SIERRAVILLE, Calif. November 21, 2016 – Keep the family tradition alive this year (or start a new one) by cutting a Christmas tree in the Tahoe National Forest! On your adventure enjoy some cool mountain air while spending quality time with your family. For the 2016 holiday season, the Sierraville Ranger District on the Tahoe National Forest is selling 400 personal use Christmas tree cutting permits. The non-refundable permits are $10.00, one tree per permit with a limit of two permits per household. Permits may be used on the Sierraville Ranger District between November 21 and December 25. Along with the permit and tree tag, buyers will also receive a map showing cutting areas, requirements, and helpful tips.
Do you have a fourth grader at home? The Forest Service encourages all fourth graders to get their Every Kid in a Park Pass and a Christmas tree permit for free! To receive a free Christmas tree permit, fourth graders and their families must visit http://www.everykidinapark.gov and complete the application, then download and print the pass. Bring the pass to the Sierraville Ranger District office—along with parents. The Every Kid in a Park program is a White House initiative to provide opportunities for fourth graders to access federal public lands for free!
Although tree cutting is permitted through December 25, officials recommend cutting early in the season before higher elevations become snowbound. Trees can stay fresh for several weeks when properly stored. Because trees begin to lose moisture as soon as they are cut, place them in water as soon as possible. The Forest Service staff asks permit holders to practice good stewardship and be sure the Christmas tree is located on National Forest System lands.
Tree cutters should be prepared for unpredictable weather changes and colder conditions in higher elevations. A fun family outing can become miserable and even dangerous with a quick change of weather for the unprepared. Tree cutting areas may not be accessible by vehicle due to poor road conditions and tree cutters should be prepared to hike, ski, or snowshoe to find their Christmas tree. Plan your trip – check the weather and road conditions, let someone know where you are going and when you will return, bring plenty of warm clothes, water, emergency food, tire chains, shovel, a saw or axe to cut your tree, and a tarp and rope to bring it home.
Permits may be purchased directly from the Sierraville Ranger District office or White’s Sierra Station Food Mart in Loyalton. Permits can be purchased until December 24 or until they are sold out.
NATIONAL FOREST OFFICE SELLING CHRISTMAS TREE PERMITS
Sierraville Ranger District Office
317 South Lincoln Street (Highway 89)
Sierraville, CA 96126
(530) 994-3401
Monday – Friday (8:00 am – 4:30 pm)
LOCAL COMMUNITY BUSINESS SELLING CHRISTMAS TREE PERMITS
White’s Sierra Station Food Mart
508 Main Street
Loyalton, CA 96118
(530) 993-1212
Monday – Friday (6:00 am – 6:00 pm) and Saturday (6:00 am – 5:00 pm)