Joy of Christmas

The U.S. Forest Service’s great Christmas tree conundrum is apparently over.

That’s good news for the thousands of Wyoming people who cut their own holiday greenery every year.

Bighorn National Forest spokesman Chris Thomas said Friday that forest offices across Wyoming and the nation have been told it’s OK to begin selling Christmas tree permits this season, even if the offices had already opened public comment periods on the activity.

“This is about as apple pie and motherhood as you can get,” Thomas said. “We’re talking about Grandma’s Christmas tree.”

Availability of Christmas tree permits this season on some forests had been in limbo after local forest workers, responding to a directive from regional and national agency officials, said a federal court ruling required public comment periods on all tree-cutting programs. Negative public comments could have brought about 45-day review periods, making Christmas tree permits unavailable this season.

But after the federal judge in California clarified this week that activities such as firewood and Christmas tree cutting should continue without National Environmental Policy Act scrutiny, the Forest Service changed its position. And national forest offices that had already formally opened public comment periods, like the Bighorn, were allowed to decide individually whether to honor those periods.

In the Bighorn’s case, the forest will continue to accept public comments for 30 days while still selling Christmas tree permits, Thomas said. If there are negative comments, forest officials plan to seek resolution of any concerns.

“This forest decided that because we already spent the quarter, we might as well take the ride,” said Thomas, who doesn’t expect negative comments on an activity that has “a very minor impact” on the forest.

He said some 2,000 to 3,000 Christmas tree permits are sold by the Bighorn National Forest alone each year.

“It’s a great activity,” he said. “My whole family usually goes up and enjoys it.”

Want to cut your own tree?

Information about Christmas tree permits is available from individual Forest Service offices. Prices and rules vary.

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