From now until December 24, the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is hosting its Christmas Tree Program. You can get your Christmas tree permit and take the family into the woods to cut down your very own tree.
“The cedar tree program also helps Land Between the Lakes maintain open lands and promotes diverse wildlife habitat,” it says on the website.
Get Your Permit
To participate in the program, you have to get your permit online. You can do so now through December 24. You must create an account and then complete, print, and sign your permit, having it displayed in your vehicle while you are on the property looking for a tree.
Finding The Perfect Tree
Finding and cutting down a tree is a family tradition for many people. With a permit, you are entitled to one cedar tree. The permit is only for cedar trees less than 10 feet tall with stumps less than 4 inches tall. They can look similar to pine trees, so go online to see the difference.
Cedar trees may be cut down anywhere in the Land Between the Lakes, except those within sight of US 68/KY 80, Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway, cemeteries, and facilities including the Elk & Bison Prairie, nature watch areas, campgrounds, timber sale areas and other mowed areas. You’re asked to read the cutting guidelines before you cut down your tree.
Maps are also available that show you where you can and cannot cut down a tree. There are restricted cutting zones that are detailed on the map. There is a Christmas Tree North and Christmas Tree South area map to help you navigate where cutting and removal are allowed.
Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area
The Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is more than 170,000 screws of forests, wetlands, and open lands on a peninsula between Kentucky and Barkley Lakes in western Kentucky and Tennessee. It has 300 miles of shoreline, 200 miles of paved roads, and 500 miles of trails. You can camp, picnic, hike, fish, boat, and hunt throughout the year here.
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