Christmas tree cutting permits available

The Bureau of Land Management will begin selling Christmas tree cutting permits Tuesday for $5 each. Permits allow the cutting of pinyon pines or juniper trees in designated areas, primarily in the Pinenut Mountains between Carson City and Yerington, the Clan Alpine and Desatoya mountains east of Fallon, and the Excelsior Mountains southeast of Hawthorne.

Permits are available at the Bureau of Land Management, 5665 Morgan Mill Road; C-A-L Ranch, 2035 N. Carson St.; Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce, 1477 U.S. Highway 395 N., Suite A in Gardnerville; Bureau of Land Management, 1340 Financial Blvd. in Reno; Galena Creek Visitor Center on Mt. Rose Highway; Community Action Center, 924 Fifth St. in Hawthorne; University of Nevada Reno, Cooperative Extension, 111 Sheckler Road in Fallon; Middlegate Station, 42500 U.S. Highway 50, 48 miles east of Fallon; and Cold Springs Station, 52500 U.S. Highway 50, 62 miles east of Fallon.

Maps and directions are available with each permit purchase. There is no limit to the number of permits that may be purchased. Permits are for individual use only; collection of trees for resale requires a special permit.

Tree cutters are advised to wear warm clothes and bring a first aid kit, extra food and water, heavy rope or chain, a shovel and tire chains. Also, some areas may be inaccessible after snowfall, so it is advisable to cut trees early in the season.

For more information, call Coreen Francis at 775-885-6161 or send an email to Coreen_Francis@blm.gov.