NATIONAL FORESTS -- Ho, ho, ho! It’s time for many to honor the family tradition of heading to a national forest to cut a Christmas tree.

First stop should be to a U.S. Forest Service office to get a $5 permit. Families can purchase up to three “tags.”

In Spokane, the get the permits at the federal map and information center at the BLM office, 1103 N. Fancher Road Monday- Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District offers a “permit by mail” system. Get the order form online.

Use the tree-cutting expedition to help forest managers. Drive or walk up little-used back roads or even gated roads and cut trees growing within the road prism – from the top of the cut bank to the bottom of the fill slope. This helps to reduce the number of trees that grow large and encroach on the road.