Butte Meadows Outdoor Adventurer

Cut the Perfect Christmas Tree in Butte County

March 06, 2024 (Originally published December 14, 2023)
Cutting a Christmas Tree in Butte Meadows

Whether you’re a sea­soned tree-pick­ing pro or are start­ing a new tra­di­tion, you’ll find the per­fect Christ­mas tree in Butte Coun­ty in either Lassen Nation­al For­est or Plumas Nation­al Forest!

Lassen Nation­al Forest

You can get a per­mit for cut­ting your tree in Lassen Nation­al Forest (which includes Butte Mead­ows) by mail only. Lim­it two (2) trees per house­hold. See all the details here.

  • Sales for Christ­mas tree per­mits will begin on Novem­ber 1, 2023, by mail or in-per­son at select locations.
  • Per­mits can be pur­chased through Decem­ber 22, 2023; mail-in requests by be received by Decem­ber 9, 2023
  • Per­mits pur­chased from the Plumas Nation­al For­est are not valid on the Lassen Nation­al Forest
  • Lassen Nation­al For­est Christ­mas Tree Per­mits can NOT be pur­chased online

IN-PER­SON: You can pur­chase the tree per­mit in-per­son, cash-only, at one of the fol­low­ing area vendors:

  • Col­lier Hard­ware, 105 Broad­way St., Chico
  • True Val­ue Hard­ware, 936 Man­grove Ave., Chico
  • Butte Mead­ows Resort, 7473 Hum­boldt Rd, For­est Ranch
  • Zavater­ro’s Gro­cery, 15509 Nopel Ave., For­est Ranch

MAIL-IN: Send your request for a Christ­mas tree per­mit along with a check for $10.00 per tree to one of the fol­low­ing locations:

  • Almanor Ranger Dis­trict, Christ­mas Tree Per­mit, PO Box 767, Chester, CA 96020
  • Eagle Lake Ranger Dis­trict, Christ­mas Tree Per­mit, 477 – 050 Eagle Lake Road, Susanville, CA 96130
  • Hat Creek Ranger Dis­trict, Christ­mas Tree Per­mit, PO Box 220, Fall Riv­er Mills, CA 96028
  • Supervisor’s Office, Christ­mas Tree Per­mit, 2550 River­side Dri­ve, Susanville, CA 96130

Plumas Nation­al Forest

Per­mits are required to cut your own tree and you need to buy them online .

  • Trees may be cut from Nov. 1‑Dec. 31
  • Per­mits are $10 (plus a $2.50 ser­vice fee if pur­chased online) and include a map of tree cut­ting areas as well as safe­ty infor­ma­tion and help­ful tip
    • Christ­mas Tree Cut­ting Map Side 1
    • Christ­mas Tree Cut­ting Map Side 2
  • Two (2) per­mits are allowed per house­hold; please read the instruc­tions on your per­mit care­ful­ly! There are no refunds.

Vis­i­tors should be alert when enter­ing burned areas and watch out for haz­ard trees, down trees along roads, and falling rocks and debris. It is impor­tant to plan your trip ahead of time to ensure the area you plan to cut your tree has not been impact­ed by recent fires.

Because cut­ting areas may be quick­ly lim­it­ed by snow, dress warm­ly and plan to get your tree ear­ly. Cell phone cov­er­age may be scarce in remote areas so make sure you’ve planned ahead for con­tin­gen­cies like flat tires and being stuck on a cold, mud­dy roads. Let some­one know where you are going and leave them a map, plus per­ti­nent phone num­bers and a descrip­tion of your vehicle.

More pro­gram specifics, includ­ing mail-in instruc­tions, may be found here .