Want to cut your own Christmas tree? The province made that easier this week when it started selling Christmas tree permits on its website, and they’re going fast.
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) started offering Christmas tree-cutting permits online earlier this week. The $5 permits let Albertans cut down up to three pine or spruce trees on Crown land for use during Christmas.
These permits have been available for years, says SRD spokesperson Duncan MacDonnell, but previously had to be purchased in person so staff could tell buyers where to harvest. This year, however, the technical folks figured out a way to do it online.
It’s been a surprisingly popular option, MacDonnell says. They’ve sold about 60 permits a day through the site since Monday despite little to no publicity. (The province normally sells about 1,450 a year.) It is illegal to harvest a tree on Crown land without a permit, he adds.
St. Albert’s Dave Kay says he’s gone out tree cutting with his family for the last eight years. “It’s a good thing to do with the kids,” he explains, and it’s a chance to go hike in the woods. Not many people seem to do it, he adds as he rarely encounters anyone else while harvesting.
It costs him about $50 in gas to get to the tree-cutting spot, says Kay, who works for Ducks Unlimited, but the tree adds a lot to the Christmas experience.
“It’s got a real nice aroma in the house,” he says, and can be used as firewood afterwards.
Local loggers can expect to drive for about an hour to make use of their permit, MacDonnell says, as they’re only issued for the green zone of the province. St. Albert is in the white zone, which is meant for farms; the green zone is meant for forestry, and generally covers the region west and north of Whitecourt. Along with the permit people will get a map telling them where to harvest, one that will direct them away from reforested regions and places with mountain pine beetle.
Residents should dress appropriately and avoid steep hills when tree hunting, MacDonnell says. “Don’t cut a tree that’s bigger than you can use,” he adds, as that’s wasteful. The tree should be wrapped and tied securely to your vehicle, trunk end forward, to keep any branches from flying off.
St. Albert crews will collect and chip Christmas trees from Jan. 9 to 20, says Christian Benson, the city’s solid waste programs co-ordinator.
See www.srd.alberta.ca for details.
