Get a permit before you go tree-hunting

If you have visions of family trips to the woods to cut your Christmas tree, now’s the time to get a permit.

Permits, $10, let you cut trees in certain areas of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Get them now through Dec. 24 at ranger stations, the Verlot and Glacier Peak Service Centers, and at REI at Alderwood Mall and in Seattle.

The permit allows you to cut one tree that’s no more than 12 feet tall. Permits for taller trees cost $20.

Pick up maps of the cutting areas where you purchase your permit.

You may also need a Sno-Park parking permit. The Forest Service warns that roads in these areas can be snow-covered, icy and unplowed, so be prepared with chains and shovels.

Call the ranger station for information about weather conditions before setting out: Darrington, 360-436-1155; Verlot, 360-691-7791; and Skykomish, 360-677-2414. Go to www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs for other areas. The Web site also has updated weather and road conditions.

Look for The Herald’s annual list of you-cut Christmas tree farms in the Good Life section next Saturday.

Herald staff