Some Southeast residents put up Christmas decorations over Thanksgiving weekend. The centerpiece, of course, is the tree.
The U.S. Forest Service allows each household to cut down one Christmas tree from the Tongass National Forest per year. Julia Spofford is the assistant director at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. No permit is required, but she said residents should follow a few key guidelines to protect ecosystems.
“We don’t want to do any trees within, you know, 330 feet of bald eagle nests, or 100 feet of salmon streams or 100 feet of roads or trails,” she said.
She said to only take a tree that’s seven inches in diameter or smaller, and to cut as low to the ground as possible.
“We ask that you avoid muskeg as well, just because the regeneration in those areas is difficult for trees to establish,” Spofford said.
Some helpful things to bring are a hand saw, sled, cord to wrap the tree and a tape measure.
Tree harvesters will see a lot of western hemlock and Sitka spruce. Spofford explains the difference in terms of Christmas-tree quality.
“Hemlocks are really soft, but they also have kind of very flexible branches,” she said. “So if you’ve got a lot of heavy ornaments — might not be a good choice — but if you’re likely to brush into your tree a lot or have small kids, it might be a nicer option, since it’s softer versus the Sitka spruce. Spruce has those spikier needles, but often have a little more conical of (a) shape.”
Spofford said it’s important to check Forest Service maps.
People can find Christmas trees by hiking out on the trails, but there are also a couple of accessible spots just off of Juneau’s road system. The first is along Glacier Highway between mile post 29 and 33. The second is up Fish Creek Road toward Eaglecrest Ski Area.
The Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, Auke Recreation Area and Lena Beach are off-limits.
The City and Borough of Juneau also allows Christmas tree harvest on designated areas of city-owned land, including off of North Douglas Highway near Fritz Cove and False Outer Point, and off of Glacier Highway near Bridget Cove.
The city’s regulations differ slightly from the Forest Service policy. Harvesters must still avoid muskeg and cut the tree at its base. But discarded branches must be scattered and trees must be cut more than 50 feet from a hiking trail and more than 25 feet from any body of water.
