Department of the Interior Announces $1 Christmas Trees, Firewood Permits on Public Lands
One of the things that makes the United States truly unique is the scale and accessibility of our public lands. Millions of acres belong to the American people and are places where families hunt, hike, camp, fish and pass down traditions season after season. This winter, some of those lands are offering a chance to make the holidays more affordable while actively contributing to healthier forests and better wildlife habitat.
The Department of the Interior recently announced a major reduction in permit fees for Christmas trees and firewood on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands for the 2025 to 2026 winter season. Now through Jan. 31, families can harvest Christmas trees and firewood for just $1 per tree or per cord, helping households stretch their holiday budgets while supporting critical forest management work.
In addition to lowering permit costs, the BLM has expanded household limits to make participation more worthwhile. Families can now harvest up to 10 cords of firewood and up to three Christmas trees, with flexibility to remove limits entirely in certain areas with abundant resources.
But this initiative goes well beyond cost savings by promoting forest thinning and hazardous fuel reduction across millions of acres. Across much of the West, decades of fire suppression have created overstocked forests susceptible to catastrophic wildfire. Thick stands of small-diameter trees and excess woody debris increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires that threaten communities, wildlife habitat and access to the very public lands hunters and anglers rely on.
By opening new cutting areas in overstocked woodlands, the BLM is using a simple, hands-on solution that is putting saws in the hands of the public. Every Christmas tree harvested and every cord of firewood removed helps thin forests, reduce hazardous fuels and improve overall forest resilience.
For wild turkeys and countless other species, this kind of management matters. Thinned forests allow sunlight to reach the ground, encouraging grasses, forbs and shrubs that provide nesting cover, brood habitat and forage. Reduced fire intensity helps protect mature trees and maintain a mosaic of habitat types — exactly the kind of landscape turkeys thrive in.
This initiative is a reminder that conservation isn’t always complex or technical. Sometimes it’s as straightforward as responsibly removing a tree or hauling out firewood, and these actions benefit forest health, wildlife and communities all at once.
If BLM land isn’t available near you, similar opportunities often exist through state agencies or the USDA Forest Service many of which offer holiday tree permits and firewood programs on public lands across the country.