Kris Watson, program manager at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, demonstrates how department employees inspect for bugs at a Christmas tree lot in West Jordan on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. (Laura Seitz, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Though Halloween has yet to pass, some national forests are gearing up for the holiday season by selling Christmas tree permits. Most permits will be on sale by the beginning of November, but Fishlake and Manti-La Sal National Forests permits are on sale now.
The permits allow Utahns to legally cut down a Christmas tree in approved forests.
In Utah, permits are available for Fishlake, Manti-La Sal, Dixie and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forests through Dec. 31.
Fishlake and Manti-La Sal permits are already on sale. Dixie permits will be available on Nov. 8 and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache on Nov. 10.
Each permit has its own guidelines, so Recreation.gov advised reading each permit’s details carefully.
Prices for permits range from $10 to $20 per tree. Permits for some forests are divided by districts.
Recreation.gov recommended measuring the space in your home beforehand, bringing a map in case GPS doesn’t work and checking weather conditions before heading out to cut your tree.