U.S. Forest Service

Digital firewood permits

Rapid prototyping to modernize systems and increase access to the public

Rapid prototyping In-person research Usability testing Workflow analysis Service mapping
Four screens showing the flow of an online firewood permitting prototype
Screens from a digital firewood prototype for the U.S. Forest Service.

The challenge

Every year, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) sells 5.5 million cubic feet of national forest timber to commercial partners and the public. Timber sales is an essential revenue source for the agency.

All of the USFS's timber sales are managed by a monolitic, aging IT system - The Timber Information Manager (TIM). 18F partnered with USFS to scale modern, integrated tools that streamline sales and lower maintainance costs.

Most firewood permits are available only in-person at a remote district ranger office during limited hours. By focusing on digitizing firewood permitting first, we delivered immediate value to staff and the public while setting the foundation for broader system modernization.

I led prototyping for digital firewood permits to expand access and revenue channels

As lead product designer, I rapidly assessed user needs and technical unknowns to prototype a digital permitting system—USFS’s first step toward selling forest product permits online. The prototype clarified key barriers and demonstrated the viability of digital access, supporting the case for further investment.

Working with a cross-functional team, I helped shape a roadmap that extended the Open Forest Design System and leveraged existing infrastructure for long-term sustainability. My designs and documentation laid the foundation for future teams to launch the public-facing system efficiently.

Mockups of web pages for selecting a forest and purchasing a permit
Within the first month of the project, I identified our key research questions and developed this lightweight prototype. We printed these pages out and brought them to the field to guide conversations with frontliners and members of the public.
A collage of photos from a research trip to Mt. Hood National Forest.
The team and I visited two ranger stations in Mt. Hood National Forest to observe in-person permit sales and test early stage prototypes. We spoke with frontliners, USFS law enforcement, and members of the public. I used the information given to permit seekers to inform the next iteration of the prototype, including land owner maps, permit regulations, weekly firewood information sheets, and general harvesting advice.

Key contributions

  • Formulated design hypotheses with the team to guide our work.
  • Created paper prototypes that I tested in the field with front line staff and members of the public at multiple ranger stations.
  • Mapped front-stage and back stage service interactions, data flows, and systems collaboratively with USFS staff. This created a shared understanding of requirements and constraints that guided the future build.
  • Built a clickable prototype iterating on what was learned in field research and stakeholder interviews, then coordinated usability tests with members of the public.
  • Documented findings, design work, and known design debt so that the next team could easily pick up on past research
A service map showing the number of steps needed to buy and issue a permit.
The service blueprint I created to synthesize what we observed and what we had learned about forest policy, existing systems, enforcement, and friction points. This also quickly showed what we needed to learn more about. I led collaborative sessions with Forest Service staff to map together those sections of the map and get a more complete view of the system.
A collage of load tag photos and sketches.
Permit holders currently get brightly colored load tags when they buy their permit from a ranger station, which signal to USFS law enforcement that a vehicle has a permit. I developed a printable load tag concept through design studios with the team, and landed on a concept using high contrast patterns.

Additional resources