What exactly are the rules for collecting it in the winter? Can you cut something that's clearly dead but still standing? When you're just getting something crackling for a little while in the evening for summer camping finding enough wood is no problem, but do you find you have trouble getting enough for heating throughout a winter trip?

In my experience its easier to find wood in winter, than in summer. You're not confined to the campsite area or you don't have to put firewood in a canoe. A sled works better and you have easier access to other shorelines. Not a problem to find enough at all. I believe same rules apply as in summer for harvesting.

Same rules apply for winter. You're supposed to take dead and "downed" wood. Only reference for winter I saw which was very hard to find was the one where you can camp anywhere rule and that they prefer you camp somewhere other than a designated campsite to reduce the impact of cutting and collecting firewood.

So I've been practicing cutting and splitting wood with a new saw and wedge I got at Farm and Fleet. Man o man, I'm tempted to bring my chainsaw!

ive heard some people soft water trip late in the season and cut/stash piles for their hard water trips.

I seem to find 50-75% of winter wood "up". Broken limbs/branches caught in a "V" of another tree or or some how hung up from reaching the ground where it gets covered by snow. In March when the snow depth is usually maxed out-- it's sometimes the only place we get good, dry wood.

Easy. Walk the shoreline with your sled. Best wood available. It's sun and wind dried. Easy pickings in the winter!