Oregon Public Broadcasting

Permits for cutting Christmas trees on national forests are available starting Monday.  Pete Springer reports.

Forest Service offices and local vendors charge five-dollars for a permit to cut a tree up to 12-feet tall. 

Permits for bigger trees are available for an additional fee.

Jeree Mills is an information officer for the Mt. Hood National Forest. 

She says the experience of cutting a tree in the woods is quite a bit different than visiting a Christmas tree farm.

Jeree Mills: “It’s not the same as a u-cut lot.  They’re not cultivated trees so a lot of times they’re not quite as thick as some of the trees you might see on, you know, a lot.”

Since many forest tree cutting sites are remote, Mills recommends taking extra food and clothing, and being ready for snow and ice.

Jeree Mills: “Be prepared to be out in winter weather, carry some tire chains with you.”

Permits also come with information sheets explaining where to find the kind and size of tree you want.