Want a real Wyoming Christmas tree? Grab a $10 permit and hit the forest

The original story by Madison Laracuente for Wyoming News Now.

If you’d rather skip the parking-lot tree lots and make a little adventure out of it, Wyoming makes it pretty simple to cut your own Christmas tree — and it won’t wreck your budget. All you need is a $10 permit through Wyoming’s national forests.

Every year, all four of Wyoming’s national forests sell Christmas tree cutting permits from October through December. And people actually show up for it: Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest alone typically sells about 3,000 to 4,000 permits a year, according to public affairs specialist Aaron Voos, who spoke with Wyoming News Now.

Your gear is really up to you, but Voos says most folks don’t need anything fancy.

“The easiest is just a quick handsaw,” he said. “Maybe bring a hatchet if you need to remove some of the lower limbs.”

So yeah — saw, maybe a hatchet, and a plan for how you’re getting that tree back to the vehicle without turning it into a wrestling match.

Cutting your own tree isn’t just a holiday vibe. It can also help forests by thinning out crowded spots.

“One of the benefits of people harvesting Christmas trees is it really helps kind of thin out the trees,” Voos said. With fewer trees fighting for the same resources, the ones left behind get more sunlight and water, and can “grow bigger and stronger.”

In other words: your living-room centerpiece can double as a tiny bit of forest management.

Whether you’re hunting for a classic Douglas fir or something like aspen, Voos says don’t treat it like a casual Sunday stroll. Wyoming weather and road conditions can change fast.

“Know before you go,” he advised — especially when it comes to weather and on-the-ground conditions where you plan to cut.

Permits are available online through the Wyoming national forests.