For many Coloradans, cutting down their own Christmas tree in our national forests is a cherished family tradition, and often those trips are planned on Thanksgiving weekend while families are together.
“I have fond memories of taking my daughter, who is now 15 years old, to cut a Christmas tree when she was still learning to walk,” said Brian Banks, an official with the Pike-San Isabel National Forests, as quoted on the forests’ website. “Now she will be driving us. It is a wonderful opportunity to spend time outdoors while helping the forest service maintain resilient landscapes.”
It’s all legal, as long as you follow the rules.
Required permits are available through recreation.gov. , click on permits and refine your search to , where you will see a list of Christmas tree-cutting locations on national forests that you can rank-order according to distance from where you live. In some national forests, permits are also available through local vendors or ranger district offices. Permits must be secured before cutting trees.
Fourth-grade kids are through a program called Every Kid Outdoors, which offers free access to them and their families on federal lands. Go to to register your kid and download a voucher that can be redeemed in person or online. When you reserve your cutting permit at recreation.gov, there will be a box to check indicating that you have a child who has .
Rules and prices for tree-cutting permits vary from one national forest to another. Each forest lists them online, along with the locations of district offices and vendors where permits can be purchased in person. Here are some details for the five forests closest to Denver:
Permits ($10) are available at district offices, through local vendors and online via . . Online purchases will include a $2.50 service charge.
: Permits ($20) are . A web page on where you can find regulations and maps of locations where cutting is permitted. The forests’ website also has a . Online purchases will include a $2.50 service charge.
: The cost of permits varies ($10-$20), depending on the forest district. They are , with a $2.50 transaction fee, Most districts in these forests also allow for in-person permit purchases at ranger district offices. on the forests’ website.
