You can still head out to the state-owned woods and get your natural Christmas tree says a DNR spokesperson.
Forest Management Specialist Teague Prichard talks about getting your tree...
".....you do need to have a permit. There are some restrictions within the permit. A couple of examples are not within sight of a recreation trail or a lake...."
You also can't cut one in a fully developed campground. Prichard says it's a fairly open process other than that. The fee is $5.00. Trees must be cut at ground level with a maximum height of 30 feet and the trees taken from state forests cannot be resold. Prichard says they usually get about 500 permit requests a year.
Prichard says here in the Northwoods, the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest is a prime location to find your tree.
More information is on the DNR websiteor at your local ranger station.
Meanwhile, another place to check is the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. There's likely a place within the 1.5 million acres of the National Forest for you to find a Christmas tree for your house. Forest spokesperson Lily Palmer says the experience of getting the tree is part of Christmas memories...
"....there's nothing more fun than searching for your perfect tree with your family, having that outdoor experience, especially during the holidays when things get busy. It's a great opportunity to get outside with your family or the kids..."
Palmer did qualify the idea of a 'perfect tree' to say there are few trees in the wild that are perfectly shaped trees, but even the "Charlie Brown" tree has an appeal. She says a list of rules for getting the trees are available at the National Forest District Offices, or at the main office in Rhinelander.
She says key is making sure you are on National Forest land when you make the cut. She says make sure you're prepared with a GPS device to prevent you from getting lost, and some extra supplies of food and water. She says stay out of wilderness areas and don't harvest near a lake. She says don't take just the top off a healthy tree and make the cut within six inches of the ground. She says stay out of areas that are designated for timber sales. A permit to harvest a tree is $5.00.
Contact theChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest near you for more information.
