You can take driftwood from Oregon beaches for personal use, up to one cubic yard per person per day and no more than three cords per person per year. The wood has to be loose on the surface, you have to load it by hand, and some stretches of coast are closed to collection entirely. Sell what you gather and you’ve crossed from a legal beach activity into a violation.
How Much You Can Take
The daily cap on state park beaches is one cubic yard per person, which is a pile roughly three feet on each side. The annual cap is three cords, where a cord is four feet high, four feet wide, and eight feet long.1Oregon Secretary of State. Oregon Administrative Rules Compilation – OAR 736-026-0010 Most beachgoers will never approach three cords in a year. The daily limit is the one that actually comes into play.
Collection has to be for personal use. The rule allows taking driftwood “for souvenirs, for personal use or as gifts,” so firewood, decor, and craft projects are all covered.2Oregon Public Law. Oregon Administrative Rule 736-026-0010 – State Park Beaches Selling it isn’t.
What Counts as Collectible
The wood has to be loose and lying on the surface. Anything embedded in sand, bluffs, or dune banks stays where it is, because pulling it out speeds up erosion.2Oregon Public Law. Oregon Administrative Rule 736-026-0010 – State Park Beaches If you have to dig, walk away.
Standing trees and attached roots are protected whether alive or dead. The rule targets unattached, dead wood that washed up or broke free on its own. Cutting a dead snag off a bluff for firewood is a violation and can destabilize what’s behind it.
Skip wood with brand marks, sawmill stamps, or other signs it started life as processed lumber. That material isn’t natural driftwood and may still belong to someone. The same goes for pieces of piers, jetties, or pilings.
Tools and Equipment
Whatever you take has to be loadable by hand. Tractors, winches, and ATVs rigged for hauling are prohibited on state park beaches, and mechanized loading is barred on other public ocean shore areas as well.2Oregon Public Law. Oregon Administrative Rule 736-026-0010 – State Park Beaches3Legal Information Institute. Oregon Administrative Code 736-026-0015 – Non-State Park Beaches
Hand tools like a hatchet or bow saw are fine for breaking pieces down. Chainsaws are not. On state park beaches, you need prior approval from the park manager before using one.2Oregon Public Law. Oregon Administrative Rule 736-026-0010 – State Park Beaches On non-state-park beaches, power saws may be restricted in specific areas, so check with the local managing authority first.3Legal Information Institute. Oregon Administrative Code 736-026-0015 – Non-State Park Beaches
Where the Rules Differ Along the Coast
Oregon’s public ocean shore runs the full length of the state, but the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department doesn’t manage every mile of it. State park beaches and other public ocean shore areas share the core restrictions: personal use only, no embedded wood, no mechanized loading. The details diverge around power saws and around vehicle access for wood gathering, which on non-park beaches can turn on the wishes of upland property owners when the only route in crosses private land.3Legal Information Institute. Oregon Administrative Code 736-026-0015 – Non-State Park Beaches
Some coastal sections fall under federal jurisdiction, such as parts of the Siuslaw National Forest. Federal rules generally align with Oregon’s, but confirm with the local ranger district before you collect. And the land above the public beach zone can be private. Taking wood off private property without the owner’s permission is theft.
Closed and Protected Areas
Some stretches of coast are off the table regardless of the general limits. The Neskowin “ghost forest,” where ancient tree stumps surface from the sand, is closed to removal of any material. Other areas close seasonally to protect nesting shorebirds, including the western snowy plover, which is federally listed as threatened.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asks visitors to respect posted closures, give nesting birds space, and keep dogs leashed in sensitive areas, since flushing adults from nests can cause them to abandon eggs or chicks.4U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Share the Shore: How You Can Help Beach Birds Where a section is posted closed for wildlife, driftwood collection is closed too.
Old wood or artifacts on federal land can also be protected under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, which prohibits unauthorized disturbance, excavation, or removal of archaeological resources from public lands and carries both criminal and civil penalties.5National Park Service. Using ARPA Civil Penalties to Protect Archeological Resources on Public and Indian Lands If a piece looks old enough to be historically significant, or sits in an area with posted archaeological restrictions, leave it.
What Happens If You Break the Rules
Violations on state-managed beaches run through Oregon’s park violation system. Damage to park resources, including illegal wood removal, can be charged as a Class A violation, which carries a higher fine than routine infractions. Rangers can issue citations on the spot and can require you to return what you took.
Federal land managers handle their own enforcement, and taking wood from private property without permission opens the door to theft charges under Oregon criminal law. Casual overcollecting isn’t the expensive scenario. The costs climb fast when mechanized equipment is involved, protected areas are disturbed, or the wood turns out to have archaeological value.