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Pike National Forest open to tree-cutters
Comments 0 | Recommend 0$10 permit buys access near Woodland Park
A portion of the Pike National Forest will be open Dec. 1 through Dec. 17 so area residents can cut their own Christmas trees.
The local office of the U.S. Forest Service began offering the $10 cutting permits more than two decades ago, and they have proven popular, with more than 5,500 permits issued each year.
The tree-cutting area in the forest is just east and north of Woodland Park along Rampart Range Road, Forest Service Road 300. Rangers warn that some side roads on the northern end of the cutting area - 325, 327, 348 and 351 - require four-wheel-drive vehicles with chains.
Permits are available at the Forest Service district office, 601 S. Weber St., from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Permits will be sold in the parking lot of Woodland Park Middle School on Dec. 6 and 7 and on Dec. 13 and 14, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
There is a limit of five permits per person.
Only cash, checks or money orders will be accepted.
Various species of trees are available, including ponderosa, lodgepole and limber pine, Douglas-fir and Engelmann spruce.
The trees are native and are not as well-formed or full as those found on commercial tree lots, forest service officials said.
Some rules:
· Do not cut trees larger than 6 inches in diameter.
· All trees should be cut as close to the ground as possible.
· Try to take a tree that is crowding others to help thin the forest.
· Do not cut the tops off larger trees.
· Chain saws are prohibited; use only handsaws or axes.
· Attach the permit tag to the tree and make sure it is clearly visible when leaving the cutting area.
Rangers advise tree-cutters to dress warmly, fill up their gas tanks, allow four hours for the trip and take a rope and tarp to secure their tree.
For a map and more information, go to The Pikes Peak Ranger District's Web site by clicking here.
The tree-cutting program is also offered in a few other ranger districts of the Pike National Forest, and information is available on the Forest Service's Web site.
