Cutting Down Your Own Christmas Tree

One of the great holiday experiences for children of all ages is cutting down your own Christmas tree. About half of all national forests in the U.S. allow you to cut down a holiday Christmas tree with a permit and a nominal fee of approximately $10 dollars.  Lolo National Forest permits are free this year, but a permit is still required. If you know someone with privately owned forest land, then of course no permit is required.

Christmas tree harvesting is often encouraged depending on the location in order to thin forests and encourage the growth of other flora that needs more sunlight. It’s generally advisable to select trees under 12 feet tall.

Not much of a story on this posting – grab a hatchet, axe and chainsaw and find the tree you think looks pretty and will fit in your living room!  Plenty of adult supervision and safety precautions such as eye protection is essential of course.

For more information on cutting down trees in our National Forests, go here. For permits and other information locally, go to the Lolo National Forest website.