Cutting your own Christmas tree can be an unforgettable experience
The nostalgic scenes of the family trek to the woods to cut the holiday tree exist only on Christmas cards for most urban Americans. The closest they come to that festive expedition is a trip to the temporarily forested tree lots that spring up seasonally in every American city. The tradition survives, however, in areas where private tree plantations allow cutting and on portions of forested public lands where tree cutters pay small fees for limited number of trees.
Since all forested areas in Clark County remain closed to Christmas tree cutting, Southern Nevadans desiring to continue this holiday outing must drive a few hours into other Nevada counties or portions of Arizona and Utah. After paying the permit fee and buying gasoline and food for the trip, the actual savings on the cost of the tree may be minimal, but the holiday memories of the tree cutting trek will be priceless.
For Southern Nevadans, the closest cutting areas on Nevada forested public lands are in Lincoln, Esmeralda and Nye Counties, where pinyons and junipers are available. In White Pine County, cutters may take a couple of kinds of fir trees. Just as close, cutting areas in Southern Utah near St. George and Cedar City offer alternative cutting sites, principally for pinyons and junipers. Cutters seeking greater variety in types of pines and firs available will have to drive a bit more to reach the northern Kaibab National Forest on the Arizona Strip.
Sales of Christmas tree permits begun earlier this month continue through Christmas Eve at Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service offices, which may stay open on Saturdays, but close on Sundays and on Thanksgiving Day. Permit fees range from $3 to $20, depending on which agency administers the cutting area, the kind of tree and how tall the tree stands.
Although tree cutters may purchase the permits by mail, many opt to pick them up in person on their way to the cutting areas. Pay by check or cash only. If you buy more than one permit, be prepared to supply the names and addresses of the others for whom you purchase the tags. A single vehicle may carry up to five trees. More than five trees requires a shipping permit.
In Nevada, purchase tags in the Caliente, Ely and Tonopah offices of the BLM or the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Check locally with the interagency office at 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive for availability of permits in other Nevada districts of the forest service or BLM.
In Southern Utah, stop by the Interagency Information Center in St. George at 345 E. Riverside Drive by exiting the freeway at Bluff Street and turning right. This office handles permits for both the Dixie National Forest cutting areas near St. George and Cedar City and BLM areas on the Arizona Strip. Additionally, the Spanish Trail Supply Company in Veyo carries permits for Dixie National Forest. For information on BLM cutting areas near Cedar City, call the Cedar City BLM office at (435) 586-2401. Tree cutters aiming for the Kaibab National Forest cutting areas should stop by the district office in Fredonia, Ariz., or the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center in Jacob Lake, Ariz.
When you purchase the permit, you receive a map of the cutting areas and illustrations of the kinds of trees to be cut. Use a high-clearance vehicle as many cutting areas may be reached only on unpaved side roads. Chains or snow tires may be necessary. Your search for the perfect tree may take you some distance from our vehicle, so dress warmly in layers and keep an eye on landmarks. Make sure your cutting equipment is sharp and in good repair. When you cut, leave a stump of less than six inches.
The tree you cut yourself will be the freshest Christmas tree you ever decorated. Keep it that way with good care. When you get home, wash the tree down with the garden hose, then recut its base and stand it in water. When it comes inside, frequently replenish the water in its stand. Save floors from sap, needles and drips by setting the tree up on a plastic tarp. Conceal the tarp under a tree skirt or white sheet. When you take the tree down, spread out the tarp to catch debris. Wrap the plastic around the tree before sliding it out the door.
Margo Bartlett Pesek’s column appears on Sundays.
