Christmas Tree Permits

The LTBMU’s popular Christmas tree permit program began over 20 years ago as a way to offer families a traditional holiday experience while improving forest health by removing small diameter ladder fuels (vegetation that allows wildfire to climb from the forest floor into the treetops) from the forest. Since the program began, an average of 2,500 permits were sold each year. The LTBMU thanks everyone who participated in this successful program over the years.

“Next year, the permit program will be temporarily paused to allow saplings time to grow large enough to support a Christmas tree program in the future,” said Vegetation Management Staff Officer, Victor Lyon. The limited cutting areas that are suitable for the Christmas tree program and have legal and safe areas to park during snow removal conditions, have been cleared of almost all suitable trees in prior years or are being treated by forest health and fuels reduction projects.

Lyon continued, “Given the limited number of permits requested to support the Every Kid Outdoors program, and our determination to support this program, we will find an appropriate location to continue to allow free tree cutting permits for fourth-grade students into the future.” The LTBMU will also collaborate with nearby forests to provide information to those who usually cut trees in the Tahoe Basin on where they can cut Christmas trees on neighboring forests in 2024.