Christmas tree permits available
Cutting a Christmas tree on the National Forest is a great holiday tradition for many families and can help fire risks by removing smaller trees from the forest.
Christmas tree permits are now available from the Mendocino National Forest for this holiday season.
The cost of the permit is $10 per tree, available from area vendors, as well as either in person or by mail from Mendocino National Forest office in Willows.
Permits will be sold through Dec. 18 and are good through Dec. 24. Trees may be cut and removed any day of the week in any authorized area of the forest.
There is a limit of one permit per household and each permit must use have a valid name and address. Up to four additional permits may be purchased for additional households using separate names and addresses. Individuals must be 18-year-old or older to purchase a permit. Mendocino National Forest only accepts cash or checks as payment for Christmas tree permits and sales are final, with no refund.
Those who purchase a permit will receive a tree tag and map of the forest.
To purchase a permit by mail, send a printed name and mailing address, a printed name and address for each permit purchased, a daytime telephone number, and a check or money order made out to "USDA Forest Service" for $10 for each permit to either the Willows, Upper Lake or Covelo offices with "Christmas Tree Permit" written on the outside of the envelope. Mail-in requests received after Dec. 14 will not be filled.
A permit form can be found online at www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino/passespermits/christmas.
Anyone planning on cutting a Christmas tree for someone else who isn't present, a Third Party Authorization must be in possession of the cutter. This form is also available on the Mendocino National Forest Web site.
Permit holders should be aware that federal and state quarantines to prevent the spread of Sudden Oak Death are in effect for Lake and Mendocino counties. Any Douglas fir trees cut in these counties can only be transported into other Sudden Oak Death quarantine counties. Tehama, Glenn, and Colusa are not Sudden Oak Death quarantine counties.
Locations where permits are sold
• Mendocino National Forest Supervisor’s Office
Grindstone Ranger District Office
825 N. Humboldt Ave., Willows, CA 95988
934-3316
• Stonyford Work Center
5171 Stonyford-Elk Creek Road, Stonyford, CA, 95979
963-3128
• Covelo Ranger Station
78150 Covelo Road, Covelo, CA 95428
983-6118
• Upper Lake Ranger Station
10025 Elk Mountain Road, Upper Lake, CA 95485
(707) 275-2361
• Nancy’s Elkhorn Family Lodge
2745 County Road 306, Elk Creek, CA 95939
968-5312
• Squaw Creek Inn & Resort
4425 Sites Ladoga Road, Stonyford, CA 95979
963-3483
ª Timberline Bar & Grill
279 Market Street, Stonyford, CA 95979
963-3074
