November 10, 2023 - SONORA, CALIF. – As the holiday season approaches, the Stanislaus National Forest is pleased to announce they are once again offering Christmas Tree permits. Free Christmas Tree permits are now available through recreation.gov who charges a $2.50 processing fee. There will be a limit of 7,500 permits issued.
Stanislaus National Forest Christmas Tree permit recreation.gov page with maps to permitted locations.
Though the permits will be available November 9, trees are not authorized to be cut until December 1.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural Christmas Tree permit season, Stanislaus leadership worked with Christmas Tree Farm owners in the area who asked cutting of trees be delayed until the first weekend of December in consideration of sales made during the Thanksgiving Holiday, typically the highest grossing weekend for Christmas Tree Farms.
“While we are excited to offer this opportunity, we’re also mindful of the impact on our local small business community and found a way to work together. We want our local communities to thrive, and we remain committed to that goal,” explained Jason Kuiken, Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor.
Families interested in obtaining a Christmas Tree permit should visit recreation.gov. Recreation.gov makes it easy to purchase a permit. “Visitor feedback has been extremely positive,” said Rick DeLappe, Recreation.gov Program Manager. “Of the more than 9,000-star ratings submitted by those who purchased permits on Recreation.gov during the 2021 season, 96 percent gave 4 or 5 stars of their experience.”
Once on Recreation.gov, national forests provide important details, like cutting area maps, types of trees to cut, and other important planning tips on their respective permit pages. Through recreation.gov only, Christmas Tree permits will be made available for free with a maximum of two trees per permit with one permit per household.
Broadly speaking, only two areas are off limits for cutting Christmas Trees: designated Wilderness Areas and the Experimental Forest. In addition, please do not cut any Christmas trees from any Forest Service administrative site (offices, campgrounds, or other facilities, etc.). Additional information and guidance regarding how and where to harvest your tree is contained in the permit. It is also important to remember to display your permit on your vehicle’s dashboard when you harvest your tree.
Cutting a Christmas Tree improves forest health. The permit system helps to thin densely populated stands of small-diameter trees. Local forest health experts identify areas that benefit from thinning trees and tend to be the perfect size for a Christmas Tree. Removing these trees in designated areas helps other trees grow larger and can open areas that provide food for wildlife.
In planning your outing, please understand seasonal road closures go into effect on December 16, 2023. Many higher elevation roads will be closed at that time. Please visit our forest website at Stanislaus National Forest - Maps & Publications (usda.gov) to find more information regarding our Motor Vehicle Use designations and dates. Please enjoy a safe winter visit, creating memories and leaving only footprints behind.
Link - Stanislaus National Forest Christmas Tree permit recreation.gov page with maps to permitted locations
Source: Stanislaus National Forest
