ST. GEORGE — Holiday tradition for many includes cutting their own Christmas tree. Permits are now available in most ranger districts for national forests in Utah. Below are details and conditions for obtaining permits in Utah’s national forests
General conditions for cutting trees in the national forests
Trees must always be cut close to the ground leaving the stump no higher than 6 inches. A shovel will come in handy to dig through the snow to reach the base of the tree. Make sure your permit is attached to the tree before leaving the cutting area. Tree topping is not allowed.
No cutting is allowed within 200 feet of riparian areas (lakes and streams), roads, campgrounds, picnic areas, administrative sites, summer home areas, or within designated closed areas shown on tree cutting area maps.
Other conditions apply as specified below along with locations to purchase Christmas tree cutting permits.
- Dixie National Forest | 435-865-3700 | website | permits available now
- Cedar City Ranger District | 435-865-3700
- Cedar City Ranger District office, Cedar City | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday | 435-865-3700
- Hurst Ace Hardware Store, Cedar City |
- Conditions: Permits are $10 for a tree up to 10 feet and $20 for a tree 11-20 feet; one permit per household and two trees maximum. The only species of trees that can be cut are sub-alpine fir, white fir, and pinyon pine.
- Escalante Ranger District 435-826-5400
- Escalante Ranger District office, Escalante | 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
- Antimony Merc, Antimony | 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Sunday | 435-625-3253
- Other permit vendors may apply, call the ranger district office
- Conditions: $10, one permit per household, one tree only. All species of tree may be cut, except bristlecone pine.
- Powell Ranger District 435-676-9300
- Powell Ranger District office, Panguitch | 8 a.m.-4:30 pm. Monday-Friday
- Conditions: $10.00 for a tree up to 10 feet and $20 for a tree 11-20 feet. All species of trees can be cut, except bristlecone pine.
- St. George Interagency Visitor Center | 435-688-3246 or 435-652-3100
- Visitor Center, St. George | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays
- Veyo Mercantile, Veyo | 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday
- Conditions: $10, Pinyon pine and juniper are the only species of trees that may be cut. One individual may purchase up to five tags.
- Cedar City Ranger District | 435-865-3700
- Ashley National Forest | 435-789-1181 | website | permits available now
- Flaming Gorge Ranger District | 435-784-3445
- Flaming Gorge Ranger District office, Manila | 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays through Nov. 29 | 435-784-3445
- Flaming Gorge Resort, Dutch John | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
- Green River Chamber office, Green River, Wyoming | 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays and Fridays only
- Conditions: $10, nonrefundable
- Duchesne Ranger District | 435-738-2482
- Duchesne Ranger District Office, Duchesne | 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
- Bonanza Store, Duchesne | Open 24/7 | 435-738-2393
- Hanna Country Store, Hanna | 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday | 435-848-5752
- Stewart’s Market, Roosevelt | 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday | 435-722-5650
- Davis Jubilee Food & Drug, Roosevelt | 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday | 435-722-2296
- Conditions: $10, one permit per household
- Vernal Ranger District | 435-789-1181
- Vernal office, Vernal | 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
- Davis Jubilee Store, Vernal | 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays | 435-789-2001
- Shirley’s Country Corner, LaPoint | 5 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays | 435-247-2690 |
- Conditions: $10
- Flaming Gorge Ranger District | 435-784-3445
- Fishlake National Forest | 435-896-9233 | website | permits available now
- Conditions for all ranger districts: $10 in person as listed below or by mail order or phone request. The permits must be attached to the harvested tree and remain with tree during transport. Most species of trees may be cut, except for ponderosa pine or as specifically indicated under the ranger district.
- Richfield Ranger District | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays through Nov. 29 | 435-896-9233
- Fremont River Ranger District | 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday | 435-836-2811
- Conditions: The Fishlake Basin Recreation Area, including Johnson Valley, is closed to tree cutting from the forest boundary on the west to Zedd’s Meadow on the east. Cutting ponderosa pine is prohibited except on the Boulder Mountain of the Fremont River Ranger District.
- Fillmore Ranger District | 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturdays through Dec. 6 | 435-743-5721
- Conditions: One permit per household | Suggested cutting areas: Whiskey Creek, John Williams Canyon, Chalk Creek, Meadow Creek, Cove Fort, Willow Creek and Wild Goose Canyon | No trees may be cut in Dry Creak and Oak Creek Canyon.
- Beaver Ranger District | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday | 435-438-2436
- Ranger District office | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday | 435-438-2436
- Beaver Sports and Pawn, Beaver | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Sunday
- Fishlake Lumber, Beaver | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday
- Piute County Sheriff Office, Junction | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday
- Don’s Sinclair, Salina | Monday-Saturday
- Larsen’s Ace Hardware, Richfield | Monday-Saturday
- Conditions: Blue spruce may not be cut. Tree cutting is not allowed in the Merchant Valley Summer Home area or along the visible edge of state Route 153. Ensure trees are cut on the national forest, not private land. Maps are available from the district office.
- Manti-Lasal National Forest | website | permits available as indicated
- Ferron/Price Ranger Districts | Available Nov. 24 | 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday in Ferron, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday in Price | 435-384-2372
- Moab/Monticello Ranger Districts | Available now | 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday | 435-259-7155
- Private vendors: Moab Information Center, Moab; Choice Hardware & Home Center, Nephi; Beck’s Home Furnishings, Mt. Pleasant; Rasmussen Ace Hardware, Gunnison; The Main Street Market, Ferron; and Sutherland Lumber, Price.
- Conditions: $10, three-permit limit per person. Purchasers will need to provide a credit or debit card, check or exact change. There will be no refunds. To buy a permit for a tree taller than 8 feet, the buyer must pay 50 cents per additional foot, payable when the permit is purchased. Permits should be purchased on the district where trees will be cut.
- Purchase by mail option: Customers should send a self-addressed, stamped envelope, with a request for the permit, their name, mailing address, phone number, and a check for $10 per permit in an envelope marked “Attention: Christmas Tree Sales. Make checks payable to: USDA Forest Service. A permit will be sent by return mail. A purchaser may request authorization for trees taller than 8 feet (see above) as part of their order, and include the additional costs in their payment.
- Orders should be sent to the district where the tree will be cut: Supervisor’s Office/Price District, 599 W. Price River Drive, Price, Utah 84501; 435-637-2817 | Ferron-Price District Office, P.O. Box 310, Ferron, Utah 84523; 435-384-2372 | Moab District Office, P.O. Box 386, Moab, Utah 84532; 435-259-7155 | Monticello District Office, P.O. Box 820, Monticello, Utah 84535; 435-587-2041 | Sanpete District Office, 540 N. Main Street, Ephraim, Utah 84627-1117; 435-283-4151.
- The cost for permits is the same regardless of where they are purchased. Customers traveling long distances for permits should call in advance to determine if permits are still available.
- Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forests | 801-999-2103 | website | permits available now
- Evanston/Mt. View Ranger Districts 307-789-3194 and 307-782-6555
- Evanston Ranger District Office, Evanston, Wyoming | 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday | 307-789-3194 and 307-782-2655
- Bear River Lodge, Evanston, Wyoming | 435-642-6289
- Mountain View Ranger District, Mountain View, Wyoming | 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
- Benedict Thriftway / True Value Store, Mountain View, Wyoming | 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays | 307-782-3581
- Conditions: $10, one permit per household, one tree only. A permit allows up to a 20 foot tree, any species of tree may be cut, but lodgepole pine is the main species in the area. Snow conditions may require permit holders to use snowmobiles, cross-country skis, or snowshoes to access the cutting area. The gates on the Mirror Lake Highway and on the North Slope Road are typically closed during the first week of December, limiting access for people without a snow machine. Cutting is not allowed in the Lily Lake Cross Country Ski Area.
- Spanish Fork Ranger District | 801-798-3571 | All 400 permits allowed have been sold
- Evanston/Mt. View Ranger Districts 307-789-3194 and 307-782-6555
For Kaibab National Forest in Arizona, see permit information here: Kaibab National Forest Christmas tree permits go on sale
Public safety precautions
In its released statement, the Forest Service urged people to remember that weather conditions in the mountains are unpredictable and preparation for winter weather is advised.
Stay on designated roads and trails. Be prepared for slick, snow-packed roads and have chains, a 4-wheel drive vehicle, or a snow machine available. Let someone know where you are planning to go and approximate time you will return. Carry a cell phone; bring additional warm clothing, and gloves, boots, and a container of hot liquid, water, and a lunch or snack. Carry a flashlight, chains, shovel, first-aid kit, matches, a hatchet, ax or handsaw, and rope to secure your tree.
Read more: Stocking your vehicle for winter; what to do in case of emergency, checklist
Related posts
- Getting your home holiday ready; free housecleaning giveaway
- Kaibab National Forest Christmas tree permits go on sale
- Tree removal begins in timber sale area on Kaibab National Forest
- Mandee and the ABC Girls release Christmas album, perform free concert
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Twitter: @STGnews
Every novice tree cutter should receive a copy of THE LOGGER’S HANDBOOK. This book can save lives.
Good idea for boy scouts in order to protect motorcyclists
If a tree fell on a motorcyclist and no one was there would it make a sound.?
Nobody would make a sound if the boyscouts were a church group. They’d probably fault the motorcyclist for being where the tree landed.
Yes, that’s the idea 🙂
Hey KOOLAID scroll down and see what that idiot Mary Anne wrote. LOL. Duh uh duh uh duh…. talk about a looney
lets see, 10 bucks for the permit, 10-20 bucks for gas, you get it home and it looks like#$%, or just go and buy a tree that looks nice for 40.00
Why buy a tree at all.?
the fake ones are best except when they catch on fire… i guess the real ones burn too but they smell pretty at least 😉
Fake tree? Why not? People here seem to like those fake boobs and their fake personalities.
Hey check out what that idiot Mary Anne wrote… LOL.. What a moron
Well yeah wouldn’t you want that fresh pine aroma in the air as your house burns down
ZONKERB, your comments are disturbing. You frighten me. Not for myself, because I think any little 10 year old girl could whip your butt. But for you. You need help boy. Please, for your own sake, talk to a Councillor at school, a priest, rabbi or bishop. Or call Southwest Behavioral Health Center at (435) 634-5600. You need to get help, immediately. Otherwise, I believe you will do severe damage to yourself. We have so many suicides in this area. We don’t need to see you as one more. Please, get help!
Nah, he’s just a little troll with nothing better to do. Not anything to worry about, or for that matter, even to think about.
Hey evil twit you ever find your way out of a roundabout yet.? LOL. Oh heck trust me you nothing for me to worry about… get a life troll
Internet gold.
MARY ANNE LOL! the only disturbing thing here is YOU thinking that I could in anyway give a rats …* what you think.. get a motorcycle and go for a ride I’m going after firewood…. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Ed. ellipsis …*
How about a dance fundraiser for him?
LOL they make it so easy
If you call the animal shelter you and the twit can go find a friend
Stupid morons I mean Mormons… Same thing
If you notice how often these guys post to the comments on STGNEWS it is extremely apparent that they have no lives, no friends and thrive on twisting everyone’s panties in a knot. They probably collect welfare and assistance from anyone who will help just so they can sit on their cheap laptop and make comments in between watching porn and cartoons.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
sadandpathetic: Completely agree on the usual cadre of trolls. (Zonk, “Joe Smith” “magic undies and Kool). You’ve got to hand it to them though, they’re consistent. One can essentially sum up their posts with: “Mormon’s is so dumb,” and “This community sucks.” If you respond to their tripe, they’ll usually post what amounts to the intellectual equivalent of “yo mama” putdowns. Alas, originality is not their thing. . but hating Mormons is. Everyone needs a hobby, their hobby just happens to be religious bigotry.
“Joe Smith” . .I mean .. .that’s genius! See. . .it’s funny cause Mormons believe Joe Smith was a prophet. And “Magic Undies” . .again . .. unrivaled brilliance in choosing that one since many Mormons wear garments they view as sacred. Bottom line. . .the world is a little better place with religious bigots like these clowns to remind us that hatred of another religion is still alive and well in America.