Fourth and fifth grade kids can get free Christmas tree permits for Carson National Forest

AZTEC — Looking for a Christmas tree? Families with fourth and fifth-grade students have fee-free access to thousands of Forest Service sites and a free permit to cut their own Christmas tree in Carson National Forest as part of the Every Kid Outdoors program.

The program vouchers for fifth grade students are available on the Every Kid Outdoors website, everykidoutdoors.gov, under the link in the banner that says “Hey, fifth graders!” Fourth grade students can get their Every Kid Outdoors Pass on the same website.

The program is a federal public lands partnership that provides opportunities for children to explore national forests, parks and historic sites. It generally involves giving fourth graders passes to those public lands, however many of the fourth graders missed the chance to use their passes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release from Carson National Forest. Because of that, the program has been extended to include fifth graders this year.

The fourth and fifth grade students who have downloaded vouchers or have passes can get a Christmas tree permit online at Recreation.gov. To select a tree from Carson National Forest, go to the Carson National Forest Christmas tree permit page. The site does charge a $2.50 service fee, which is the only fee families with fourth or fifth graders will pay.

This permit allows families to go to Carson National Forest and cut down a Christmas tree.

The regular cost for a tree permit ranges from $5 to $15 depending on the size of the tree. The trees can be harvested anytime through the end of the year.

The tree can be cut down or dug up and removed as a transplant.

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