[timberghost]

Was a busy weekend in the woods of Hiway 2 this weekend. Lots of 4x4's and people getting Xmas trees on public and private land even though they aren't selling permits.

[Kim Brown]

The USFS is selling permits online.

[slabbyd]

Off 542 I saw multiple cars cutting trees right along the highway in areas I’m pretty positive are not legal. One right in the patch of big old growth and another taking a tree planted for erosion control where the road had to be shires up. Maybe it’s always been like that and I’ve just missed it but seemed very 2020!

[dixon]

Saw a dozen folks cutting off salmon le sac rd on National Forest land. Asked one of the guys cutting where you buy permits he responded "what permits". Seems like a bad situation since the forest service has no count of stock taken which they use for replant zones. Driving out, there were literally a conga like of trucks each with trees in the back. I guess this is 2020!

[Chief Joseph]

Same out here on the mountain loop, lots of Christmas tree snatchers, almost like an invasion..

[timberghost]

[treeswarper]

Do not worry. People rarely get far from roads. Foresters overplant areas so deforestation is not going to be a problem. Think of it as a fire break--fewer trees to catch fire along roads. The problem is, foresters would like the plantations thinned but good Christmas trees are the open growing trees with limbs to the ground where trees don't need thinning. It's not much of a problem though, if reforestation has been successful. Foresters plant more trees than needed after a disturbance, and have to go back after the crowns grow in and do a precommercial thin.

[Kim Brown]

[Chief Joseph]

Seems a bit weird that they are selling Xmas tree permits. yet giving away firewood permits, but I'm not complaining, I saved 40 bucks.

[timberghost]

[Kim Brown]

A permit [i]is required for USFS trees[/i]. Whether or not it will be checked, or if a person has a permit is another issue. There will likely be a lot of un-permitted cutting on USFS lands and private lands this year. The news sources are all reporting that more people at home this year during Christmas, and due to nostalgia, real Christmas trees are going to be big this year. So I bet this weekend will be another big traffic wkend for the passes, which is the point of this thread, I think...?

[Cyclopath]

Trees are the new toilet paper.

[neek]

That's it! They're cutting trees to make their own toilet paper, not for Christmas. Why didn't I think of that??

[Sky Hiker]

Oh I get it that's cool of them to cut the trees down, haul them home and produce their own TP. I bet it's evergreen scented too.

[treeswarper]

Hmmmm, I wonder if chippers are selling too. Will the Scouts who collect the trees afterwards,be processing the trees into TP? Then selling Scout Tissue to make money for camp? Stay tuned.