Can I gather firewood (deadwood)?
No, taking deadwood from a forest is in principle forbidden — it is part of the forest ecosystem. In Flanders, removing wood, even dead and fallen wood, from the public forests of the Agency for Nature and Forests is forbidden: deadwood has an important ecological function and taking it without permission amounts to theft. In a private forest, gathering is only allowed with the owner's express consent. In Wallonia, the old right of affouage (firewood from communal forests) exists, but it goes through the municipality: you need an allocation or permit and usually pay per lot — free gathering without authorization is forbidden. In Brussels, taking wood from the forests is forbidden. In short: never just take wood from a forest without papers or consent.
📋 The rules
- Flanders: removing wood (even dead/fallen) from ANB forests is forbidden (counts as theft)
- Deadwood has an ecological function and stays in the forest
- In a private forest: only with the owner's express consent
- Wallonia: firewood (affouage) only via the municipality, with allocation/permit and usually payment per lot
- Brussels: taking wood from the forests is forbidden
- Without authorization or consent: never take wood from a forest
🔓 Exceptions
- On your own land you may of course use your own (fallen) wood
- In Wallonia you can legally collect firewood through an affouage lot from the municipality
- In a private wood, gathering is only allowed with the owner's explicit consent — a verbal nod from a forester is not enough
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Taking wood from a public forest is timber theft: you risk an official report, return of the wood and a fine. In Flanders forest offences carry fines that, with the surcharge factor, quickly run to several hundred euros, and higher still on repeat or for large quantities. In Wallonia a fine follows if you take wood without an affouage allocation. What gatherers do not see coming: this is theft, not a parking ticket, and equipment (chainsaw, trailer) can be seized. Driving a vehicle into the wood to load up adds a further offence.
📎 Official sources
- Natuur en Bos · what you may do in nature →
- SPW · affouage / communal firewood →
- Bruxelles Environnement · Sonian Forest →
❓ Frequently asked
May I take dead wood from the forest?
Not in the public forests of Natuur en Bos: dead wood belongs to the forest and taking it away counts as theft. In a private wood, gathering is only allowed with the owner's explicit consent.
May I gather firewood in Wallonia?
Only through the affouage system: you apply to the municipality for a lot or a permit and usually pay a sum per lot. Free gathering without an allocation stays banned in Wallonia too.
Why is dead wood left lying?
Dead and rotting wood is habitat for insects, fungi, birds and mammals and is essential to a healthy forest. That is why the manager deliberately leaves it on the ground instead of clearing it.
May I collect branches for the fireplace?
Not freely in a public forest, not even for an armful of branches. On your own land, or with the forest owner's consent, it is fine; in Wallonia you can get firewood legally through an affouage lot.
Is it allowed in Brussels?
No, taking wood out of the Brussels forests is banned, the Sonian Forest included. There is no affouage system there as in Wallonia, so there is no legal route to gathering firewood at all.
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