You Can Get a Christmas Tree from a National Forest, Here’s How

There's a few ways to get your Christmas Tree from a National Forest, but there is now a legal way to get one.

Rather than just steal one from the forest, and hope you don't caught, you can now fill out a Christmas tree permit through the government.

Just go to Recreation.gov/tree-permits, and choose the national forest you want a tree from, and they'll get you the permissions and areas you can chop down your tree.

“A memorable experience, cutting a holiday tree is a special tradition to share with family and friends while helping to maintain a healthy forest,” the website says. “For many families, venturing into the forest to cut a Christmas tree for the holidays is a treasured tradition carried on for generations, while others may just be discovering the thrill of searching for the perfect holiday centerpiece.”

The program helps with forest management by allowing the thinning of dense groupings of small-diameter trees.

The majority of the forests are on the west half of the state, but there are a few in the Midwest, and sprinkled throughout the east half of the country.

If you don't get your permit in soon, the allowed trees could be gone, and then you'll have to cut it down while avoiding Johny Law. Some forrests have already run out, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Read more at SF Gate