This year, permits will be available for purchase from area vendors, as well as either in person or by mail from Mendocino National Forest offices. Vendors are listed below with contact information for the Forest Service.
Permits are $10 per tree and will be sold through Friday, Dec. 18. The permits are good through Dec. 24, and trees may be cut and removed any day of the week in any authorized area of the Mendocino National Forest.
There is a limit of one permit per household and each permit using a valid name and address. Up to four additional permits may be purchased for additional households using separate names and addresses. Individuals must be 18 or older to purchase a permit.
The Mendocino National Forest only accepts cash or check as payment for Christmas tree permits and sales are final, with no refunds. Permittees will receive a tree tag and map of the forest.
To purchase a permit by mail, send a printed name and mailing address, a printed name and address for each permit purchased, a daytime telephone number, and a check or money order made out to “USDA Forest Service” for $10 for each permit to either the Willows, Upper Lake or Covelo offices with “Christmas Tree Permit” written on the outside of the envelope. Mail-in requests received after December 14 will not be filled.
A form can be found online at www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino/passespermits/christmas/ .
If you are planning on cutting a Christmas tree for someone else who isn’t present, a Third Party Authorization must be in possession of the cutter. This form is also available on the forest Web site.
Permit holders should be aware that federal and state quarantines to prevent the spread of sudden oak death (SOD) are in effect for Lake and Mendocino Counties.
Any Douglas fir Christmas tree cut in these counties can only be transported into other SOD quarantine counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Marin, San Francisco, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma.
All Mendocino National Forest offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 26, in observance of Thanksgiving.
Christmas tree permits can be purchased from the following offices and vendors:
Mendocino National Forest Supervisor’s Office/Grindstone Ranger District Office
825 N. Humboldt Ave., Willows, CA 95988
530-934-3316
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Stonyford Work Center
5171 Stonyford-Elk Creek Road, Stonyford, CA, 95979
530-963-3128
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 1- 4:30 p.m.
Covelo Ranger Station
78150 Covelo Road, Covelo, CA 95428
707-983-6118
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 12:30-4:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 28, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; weekends, Dec. 5, 6, 12, 13, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 12:30-4:30 p.m.
Upper Lake Ranger Station
10025 Elk Mountain Road, Upper Lake, CA 95485
707-275-2361
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 12:30-4:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 28, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 12:30-4:30 p.m.; weekends, Dec. 5, 6, 12, 13, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 12:30-4:30 p.m.
Black Butte Store
34985 Etsel Ridge Road, Covelo, CA 95428
707-983-9438
Hours: Seven days a week, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
M&M Feed and Supply
74540 Hill Road, Covelo, CA 95428
707-983-6273
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Nancy’s Elkhorn Family Lodge
2745 County Road 306, Elk Creek, CA 95939
530-968-5312
Hours: Seven days a week, 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
Flournoy Country Store
16140 Paskenta Road, Flournoy, CA 96029
530-833-5305
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday, 6 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sacramento River Discovery Center
1000 Sale Lane, Red Bluff, CA 96080
530-527-1196
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Squaw Creek Inn & Resort
4425 Sites Ladoga Road, Stonyford, CA 95979
530-963-3483
Hours: Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Timberline Bar & Grill
279 Market St., Stonyford, CA 95979
530-963-3074
Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Hi-way Grocery
160 E. Hwy 20, Upper Lake, CA 95485
707-275-2380
Hours: Seven days a week, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Woody’s Gas and Mini Mart
220 E. Hwy 20, Upper Lake, CA 95485
707-275-2045
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 5:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
Cutting a Christmas tree on the national forest is a great holiday tradition for many families and also helps with hazardous fuels reduction by removing smaller trees from the Forest. Following are some tips to make your experience more enjoyable.
Plan your trip – check the weather, bring plenty of warm clothes, water, emergency food, tire chains, shovel, a saw or axe to cut your tree, and a tarp and rope to bring it home. Make sure you have a full tank of gas when you leave and are prepared for changing conditions in the mountains! Also, let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back.
Keep vehicles on designated roads and be aware of changing weather and road conditions. Wet dirt roads can quickly turn to mud, making it possible to get stuck and causing damage to road, soil and water resources. If there are puddles in the road, mud flipping off the tires or you can see your ruts in the rearview mirror, consider pulling over and taking a hike to look for a tree, or turning around and finding a different area to cut your tree.
Cut your tree early in the season before favorite cutting areas can’t be reached because of snow.
Make sure you are cutting a tree on the Mendocino National Forest and not from other federal, state or private lands.
Cut the tree as close as possible to the ground and leave as little of a stump as possible.
Attach the permit on the tree where it will be easily visible with the tree packed or tied on your vehicle for transport home.
To help keep your tree fresh, cut at least one inch off the base when you get home and stand the tree in a container of water in a cool, shaded area, checking the water level daily.
For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest or visit www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino .
