As the holidays start creeping up, cutting down your own tree is the perfect way to get a head start.
Christmas tree permits are now available for purchase from the Bridger-Teton, Caribou-Targhee, and Shoshoni National Forests.
Permits from the Bridger-Teton or Caribou-Targhee forests are $15; in Shoshone National Forest it is $8.
If you do go out to cut down a tree in Bridger-Teton, officials ask that you choose ones that are growing among aspens as the conifers are encroaching upon the aspen’s ability to thrive.
If you go out to the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, they encourage you to choose trees that are closely clumped together to give the remaining trees more room to grow.