MISSOULA & KALISPELL - Beginning Nov. 23, Christmas tree permits will be available at each of the Lolo and Flathead National Forest offices and from a variety of retail vendors in the area. A complete list of vendors can be found on the Forest’s website, http://www.fs.usda.gov/flathead and http://www.fs.usda.gov/lolo. Each permit costs five dollars and is valid for one tree. There is a maximum of two permits allowed per household. Commercial permits are not available.
The Lolo National Forest Supervisor’s Office and Missoula Ranger District, located at 24 Fort Missoula Rd., will extend hours for permit sales to include three Saturdays, Nov. 28, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
New this year as part of the national Every Kid in a Park initiative, all fourth graders are eligible for one free Christmas tree permit. For students to receive the free tree permit, they must present a valid paper or plastic Every Kid in a Park pass. To obtain the pass, visit http://www.everykidinapark.gov, follow the instructions on the website then print out the paper voucher. Bring the paper voucher to a Forest Service office to claim the free tree permit. The fourth grader and adult must present the voucher in person at the office location.
The Forest Service is one of several federal agencies participating in the Every Kid in a Park initiative, a nationwide call to action to inspire young people across the country to visit their national parks, forests, public lands and waters. Getting outdoors to find and cut the family Christmas tree is one way for kids and families to explore, learn and play in these special places that belong to all of us.
The hunt for the perfect Christmas tree can be a fun, festive way to begin the holiday season. The forest has an abundant choice of trees and areas from which to choose for selecting the perfect tree. Here are a few tips and restrictions to tree cutting.
• Help keep the forest healthy by not cutting trees in campgrounds or other developed recreation areas including Pattee Canyon, Blue Mountain or the Rattlesnake recreation area, plantations, in previously thinned stands and areas posted closed to Christmas tree cuttings.
• Select a tree that is three to four inches in diameter or less at the stump.
• Do not leave live branches on the stump and trim the stump to no more than five inches above the soil.
• Do not cut the top off a large tree.
• Do not cut trees within 150 feet of riparian areas (creeks and streams) or within Wilderness Areas.
• Once the tree is cut, fasten the permit around the tree trunk before transporting it.
The Christmas tree permit is valid only for National Forest System lands. There are other privately-owned and industry-owned lands in the Flathead, Swan, Clearwater and Blackfoot Valleys that may not allow Christmas tree cutting. Please check the ownership of the land before cutting a tree.
For a permit or more information about Christmas tree cutting, please contact a local Forest Service office: Swan Lake Ranger District, 837-7500; Seeley Lake Ranger District, 677-2233; Missoula Ranger District, 329-3814. For additional information please call (406) 329-3814.
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