Finding the Perfect Christmas Tree in Oregon's Forest. The Pacific Northwest offers plenty of tradition during the holidays, like collecting holly, mistletoe, pine cones, and cutting down your own Christmas tree in Oregon's forest. The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) encourages Oregonians to check with local agencies first before harvesting items from the forest and/or cutting down the perfect Christmas tree.
Oregon's forested area of 30.5 million acres - roughly half of the state - is controlled by several different owners. About 60 percent of Oregon's forests are under federal ownership, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs or other federal agencies. The State of Oregon owns 3 percent of our state's forests, concentrated primarily in the 781,000 acres designated as State Forests, but also encompasses lands owned by state agencies and universities. Local and tribal Oregon governments own 619,000 acres or 2 percent. The remaining 35 percent of forest lands are privately owned. Large industrial timber owners manage 6 million acres of forest while small woodland owners (including family-run forest holdings) own 4.7 million acres, which is about 15 percent of the forested footprint of the state.
The perfect Christmas tree may be harvested by permit from federal forests; however trees cannot be harvested from Oregon's State Forests, including the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests in northwest Oregon, Santiam State Forest east of Salem, Elliott State Forest near Reedsport and the Sun Pass State Forest near Klamath Falls. Additional information about permits for removing trees from federal land, including the National Forests within Oregon, is available from local offices of the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Permits issued by USFS or BLM are valid only on federally-owned land in Oregon.
Permit requirements for removing products other than trees from state-owned forests vary from district to district. Contact your local ODF office for additional information. Information for Oregon Department of Forestry offices throughout the state is available on ODF's web site.
Comments (6)Subscribe to CommentsComment