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Blue Mountain Eagle
Christmas tree
permits available
Blue Mountain Eagle
Christmas tree permits for the
Malheur National Forest are now
available to purchase at local For-
est Service offices.
Permits are valid on National
Forest System lands only and do
not authorize tree cutting on pri-
vate, state or other federally man-
aged lands.
Permits cost $5 each and are
limited to five per household. Tree
permits and forest maps are avail-
able during regular office hours,
Mondays through Fridays, at any
Malheur National Forest office.
Again this year, all fourth grad-
ers are eligible for a free tree per-
mit through the national Every
Kid in a Park initiative. In order
for students to receive a free tree
permit, they must present a valid
paper voucher printed from the
Every Kid in a Park website. Vis-
it everykidinapark.gov and follow
instructions to obtain and print
the paper voucher. Then, bring the
paper voucher to the forest office
to claim the free permit. Students
must be present to pick up the free
permit. These free permits can only
be issued through the forest office
and will not be available through
local vendors who sell permits.
Regulations for cutting Christ-
mas Trees on the Malheur National
Forest:
• Validate the permit by com-
pletely removing month, date
and year, securely attaching it
to the tree trunk between the
limbs.
• Make sure the permit is visible
during transportation.
• Clean up any trimmings or
limbs and leave stumps no higher
than 10 inches. It is illegal to “top”
a tree.
• Cut off any green limbs left on
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Christmas on the Prairie
Helpful Hints
• Tell someone where you’re
going and when you expect to
be home.
• Carry your trees carefully
out of the woods. Dragging the
tree will rub off needles and
bark.
• If the tree is too big to
transport in the trunk of your
vehicle, wrap it in canvas to
prevent wind damage.
• Once home, cut the bottom
of the trunk off and place the
freshly cut trunk in a bucket of
water. Replenish water fre-
quently.
the stump (can be used for greens).
• Maximum height of tree to be
cut is 12 feet tall on the Malheur
National Forest.
• Do not cut on private land,
in wilderness areas, designated
campgrounds, active timber sales
or existing tree plantations.
• Only trees that have another
tree within 20 feet may be cut to
maintain disbursement of trees and
optimum growth for the future.
• Do not cut trees in posted Old
Growth Areas or within one-quarter
mile of wild and scenic corridors.
• Christmas tree cutting within
sight of state highways is prohibit-
ed.
For more information or to
obtain permits, contact or visit
the Malheur National Forest Su-
pervisor’s Office, 431 Patterson
Bridge Road, John Day, 541-575-
3000; the Emigrant Creek Ranger
District, 265 Highway 20 South,
Hines, 541-573-4300; or the Prai-
rie City Ranger District, 327 SW
Front St., Prairie City, 541-820-
3800; or online at fs.usda.gov/
malheur.
Eagle photos/Richard Hanners
From left, Taylor Hicks, 6, and Paige Hicks, 7, of Prairie City make gingerbread houses at the Teen Center
during Christmas on the Prairie on Nov. 18. Their mom, Colbee Stebbins, and younger sister Addison
Stebbins, 3, were with them.
Josie Hollowell, 4, of John Day, shows off her
finished gingerbread house at the Christmas on
the Prairie event. She was with her mom, Renee
Hollowell.
Nathan Miller with his gingerbread house at the Teen
Center in Prairie City at Christmas on the Prairie.
Miller, who won the quilt raffle, traveled to Prairie City
from his home south of Seneca with his mom, Reba
Miller.
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