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By Raul Flores / Journal Staff Writer Published: Friday, November 11th, 2022 at 10:13PM Updated: Saturday, November 12th, 2022 at 12:02AM

Are your lights, tinsel and star ready to go? Now, you need the tree – and the U.S. Forest Service invites people to get a permit so they can cut their own Christmas trees from designated areas of the Santa Fe National Forest.

Christmas tree permits are $10 and can be purchased at www.recreation.gov with a $2.50 service fee, the Forest Service news release states. Permits will also be on sale in person at any Santa Fe National Forest district office and headquarters starting Wednesday.

The Walatowa Visitor Center at Jemez Pueblo will also be selling permits Friday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The official cutting period starts Nov. 16, the Forest Service said, and permits must be printed and placed on vehicle dashboards before venturing to the forest to cut a tree.

Fourth-grade students are eligible to receive a free permit as part of the Every Kid Outdoors initiative. To receive the permit, students must have a special pass, available to download at www.everykidoutdoors.gov, the release states. Passes can be used to get permits via the website or at any of the in-person locations.

“Christmas tree permits are valid only on land within forest boundaries,” the Forest Service reminds residents. “Tree-cutting is prohibited in developed recreation sites, congressionally designated wilderness areas, and within 300 feet of streams, rivers and paved roads.”