1 week Ago
Cutting your own Christmas tree is a time-honored tradition. In Central Oregon, this holiday activity is fairly easy to accomplish with two national forests straddling either side of the Deschutes Basin. Permits are now available to cut Christmas trees in both the Deschutes and Ochoco national forests.
These are available online and from local vendors around the region. Online permits cost $5 plus an additional $2.50 reservation fee from reservation.
gov . Permits purchased online must be printed to be valid. Local vendors selling permits include BiMart and REI.
A full list of vendors is available online. Fourth graders are eligible for a free Christmas tree permit as a part of the Every Kid Outdoors initiative, a national program to encourage children to visit national parks. The Forest Service offers the following tips and rules when cutting down a Christmas tree.
• Start tree hunting early in the day to have plenty of daylight hours. • Cellphones may not work in off-road areas; have a map and compass handy. • The tree you choose must be at least 200 feet from main roads, recreation sites and campgrounds, and away from streams, rivers, lakes and wet areas.
• Select a tree 6 inches or less in diameter and cut no more than 6 inches above ground level. • Never cut a tall tree just for the top. • Select a tree from overstocked areas and thickets.
Cut only only one tree per tag. • Bring a rope and tarp to move your tree to your vehicle. • Attach tree tag to the harvested tree before placing it in or on the vehicle.
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