Permits to cut Christmas trees go on sale today

Permits to cut Christmas trees in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest are available beginning today.

Permits are $5 per tree, with a limit of five permits per household.

The Gifford Pinchot is one of 13 national forests in five states — Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado — offering permits online at openforest.fs.usda.gov.

Online permits need to be printed to be valid.

Christmas tree permits will be available at Forest Service offices until Dec. 24:

• Gifford Pinchot National Forest headquarters, 1501 E. Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 360-891-5001.

• Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, 42218 N.E. Yale Bridge Road, Amboy, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. 360-449-7800.

• Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, 10024 U.S. Highway 12, Randle, from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 360-497-1100.

• Mount Adams Ranger District, 2455 state Highway 141, Trout Lake, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 509-395-3400.

All Forest Service offices will be closed Nov. 28 for Thanksgiving.

Permits also will be available from participating vendors, including the following three in Clark County:

• Amboy Market, 39812 N.E. 216th Ave., Amboy. 360-247-5421.

• Chelatchie Prairie General Store, 42411 N.E. Yale Bridge Road, Amboy. 360-247-5529.

• Vancouver’s Sportsman’s Warehouse, 11505 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver. 360-604-8000.

People should call the individual vendor for hours and other information.

Safety tips

Winter weather in the forest can change rapidly, and most forest roads are not maintained for winter driving.

People should bring traction devices and a shovel, extra food, drinking water, winter clothing, blankets, a flashlight and a first aid kit.

The sun sets early in the forest, and it may take longer than you think to find that special tree. Be sure to let a friend or family member know where you’re going, get an early start and leave the woods well before dark.

Don’t count on your cellphone because most areas have no wireless service.

Additional safety tips for Christmas tree cutting are available on the Gifford Pinchot’s website at www.fs.usda.gov/giffordpinchot, under “Christmas Trees.”