The assistance programs can go by various names such as Wood Lot, HeatShare, and others.
- These charity-based options for either free firewood or money to pay for it vary by county and depend on donations, volunteer labor, and seasonal availability. Most charities or churches will rely on donations of wood, such as from a local business, then they may pass it out to a low-income family. They are not guaranteed every year and should be viewed as supplemental, but they remain a legitimate source of free firewood when they exist. Find more details on charities for financial help.
In colder states, some township offices, senior-service agencies, and small businesses also operate local programs that help residents acquire seasoned wood. These can go by familiar names such as HeatShare or Wood Lot, but the structure is always the same. Many of these operations are staffed by volunteers, and the wood supply or the funds to pay for it is usually limited. A family may need proof that the home relies on wood heat or that an immediate crisis exists.
Websites and other resources to find free firewood
The practical methods for finding free or low-cost firewood remain important for households that are not eligible for assistance or that run short before the end of the season. Websites and online marketplaces often have listings for free or inexpensive wood. Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, local Freecycle groups, neighborhood community boards, and similar platforms frequently include posts for free downed tree sections, scrap lumber that can be safely burned, or surplus firewood that homeowners need to clear out.
- The quality of the firewood or wood products at these places will also vary widely. Here is a list of online marketplaces which may have wood, scraps, pellets, items such as old box springs to burn and similar goods.
 Some thrift stores and local businesses still give away broken pallets or clean scrap wood suitable for wood-burning stoves. Large construction sites and tree-removal companies also have excess wood from routine work. These sources require time, transportation, and the ability to cut or split the wood, but any wood available from them can reduce heating costs significantly. They may charge a minimal cost, and it will also take time and money to possibly use these sources. Therefore, weigh that cost and time to check these places vs. just going out and buying a cord or pellets of firewood.
Government run parks or national forests may provide free firewood. Now of course this is only effective if the family lives near one; otherwise the cost to try these places may be prohibitive. Maybe they allow people to cut down trees in an effort to help clear the park of fire hazards. Or trees that are damaged or that have fallen can be taken and used for so called scrap firewood. However, most wood in these areas is unseasoned, it must dry before being used safely.
- Examples of these park based programs include Vermont's Wood Warms initiative, which charges a minimal cost for a cord of wood. But some very low income families can be given free firewood. Other states that can often allow wood to be cut down in parks include Maine, Colorado, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, New Jersey and others. State and national park policies outlining firewood rules are usually posted on their official websites. The United States Forest Service site is https://www.fs.usda.gov. and contains links to forest-specific wood-gathering information.
A general internet search can also locate local “wood bank” projects or volunteer groups that cut and deliver wood to seniors or households with low incomes. These online postings are the “wild west” in the sense that firewood may come from businesses, individuals, local government, or charities. Learn how to set up an alert for free giveaways. Some offers are free while others charge a minimal cost. The quality and safety of the firewood varies, so it is important to avoid painted, treated, or contaminated wood and to focus on seasoned hardwood suited for stoves or fireplaces.
Conclusion
Low income families that heat with wood or pellets should start with LIHEAP to see if the program will cover their main fuel and then contact local charities, churches, and community action agencies about any wood lot or wood bank project or even grants. Online marketplaces, local businesses, and park-based wood options can then fill in the gaps. When all of these resources are combined, it becomes more realistic for a low income household, senior, or disabled person to keep their home safely heated with firewood throughout the winter without falling behind on other bills.
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