Where you can cut
National forest, national park or BLM land? Where you can cut a tree and where you can't
National forest: yes, with a permit. BLM land: yes, in a lot of the West. National park: never. State forests, tribal land and tree farms each have their own rules. Here is the land-by-land version, and how to tell which one you're on.
From Recreation.gov tree permits index, BLM's online forest products permit store, 36 CFR 2.1 and Minnesota DNR, Harvest permits on state forest lands, read Nov 11, 2026.
The short table
| Land | Who runs it | Can you cut a tree? |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | U.S. Forest Service (Agriculture Department) | Yes, with that forest's permit, in its marked areas From USDA Forest Service, About the Agency, 36 CFR part 223 and 36 CFR 261.6, read Nov 11, 2026. |
| BLM land | Bureau of Land Management (Interior Department) | Yes, where an office sells a permit, in 13 states From BLM Utah press release, Dec. 5, 2025 and BLM's online forest products permit store, read Nov 11, 2026. |
| National park | National Park Service | No. Removing any plant is banned From 36 CFR 2.1, read Nov 11, 2026. |
| State forest or state land | Your state | Depends on the state (see below) From Montana DNRC, Firewood and Christmas Trees, Minnesota DNR, Harvest permits on state forest lands and Banks Post, Dec. 4, 2023, Oregon Department of Forestry, read Nov 11, 2026. |
| Tribal land | The tribe | Only under the tribe's own permit From Navajo Nation Forestry Department, Permits, read Nov 11, 2026. |
| Christmas tree farm | The farm | Yes, you pay the farm; no government permit From National Christmas Tree Association, Nov. 2, 2024, read Nov 11, 2026. |
National forests: yes
The National Forest System is 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands, about 193 million acres. They're run for many uses, and the law lets the Forest Service sell trees and other forest products. Recreation.gov lists 81 Christmas tree permits this season, some covering more than one forest.
From USDA Forest Service, About the Agency, 36 CFR part 223 and Recreation.gov tree permits index, read Nov 11, 2026.
Cutting any tree there without a permit or other authorization is against federal rules, and so is cutting one the Forest Service hasn't designated. Your permit's cutting areas and size limits are how a forest designates the trees you may take.
From 36 CFR 261.6, read Nov 11, 2026.
BLM land: yes, in much of the West
BLM looks after about 245 million acres. Its online store sells tree permits for offices in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, and many field offices sell in person.
From BLM Utah press release, Dec. 5, 2025 and BLM's online forest products permit store, read Nov 11, 2026.
A BLM permit is "only valid on BLM-managed public lands," and a forest's permit is good only on that forest. See every BLM office that sells one.
From BLM Wyoming's Christmas trees page (2025 season) and Plumas National Forest on Recreation.gov, read Nov 11, 2026.
National parks: never
National Park Service rules prohibit "removing, digging, or disturbing" plants from their natural state, so there's no Christmas tree permit in a national park. National parks and national forests are different agencies with different rules.
From 36 CFR 2.1 and 36 CFR 2.1 (National Park Service), read Nov 11, 2026.
State forests and state land: it depends
Colorado. Colorado Parks and Wildlife ran a tree cutting day at State Forest State Park near Gould on Dec. 6, 2025: "$10 per tree with a limit of 5," cash or check only.
From Town of Walden, Colo., State Forest State Park tree cutting, read Nov 11, 2026.
Montana. State trust land needs a permit from the local DNRC field office. "The cost is $10 per tree."
From Montana DNRC, Firewood and Christmas Trees, read Nov 11, 2026.
Minnesota. State forests sell permits through local DNR Forestry offices. "The minimum permit fee is $25."
From Minnesota DNR, Harvest permits on state forest lands, read Nov 11, 2026.
Wisconsin. Six northern state forests sold trees "for as little as $5 per tree" in 2023, no taller than 30 feet and cut at ground level.
From WUWM, Xcaret Nuñez, Dec. 5, 2023, Wisconsin state forests, read Nov 11, 2026.
Alaska. One tree per household on unrestricted state land, for personal use, under 15 feet.
From Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection, via AK Fire Info (Nov 25, 2025), read Nov 11, 2026.
Oregon. A local paper reported in 2023 that the Oregon Department of Forestry doesn't issue Christmas tree permits and cutting isn't allowed on state forests.
From Banks Post, Dec. 4, 2023, Oregon Department of Forestry, read Nov 11, 2026.
Washington. The state's Department of Natural Resources joked in 2023, "I better not see any of you with a 300-foot Douglas fir strapped to the roof of your car." We didn't find a plain statement either way, so check with DNR.
From KIRO 7, Dec. 3, 2023, Washington DNR, read Nov 11, 2026.
We couldn't confirm a state program in Idaho, Arizona or Utah. That's a gap, not a no: ask your state's forestry or lands office.
From Montana DNRC, Firewood and Christmas Trees and Minnesota DNR, Harvest permits on state forest lands, read Nov 11, 2026.
Tribal land: the tribe's permit, not a federal one
A Forest Service or BLM permit doesn't cover tribal land. Some tribes sell their own: Navajo Nation Forestry's "Christmas Tags" cost "$5.00 per Tag" for Navajo members and "$7.50 per Tag" for non-Navajo buyers, cash or money order, for buyers 18 and older.
From Navajo Nation Forestry Department, Permits, read Nov 11, 2026.
Tree farms
A choose-and-cut farm is private land, so there's no government permit: you pay the farm. It's the most popular way to buy a real tree, a quarter of all purchases in 2023 by the National Christmas Tree Association's survey. Wild, farm or artificial, compared.
From National Christmas Tree Association, Nov. 2, 2024, read Nov 11, 2026.
How to tell whose land you're on
Use the forest's cutting map. It shows where you may cut. Eldorado and Monongahela show private land in white, and forests say plainly to stay off it.
From Eldorado National Forest, Monongahela National Forest on Recreation.gov and Lolo National Forest, read Nov 11, 2026.
Check the Forest Service's visitor map. The Interactive Visitor Map at fs.usda.gov/ivm shows national forest land.
From USDA Forest Service Interactive Visitor Map, read Nov 11, 2026.
Carry paper. There's often no cell service, and the Avenza phone app no longer gets the Forest Service's new maps. Print the current map from the forest's page.
From Carson National Forest, motor vehicle use maps and Gifford Pinchot National Forest on Recreation.gov, read Nov 11, 2026.
When in doubt, don't. A tree cut on the wrong land is a tree cut without a permit.
From 36 CFR 261.6, read Nov 11, 2026.
Written by More Than Just Parks from the agencies' own pages, read Nov 11, 2026. The permit you buy, and the map and rules printed on it, govern. Not a permit, not the agency.