City offering timber permit event, opportunity for free firewood

The City of Medicine Hat has announced an upcoming timber permit event, which will provide residents with the opportunity to gather free firewood by removing deadfall in a designated section of the city. The timber permit event is set for Saturday, July 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will target a section of the coulees on the east side of the Southeast Hill, which has an above average amount of deadfall. The section includes two zones where approved participants may remove deadfall.

• Map – Timber permit zones (PDF)

Deadfall that is removed by City staff would otherwise be turned into mulch or other operational uses. Along with the opportunity for residents to enjoy free firewood, the event also provides them with a chance to help revitalize this section of coulees in Medicine Hat.

How to participate

Before the event

Residents are required to fill out a permit application form and sign a waiver to be able to participate. To ensure applications are processed on time, application documents must be submitted at least five business days prior to the event date. The submission deadline is 4:30 p.m. on Monday, July 6.

The permit application form linked above may be filled out online and emailed to parks@medicinehat.ca or dropped off in-person at the Parks and Recreation office (88 Kipling Street SE). The form also indicates which personal safety equipment and tools are required to take part.

Residents are asked to read the full permit application form prior to signing, to ensure a full understanding of the event requirements.

The waiver, included in the document above, must be signed in-person at the Parks and Recreation office in the presence of a city staff member.

During the event

On the day of the event, approved participants are asked to meet on Alexandra Street SE (view location). Parks and Recreation staff will meet participants at this location. They will assist with accessing each zone and identifying deadfall to remove. Several on-street public parking options exist nearby, and participants are asked to avoid parking in commercial parking lots.

The City of Medicine Hat will consider additional timber permit event opportunities in other locations based on the public uptake on July 11.

For media inquiries, please contact:
media@medicinehat.ca