Bring home a Christmas tree from the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest this holiday season

HELENA – It is the most wonderful time of the year on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest! This year our Forest Service offices and districts will once again be providing Christmas tree permits.

"The Christmas tree permit provides local communities a fun way to create adventures and family traditions on their local forest," said Forest Supervisor Emily Platt. "For safety, we advise folks to ensure they have winter essentials in their car such as chains, a shovel, extra blankets and food and check local weather reports before heading out."

Christmas tree permits can be obtained online or at your local ranger district through December 31. This year permits are $5 per tree and a permit allows an individual to cut up to three trees. Permits are good forest-wide except at cabins, campgrounds, picnic areas, trailheads, wilderness or riparian areas, natural landmarks, active timber sales and areas where trees have been planted for reforestation purposes.

Permits can be purchased online or in person at our Forest Service offices located in Helena, Great Falls (including the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center), Lincoln, Townsend, Stanford, Harlowton, Choteau, Augusta, White Sulphur Springs or Neihart. To purchase online, visit: http://www.recreation.gov to get started and search for "Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest Christmas Tree Permit." Fourth graders, through Every Kid Outdoors, can also obtain a free permit through Recreation.gov or at district offices.

Upcoming festivities:

• Join the Forest Service, Montana Discovery Foundation, and Helena CORE at Montana Wild to gather and create nature themed ornaments and decorations for the holiday season. Drop by anytime between 3:30-5:30 p.m. on December 1 and bring family, friends, and a creative holiday spirit!

• Montana Discovery Foundation, in partnership with the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, will be offering nature craft kits at local district offices. We anticipate kits will become available by the second week in December. Call your local ranger district to check on availability.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

• The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center will once again host Trim-the-Tree festivities in Great Falls on December 10. During this day, participants will be able to build two hand-crafted ornaments, one for the Center's tree and one to take home. Call the Interpretive Center at (406) 727-8733 for more information.

Visit our website at: https://go.usa.gov/x7YSG for more information or call your local district.