AUSTIN (KXAN) – Sure, the quaint tradition of chopping down a Christmas tree and lugging it home may be a little more commonplace in the North than in Texas, but still, there is an opportunity for many living in the state to give it a whack – just likely with less snow.
The Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association keeps tabs on all the state farms allowing Texans to choose a tree and cut it down themselves. There are dozens of Christmas tree farms across the state and nine in Central Texas.
The U.S. Forest Service allows people to trek into national forests to chop down their own trees as long as they purchase a Christmas tree permit before.
And cutting down Christmas trees from a National Forest is mutually beneficial – you get your own tree, and removing it improves the forest's health.
The U.S. Forest Service Christmas tree permit system directs people to remove trees from densely populated areas so that other trees can grow larger and areas can open up for wildlife to forage, per the U.S. Forest Service.
There are two states – Arizona and New Mexico – within the Southwestern Region of the country where folks can acquire a Christmas tree permit, but unfortunately for Texans, there are no national forests in the state where this is possible. Bah Humbug!
