Finding the perfect tree in Wrangell isn’t as easy as driving to the nearest lot and picking out a Christmas conifer. But, like many other pastimes in Alaska, one can be hunted down in the Tongass National Forest, as long as the rules are observed.
The U.S. Forest Service doesn’t have regulations or require a permit for private household use on Christmas trees, but it does have some guidance for people to follow to help keep from damaging the forest’s ecosystem.
According to the guidelines, trees may not be cut from any of its developed recreation sites like Nemo Loop or the public-use cabins, nor within 330 feet of a bald eagle’s nest or within 100 feet of a salmon stream or a road.
Alicia Stearns and her family have been harvesting their Christmas trees from the Tongass for more than 20 years, taking the whole family and their dogs, she said.
“The kids like to skate on the muskeg ponds in their boots while we look for the perfect tree,” Stearns said. “We like shore pines, just because they don’t shed their needles quickly and they last for the whole holiday season.”
For the novice Christmas tree hunter, Stearns recommends going out before it starts to snow too much and to hike around to find the perfect tree. “For us, it’s just as much about being out in the forest and enjoying our time together as it is finding our tree.”
Additionally, the Forest Service asks that trees be no wider than seven inches in diameter at the stump and be cut as close to the ground as possible, and do not top a tree or discard it if you find one you like more. Make sure to check the motor vehicle use map at bit.ly/3FxMJty to make sure you aren’t trespassing on private property and are removing the tree from the national forest land. Vehicles should be kept parked on roadways.
The guidelines also ask that Christmas trees not be harvested from muskeg areas since it’s harder for the trees to regrow there. Trees are for private use only and cannot be sold or bartered. For more information, call the Forest Service Wrangell district office at 907-874-2323.
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